Leadership

Communication | Conflict | Delegation | Elder-Preacher Relationships | Gossip | Individual Responsibility | Leadership | Leadership Selection | Listening | Overseeing | Sheep | Shepherd-Shepherd Relationships

Two New Elders, Another Workshop 18 Months Later: NSO Workshop # 17
ByJerrie Barber September 16, 2019September 17, 2019

The first New Shepherds Orientation Workshop, November 1, 2, 2013 was initiated when Henry Wilhoit, an elder from Fairlane Church of Christ, Shelbyville, Tennessee called me with a request. “Jerrie, we’ve appointed five elders. Four of them have never served before. Do you think you could prepare something to help us understand the work of…

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Elder-Preacher Relationships | Leadership | Leadership Selection | Shepherd-Shepherd Relationships | Shepherding

Can a Preacher Be an Elder?
ByJerrie Barber September 2, 2019September 2, 2019

Yes How do I know? The Bible tells me so. Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages”…

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Communication | Elder-Preacher Relationships | Individual Responsibility | Leadership

Culleoka, Tennessee: New Shepherds Orientation Workshop # 16
ByJerrie Barber August 19, 2019August 17, 2019

…April 9-11, 2019, mutual admiration Identification of people in the above photo: from left to right: Jerrie Barber, Gail Barber, Russell Smith, Pam Foster, David Foster, Paul Blocker, Michele Blocker, Steve Burgett, Pam Burgett, Jimmy Thompson, Rebecca Thompson April 9-11 were the dates of the 16th New Shepherds Orientation Workshop. We used great accommodations at…

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Conflict | Individual Responsibility | Leadership | Shepherd-Shepherd Relationships

Would You Die Before You’d Ask for Help?
ByJerrie Barber August 5, 2019August 5, 2019

Why would a dying person not call for a doctor? I felt helpless. A man I’d never seen before came to talk with me one Monday afternoon. He asked if I’d help him with his marriage. I inquired about the problem. He said his wife had sued him for divorce. I asked when the divorce…

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Delegation | Gratitude | Leadership

Book of the Quarter: Love Works
ByJerrie Barber July 29, 2019July 30, 2019

Love Works: seven timeless principles for effective leaders, by Joel Manby, Copyright © 2012 by Joel K. Manby Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530 EPub Edition © MARCH 2012 ISBN:978-0-310-33569-6 “Mustard Seeds” I highlighted from Love Works: When the host asked me what was behind our caring culture displayed on the program, I said, “Well, we…

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Communication | Growth | Individual Responsibility | Leadership

Coach, How Do You Plan to Win More…even if team members don’t show up for practice and miss many games?
ByJerrie Barber July 15, 2019July 16, 2019

A preacher had done well. The church was growing. He was happy. He received communication from a men’s meeting asking him to prepare a plan for the church to grow and present it to them. This was the first information he received this was being considered. He hadn’t been invited to the men’s meeting. They…

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Communication | Elder-Preacher Relationships | Grace | Gratitude | Influence | Leadership | Shepherding

My First Raise and Why I Turned it Down…how wise and kind shepherds helped a scared young preacher
ByJerrie Barber July 1, 2019October 10, 2024

I’d been at this church about a year. It was my second full-time work. I was twenty-four years old. The elders told me I’d been doing a good job as their preacher and they were going to give me a raise. The only raise I’d received was when I was twelve years old. I was…

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Conflict | Gossip | Individual Responsibility | Influence | Leadership

How to Build and Maintain a Dysfunctional Group: “I know..but we need” (You can’t take enough vitamins to make poison good for you.)
ByJerrie Barber June 17, 2019June 18, 2019

How many times have you known someone in a congregation (elder, preacher, deacon, Bible teacher, man, woman) who is toxic in the group? They’re a pain in the church and will run off more people than you can invite. Some habits, personality traits they practice: Gossip Harsh attitude Lack of listening to others Always right…

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Communication | Conflict | Individual Responsibility | Influence | Leadership | Overseeing

“A bishop then must be blameless”…how in the world do you do that?
ByJerrie Barber June 3, 2019June 4, 2019

My observation: a great weakness of many leaders (preachers, elders, parents, others): the hard rule they have that they won’t admit and apologize for mistakes, weaknesses, sins, shortcomings, offenses, and neglect for fear of losing respect and power. When that rule is followed, that person cannot be blameless, without fault, above reproach. Many times I’ve…

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Leadership

Deer Park, Texas, NSO Workshop # 15
ByJerrie Barber May 20, 2019May 19, 2019

…a relationship that started 47 years ago I’d never heard of Deer Park, Texas before October 1972. Malcolm Hill was preaching in a meeting in Madisonville, Kentucky, where we lived. He wasn’t feeling well when he arrived on Saturday and became weaker during the week. He was scheduled for a meeting with the Deer Park…

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