When’s the last time you said a definitive “no”? Or, is that two letter word simply not a part of your vocabulary? Many of us in ministry don’t know how to utter or stutter the word. Why is it so hard? If we did say no, who would understand, affirm, and/or accept our response? Much of the time when a “no” is stated it comes out of our anger and frustration about one too many requests for our time and energy. Or, we say no because we’ve run out of time to say yes once more. So, when have you said “no” for a good reason, a thoughtful reply that comes from a place of wisdom and strength deep within? We can’t build margin in our lives without a clear sense of calling, giftedness, and reasonable expectations. Let’s dialogue about when, how and why a “no” might be best used a majority of times rather than rarely, or worse yet: never.

The Rev. Dr. Stephen A. Macchia became the founding president of Leadership Transformations, Inc. (LTI) on July 1, 2003. LTI is a ministry which focuses on the spiritual formation needs of leaders and the spiritual discernment processes of leadership teams in local church and parachurch ministry settings nationwide. He is the author of several books, including Broken and Whole (IVP, 2016), Outstretched Arms of Grace (LTI Publication, 2015), Path of a Beloved Disciple (LTI Publication, 2014), Wellspring (LTI Publication, 2014), Crafting a Rule of Life: An Invitation to the Well-Ordered Way (IVP, 2012), the Baker Best-seller Becoming a Healthy Church.