125. Fruitful Leadership, with Tom Nelson, author of The Flourishing Pastor

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Tom Nelson is author of The Flourishing Pastor, as well as the senior pastor of Christ Community Church in Kansas City and the president of Made to Flourish.

In this episode, Tom Nelson unpacks what it means to be a flourishing pastor--a pastor who lives and leads from a deep well of inner health and wholeness.


THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• Tom Nelson is author of The Flourishing Pastor.  He is also the senior pastor of Christ Community Church in Kansas City and the president of Made to Flourish.
• The Flourishing Pastor is based on Psalm 78:72:  “So David shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them with his skillful hands.”
• “A flourishing pastor is increasingly like Jesus as he or she is yoked in apprenticeship with him over a long time.”
• When we prioritize greater intimacy with God, our leadership will grow in fruitfulness.
• What we are doing and what we are accomplishing matters, but for a flourishing pastor it’s secondary.
• “To lead well we must be led well.”
• Leadership and followership go hand in hand.
• Failure often is our greatest teacher.
• Tom Nelson explains what he means by “an integral life,” which refers to a kind of seamlessness in life.  When we are in Christ, we experience life as fully unified and integral.  That’s what it means to be a flourishing pastor.
• We are moving toward a greater wholeness.
• A “black swan” experience, as Tom Nelson describes, is a completely unexpected experience.  It’s something you’ve never seen before (something like a global pandemic).
• There are four things a flourishing pastor can do when confronted with a “black swan” experience:
  • Lean into wisdom
  • Remain relational
  • Build endurance
  • Stay in mission

RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:

• Books mentioned:
  • The Flourishing Pastor, by Tom Nelson
• Made to Flourish:
  • www.madetoflourish.org
• Church Leadership Institute:
  • Website – www.depree.org/church
  • Anvil Leadership Support Network
• Related episodes:
  • Ep 36: The Vulnerable Pastor, with Mandy Smith
  • Ep 53: Growing Hearts, Not Attendance, with Mike McClenahan
  • Ep 113: Flourishing Leadership, with Andy Crouch
  • Ep 116: Power, Vulnerability, Rest, with Tod Bolsinger

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