Leading Saints Podcast

Clint Argyle has served in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since his youth, in several quorum presidencies. He served a mission in Calgary, Canada, and more recently he and his wife served as full-time senior missionaries and director at the Oakland California Temple Visitors' Center. He has also served as first counselor in a stake presidency, on stake high council, as a bishop, and scoutmaster/NYLT leader. Clint received his associates degree from Utah Valley University, bachelors from Brigham Young University's Marriot School of Business, and is a humanitarian, investor, and entrepreneur, and enjoys doing good. He and his wife have four children and seven grandchildren and enjoy spending time with family and friends. Links There is already a discussion started about this podcast. Share your thoughts HERE. Watch on YouTube Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Highlights 3:15 Clint’s background and his senior mission in Oakland, California. He and his wife served as visitor center directors for the Oakland temple. 7:00 The responsibilities of a visitors center director. Be full time missionaries Keep the operation running Train other missionaries Promote and market the visitors center to the local community 7:40 Clint has a background in business and marketing that he was able to use to help him know how to market the visitor center. He also got help from a friend to do digital marketing. He worked on creating a digital presence for the center. 12:00 When covid hit they went home and focused solely on digital marketing. They figured out how to do virtual tours on Zoom and were able to do 900 virtual tours. People were still able to have a spiritual experience online. 14:00 You can be a digital missionary wherever you are. 14:40 Something that is important to consider is that people are always looking for reviews. The three main places people look are Google Reviews, Yelp, and Trip Advisor. As members we can leave reviews for the temple, church building, and visitors center. They asked everyone who visited the visitors center to leave a review. 19:00 There are so many ways to do missionary work without having to awkwardly go talk to your neighbor. You never know if just leaving a review can help someone. 19:00 It’s powerful when members and missionaries work together as digital missionaries. The Idaho Falls and Oakland Visitors' Centers took off thanks to reviews. 22:30 If you go to a church history site on vacation you can leave a review and that is your digital missionary work. Where else could you post about your experience? 26:30 Temple open houses are great opportunities for missionary work. Even before it’s dedicated you can help the google algorithm by driving over to the site using maps. Take pictures and upload them. 30:30 Does digital missionary work and marketing really work? Clint shares some of the results they have seen from just leaving reviews on Tripadvisor and Google. 35:50 Rules on creating websites and doing digital marketing. It has to be in conjunction with the church. 37:20 As a leader you can influence those you lead to leave reviews. You don’t have to limit yourself to one. You can be a light online. 38:40 Clint’s final thoughts on leadership The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, Ganel-Lyn Condie,

Joy McCullough is a Protestant, Evangelical with a background in professional counseling. She is the wife of Pastor Jeff McCullough, the creator of the YouTube channel Hello Saints. She has four children and recently relocated to Utah from St. Louis. Joy spends a lot of time doing photography, thrifting, and playing violin, along with staring at the Wasatch Mountains. She completed her undergraduate degree in speech communication from Greenville University and received a Masters in Professional Counseling from Liberty University in Virginia. Joy is not afraid of her own or other people’s brokenness. She has a heart for creating space for people to come as they are and to find true healing and hope through authenticity and honesty, free from shame. Her faith in Jesus informs this passion and approach. Links YouTube @HelloSaints There is already a discussion started about this podcast. Share your thoughts HERE. Watch on YouTube Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Highlights 3:50 Introduction to Joy, a therapist and wife of Pastor Jeff from Hello Saints 4:50 What moving to Utah has been like as someone that isn’t LDS 6:30 Joy’s faith development and journey 10:00 The stigma of being a pastor’s wife and high expectations of other people 11:10 Advice to a pastor’s or bishop’s wife 14:15 Journey to becoming a therapist 17:00 Religion and shame. We don’t experience God’s love and grace through shame. 21:40 Helping someone through their shame 26:40 There is no shame in having a need or desire. You deserve to have your needs met and don’t need to feel shame. 28:30 When we feel broken we often feel shame. When people feel shame it’s because they have some sort of need. However, brokenness is an opportunity to receive and feel God’s love and grace. 32:30 How can a bishop help someone buried in shame? 34:00 Joy shares an experience she had as a teen with an abusive pastor. She carried shame from the experience for many years. However, she was able to heal by instead of saying what is wrong with me? But what happened to me? 36:00 We focus so much on the sin and behavior but we should ask what happened? Why are we going towards sin? What led to the addiction? 38:00 Sin destroys our identity. Knowing and feeling the love of God. Do you understand and feel your belovedness? 39:45 Even with grace our lives will not be pain free. We can experience grace but we are going to have to experience grief and sorrow. 41:00 Wounding and brokenness. We have to allow our pain to lead us to Jesus and not sinful behavior. 44:00 When we hyperfocus on the behaviors we bypass our hearts, we bypass our feelings and our emotions and try to achieve certain behaviors and what looks good on the outside but inside we are still a mess. We haven’t truly healed. 51:00 Showing up for people and lamenting with them. How can we do that when we haven’t experienced what they have experienced? 53:30 We shouldn’t try to pull people out of their pain but sit with them in their pain. We have to feel discomfort in order to heal. 54:30 Where there is shame there is also self hatred or contempt for others. One thing that transforms shame is compassion. 57:00 Joy shares how she has experienced Jesus in her life through trauma, wounding, and healing. “Jesus has held me together.” The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson,

Jeff McCullough is a Protestant, Evangelical Pastor with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He is the creator of a YouTube channel called Hello Saints where he chronicles his journey learning about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from a Protestant, Evangelical perspective. He’s married with four children and recently relocated to Utah from St. Louis He completed his undergraduate degree in Digital Media from a Free-Methodist school called Greenville University and received a masters in Biblical Studies from Moody Theological Seminary in Chicago. He has worked in pastoral ministry for over 15 years. Links There is already a discussion started about this podcast. Share your thoughts HERE. Watch on YouTube Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Highlights 3:10 Kurt introduces his discussion with Pastor Jeff from Hello Saints Youtube channel and podcast. 5:15 Will The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the evangelical church ever merge? What would it look like? 7:50 Kurt’s background and starting Leading Saints 9:20 Kurt shares his insights on the evangelical faith as he has interacted with Jeff and they have had lots of discussions 11:15 Jeff’s wrestle with Latter-day Saint doctrine and all the doctrine that has been added in latter-day times. Evangelicals focus on the Bible. 14:30 How Jeff and Kurt have come together to share their faith and learn to be open to other faiths. 18:20 Are Mormons Christian? Why do people think we are so different? How we look at Jesus differently. 23:30 Jeff shares a perception that he had that Latter-day Saints are so focused on works, ordinances, and covenants that there’s zero concept of grace. 24:40 Kurt articulates what grace is to him and how LDS members see grace and how ordinances and covenants play into grace. 27:30 Will the LDS and evangelical faiths ever merge? What things would we need to overcome? 34:00 Evangelicals can’t get on board with things like modern-day prophets and the Book of Mormon but what things can we come together on? Aligning politically and culturally. 38:20 The difference between Latter-day Saints and evangelicals when a member of the family leaves the faith 41:20 Learn to be comfortable with the hard conversations and topics that come when comparing and talking about different religions and faith. There might be tension but we can sit in that tension and still be friends. 42:30 You don’t have to be a gospel scholar to be having these conversations on faith. At the end of the day, Kurt and Jeff have a genuine, authentic friendship and that is what it’s about. It’s about loving one another. The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, Ganel-Lyn Condie, Michael Goodman, Wendy Ulrich, Richard Ostler, and many more in over 700 episodes. Discover podcasts, articles, virtual conferences, and live events related to callings such as the bishopric, Relief Society, elders quorum, Primary, youth leadership, stake leadership, ward mission, ward council, young adults, ministering, and teaching.

Richie T. Steadman interviews Kurt Francom about removing shame from a gospel of grace. They discuss the impact of shame on leadership, understanding God's grace, and the transformative power of personal narratives within religious communities.

Kevin Jones, an experienced leader and teacher, shares insights on using questions effectively in teaching the gospel. He discusses the power of thoughtful questions, diverse teaching strategies, and the importance of leadership in following Jesus. Tune in for practical advice on enhancing teaching skills and creating meaningful learning experiences.

In this podcast, Marjorie Nelson Lowder shares heartfelt stories about her mother, Sister Dantzel White Nelson, who was a talented singer and created beautiful family traditions. She discusses growing up in a large family, memories of her father as a busy surgeon, and the impact her mother's resilience had on their family. The podcast also touches on the creative legacy of her mother, including a children's book based on a lullaby she used to sing, and Marjorie's own artistic pursuits.

This is a rebroadcast. The episode originally ran in September 2019. In this episode, Leading Saints Executive Director Kurt Francom, shares his closing session from the Liberating Saints Virtual Summit. He approaches the subject of supporting and mentoring someone through a difficult struggle with pornography, from a doctrinal standpoint. This concept eventually became Kurt’s book, Is God Disappointed In Me? Links Is God Disappointed In Me? “The Atonement Works for Me”: One Couple’s Recovery from Sexual Addiction Brené Brown TED talk: Listening to Shame James' story on the Unashamed, Unafraid podcast The Heart of Man movie clip The Heart of Man movie Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library Highlights 3:00 Approaching the topic from a doctrinal standpoint 4:20 Behaviors vs doctrine/heart 5:15 “The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. Preoccupation with unworthy behavior can lead to unworthy behavior. That is why we stress so forcefully the study of the doctrines of the gospel.“—Elder Boyd K. Packer 6:40 Change the heart, leading to a change in behavior 8:00 How Satan tempts us, catching us in our own traps by creating contention in our hearts (Doctrine & Covenants 10:12, 10:26, 10:63) 11:10 Satan’s attack on our identity causes contention (Moses 4:11, Matthew 4:3) 14:00 Setting our own trap (example from The Lion King) 17:15 Steve’s story of overcoming addiction 19:40 Satan uses shame to alter identity “As a shame researcher, I've learned that wherever perfectionism is driving us, shame is riding shotgun.”—Brene Brown 22:20 “What does that say about you as a person?”—Sam Tielemans 23:15 The adversary’s work and glory is to destroy the agency of man. Shame leads to altered identity which leads to a lack of agency. 24:55 “I am an addict” “No one wants to be defined by their hardest struggle, and so we have to find this really interesting space between owning it and identifying it but reject being labeled by it and reduced by it.”—Brene Brown 27:00 Does this reduce or expand the individual’s identity? 29:50 Examples of Tom and Tim in the bishop’s office 33:10 A change of heart leads to good behavior Offer hope Explore doctrines (especially mercy and grace) Admit you can’t “fix” them Define the purpose of the behaviors (CPR: church, prayer, read scriptures) Turn them towards their Father Overwhelm them with connection 44:20 Story of James 47:45 Disappointment: another tactic of the adversary The principal’s office, the dentist’s office, and the bishop’s office 51:10 Contention created when we believe God is disappointed in us 52:30 Can God be disappointed? Can God be surprised? Doctrine & Covenants 3:1-3 Doctrine & Covenants 10:67 “Repentance isn’t His backup plan in the event we might fail. Repentance is His plan, knowing that we will.”—Elder Lynn G. Robbins 57:10 Example of learning to walk and falling down “This shepherd, our Good Shepherd, finds joy in seeing His diseased sheep progress toward healing.”—Elder Dale G. Renlund “A car is made to run on gasoline, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on himself. He himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other.”—C.S. Lewis 1:01:15 Kurt’s scripture study shame cycle example: “You could _______ and I’d still love you.” 1:05:45 “The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.”—C.S. Lewis 1:06:20 John 14:16 1:07:50 The Heart of Man movie clip: Think of the violin as commandments and covenants 1:10:10 If ye love me, hold on to my commandments Abraham 3:26, Doctrine & Covenants 78:18 Alma 33:16 Romans 8:38-39

Grant Collins, Director of People Operations at Nimbl and an active member in his Church, discusses motivating people to give and serve, facilitating service within the Church, creating connections and making a difference through community involvement, developing the skill of giving within a church community, reflecting on leadership and emulating Jesus, and expressing gratitude and reflection on leadership.

Dean Andersen has served as a counselor in a stake presidency, high councilor, Seminary teacher, scoutmaster, and bishopric counselor, among many other callings. He was recently released as a stake president. He speaks Japanese, French, and Spanish after serving a mission in Japan, living in France while working for a French company, and serving with three Spanish-speaking wards in his stake. Dean and his wife Colleen live in Houston, Texas, where he works as a CPA/CFO. They have eight children and 28 grandchildren. Links "Pressing toward the Mark", by Elder Edward Dube There is already a discussion started about this podcast. Share your thoughts HERE. Watch on YouTube Read the TRANSCRIPT of this podcast Get 14-day access to the Core Leader Library Highlights 3:10 Introduction to Dean Anderson and his background. 4:30 Getting called as stake president when their plan was only to be in that area for a year. Dean was over an inner-city stake with a lot of students and a lot of immigrants. 7:10 The difficulty and unique dynamic of having a lot of students in the stake 10:20 Choosing counselors for the stake presidency. Dean had only been in the ward and area for six months so he didn’t really know very many people. 11:00 Dean’s leadership experience and the unique circumstances of their stake. Switching from an all-Spanish stake to integrate English and Spanish wards into a new stake. Starting a stake from scratch basically. 17:40 The difficulty of finding bishops 19:15 Principle one - Focusing on your inadequacies is actually selfish 22:40 Principle two - God can do amazing things through weak, simple and flawed servants that keep humbling trying 24:40 Dean shares a story of a bishop that felt completely inadequate and shocked when he was called but eventually flourished in his calling and is now a counselor in the new stake presidency. 26:00 Principle three - As priesthood leaders we can only be effective according to principles set forth by section 121. Kindness, gentleness, meekness, love unfeigned, etc. 29:10 Principle four - God doesn’t punish people 35:10 Things that Dean has found that work for running an effective stake conference 38:50 Dean reflects on his time as a stake president and the miracles he has witnessed. The Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints' mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org. Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges, Whitney Johnson, Ryan Gottfredson, Greg McKeown, Ganel-Lyn Condie, Michael Goodman, Wendy Ulrich, Richard Ostler, and many more in over 700 episodes. Discover podcasts, articles, virtual conferences, and live events related to callings such as the bishopric, Relief Society, elders quorum, Primary, youth leadership, stake leadership, ward mission, ward council, young adults, ministering, and teaching.

Author and meditation teacher, Thomas Wirthlin McConkie, explores concepts of love, atonement, and slowing down in this captivating podcast. He emphasizes the importance of finding stillness in a fast-paced world and discusses the impact of his grandfather's wisdom. The conversation also delves into the power of love in building God's kingdom.