You and I see it almost daily: A person doesn’t know when to let go of their position of power. A father or mother, high executive or low manager, a lay or professional leader, a bus driver or bus mechanic….
Distinguished preaching professor says he was fired from Southwestern Seminary; administrators say he quit
A Southwestern Seminary professor who shared a platform with disgraced former seminary President Paige Patterson this spring either has been fired or has resigned, depending on who’s telling the story. David Allen, who served 18 years as distinguished professor of…
Why church musicians become scapegoats in anxious church systems and how to make personnel changes gracefully
A church musician colleague and friend sat in my office across from my desk and told me this story. I still remember his halting words and his ashen face. He had been called to a new music ministry in a…
How to bring dignity to firing church staff
Firing staff is never a pleasant experience. No one (except maybe Donald Trump on television) looks forward to telling a person that they now have to find another job. Firing people in an organization or church is often met with…
Smart churches call 911 sooner rather than later
On a pleasant morning a few years ago at a church preschool, a 3-year-old boy fell backwards off a piece of playground equipment and hit his head. It was no one’s fault. It just happened. His symptoms indicated the need…