The Discerning Leader Podcast

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Rick Anderson “In a time when there is anxiety or panic, there is something about this psalm that calms me down. It reminds me that I don’t have a lot of control over anything. God has control over everything.” - Rick Anderson Rick Anderson is the Executive Vice President of Leadership Transformations Inc., where he has served for the last 19 years. Rick joins Steve Macchia for a conversation around his favorite Psalm - Psalm 46. Psalm 46 invites us to come and sit at the feet of God and surrender our worries, concerns, anxieties, and fears to him. We can do that because God is the one who has all things under His control. Rick also shares how the Psalms have been meaningful in his own life; they give us words when we don’t know what to pray.  Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.  

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Jeremy Stefano “Blessing the Lord is a daring thing to do, and it is the thing for which we’ve been created.” - Jeremy Stefano   Season 30 will feature team members from Leadership Transformations Inc. and focus on discerning God in the Psalms. The Psalms are prayers that God has given us to pray. These prayers cover almost every human emotion we will experience as children of God, and God delights in our expression of the fullness of our emotions. In this first episode of Season 30, Jeremy Stefano joins Steve Macchia for a conversation around his favorite Psalm - Psalm 103. The character of God is described through this Psalm - He is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love. Jeremy notes that this Psalm is both personal to each of us and at the same time, God is not a personal god, but the God over all of creation. Jeremy reminds us that believers are the only ones with the authority to bless. We get to speak blessings over one another, over our towns, and even over the Lord.  Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.    

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Olivier Bala “Anyone that comes in here really feels comfortable. It’s something we have not tried to work hard at. It’s in our DNA.” – Oliver Bala   Oliver Bala has been the Senior Pastor of Mount Hope Community Baptist Church for the past 28 years. Oliver joins Steve today for a conversation around Healthy Church Trait 5: A Commitment to Loving and Caring Relationships. Oliver credits the welcoming and deep relationships to the cultural values held by this multiethnic, multigenerational church: worship, sanctuary, hospitality, discipleship, spiritual formation, and leadership development. Oliver notes that part of his role is to help people get familiar with the content of healthy discipleship over again until it makes a difference in their daily lives.   Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Barry Corey “My dad said, ‘Whoever comes my way, I’m going to make myself receivable.’ Receivable is another word for kindness.” – Barry Corey   Barry Corey grew up as a pastor’s son in Quincy, Massachusetts. His early life was shaped by seeing people's lives changed at the altar at his father’s church. Barry joins Steve for a conversation about Trait 7 of a Healthy Church: An Outward Focus. Barry shares words from his father, Hugh, given when Barry spent a year researching educational programs for children of the landless poor in Bangladesh. Barry had seen his father show radical love and kindness to gas station attendants, cobblers, dentists, tailors, and attorneys. In the streets of Bangladesh, Hugh said, “Whoever comes my way, I’m going to make myself receivable.” Barry explains that receivable is another word for kindness and that there is a world of difference between niceness and kindness. While “niceness" is not in the Bible, kindness is. And kindness is a radical virtue that can change lives because of how strong it is.  Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.  

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Bob Ludwig “Good management can assist the mission of the organization and make it more effective by setting people free from the complex irritations of bad management.” – Bob Ludwig   Bob Ludwig has enjoyed a two-track career with business consulting and church/ministry leadership. In this conversion with Steve Macchia, Bob shares principles from Healthy Church Trait 8: Wise Administration and Accountability. Bob speaks to the idea that good management makes the Church's mission more effective. Wise management involves clear procedures, resulting in lowered anxiety in the organization and an ease of good ministry. Bob concludes this episode by offering wisdom for church leaders today.  Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Ellen Bishop Little “You don’t need a big budget, a lot of people, or a nice building to have the presence of God and loving, caring relationships.” – Ellen Bishop Little  Ellen Bishop Little along with her husband Larry responded to a call to teach at their local church. They chose an unlikely group - two-year-olds! After the first year was finished, they chose to continue moving up each year with the group of children. They stayed with this same group of children all the way to high school. Ellen and Larry provided community for the students as they grew and matured. These same students in turn provided community for Ellen and Larry when Larry became sick and succumbed to cancer. Ellen joins Steve Macchia for a personal story of Healthy Church Trait #4: Learning and Growing in Community.  Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia, Guests: Greg & Doug Scalise “You don’t need a big budget, a lot of people, or a nice building to have the presence of God and loving, caring relationships.” – Greg Scalise  Pastors Doug and Greg Scalise are third and fourth-generation pastors. Their family has over one hundred years of Christian ministry. Doug and Greg join Steve Macchia for a conversation on healthy churches. They each share personal stories of growing up in Christian homes and churches. Loving and caring relationships have shaped both father and son, reminding us that the church can fill the need for meaningful relationships, connection, support, and encouragement. Doug and Greg encourage the listener to recognize the power of God’s Empowering Spirit within healthy churches.  Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Tom Sparling “I see it now among Gen Zers; there is a passion in my young adults that is as fresh and real as what we were experiencing.”  –Tom Sparling  The second trait of a Healthy Church is "God Exalting Worship". Tom Sparling was a part of the original team that worked with Steve Macchia on Becoming a Healthy Church. Tom joins Steve for a conversation about worship today. In this episode, Tom shares his hope for the younger generation today, advice for the older generation, and encourages everyone that authentic worship comes from a passionate pursuit of God outside of our Sunday morning gatherings. This episode reminds us that God alone is to be the object of our worship.   Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.  

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Dennis Baril “God’s empowering Presence is a value and a relationship, not a doctrine.” –Dennis Baril  Dennis Baril was part of the original research team for Becoming a Healthy Church. In this episode, Dennis sits down with Steve to share a conversation about the first trait of a healthy church, a value for God’s empowering Presence. Before serving as a senior pastor, Dennis managed multi-million-dollar accounts for a corporation as a middle manager. He discovered that leading a healthy church was more difficult than working on such large accounts. Today, Dennis travels the country with his wife encouraging church leaders. From this unique perspective, Dennis shares reflections on the church today as a father, grandfather, and church leader.  Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.  

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Rick Anderson “It is so important that all of this is held together with spiritual discernment and a posture of leadership that is listening to God.”  –Rick Anderson  Twenty-five years later, the ten traits of a healthy Church as outlined in Becoming a Healthy Church are still relevant because they are principles from Scripture, solid theology, and practical research. In this episode, Rick Anderson joins Steve Macchia to outline all ten traits. The first three traits are vertical, aimed at cultivating a life with God. Traits four, five, and six are horizontal, aimed at connecting with one another as the people of God. The final four traits are missional, aimed with an outward focus. These ten traits conclude with a reminder that spiritual discernment and a posture of leadership that is listening to God hold all ten traits of a healthy Church together.  Join the conversation about spiritual discernment as a way of life at www.LeadershipTransformations.org and consider participation in our online and in-person program offerings. Additional LTI spiritual formation resources can be found at www.SpiritualFormationStore.com and www.ruleoflife.com and www.healthychurch.net.