Carey Nieuwhof

If you're like me, you wince every time you get negative feedback. I've gotten better at it over the years, but there's something inside me and probably inside you that makes your heart sink at least a little every time you receive a negative reaction to something you've said, done, or put in place.

Judah Smith and Dr. Les Parrot talk about the unique pressures pastors face. Les Parrot has been Judah's therapist for 15 years, and Les and Judah explain why your brain is lying to you 80% of the time, offer insights into how pastors self-sabotage, and provide guidance on how to break the cycle of negative thoughts that many church leaders struggle with.

So I'm an optimist. When I first started in leadership, I thought that every person had potential. If someone was negative, I thought they were just one step away from seeing the light and becoming positive.

Change is one of the most controversial issues in almost any organization. There's something inside you and me that clings to the status quo, hoping that it will work one more time, even if it hasn't worked in a long time.

I had one of those rare Sundays off as a church leader recently. I went to our church, Connexus, with my family.

It's for all of us who are on staff, for elders and for volunteers who work so hard that they might as well pay you.

My guess is that, like me, you want to accomplish more this year than last year, not less.

The most effective leaders have longer tenures. Probably because they decided to grow rather than jump. What if the biggest person you hurt in your constant movement was you?

A few years ago I went on a 12-month personal spending fast. Basically, it meant I agreed to purchase no new technology, music, apps, clothing or other discretionary personal items for a year.

Your sermon was never meant to end on Sunday. Learn how to leverage AI to turn one sermon into a week's worth of discipleship material for your congregation.