Besides analyzing and handling defeats, it helps to think about how defeats can be prevented. Here are two keys I've found helpful.

Don't expect most people to share your vision. One of my greatest frustrations has been getting leaders to share my vision for the church. I'd often find myself agitated that I was the one always promoting, pulling, dragging, and educating to bring them up to speed on church vision.

Then one day it hit me: Don spends fifty or sixty hours a week farming, David spends fifty hours a week at his college teaching and administering, Robert spends fifty hours a week running a small computer business. I spend my waking hours each week thinking about church. No wonder these men can't match my enthusiasm, passion, and vision for ministry. I'm paid to think about these things full time.

I've since concluded that people won't have as much vision in areas where they haven't invested as much time. I'm visionless when it comes to my car or my money. Even lay leaders who get ...