Hooks and Anchors

by Tom Shefchunas on September 16, 2013 in Leadership, Small Groups, Strategy.

A few years ago, one of my good friends and co-workers announced that he was leaving his job as a Middle School Director. If you’ve seen this go down before, you’ll probably be surprised by my next statement.

When he announced he was leaving, it was no big deal to the volunteers he announced it to!

For my friend, it probably would have been good for the ol’ ego if there had been weeping and gnashing of teeth, but, you know what?

His volunteers’ response (or lack thereof) is actually an indicator that he did a great job!

Why Focus on Middle School Ministry?

by Tom Shefchunas on September 11, 2013 in Strategy.

I spent the first 10 years of my professional life as a teacher, coach, and eventually a principal in the educational system. Though I loved the classroom and my kids, I grew more and more frustrated with the system. In response, I tried to change it from the inside out. Along the way, I went to graduate school to get my administrative degree and spent a lot of time not only working in the system, but stepping back and looking at it from an academic and scientific perspective. I got more frustrated—not with the teachers—but with the system they had to work in.