Spiritual Life and Leadership

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Tom Nelson is author of The Flourishing Pastor, as well as the senior pastor of Christ Community Church in Kansas City and the president of Made to Flourish.In this episode, Tom Nelson unpacks what it means to be a flourishing pastor--a pastor who lives and leads from a deep well of inner health and wholeness.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Tom Nelson is author of The Flourishing Pastor.  He is also the senior pastor of Christ Community Church in Kansas City and the president of Made to Flourish.The Flourishing Pastor is based on Psalm 78:72:  “So David shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart and guided them with his skillful hands.”“A flourishing pastor is increasingly like Jesus as he or she is yoked in apprenticeship with him over a long time.”When we prioritize greater intimacy with God, our leadership will grow in fruitfulness.What we are doing and what we are accomplishing matters, but for a flourishing pastor it’s secondary.“To lead well we must be led well.”Leadership and followership go hand in hand.Failure often is our greatest teacher.Tom Nelson explains what he means by “an integral life,” which refers to a kind of seamlessness in life.  When we are in Christ, we experience life as fully unified and integral.  That’s what it means to be a flourishing pastor.We are moving toward a greater wholeness.A “black swan” experience, as Tom Nelson describes, is a completely unexpected experience.  It’s something you’ve never seen before (something like a global pandemic).There are four things a flourishing pastor can do when confronted with a “black swan” experience:Lean into wisdomRemain relationalBuild enduranceStay in missionRELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Books mentioned:The Flourishing Pastor, by Tom NelsonMade to Flourish:www.madetoflourish.orgChurch Leadership Institute:Website – www.depree.org/churchAnvil Leadership Support NetworkRelated episodes:Ep 36: The Vulnerable Pastor, with Mandy SmithEp 53: Growing Hearts, Not Attendance, with Mike McClenahanEp 113: Flourishing Leadership, with Andy CrouchEp 116: Power, Vulnerability, Rest, with Tod BolsingerGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Rich Villodas is the lead pastor at New Life Fellowship and the author of The Deeply Formed Life, in which he explores five values that help us live in union with Jesus.In this interview, Rich and I focus on two of those five values:  racial justice and reconciliation and sexual wholeness.  These are not values typically associated with spiritual formation, but they are incredibly important nonetheless to being formed in the way of Jesus.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Rich Villodas is the lead pastor at New Life Fellowship in Queens, NY, and the author of The Deeply formed Life:  Five Transformative Values that Root us in the Way of Jesus.Rich shares the story of how he came to faith in Jesus and was called to be a pastor.The five values discussed in The Deeply Formed Life flow from the values of the church Rich Villodas pastors.These five values are:Contemplative rhythmsRacial justice and reconciliationInterior examinationSexual wholenessMissional presenceSpiritual formation is the process of being conformed to the image of Jesus for the sake of others.Rich Villodas explains why we need to think about racial justice formationally.Despite our many ethnicities, races, socio-economic backgrounds, and so forth, what unites all of us is that we have all been socialized in a racialized society.Rich Villodas unpacks what it means to be formed into sexual wholeness.Contemplative rhythms is about ordering our lives with God in such a way that we are living from a place of Communion, prayer, reflection.Rich Villodas explains why contemplative rhythms are so important for healthy spiritual leadership.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Rich Villodaswww.richvillodas.comInstagram - @richvillodasTwitter - @richvillodasBooks mentioned:The Deeply Formed Life, by Rich VillodasGood and Beautiful and Kind, by Rich VillodasRelated episodes:Ep 123: Gentrification and Spiritual Leadership, with Mark StrongEp 112: The Beatitudes and Spiritual LeadershipEp 111: A Gospel for the Sinned-Against, with Phuc LuuEp 87: Racism and the Trials of Hercules, with Dr. Jerome ButlerGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Gentrification is a process by which a local group of residents are slowly pushed out by economic forces, making room for a new group of residents.  In his book, Who Moved My Neighborhood: Leading Congregations through Gentrification and Economic Change, Mark Strong helps local churches navigate that challenge of gentrification.  And in this episode, Mark unpacks, not only the effects of gentrification on local residents and churches, but also how to respond with resilience and grace in the face of such great change.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Mark Strong is the senior pastor of Life Change Church in Portland, Oregon, and the author of Who Moved My Neighborhood: Leading Congregations through Gentrification and Economic Change.Mark Strong shares the story of how he came to faith in the church of which he is now the pastor.The change of Mark’s neighborhood started very subtly.  They didn’t even notice it was happening at first.Gentrification is a process in which one homogeneous group of people who live in a particular area are slowly pushed out of their community by economic forces to make room for new groups of people.The process of gentrification stirs up feelings of powerlessness, anger, and disorientation among local residents.Mark Strong outlines a process that can help pastors and churches navigate the challenges of gentrification.For local residents, gentrification can feel like an experience of exile.It is important for the local church to learn to love their new neighbors.Mark Strong emphasizes the importance of developing a new vision for churches in gentrified communities.Mark shares some of the ways he and his congregation have adapted to their community’s gentrification.Mark discusses some of the ways race played into the experience of gentrification and the challenges they faced because of race and racism.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Books Mentioned:Who Moved My Neighborhood? by Mark StrongLeading on Empty, by Wayne CordeiroMark Strong:www.lifechangechurch.org www.drmarkestrong.orgRelated Episodes:Episode 10: Meeting God in the Darkest Places, Sermon on Jonah 2:1-10Episode 68: Public Policy, Stewardship, and the Kingdom of God, with Breon WellsEpisode 111: A Gospel for the Sinned-Against, with Phuc Luu, author of Jesus of the EastEpisode 120: Forming Leadership Resilience, with Tod Bolsinger, Executive Director of the Church Leadership InstituteGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Michael MacKenzie, the Executive Director of Marble Retreat and the author of Don’t Blow Up Your Ministry, has been working with pastors in crisis for a long time.  In this episode, Michael will help us understand not only the danger signs of an impending ministry blow-up, but also how to heal after we’ve blown up our ministry.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Michael MacKenzie is Executive Director of Marble Retreat and the author of Don’t Blow Up Your Ministry.Michael shares what led him to his ministry with Marble Retreat.Michael MacKenzie describes what he means by a “blown up ministry.”Burnout results when the stresses of ministry combine with the pastor’s own brokenness.Potential stressors include: people-pleasing, avoidance of conflict, and so forth.To avoid these pitfalls, pastors should be on the lookout for:  resentment, exhaustion, lack of joy, lack of peace, lack of passion.Pride and success can also lead to a blown-up ministry when pastors cross certain unhealthy and inappropriate boundaries.Michael MacKenzie shares why failure can be better for the soul than success.Michael explains the differences between large churches and small churches and how that affects a pastors well-being.Healthy relationships are critical for healthy ministry leadership.One way to build relationships is to pick up a hobby that other people do.Michael MacKenzie reflects on the connection between confession and healing.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Marble Retreat websiteBooks mentioned:Don’t Blow Up Your Ministry, by Michael MacKenzieRenovation of the Heart, by Dallas WillardWorks of Love, by Soren KierkegaardRelated episodes:Ep 47: Leadership, Anxiety, and Family Systems, with Steve CussEp 52: Leadership and Soul Care, with Elaine HamiltonEp 81: Anger and Spiritual Leadership, with Chuck WhitleyEp 82: Narcissism and Spiritual Leadership, with Chuck DeGroatEp 92: Against a Culture of Abuse, with Scot McKnight and Laura BarringerEp 94: Centering Prayer, with Rich LewisGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Ian Morgan Cron is an Enneagram teacher, host of the Typology podcast, and author of the new book, The Story of You: An Enneagram Journey to Becoming Your True Self.Every person has a story.  You’ve got a story.  I’ve got a story.  And not just a story of what actually happened, but a story we tell ourselves to help make sense of our lives.In this episode, Ian Morgan Cron helps us understand that the stories we bring into adulthood often aren't helpful.  As leaders, we need to write a new, healthy story.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Ian Morgan Cron is an Enneagram teacher, host of the Typology podcast, and author of the new book, The Story of You: An Enneagram Journey to Becoming Your True Self.Ian describes what the Enneagram is.As children, we develop stories about ourselves that help us cope with the pain and difficulty of life.  As adults, we bring these stories with us, even though they are quite limiting and self-defeating.These stories tend to be in direct opposition to the Gospel.Ian Morgan Cron offers some examples of the kinds of stories we believe about ourselves.If we don’t leave these stories behind, we end up living lives that are too small.According to Ian Morgan Cron, we need to explore both the shadow side and the strength of our story.Ian Morgan Cron explains the “SOAR” method for rewriting our stories:  See, Own, Awaken, Rewrite.Ian describes the correlation between rewriting one’s story and the themes of Richard Rohr’s Falling Upward.Ian Morgan Cron describes the work of Dan McAdams who developed narrative therapy.  He says, “All transformation is story transformation.”Robert Jensen’s essay, How the World Lost Its Story, helps us better understand the story pastors and ministry leaders need in order to lead well in a disruptive world.Pastors need to recapture a story that explains the way the world is and present it narratively.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Ian Morgan Cron:www.ianmorgancron.com@ianmorgancronTwitterInstagramBooks mentioned:The Story of You, by Ian Morgan CronThe Road Back to You, by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne StabileFalling Upward, by Richard RohrOther Resources:How the World Lost Its Story, by Robert JensenRelated episodes:Ep 11: Discipleship and the Twelve Steps, with Kaye SchneiderGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Leadership resilience is about maintaining one's core purpose and identity while the world changes around us.  It is especially important for those of us in ministry leadership as we navigate this rapidly changing and disruptive world in which we live.In this episode, Tod Bolsinger discusses three things we can do to grow our leadership resilience.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Tod Bolsinger is the Executive Director of the Church Leadership Institute and author of Tempered Resilience.According to David Whyte, “The antidote to exhaustion is wholeheartedness.” (Crossing the Unknown Sea)We are facing four crises at once: a health crisis, an economic crisis, a crisis of social injustice, and a political crisis.We are also facing a pastoral crisis.  Many pastors are considering leaving the ministry.According to Andrew Zolli, resilience is the capacity to “maintain core purpose and integrity in the face of dramatically changed circumstances.” (Resilience: Why Things Bounce Back)Strengthen your pastoral and leadership resilience by doing three things:Clarify your “core purpose.”Commit to a safe place for vulnerable self-reflection.Create a playful experiment for even more learning.Purpose brings leadership resilience.Learning brings leadership resilience.Adaptability brings leadership resilience.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Church Leadership InstituteBooks Mentioned:Tempered Resilience by Tod BolsingerCrossing the Unknown Sea by David WhyteResilience: Why Things Bounce Back by Andrew ZolliRelated episodes:Ep 16: Canoeing the Mountains, with Tod BolsingerEp 83: Disorientation and Spiritual Leadership, with Tod BolsingerEp 100: The Spiritual Life of a Leader, with Tod BolsingerEp 108: Leadership as Learning, Part 1: Context and Creativity, with Tod BolsingerEp 109: Leadership as Learning, Part 2: Coaches and Cohorts, with Tod BolsingerRhythms of Leadership, Ep 2: The Challenge of Leadership is Emotional, with Tod BolsingerGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Saving Grace, by Kirsten Powers, addresses the challenge of leadership in a divided world.  How can we be people of grace when we are surrounded by so much ungrace?As a USA Today columnist and senior political analyst for CNN—and a committed follower of Jesus—Kirsten Powers comes at this challenge as someone who has had to wrestle with her own tendency toward ungrace.In this interview, Kirsten Powers gives us some really important wisdom on the subject of grace, ungrace, dividedness, and wholeness.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCUDE:Kirsten Powers is CNN senior political analyst and USA today columnist and author of Saving Grace.Falling Upward by Richard Rohr was a very formative book for Kirsten in recent years.Kirsten Powers grew up with a minimal faith background, but came to faith at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, pastored by Tim Keller.  Eventually, Kirsten converted to Catholicism.After reading Falling Upward, Kirsten realized that she engaged in a lot of hyper-dualistic thinking.After 2016, Kirsten Powers had to wrestle with how she perceived and understood people she disagreed with politically.Kirsten had a difficult time figuring out how to love her enemies.  Eventually, she realized she had to let go of dualistic thinking.Grace gives people the space to not be you.Establishing boundaries with people has been a key practice that has helped Kirsten express grace toward others.Judgment will quickly lead to contempt, which will pretty quickly lead to hatred.Grace requires effort.  Grace is a practice.Good behavior toward others is not necessarily evidence of grace.  Grace is about how we think of others internally.You can follow Kirsten Powers on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Kirsten Powers:FacebookInstagramTwitterBooks mentioned:Saving Grace by Kirsten PowersFalling Upward by Richard RohrSign up for the Church Leadership Institute newsletterRelated episodes:Ep 55: Healing our Polarized World, with Dan White, Jr.Ep79: The Loss of Evangelical Identity, with Michael CooperEp 95: Judgment and Grace, with Jay BakkerGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Dwight Friesen and Tom Sine coach and consult with churches in the area of foresight and innovation.  They are alo co-authors of 2020s Foresight: Three Vital Practices for Thriving in a Decade of Accelerating Change.There’s no denying that the world just keeps changing and it feels like the church is constantly playing catch-up.But here’s the thing.  We can’t keep playing catch up.  We have to start asking not, “How do we need to change to be the church for today?”  But, “How do we need to change to be the church for tomorrow?”In this episode, I’m speaking with Tom Sine and Dwight Friesen about their book, 2020s Foresight.  We talk about the importance of anticipating the future, engaging our “shalomic imagination,” and how to practically begin the work of forecasting.  THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Tom Sine is a consultant with churches in the area of foresight and innovation and the co-author of 2020s Foresight.Dwight Friesen is the Associate Professor of Practical Theology at the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology and co-author of 2020s Foresight.Tom Sine studied under Frank Herbert, the author of Dune, who eventually became a friend and mentor to Tom.Most churches’ strategic planning is very inward focused, failing to attend to what is going on in the world around them.The 3-part framework of probability forecasting includes anticipating, reflecting, and innovating.Whenever there is a crisis, we need to ask what we are being invited to anticipate.Pastors can start the work of forecasting by intentionally learning from business leaders in their congregations.People in churches don’t generally fear change; they fear loss.Dwight explains what he means by “shalomic imagination.”Tom Sine and Dwight Friesen explain how a pastor can, very practically, begin to engage in the work of forecasting.Tom Sine is available to meet with study groups via Zoom to discuss 2020s Foresight.  Simply e-mail him at twsine@gmail.com.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Books:2020s Foresight, by Tom Sine and Dwight FriesenThe Mustard Seed Conspiracy, by Tom SineThe New Parish, by Dwight Friesen, Paul Sparks, and Tim SoerensWebsites:www.theseattleschool.eduwww.newchangemakers.comwww.godspacelight.comwww.dwightfriesen.comwww.theseattleschool.eduInhabit Conference:https://theseattleschool.edu/event/inhabit-conference/Church Leadership InstituteRelated episodes:Get Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!It is really hard to be a church leader these days, isn’t it?  The world we live in today is not the world we prepared for as ministry leaders—especially in light of everything we’ve been through over the last couple of years.So, what do you do when you find yourself essentially thrust into a world for which you weren’t prepared?  What do you do when all the rules have changed?  What do you do in a time of what some call discontinuous change?In this episode, Markus Watson unpacks the meaning of discontinuous change and--using Joseph, the husband of Mary, as an example--how we are called to live and lead in the midst of such change.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDES:Markus Watson explains the meaning of discontinuous change.Continuous change is change that is expected and understood.Discontinuous change is a kind of change that is different from anything anyone has experienced before.The world has experienced severe discontinuous change over the last couple of years, especially with regard to the coronavirus pandemic and the outcry for racial justice.Joseph, the husband of Mary, experienced extreme discontinuous change.Being to called to parent the Son of God was huge experience of discontinuous change.Joseph accepted the call.  He lived and led with courage and integrity.Joseph also led adaptively.We, too, are called to lead with courage and integrity.We, too, are called to lead adaptively in discontinuous times.Leading with courage means stepping out of your comfort zone.Leading with integrity means leading from your true self.The world needs a church with the capacity to bring healing and wholeness even in times of discontinuous change.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Church Leadership Institute websiteRelated episodes:Ep 44: Spiritual Formation and Lectio Divina, with Eric Nevins, Host of Halfway ThereEp 94: Centering Prayer, with Rich Lewis, author of Sitting with GodEp 110: Identity, Belonging, Purpose, with Kara Powell, author of 3 Big Questions That Change Every TeenagerEp 116: Power, Vulnerability, Rest, with Tod Bolsinger, Executive Director of the Church Leadership InstituteRhythms of Leadership, Ep 1: People Don’t Resist Change, with Markus WatsonRhythms of Leadership, Ep 3: When the Leader is Peacemonger, with Markus WatsonGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!When Jesus told his disciples that "whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave," that was an incredibly counter-cultural statement.It's unfortunate that the church has often rejected this teaching and, instead, has sought to "lord it over' those around them.In this episode, Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson reflect on the themes of power, vulnerability, and rest.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Tod Bolsinger is the Executive Director of Fuller Theological Seminary’s Church Leadership Institute.Clip #1: Episode 82: Narcissism and Spiritual Leadership, with Chuck DeGroat.Chuck DeGroat discusses the way the church has often aligned itself with structures of power and have lost the sense of participating in the suffering of Jesus.One of the great temptations for leaders is believing that power will solve the problem.Clip #2: Episode 36: The Vulnerable Pastor, with Mandy Smith.Mandy Smith explores what it means to live in and embrace vulnerability.  Limitation is a ministry resource.Strength in leadership is forged in vulnerable self-reflection.Clip #3: Episode 70: The Subversiveness of Sabbath, with AJ Swoboda.A.J. Swoboda discusses the ways that Sabbath actually helps us be healthier human beings.The Sabbath is a rhythm that helps us be who we were meant to be.Leaders need to live in the reality that we are at our best when we embrace our limitations.We often need to have boundaries against our own people.Sabbath practice helps us be the kind of leaders who can help our churches experience a foretaste of the new creation.To become the kind of person who leads out of healthy vulnerability, check out this course taught by Tod Bolsinger:  Tempered Resilience for Leading ChangeRELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Church Leadership InstituteCourse: Tempered Resilience for Leading ChangeRelated Books:Tempered Resilience, by Tod BolsingerWhen Narcissism Comes to Church, by Chuck DeGroatThe Vulnerable Pastor, by Mandy SmithSubversive Sabbath, by A.J. SwobodaRelated episodes:Ep 82: Narcissism and Spiritual Leadership, with Chuck DeGroatGet Becoming Leaders of Shalom for free HERE.Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.