Spiritual Life and Leadership 238. Lead with Less Anxiety, with Alan Fadling, author of A Non-Anxious Life
Oct 15, 2024
38:48
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Is it possible to lead a congregation without being consumed by anxiety and stress? How can we as ministry leaders manage the pressures and expectations we carry while maintaining a sense of peace and lightness?
In this episode, Alan Fadling, author of A Non-Anxious Life, unpacks how ministry leaders can navigate anxiety by creating a supportive network of friends and mentors, understanding God’s joyful nature, and how these realities can transform our personal life and pastoral leadership.
THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
- Alan Fadling advises not bringing personal anxiety into a congregation but sharing it with friends, mentors, therapists, and spiritual directors.
- Alan Fadling highlights that his experience with managing anxiety has been supported by people outside his immediate church community.
- Referencing Lewis Smedes' Shame and Grace, Markus Watson illustrates how acceptance from others can help people feel less anxious and more acceptable.
- Discussing his book about anxiety with a church small group, Alan Fadling emphasizes the value of having outside perspectives to reassure one's concerns.
- Understanding God's joyful nature can lead to personal transformation and fuller acceptance of grace.
- Markus Watson relates a story about providing comfort rather than judgment, illustrating how fear and anxiety are addressed in a supportive manner.
- Categorizing anxiety as a sin is unhelpful, Fadling emphasizes, especially from a pastoral perspective.
- Referencing Eugene Peterson's interpretation from Philippians 4, Alan Fadling focuses on replacing anxiety with peace through prayer.
- We should recognize God's presence in anxious moments through prayer and reflection rather than avoid anxiety.
- Inspired by Dallas Willard, Fadling shares a personal practice of using scripture to find peace amidst anxiety.
- Psalms of Lament can help engage with and express anxiety while relying on God's support.
- Journaling with honesty, as practiced by Alan Fadling, serves as a personal dialogue with God and reinforces that God cares and one is not alone.
- Fadling’s early ministry concerns included whether congregants liked him, stemming from personal insecurity.
- Discussing a "recognition deficit," Alan Fadling notes the mistake of seeking validation from congregations instead of from God.
RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:
- Alan Fadling:
- Books mentioned:
- A Non-Anxious Life, by Alan Fadling
- The Wounded Healer, by Henri Nouwen
- Shame and Grace, by Lewis Smedes
- Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, by Lewis Smedes
- Related Episodes:
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