Knowing and doing the right thing is hard. Staying calm and saying the course in the face of the resulting opposition can be even harder, and requires us to practice courage intentionally. 

In this episode, the third in our series on courage, Jim and Trisha are joined by Jessica Shults and Mac McCarthy who discuss their unique, yet similar, pastoral stories about leading congregations through hard things in different ways. Together they talk about different practices that can be used to help grow courage in challenging circumstances.

Conversation Overview

• Being courageous in challenging established mental models can effectively lead people into new ways of thinking
• Having a sense of calling, utilizing the help of others, and having to revisit challenging things over and over again are all ways help us work on courage
• The practice of controlling our own self-care, in addition to letting other help us carry the weight of change, helps us to be able to focus in on how to handle challenging opposition in the right ways
• Staying connected and staying the course while defining oneself are two styles of leadership that we can learn from to grow our emotional maturity

Links & References

Edwin Friedman Books

Speeches By Martin Luther King Jr.: The Ultimate Collection

Todd Bolsinger Books

The Colossian Forum

Crosspoint Church Podcast and Blog

The Leader’s Journey Website

The Leader’s Journey E-mail List