For a long time I’ve wanted to update WhatsBestNext.com and turn it into a more complete resource site. I have a few hundred articles on leadership, productivity, and theology that I’m in the process of getting online.
Last summer, my friend James Kinnard and I started talking about these things and we both sensed the articles were just a small part of what is possible. What is really needed is an organization where Christians can be equipped in gospel-driven productivity and leadership from all angles, with new resources, online training, coaching, and more in-person training.
This flows from our passion for helping Christians connect their faith and their work, and takes it another step: giving practical teaching on how to be more effective in our work and all areas of life.
James is a good friend going back many years. He worked at Crossway for the last 7 years, leading their marketing & communications team, making a significant contribution. He is remarkably productive, and has been an enthusiastic proponent of gospel-driven productivity from the start, helping me over the years in refining the concepts. We think very much alike on leadership, management, and productivity, coming from the same framework of Scripture and both having been influenced by contemporary thinkers like Patrick Lencioni, Marcus Buckingham, Jim Collins, and others.
We’ve been sharpening the vision over the last few months, and are excited to launch What’s Best Next.
The Vision
Our vision is to launch an organization focused on helping Christians be more effective leaders, managers, and individual contributors. Through a variety of practical resources, we want to empower men and women in their daily work, from a gospel-centered perspective.
We want to help Christians sharpen the disciplines and skills of knowing what’s most important (c.f. Matt. 6:33, Matt. 40:37-40) and doing what’s most important, in ways that work out the ethic of the gospel.
In other words, whether it’s strategic planning, setting goals, managing email, collaboration, or a hundred other topics, we want to help Christians be more effective in doing good work, all in light of the biblical principles and gospel-centered motivations that drive true productivity.
The Need
We believe that a gospel-centered paradigm for productivity is needed for Christians working in churches, nonprofits, and in the marketplace. The world of work is one of the chief arenas through which the gospel of Christ can impact lives. It’s the main place most of us love our neighbor and serve the common good. And so increasing our personal and organizational effectiveness is a key means of honoring God and serving others.
But few organizations provide focused training in these areas, and fewer still seek to do so from an explicitly Christian perspective.
At What’s Best Next, we want to provide an integrated biblical outlook from the outset—an outlook which not only is based on the Scriptures, but which also takes into account the best business and leadership research from secular thinkers. For their findings are also a gift of God’s grace, and are to be leveraged by Christians.
The Opportunity
Imagine what could happen if churches, non-profits, businesses, and individual Christians everywhere were making plans and getting things done in ways that consistently honor God and commend the gospel.
That’s what What’s Best Next aims to help bring about. We will seek to do this through a range of resources, online webinars, productivity coaching, and workshops.
You can learn more on WhatsBestNext.com, but if you’re interested in receiving updates, productivity tips, and free resources as we go along, the best thing to do is sign up for the What’s Best Next Newsletter.