Spiritual Life and Leadership

1In this episode Markus Watson and Tod Bolsinger discuss the challenges faced by ministry leaders in times of change. They discuss a quote from Kurt Fredrickson that highlights how churches were previously overprogrammed and under-discipled. Tod Bolsinger emphasizes the need for adaptive thinking and creative approaches to discipleship, moving away from traditional programming and towards a mission-focused, community-centered approach. They explore the purpose of discipleship as formation for the sake of mission and the need to reframe our understanding of discipleship in light of these changing times.Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Kurt Fredrickson in Episode 103: Willingness to Adapt: The Church After Covid."Churches pre-Covid were over-programmed and under-discipled."Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

We live in a world in which it is so easy to demonize and dehumanize people who are not like us.  Or we categorize people and forget their humanity.But that’s the exact opposite of what Jesus did.  Jesus humanized people.  He treated every human being as a beloved child of God.  Jesus treated every individual he encountered as a person.That’s what we're discussing in this conversation with Paul Louis Metzger, the author of More Than Things: A Personalist Ethics for a Throwaway Culture.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Paul Louis Metzger is professor of Christian theology and theology of culture at Multnomah University and Seminary and the author of More Than Things: A Personalist Ethics for a Throwaway Culture.We have a tendency in our society to turn people into things.The issue of treating people as things has become very personal for Paul Louis Metzger ever since his son suffered a traumatic brain injury in a car accident several years ago.Personhood, according to Paul Louis Metzger, has to do with inviolability, unfathomability, and unrepeatability.Attributing personhood to one another is a matter of seeking to affirm an individual’s agency, showing them respect, listening to them, and being present with them.Paul Louis Metzger reflects on the way those with Down’s Syndrome are often thought of as having a lower quality of life, when the opposite often seems to be true.  And, yet, the value of their personhood is frequently in question.Markus Watson reflects on the ways churches tend to “thingify” people, both inside and outside the church.When we talk about people, communities, and families as giving units, that’s the language of commodification.People consume, but people should not be reduced to patterns of consumption.Paul Louis Metzger unpacks the Prodigal Son story as a way of thinking about treating people as persons.“When we gain a sense of our significance and worth—not because of how big our church is or how well-known we are or whatever the case might be, how many books we sell, how many this or how many that—but because we are loved.  We exist because we are loved.  That frees pastors up to evangelize better.  To be better shepherds.  They’re not going to be hired hands or wolves in sheep’s clothing.”RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:New Wine InstituteUncommon Good, Uncommon God (Patheos blog)Books mentioned:More Than Things: A Personalist Ethics for a Throwaway Culture, by Paul Louis MetzgerThe Way of Chuang Tzu, by Thomas MertonBeyond Thingification: Helping Your Church Engage in God’s Mission, by Markus WatsonLife of the Beloved, by Henri NouwenSharing Faith, by Thomas GroomeSend me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

In this episode, Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss the influence of the Enlightenment and individualism on middle-class white individuals, and how this impacts their understanding of faith and community. They emphasize the importance of engaging with different perspectives and reading the Bible in community with people who are not like us in order to break free from these cultural norms and develop a more holistic understanding of spirituality and leadership.Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Tom Sine in Episode 118: Forecasting and Innovation.“I think a lot of us in Western culture have allowed the Enlightenment and a very individualistic way of life to become normative, particularly for middle-class white folks.” Ep. 118 is a conversation inspired by Tom Sine and Dwight Friesen's book, 2020s Foresight.Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Jennifer Holberg, a Professor and Chair of the English Department at Calvin University, discusses how storytelling shapes our spiritual lives. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing the diverse narratives within church communities and how storytelling can empower individuals. Holberg believes that the stories we tell ourselves influence our identities and that church narratives offer hope and belonging. She urges pastors to create spaces for sharing personal stories, highlighting their impact on leadership and spiritual growth.

In this episode, Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss the vital role of relationships in ministry leadership. Tod emphasizes the importance of cultivating partnerships, friendships, and mentorships as essential sources of support and vulnerability. They explore the connection between relationships and self-reflection, particularly in navigating challenging leadership situations. With practical insights and personal anecdotes, this episode offers guidance on building a strong support network for leaders seeking to grow both their outer ministry and inner discipleship. Don't miss this enlightening conversation on the transformative power of relationships in leadership.Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Tod Bolsinger in Episode 120: Forming Leadership Resilience."We need more relationships. If you do nothing else this year, ask yourself, 'Do I have the kinds of relationships that allow me to do vulnerable self-reflection?'" Ep. 120 is a conversation inspired by Tod Bolsinger's book, Tempered Resilience.Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Jim Wilder, author of Renovated: God, Dallas Willard, and the Church That Transforms, discusses the role of the brain in spiritual formation. He highlights the importance of attachment love in developing relationships with God and others. Mutual mind, where subconscious processing aligns, plays a key role. The podcast explores becoming our true selves, finding peace through gratitude, and the significance of joy in spiritual formation.

Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss embracing the future while letting go of the past. They explore adaptive leadership and the work of the Church Leadership Institute. They emphasize the significance of relying on God, having hope, and the Lord's Supper. Valuable advice on transitioning and adapting core values is provided.

Shannon Kiser is Director of Training and Coaching for Fresh Expressions North America and one of the pastors at Riverside Presbyterian Church in Sterling, Virginia.In this episode, we have a great conversation about how she and the congregation she pastors have experimented with new forms of church, as well as what they've learned in that process.  We also discuss how the Church Leadership Institute’s Adaptive Church Leadership Cohort can help you lean into the kind of experimentation that’s necessary when following the Holy Spirit into whatever new expressions of church you’re being led toward. THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Shannon Kiser is Director of Training and Coaching for Fresh Expressions North America and one of the pastors at Riverside Presbyterian Church in Sterling, Virginia.Fresh Expressions and the Church Leadership Institute together are trying to make sense of what it means to be a vital witness in the 21st century.Fresh Expressions is a movement that comes out of the UK where a traditional and heritage church was experimenting with what it looks like to engage in some experimental missions on the edges while still valuing the inherited church.Shannon Kiser says, according to Fresh Expressions, we don’t have to give up what we love and cherish about the inherited church to also experiment on the edges.Shannon Kiser describes how her church began experimenting with new ways of doing ministry, including opening a coffee shop for the community.A Fresh Expressions kind of ministry as Shannon describes can be messy.  The church doesn’t get to control the narrative.When things get messy, it’s important to be clear on your values so you know when to say yes and when to say no to opportunities that emerge.According to Shannon Kiser, it is possible for you to connect with a changing culture and yet still live out some of the rhythms and depth of the inherited church that feeds you.Churches have to cultivate a culture that is more ripe for experimentation, which then creates the field where new and fresh expressions of ministry can more easily grow.Fresh Expressions teaches as very simple journey.  It involves:Listening to your neighborsLoving our serving your neighbors based on what you have learnedBuilding community with your neighborsAllow a new form of church to emergeShannon Kiser explains how the Church Leadership Institutes Adaptive Capacity Cohort help churches engage this process.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Books mentioned:Canoeing the Mountains, by Tod BolsingerFreash Expressions:www.freshexpressions.comChurch Leadership InstituteAdaptive Church Leadership CohortSend me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

In this episode, Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson delve into the importance of understanding and empathizing with others' beliefs, especially in times of political and cultural polarization. They discuss the role of churches in bridging divisions and striving for unity, highlighting the need to move away from comfortable spaces and embrace discomfort as an opportunity for growth. With insights from leaders such as Jim Harrington and Allen Hilton, this episode offers valuable perspectives on creating a sense of shalom across diverse backgrounds.Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Allen Hilton in Episode 135: Leading Your Church Through Political Division.“Our shalom job right now—in this place and time—is to get good at being together across difference.” Ep. 135 is a conversation about Allen Hilton's book, A House United: How the Church Can Save the World.Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

How can we avoid burnout in ministry?Jason Young is a keynote speaker, coach, and consultant who helps churches and businesses thrive, and the co-author of Don’t Burn Out, Burn Bright.In this episode, Jason Young and Markus Watson get real specific about what can lead to burnout in ministry and what we can to do prevent it.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Jason Young is a keynote speaker, coach, and consultant who helps churches and businesses thrive, and the co-author of Don’t Burn Out, Burn Bright.Jason wants to help leaders, not only prevent burnout in ministry, but structure their lives and ministries in such a way that they truly thrive in all areas of life.“When discouragement creeps in, destruction is nigh.”According to Jason Young, burnout in ministry leadership is not inevitable.Control isolates.  Control rarely invites.Staff members want to know two things in their work:Will I be successful if I do this?What’s in it for me?Jesus, too, was motivated by what was in it for him.  Hebrews says it was “for the joy set before him” that he endured that cross.Jason Young discusses the connection between entanglements and burnout in ministry.According to Jason Young, leaders read too much.  Maybe leaders need to do less reading.Sometimes in all our reading and consuming of information, we may begin to forget the voice of God.In his early ministry years, Markus Watson wanted to attend lots of conferences.  In his middle ministry years, Markus took lots of classes.  At this stage of his ministry, Markus recognizes that he’s filled his mind with plenty of information; now he wants to pursue life experiences.Exhaustion and burnout in ministry leadership doesn’t show up suddenly; it creeps in and slowly drains you.“If God called you to ministry, it’s his.  And he would like for you to be openhanded with his ministry because he wants to trust you with more.”RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Book mentioned:Don’t Burn Out, Burn Bright, by Jason Young and Jonathan MalmJason Young:Catchfiredaily.comDrjasonyoung.comChurch Leadership InstituteSend me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.