corona — BLOG — Trevor DeVage

I don’t know about most of you, but the last year of leadership in ministry has had some very lonely moments. For some it has even been isolating. There were moments where it was lonely pre-pandemic, but in the midst of it, it has been even more lonesome and even isolating at times. Throw in political, racial, and social upheaval, and you have a perfect leadership storm of loneliness that can turn isolating quickly.

“It’s lonely at the top.” Like most clichés, this one gets repeated so often because it expresses at least a little truth. In fact, according to some research, at least half of all CEOS report feelings of loneliness. As one researcher puts it, “You can imagine that … over time having to make a lot of tough, unpopular decisions that are constantly going to upset at least one part of your constituency could start to feel isolating.”

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageJanuary 13, 2021loneliness, lonely, alone, isolation, embrace, church, ministry, leadership, jesus, clarity, discover, desire, community, hurt, covid, corona, pandemicComment

EVERY CHURCH IS NOW A CHURCH PLANT

As every aspect of our daily lives is being reconsidered and refashioned by the pandemic, churches are rethinking their futures, too.

Or at least they should be. But I’m afraid some are anticipating the days ahead only with a vision of the years behind. And I’m convinced this just won’t work.

My thinking on this was influenced by the recent mentoring retreat I attended with Cal Jernigan. As I’ve mentioned before, I get together several times a year with Cal and five other preachers to talk about our lives and ministries. This November the talk naturally included discussions of Covid-19’s impact on the work of the local church. Cal encouraged us to think of our ministries in terms of Pre-Covid, Covid, and Post-Covid. And he helped us realize that Post-Covid ministry will look altogether different than the Pre version.

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageNovember 18, 2020church, covid, corona, pandemic, church plant, exhaustion, exhausted, overcoming, new, fresh, starting, pursue, pre-covid, post-covid, possibility, 2021, 2020Comment

FIVE KEYS TO LEADING LONG-TERM PART 2

Last week I shared three key principles for leading long-term:

1. Have short-term memory. (Don’t let yesterday’s missteps sabotage today’s potential.)

2. Simplicity saves souls. Complexity causes confusion.

3. Make one next good decision each day. (Otherwise you’ll become overwhelmed or distracted, or both!)

These are not isolated ideas; each one leads to the next, and so let’s move from the third principle to the fourth.

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageAugust 26, 2020keys, leadership, memory, simplicity, decisions, marathon, resilience, results, leader, people, progress, coach, football, church, church leaders, wins, pandemic, corona, covidComment

HOW TO WIN A FIGHT THAT'S NOT FAIR

I’ve never been a big guy. And when I was a boy, my father, who’s always been short and scrappy himself, told me how to survive.

“Fighting’s not fair,” he advised. “Don’t go seeking a fight, but if you’re challenged by someone bigger than you, do whatever you must to win.” He told about a time when a bully confronted him after school. Dad grabbed a metal trash can, whomped the kid with it, and then ran home.

He wouldn’t have left unhurt that day if he hadn’t realized some uncomplicated truths that parallel the way Christians should think about their spiritual adversary, the devil. When it comes to Satan, it’s not a fair fight, and we need to be ready.

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageMay 20, 2020fight, fair, enemy, boxing, strength, covid, corona, worship, satan, spiritual warfareComment

WHY BE NORMAL? SPECIAL GUEST POST BY MARK TAYLOR

Last week Trevor challenged the church not to seek or settle for a “new normal” in how we do ministry. To his way of thinking, “normal” is not where the church belongs at all. Instead, like the growth of his teenage daughters, he says the church should “progress through one change after another in the coming years. . . . The goal is not to settle into normal, the goal is to progress through life.”

I keep coming back to those words. Does the notion of No New Normal really apply to everyday life? Does it work for me?

I hope so. I’m beginning to see how his insights can apply personally to my life—and maybe to some other readers of his blog as well. Trevor’s points from last week make a good outline for my thoughts, too.

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageMay 13, 2020normal, complacency, covid, corona, new, leadership, church, .iveComment

Trevor DeVage

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