Professionalism is more than just courteous behavior, though. It carries with it a degree of integrity. The Bible teaches that we are to "live our lives in a manner worthy of the calling God has put on our lives." Whether you are a church leader, a professional who serves churches, an Executive Pastor or church business administrator, or even a volunteer, God has called us to act professionally. It seems mundane, but that is the way that we, as professionals, can demonstrate our commitment to Christlike living.

There is one other thing about rules that should not be overlooked: they usually do not happen on their own. Rules usually come into existence after someone has done something wrong. They exist to remind us that the paths we walk on can be dangerous. Willful disregard can be an indicator of serious problems. We all complain about the IRS and the Tax Code it enforces. But they only exist because people sometimes have difficulty doing the right thing.

"Lots of churches measure attendance and offering," he began, "but how do you measure the spiritual formation and health of your attenders? Isn't that the real measure of a church's health?"

I had an interesting conversation with a banker who specializes in church loans. Knowing ahead of time that he is a banker with over 20 years experience doing loans for churches, I knew that I would find the conversation interesting. We talked about a variety of matters, but he said a couple of things that really stood out.

What kinds of questions are you asking yourself? What are your key performance indicators?What are you tracking and measuring? What do you want to know about your church? Maybe our geek is showing, but this stuff fascinates us!

We love to talk about churches and what inspires church leaders. What inspires you? Join the conversation. Please comment below and let us know what YOU want to talk about!

How can we get pastors talking to one another in intentional ways in order to promote encouragement, exhortation, and growth? How can we get pastors to consult with other pastors by fostering conversations with insightful questions? The answer? We could start with a simple phrase: I see in you...