By: Fred Fay on March 20, 2014
Young adults are asking questions about faith as they transition in life. One young lady wonders how she can really know God. Another young man is asking questions about morality that doubts traditional answers. Is there a place for their questions in the church? Questioning beliefs and authority in church can seem threatening to some…
By: Garrick Roegner on March 16, 2014
We have all had THAT experience. Seeing power used in a ministry setting in a negative way. I have a good friend who had his first pastoral assignment, the head pastor made him preach his sermons in private just to the head pastor for feedback and approval, and to make sure they would be adequate…
By: rhbaker275 on March 15, 2014
On the one hand, Making Room for Leadership by MaryKate Morse[1] is a challenging read. One cannot read the book without being introspective and evaluative of one’s own leadership. We see ourselves; we are confronted with misconceptions, ignored inadequacies, and confronted with the need for change. On the other hand, Morse writes with interminable clarity…
By: Stefania Tarasut on March 15, 2014
Book: Making Room for Leadership by MaryKate Morse Leadership is a skill to be learned and a gift that must be stewarded properly. Without intentional learning and diligent stewardship leadership can, and more often then not it is harmful to the leader and hurtful to the people being led. What struck me the in reading…
By: Mark Steele on March 15, 2014
MaryKate Morse’s book Making Room for Leadership; power, space and influence describes in great length about the importance and practice of leadership presence. MaryKate says there is a marriage between the leader’s presence and the reception of the group. The China business and political culture is an excellent example of this statement. I have been…
By: Richard Volzke on March 15, 2014
Nature of Influence Leaders influence others more than they influence themselves. Just because people follow you, doesn’t mean you are a leader. Leadership involves stewardship of one’s own physical being and the physical being of others. [1] Morse’s book, Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space and Influence, provides a thorough overview of how one can…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on March 15, 2014
Recently I was invited to sing at one of the church conferences in Ethiopia. There were two male singers also invited to sing at this event. The program leader told me that I was scheduled to sing in the afternoon session right after one of the guys, I will call Ufarga, sang. I was fine…
By: John Woodward on March 14, 2014
As I read MaryKate Morse’s book Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space and Influence, one person kept coming to mind: Roy Weece. He was a man greatly respected and highly influential, who exuded personal warmth that made one feel special in his presence. I first met him thirty years ago during a time in my…
By: Michael Badriaki on March 14, 2014
The title of this piece kept rolling in my fore front of my mind as I read MaryKate Morse’s book Making Room for Leadership, power, space and influence. There is a plethora of literature on leadership on the market and shelves, some of which I have consulted and others not yet; but I was captivated…
By: Richard Rhoads on March 14, 2014
As a young college student paying my way through school, I worked in a foods warehouse for Hershey Park. It was a great place to work, and even better, there were some great benefits which came along with the job. First, you could get into the park for free at any time when off of…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on March 14, 2014
My wife and I have run several small groups: youth, young married, singles, leaders, parents, perspective missionaries, and adults who feel they are overwhelmed with life. Oh, that last one is just us…never mind. Anyway, we love to do one particular small group exercise that unknowingly reveals a lot about each person in the group.…
By: Liz Linssen on March 14, 2014
Morse’s book is a Godsend. As a female minister in the throes of church planting, the practical wisdom and exercises she offers in dealing with leadership challenges such as power issues, emotional team players, and my own blind spots are the words of a wise sage I’ve been looking for. I love her book! The…
By: Sandy Bils on March 14, 2014
Everyone knows these situations. You are squeezed into a subway or bus. People are closer than it is comfortable for you. You own private space is invaded. These so called “crowding situations” give us a hard time, because we like to arrange our distance zones individually. When we are forced to limit these proxemics,…
By: Miriam Mendez on March 14, 2014
I have always been intrigued by the story of Warren Harding. Some will recognize this name because he was the 29th President of the United States. The story I’m talking about is the one told by Malcolm Gladwell in his book Blink. Harding, a newspaper editor who later became an Ohio State Senator, is described…
By: Julie Dodge on March 14, 2014
(Disclaimer: This blog is more of a reflection than critique of MaryKate Morse’ book, Making Room for Leadership: Power, Space and Influence[i]. Thank you, MaryKate, for the opportunity and framework.) I’ve been asked to serve in leadership positions throughout much of my adult life. In my twenties, I had it going on. I started and…
By: Bill Dobrenen on March 14, 2014
Midterm grades are often eye-opening experiences for my students. Some are doing well; others not so well. And although they probably know where their grades stand, it is another thing altogether when they see an “F” on their midterm grade report. I approached one of my students this week who was failing my English composition…
By: Carol McLaughlin on March 14, 2014
I have good memories of playing in sandboxes when I was growing up. In particular I recall playing at the neighbors house down the street. I do not recall the sandbox being very large in size, but somehow there was room for five to eight boys and girls to dig tunnels for our matchbox sized…
By: Phil Smart on March 13, 2014
MaryKate Morse in her fascinating book Making Room For Leadership sates that Jesus was very ordinary from a physical and perceived stance and that he was a minimalist, but he changed the world. At least as ordinary, I’m in good company! For six years I worked in Marketing and Sales for a company in Kansas. …
By: Fred Fay on March 13, 2014
Recently another Christian leader has come under scrutiny for sexual allegations. It would have been one of the least likely people by the way this man conducted himself. He was reserved, non-flamboyant and taught a moral high road. If you lived in the U.S. in the 70s and beyond, chances you would have heard of…
By: David Toth on March 13, 2014
The church was abuzz with activity. The worship service had just ended and people were engaging conversations, getting coffee from the coffee bar, and meeting in small groups planning lunch gatherings. Kids were running about looking for parents, or avoiding parents! The staff was making the most of the opportunity to have a few words…
