The Discerning Leader Podcast

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.

Host: Steve Macchia, Guest: Matt Scott "My vision is that we would be known for our love, not our conflicts and difficulties and estrangement" - Steve Macchia Season 29 will focus on the soul of the Church. From its first days, Leadership Transformations Inc. has prioritized the local congregation and its health. These episodes will highlight the updated 25th-anniversary edition of Becoming a Healthy Church. Born out of research with thousands of church leaders and vetted in conversations, the book and this podcast season highlight timeless principles that have not changed, though the expressions have been modernized. Each of the traits are Biblical, historical, and current because they are based on a principle rather than a program. Steve's vision is that the Church would pay better attention to the things that matter most - our walk with God; as this leads to health and vitality of relationships and 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: Matt Scott "It's in that place of deeper solitude and reflection that we meet the living God face to face, heart to heart." – Steve Macchia Find a time and space for a personal retreat. Maybe you only have a few hours and a bench somewhere in nature. Schedule it and prioritize it because you will have a million reasons why you should fill it with something else. In this final episode of season 28, we continue to explore the spiritual practices that are at the heart of Leadership Transformations Inc. and have been celebrated throughout Christendom. This week, Steve and Matt discuss the transforming power of personal retreats. Three things are needed for personal retreats: a set time and place; attentive listening to and with God; and seeing retreat as a place of God's transforming work. Matt talked about the need to guard retreats - unless we prioritize them, a million other things will demand our attention. Matt and Steve discussed the power of attentive listening that frees us from coming into retreats with predetermined ideas of what we need to hear from God. Finally, Steve speaks to the power of retreats as a place of meeting with God face to face. 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: Matt Scott "You don't need to memorize where all the Psalms are, just pray the Psalms." – Steve Macchia The Psalms are a reminder that God is not threatened by our emotions. He is big enough to handle the combination of human emotions - faith and doub, hope and despair, joy and sorrow. In episode thirteen, we continue to explore the spiritual practices that are at the heart of Leadership Transformations Inc. and have been celebrated throughout Christendom. This week, Steve and Matt reflect on praying the psalms. The Psalms teach us how to pray. Steve and Matt share practical ways to pray through the Psalms and some of their favorite Psalms. his episode concludes with a guided reflection to help you adopt the practice of praying the Psalms. 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: Matt Scott "Our lives are driven by our loves - what we think about, dwell upon, what we allow to be enthroned in our hearts. When we re-order our loves, we re-order our lives." – Matt Scott Simply put, we become what we love. In episode twelve, we continue to explore the spiritual practices that are at the heart of Leadership Transformations Inc. and have been celebrated throughout Christendom. This week, Steve and Matt reflect on re-ordering our loves. When we think about re-ordering our loves, we are talking about what are we attached to, what we think we can't live without. The biggest factor in re-ordering our loves is to become aware of these things that we hold tightly. Steve and Matt share how these idols of the heart can be people, possessions, power, or persuasion. All of our disordered loves need to be diminished or released altogether. This day-by-day, moment-by-moment process allows Christ to become our greatest affection. 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.