A Word to the Wise: 
 
AI won’t replace people, but people who use AI will replace people who don’t use AI. 

Quote by an IBM researcher recounted by Wes Moss, Money Matters, WSB Radio, 2.22.26
 

A Word to the Wise: 
 
Five Discipleship Trends in Effective Churches Right Now
The return to midweek discipleship
Why marriage ministry must integrate with kids and students
Why affordable theological training is essential
How stewardship reflects spiritual maturity
Why groups—not worship—drive consistency
​
Sam Rainer, Church Answers, https://churchanswers.com/webinars/five-new-research-based-discipleship-trends-most-church-leaders-are-missing/
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A Word to the Wise: 
 
Gallup identified four key expectations followers have of their leaders. They need leaders to provide hope, trust, compassion, and stability.
​
Aaron Earls, Lifeway Research, 3.7.25, What Do People Want Most From Their Leader? Hope
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​A Word to the Wise: 
 
Elimination solves many problems. For one, you won't have to do the thing you eliminate. But also, you free up time, attention, and resources to do a better job on what remains. Before trying to be more productive, be more ruthless about what gets cut.
What can you eliminate this week?
​
James Clear, 2.19.26, 3-2-1 Thursday

​A Word to the Wise: Mac Lake
 
Across churches, businesses, and nonprofits, I've heard the same line: “We don’t have enough leaders.”
But leadership gaps aren’t solved by finding people. They’re solved by developing people.
And here’s the part I don’t want you to miss:
Leadership was never meant to stop with you. God didn’t shape your influence just for your success—He shaped it for someone else’s growth.
So let’s keep it simple this week with one action step.
Write down the names of two people God has already put around you who have potential. If no one comes to mind, pause and ask God to highlight them.
Then do these two simple things:

• Pray specifically for them by name. Their growth. Their courage. Their calling.
• Schedule a simple connection. A 30-minute conversation just to know them more deeply.

This reminds me of how Jesus started his public ministry that would later change the world. He simply said, “Follow me.”
Multiplication starts when you begin to see people differently—and then move toward them.
One more thing:
If you're not sure whether you’re truly multiplying leaders—or just hoping it happens—you can download the Multiplying Leader Assessment for free right here!
​
Mac Lake, 2.17.26, You Were Made to Multiply (Not Just Lead)

​A Word to the Wise: 
 
In many ways, church engagement is the thread that holds the Association together in a practical sense. It is the ongoing connection between pastors, congregations, and ministry partners that reminds us we are not laboring alone. The BMBA is not simply an organization with programs—it is a family of churches united in a shared mission and a shared gospel. We get to say things like, “Did you know that another church is going through this same challenge just across town and would love to help you?" 
​
Dr. Chris Crain, Birmingham Metro Baptist Association newsletter, 2.11.26

A Word to the Wise: 
 
Three Time Management Tips from the Life of Christ in Matthew’s Gospel
So let me wrap this up with three takeaways.

1. Prioritize purpose. Get clear on what exactly it is God wants you to do. 

                                 And don’t get distracted.

1. Make time for people. Never be too busy to love people.
2. Don’t neglect prayer. Make it a priority.

Reagan Rose, www.RedeemingProductivity.com, 1.29.26

A Word to the Wise: 
 
At its best, the association is not an institution to be supported – like a college. At its best, the association is a strategy for cooperating at the local level that brings churches together strategically to do together what no one church can do alone. No one church is capable of reaching a city for Christ. 
 
Dr. Tom Billings, SBCAL 2018 Annual Conference, Former Executive Director, Union Association, Houston, TX

​A Word to the Wise: 
 
Over time, stress wears people down.
For leaders, a high need for control increases stress. The need for control shifts the way leaders focus on potential risks and obstacles.
Because controlling leaders want everything to go perfectly, they overthink every choice and action that can produce a less favorable outcome. This magnifies any threat to high performance and makes normal challenges feel overwhelming.
So, what makes some leaders so much better at handling and feeling less stress?
Optimism is the magic bullet.
The disciplined belief that progress is always possible and opportunity exists in any challenge regulates feelings of stress.
And here’s the good news: Research has proven that optimism is a learned skill. How stress is experienced and managed can be changed with an optimistic mindset.
In the struggle between reality and stress, optimism prevails.
​
Admired Leadership Field Notes, 1.17.26, Why Do Some Leaders Feel More Stress?

​A Word to the Wise: 5 Ways AI Is Impacting the Next Generation (Lifeway Research)

1. Kids (and parents) are embracing AI
2. AI is shaping their worldview
3. They’re experimenting with virtual companions
4. The way they learn is changing
5. They’re not equipped to navigate the complex ethics of AI

Shelly Melia, Dallas Baptist University, Lifeway Research, 1.8.26