Spiritual Life and Leadership

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 LewisSend 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.

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 SchneiderSend 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.

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 BolsingerSend 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.

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 BakkerSend 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.

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:Send 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.

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 WatsonSend 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.

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 DeGroatSend 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.

Rob Gailey is Professor of Business and Director of the Center for International Development at Point Loma Nazarene University, as well as the co-author of Development in Mission: A Guide for Transforming Global Poverty and Ourselves.The issue of poverty alleviation is probably one of the most challenging issues, not only for the church, but for the world in general.   As both a missionary and a business professor, Rob Gailey brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to this topic.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Rob Gailey is Professor of Business and Director of the Center for International Development at Point Loma Nazarene University, as well as the co-author of Development in Mission: A Guide for Transforming Global Poverty and Ourselves.Rob Gailey was a missionary kid. He shares the story of encountering deep poverty, which led him to care about poverty alleviation today.When back in the United States with his family, Rob Gailey was considered impoverished in comparison to other Americans, but when he and his family went back to Swaziland he was considered incredibly wealthy.  That dichotomy has never left him.Over the past thirty years, poverty is actually going down globally.Rob Gailey explains what he means by transformational development, which is a holistic approach to poverty alleviation.It is incredibly important to listen to those whom we are trying to serve when it comes to poverty alleviation.Rob Gailey tells the funny and tragic story of the “gringo wall” at a mission location in Mexico—a project given to mission teams who come to serve, but aren’t willing to listen.Rob talks about how frequently mission teams only do busy work when they go on mission trips.The move of the poor from rural areas to urban areas is having a profound impact on global poverty.The way we vote in our own country can make an impact on global poverty.Rob Gailey discusses the importance of reciprocity and mutuality in the work of poverty alleviation.Markus Watson reflects on the importance of listening and mutuality in our local contexts, as well.Holistic transformation is impossible without the church.The church’s work of poverty alleviation needs to come from a place of deep spiritual formation so that those we serve will be drawn to Jesus Christ.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Rob Gailey:Point Loma Nazarene University Faculty pageLinkedInBooks mentioned:Development in Mission: A Guide for Transforming Global Poverty and Ourselves, by Rob Gailey, Monty Lynn, and Derran ReeseWhen Helping Hurts, by Steve Corbett and Brian FikkertWalking with the Poor, by Bryant MyersRelated episodes:Ep 34: A Small ChuSend 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.

Michaela O’Donnell is the Executive Director of the Depree Center for Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of Make Work Matter: Your Guide to Meaningful Work in a Changing World.  The world of work has changed. Rarely do people stay at the same company for decades (which used to be the norm). No people move from job to job every few years.  The gig economy has change the world of work. And if you haven't noticed, the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated all these changes.In this episode, Michaela O'Donnell helps us understand the changing nature of work, not only for people in the marketplace, but also in the church.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Michaela O’Donnell is the Executive Director of the Depree Center for Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of Make Work Matter: Your Guide to Meaningful Work in a Changing World.The most formative book Michaela O’Donnell has read is Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership by Ruth Haley Barton.Michaela shares what led her to write Make Work Matter.It’s important to have a good understanding of work because it is such a big part of our lives and is part of God’s creation intention for human beings.Michaela O’Donnell discusses how the world of work has changed in recent years and decades.In dealing with the changing nature of work, we need to recognize we are not alone and make space for our feelings.The changing nature of work invites us to engage in grief work.Michaela O’Donnell describes how resilience can help us navigate the changing world of work.The “entrepreneurial way,” as Michaela O’Donnell explains it, includes resilience, creativity, deepening in relationship, and the skill of empathy.The story of the Good Samaritan is a helpful way of thinking about the connection between empathy and entrepreneurship.Michaela O’Donnell reminds us that we can experience “small r resurrections” in the midst of the challenges of work.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Michaela O'Donnell:Depree Center for LeadershipPre-order Make Work MatterBooks mentioned:Make Work Matter: Your Guide to Meaningful Work in a Changing World, by Michaela O’DonnellStrengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, by Ruth Haley BartonTempered Resilience, by Tod BolsingerChurch Leadership InstituteRelated Episodes:Episode 77: To Know the World and Still Love It, with Steven GarberRhythms of Leadership, Ep 8: Not a Solo Mission, with Michaela O’DonnellSend 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.

Andy Crouch is Partner for Theology and Culture at Praxis and the author of Strong and Weak. In this episode, Andy Crouch discusses the roles of both strength and weakness--authority and vulnerability--in our leadership.So often, we assume the greatest leaders are the ones who exhibit great authority.  Or maybe we believe the greatest leaders let go of all their authority and lead only from a place of vulnerability.But that’s a false dichotomy.  Leaders that bring true flourishing lead with both authority and vulnerability.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Andy Crouch is Partner for Theology and Culture at Praxis and the author of numerous books, including Strong and Weak.The most formative books Andy Crouch has read are A Long Obedience in the Same Direction by Eugene Peterson and Technology and the Character of Contemporary Life by Albert Borgman.After writing Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power, Andy Crouch placed the themes of that book on a 2x2 matrix, which unlocked all kinds of new insight, which led him to write Strong and Weak.Andy Crouch explains what a 2x2 matrix is.  In the case of Strong and Weak, the 2x2 matrix consists of authority and vulnerability.See graphic belowWhen humans experience both authority and vulnerability, this is flourishing.When there is no authority and no vulnerability, this can be called safety or withdrawal.Vulnerability without authority is suffering.Authority without vulnerability is control or exploiting.Andy Crouch explains the need for both authority and vulnerability by exploring Genesis 1 and 2.There is something that is unlocked in the world when a person with authority willingly empties themselves of authority and enters into suffering.  It has a capacity to repair and restore the world.Finding the right meaningful risk will unlock flourishing for you and the people you’re entrusted with.In order to move toward vulnerability, letting go of authority, we need friends who are outside our own system.The prayer of a healthy leader:  God, show me my meaningful action today and show me my meaningful risk.To find out more about Andy Crouch and his work, visit www.praxislabs.org.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:Books mentioned:Strong and Weak, by Andy CrouchA Long Obedience in the Same Direction, by Eugene PetersonTechnology and the Character of Contemporary Life, by Albert BorgmanPlaying God: The Gift of Redeeming Power, by Andy CrouchPraxis Website:Praxislabs.orgRelated episodes:Rhythms oSend 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.