Not all conversations are created equal. There are conversations that drain the brain of vital energy and creativity. Then there are conversations that stimulate energy and creativity.  It is funny at how we avoid certain topics and embrace others. In the faith landscape of America there are conversations that must occur in 2015. In a blog post Carey Nieuwhof suggested a similar discussion that really got me to thinking about conversations that I may not be engaging in and really could be hurting my leadership ability. I would offer 5 crucial conversations that we should engage in ASAP!

• Are our leaders healthy – really? In the book “The Advantage” Patrick Lencioni suggests that organizational health trumps everything else in the market place. That health presumes healthy leaders. In my opinion this is the most crucial topic of our times and the most ignored. We focus on healthy models of production instead of the health of the practionner.
• Why are young adults walking from churches? There is a beginning trend and far too early to  declare a cultural shift – people desire to engage the actual mission work of the Kingdom instead of hearing sermons and songs. Don’t get me wrong, this is not to suggest these are insignificant. Rather it is to say that if we are not missional engaged in our community then we are not serving our attendee’s very well. Give them a purpose for belonging and a challenge that is bigger than their ability to write the check.
• What cultural shifts are we ignoring? The culture is changing faster than the church. I do not believe this is healthy. It is not to suggest that we should go through a season of rapid change for the sake of it. We should however, change to demonstrate the relevance of the gospel message in any culture, race, gender, and location.
• How do we respond to people who attend church less often? As we continue to shift to hyper post-modernity, people feel less guilty in participating in church and they are less likely to offer loyalty to your cause. The rise of online options and other various ways to engage faith, people feel more likely to take charge of their time and use how they see fit. Occasional is the new normal. The non church attender hates hypocrisy and loves transparency. How are we responding?
• What are we really willing to change? Change does not come easy. We are willing to die on the matte for the sake of tradition even if it is wrong – after all we have to save face! We can swear and curse all of the changes in social media and technology or we can embrace these changes and adapt our thinking. If our belief system is truly true, then we have nothing to fear. That which is true is true through the ages, places, and spaces of the time continuum. We need only contextualize our methods to meet a new day. YES we will grieve over what we have lost, but we must press forward or lose relevance!

Leave a comment – I would be greatly interested in engaging the conversation with you. I am one to hear other conversations that you feel should be included in this article. Leave a voice message. I will attempt to respond to your comments.