

The Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast
Al Lopus
This is what a flourishing workplace culture looks and feels like. Listen to inspiring stories told by actual Best Christian Workplace leaders and other experts. Each week, you will discover how you can build a flourishing workplace and a thriving organization. Hosted weekly by Al Lopus, Cofounder & Board Chair of Best Christian Workplaces. Learn more at www.workplaces.org.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 23, 2025 • 43min
448: Thank God It's Monday: Building a Ministry Culture Employees Love // Doug Mazza, Joni and Friends
In this episode, as Al Lopus, host of the Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast, closes his time as the host, he welcomes back one of his very first guests, Doug Mazza. From leading Hyundai Motor America to expanding the global reach of Joni and Friends, Doug shares how Christ-centered leadership can shape a flourishing workplace culture that leaves a lasting legacy. Find full show notes here: https://workplaces.org/podcast/448-thank-god-its-monday-building-a-ministry-culture-employees-love Share the love. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate it on Apple Podcasts and write a brief review. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-flourishing-culture-podcast/id1060724960?mt=2 By doing so, you will help spread our podcast to more listeners, and thereby help more Christian workplaces learn to build flourishing cultures. | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on X https://twitter.com/allopus | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allopus/ | Email our host at al@workplaces.org

Jun 16, 2025 • 49min
447: Thriving Leaders Start Within: How Self-Leadership Shapes Organizations // Tami Heim, Christian Leadership Alliance
If you're feeling the weight of leadership, this episode offers a timely reminder: your most effective strategy may not be something new you do, but someone deeper you become. Join us as Tami Heim, President and CEO of the Christian Leadership Alliance, shares how personal spiritual formation is the foundation for lasting impact in Christian leadership. Find full show notes here: https://bit.ly/447tamiheim Share the love. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate it on Apple Podcasts and write a brief review. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-flourishing-culture-podcast/id1060724960?mt=2 By doing so, you will help spread our podcast to more listeners, and thereby help more Christian workplaces learn to build flourishing cultures. | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on X https://twitter.com/allopus | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allopus/ | Email our host at al@workplaces.org

Jun 9, 2025 • 49min
446: Hiring with Purpose: A Predictive Model for Building Flourishing Teams // Chad Carter
If you've ever second-guessed a hiring decision—or worried about choosing the wrong person—this episode will give you a practical path forward. Chad Carter, the principal chair for C12 forums in East Tennessee and author of The Predictive Hiring Model, shares six key disciplines that can help you reduce turnover, avoid costly mistakes, and consistently hire the right people for your team. Find full show notes here: https://bit.ly/446chadcarter Share the love. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate it on Apple Podcasts and write a brief review. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-flourishing-culture-podcast/id1060724960?mt=2 By doing so, you will help spread our podcast to more listeners, and thereby help more Christian workplaces learn to build flourishing cultures. | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on X https://twitter.com/allopus | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allopus/ | Email our host at al@workplaces.org

Jun 2, 2025 • 40min
445: Culture That Flourishes, Leaders Who Last // Peter Greer, HOPE International
When leaders let go of image management and embrace authenticity, transformation follows. In this powerful conversation, Peter Greer, President and CEO of HOPE International, shares honest insights on identity, humility, and what it means to lead with faith and integrity. Find full show notes here: https://bit.ly/445petergreer Share the love. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate it on Apple Podcasts and write a brief review. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-flourishing-culture-podcast/id1060724960?mt=2 By doing so, you will help spread our podcast to more listeners, and thereby help more Christian workplaces learn to build flourishing cultures. | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on X https://twitter.com/allopus | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allopus/ | Email our host at al@workplaces.org

May 26, 2025 • 50min
444: Boards That Shepherd, Not Just Oversee // Michael Martin, Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA)
What's one of the biggest risks to the health of Christian ministries that often gets ignored? In this episode, Al Lopus sits down with Michael Martin, President of ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability), to explore how trust, governance, and leader well-being are deeply connected—and why boards play a critical role in sustaining healthy, Christ-centered leadership. Find full show notes here: https://bit.ly/444michaelmartin Share the love. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate it on Apple Podcasts and write a brief review. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-flourishing-culture-podcast/id1060724960?mt=2 By doing so, you will help spread our podcast to more listeners, and thereby help more Christian workplaces learn to build flourishing cultures. | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on X https://twitter.com/allopus | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allopus/ | Email our host at al@workplaces.org

May 19, 2025 • 34min
443: Becoming a Redemptive Leader: Surrender, Suffering, and Trusting God's Timing // Rev. Dr. Nicole Massie Martin, Soulfire International Ministries
What if true leadership isn't about chasing success—but about embracing surrender? In this episode, Rev. Dr. Nicole Massie Martin—founder and executive director of Soulfire International Ministries, COO of Christianity Today, and author of Nailing It: Why Successful Leadership Demands Suffering and Surrender—challenges today's leadership norms with a deeply biblical vision of influence shaped by suffering, rooted identity in Christ, and the call to carry the cross. Find full show notes here: https://bit.ly/443drnicolemartin Share the love. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate it on Apple Podcasts and write a brief review. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-flourishing-culture-podcast/id1060724960?mt=2 By doing so, you will help spread our podcast to more listeners, and thereby help more Christian workplaces learn to build flourishing cultures. | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on X https://twitter.com/allopus | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allopus/ | Email our host at al@workplaces.org

May 12, 2025 • 33min
442: Ministry on the Edge: A Mental Health Wake-Up Call // Bishop Geoffrey V. Dudley Sr., New Life in Christ Church
When leadership collides with crisis, the results can be both devastating and transformative. In this episode, Bishop Geoffrey V. Dudley Sr.—founding and senior pastor of New Life in Christ Church and author of Leading Through Storms: Successfully Navigating Ministry While Maintaining Your Mental Health—shares how moments of deep personal struggle became defining turning points in his ministry and leadership. Find full show notes here: https://bit.ly/442bishopdudley Share the love. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate it on Apple Podcasts and write a brief review. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-flourishing-culture-podcast/id1060724960?mt=2 By doing so, you will help spread our podcast to more listeners, and thereby help more Christian workplaces learn to build flourishing cultures. | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on X https://twitter.com/allopus | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allopus/ | Email our host at al@workplaces.org

May 5, 2025 • 36min
441: How Leaders Can Thrive in the Unknown // Dr. Tod Bolsinger, AE Sloan Leadership, Inc.
When familiar strategies fall short and the path ahead is uncertain, how do leaders respond with clarity and courage? In this episode, Dr. Tod Bolsinger—founder of AE Sloan Leadership, executive director of the De Pree Center Church Leadership Institute, and associate professor at Fuller Seminary—offers powerful insights on navigating rapid change with adaptive resilience, humility, and a renewed sense of purpose. Find full show notes here: https://bit.ly/441drtodbolsinger Share the love. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate it on Apple Podcasts and write a brief review. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-flourishing-culture-podcast/id1060724960?mt=2 By doing so, you will help spread our podcast to more listeners, and thereby help more Christian workplaces learn to build flourishing cultures. | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on X https://twitter.com/allopus | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allopus/ | Email our host at al@workplaces.org

Apr 28, 2025 • 35min
440: 4 Reasons Christian Leaders Should Build Biblically Faithful and Welcoming Cultures // David Bailey, Arrabon
What if racial reconciliation isn't just a side initiative, but central to your calling as a Christian leader? In this compelling conversation, David Bailey, Founder and CEO of Arrabon, unpacks how unity, justice, and spiritual formation are essential to building reconciling communities—and to leading with courage in a divided world. Find full show notes here: https://bit.ly/440davidbailey Share the love. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate it on Apple Podcasts and write a brief review. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-flourishing-culture-podcast/id1060724960?mt=2 By doing so, you will help spread our podcast to more listeners, and thereby help more Christian workplaces learn to build flourishing cultures. | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on X https://twitter.com/allopus | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allopus/ | Email our host at al@workplaces.org

Apr 21, 2025 • 56min
439: Inside the 2024 Certified Best Christian Workplaces: Encouragement, Excellence, and Engagement // Tara VanderSande, Doug Waldo, and Cary Humphries, Best Christian Workplaces
What does a flourishing Christian workplace really look like in action? In this episode, three experienced Best Christian Workplaces consultants—Tara VanderSande, Doug Waldo, and Cary Humphries—share behind-the-scenes stories and insights from some of the remarkable organizations named to the 2024 list of Certified Best Christian Workplaces. Find full show notes here: https://bit.ly/4392024certifiedbcws Share the love. If you enjoyed this episode, please rate it on Apple Podcasts and write a brief review. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-flourishing-culture-podcast/id1060724960?mt=2 By doing so, you will help spread our podcast to more listeners, and thereby help more Christian workplaces learn to build flourishing cultures. | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on X https://twitter.com/allopus | Follow our Host, Al Lopus, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/allopus/ | Email our host at al@workplaces.org


