Leaders in Living Rooms

ABOUT THE EPISODE“God’s call upon our lives doesn’t change. Our context may change, but our call never does.” Meet Eugene Cho, former Senior Pastor of Quest Church and President/CEO of Bread of the World.  In this episode, Eugene shares insights about God’s calling for your life, defining your life’s values,  and practical ways to monitor your health as a church leader. He encourages us to embodied leadership. To show up. When we feel like we have people on every side of the aisle hijacking the message of Jesus… Eugene reminds us how to place Jesus at the center of it all.Welcome to Episode 051 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan. INSIGHTS FROM EUGENEA Call to Be Faithful:How am I faithful to that which God called me to do?God’s call upon our lives doesn’t change. Our context may change, but our call never does. I’m not looking for absolute clarity on the 10 year plan. I’m regularly asking myself what are my values that ground me, that guide my trajectory and my conversations. That guide my ministry and philosophy. Defining Values: What values anchor your identity? What are the spaces that you really want to go deep in? Which values define the framework in which you make your decisions? Values are what you live into every single day. They will become more formed and transformed as you do life, mission, and ministry together. Clarity on Our Calling: Breathe. We are living in such spaces and places of anxiety right now. Encourage you to experience peace. What does wellness and flourishing look like for you? Let’s make decisions from a place of peace instead of anxiety. We are never bound to one place. I don’t worship my local church. I don’t worship my city. I love my city. I love my church. Ultimately, my allegiance and loyalty is to God. What’s my value? Faithfulness to Jesus and the Kingdom of God. Community. Have these conversations with your spouse, friends, and local confidants. Stewardship. Pray that God would transition you in a time of health and flourishing so that you can transition well. Realistically, we will probably go through a handful of transitions during our time. We need to talk about… what does it mean to transition well? We must transition in an honorable way. In a way that brings glory and witness to Jesus. Work/life Balance: I’ve looked at work as meaning, as identity, as purpose. I didn’t realize how much of my identity and worth was woven into the things I did as a Senior Pastor. Prioritizing and being really present in the moments that you say you are resting, taking a Sabbath. How faithful are you to these practices? How I monitor how I’m doing (Eugene’s reflections):Am I walking with my wife? Physically walking. How much am I getting outdoors? Learn what gives life to you. What truly gives you joy? Then ask, am I doing those things? My relationship with my children. Find intentional time to connect. Worship - am I part of a larger local church community? On the topic of Sabbath. We’re living in a very different time. Intensity, distraction, and busyness are on a different scale. So old models of “vacation” and “time away” are no longer sufficient. We need to advocate for our leaders. We should be looking at leadership as a marathon. What you do at mile thirteen, will impact you at mile twenty two. This is not a 400 meter sprint. It’s physically, emotionally, spiritually, impossible. Invest in the marathon of discipleship and leadership. EPISODE LINKSVisit Bread for the WorldEugene’s latest book: Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk: A Christian's Guide to Engaging PoliticsAre you heading into a season of transition? You don’t have to do it alone. Check out The Ascent Leader’s transitions cohorts at: https://theascentleader.org/cohorts/ WHO IS EUGENE CHO?Rev. Eugene Cho is President/CEO of Bread for the World, a collective Christian voice including individuals, churches, non-profits, and other partners, who work together to urge our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and around the world by changing the policies and programs that allow hunger to persist. Eugene’s passions involve leadership, justice, the intersection of faith and public life, and the pursuit of God’s Kingdom here on this earth. He travels throughout the world to encourage churches, non-profits, pastors, leaders, missionaries, and justice workers. Before coming to Bread for the World in 2020, Eugene founded and for 18 years served as senior pastor of Quest Church, an urban, multi-cultural and multi-generational church in Seattle, Washington. Eugene is also the founder and visionary of One Day’s Wages (ODW) — a grassroots movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty. The vision of ODW is to create a collaborative movement that promotes awareness, invites simple giving (one day’s wages), and supports sustainable relief through partnerships, especially with small organizations in developing regions. Eugene and Minhee have been married for nearly 25 years and have three children. Together, they live in Seattle, Washington and will be making a move to the Washington, DC area.Twitter: @eugenechoInstagram: @EugeneChoSPONSORSThanks to our sponsors: CDF Capital and Food For The Hungry.Hear directly from our friend, Jordan Gustafson, Director of Organizational Partnerships, at Food for the Hungry. Jordan personally walks us through how the goal at FH is to combine your church's desire to grow disciples, with their heart for the poor, by partnering with Food for the Hungry for the opportunity to do so with a global mission and outreach experience. Learn more at fh.org/churches.  CDF Capital is hosting the 2022 Executive Pastors Summit taking place May 24th and 25th in Manchester, NH. Check out Xpsummit.org for more information.

ABOUT THE EPISODEFor just over two years, you’ve been invited into the living rooms of over forty leaders; getting privileged insights into their life that few others have access to. Today’s show is a podcast milestone, marking the fiftieth episode of Leaders in Living Rooms! To celebrate 50 episodes, we’ve compiled seven of the top highlights and learnings from our guests. We invite you to listen in on the “cliff notes” from topics like leading your board well with Jud Wilhite to leading on empty with Wayne Cordeiro. You will be encouraged by all seven of these leaders as they speak incredible words of wisdom over the next generation of church leaders. Welcome to Episode 050 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan. JUD WILHITE EPISODE 001: LEADING YOUR BOARDYour board only has power when you speak with one voice100% of your board business needs to be done togetherWhat do you want the board to look like by the grace of God? Lead your board. It may take 10+ years, but move towards that vision. DAVE STONE EPISODE 009: FEAR OR FAITHEveryone is a bad leader in their worst moment. Psalm 139:5 (NLT) “You go before me and you follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.” My biggest mistake was pulling away from the people that I needed to lean in to. The byproduct of that was I got scared and I began to lead that first season out of fear instead of out of faith. PAT GELSINGER EPISODE 011: WHAT GOT YOU HERE WON’T GET YOU THEREOur influence initially was by being an example setter. As you get promoted and are trusted with the next role, challenge yourself with the notion that… what got you here on the team, won’t get you there leading the team.You have to start grinding off some of those rough edges that aren’t making you or your team successful. Don’t let your strengths become your weaknesses. Oftentimes the very things that made you successful are actually preventing you from being successful. PASTOR WAYNE CORDEIRO EPISODE 017: LEADING ON EMPTYYou have your title on day one, but you don’t have the heads and hearts of your people on day one. You cannot move forward if you don’t have traction. Get traction first. And then find out what is going good in the church. Tell them what must never change, what won’t change, not what will change.Slow down, think about the history of what your organization, your congregation has been through and look to their past for what made them successful. Reassure them that the things of their past aren’t going to change. Not everybody can handle the same pace of change. Make sure you are instituting changes in a way that people can follow and get behind. The first thing the shepherd must do is make the sheep feel safe. MIKE FOSTER EPISODE 016: FEELING LIKE YOU’RE THE EXCEPTION TO THE RULEDo the deep work to grow your heart. If we fail to deal with those moments, we’re shortcutting ourselves. Leaders miss out on this beautiful nuclear reactor of power in our lives when we fail to honor the pain we have experienced and to leverage it for good. “You either are going to deal with your pain or your pain is going to deal with you. God will not be mocked when it comes to our pain and trauma.”You are NOT the exception to the rule. DANNY ANDERSON EPISODE 032 & 033: MAKING DECISIONS TOO QUICKLYTypically, making decisions too quickly is a bad idea. Two exceptions to this rule, and when it’s ok to make quick decisions are: When you’ve inherited toxicity or cultural dysfunctionWhen you feel like you’re dealing with a sink or swim situationJOEL THOMAS EPISODE 034 & 035: REASONS WHY WE LEAVEFinding peace in letting God architect our story. Not taking our hands off the wheel, but not necessarily pursuing at great cost the things we want ourselves. Three possible dynamics anytime someone is transitioning: They aren’t happy and they are looking for something else;There’s a better opportunity;There’s a calling.EPISODE LINKSPastor Derwin Gray, Steve Carter, Megan Marshman & Mike Hickerson will be leading our next Craft & Character Communicators Cohort this Spring. Don’t miss your chance to get in the living rooms of these leaders and grow in  the unique craft of preaching while ensuring character leads the way. Check out the details here! Book by Dr. Thom Rainer - Who Moved My Pulpit?Thoughts on this podcast or a recent episode? Email Sean directly at: sean@theascentleader.org SPONSORS & NETWORK PARTNERSExciting announcement! We have officially joined Carey Nieuwhof’s Art of Leadership Network. The Art of Leadership Network is a new podcast network, and includes world-class leaders dedicated to teaching you how to live in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow. We are thrilled to be a part of this new network with friends like Brad Lomenick, Jenni Catron and others. Click here to learn more about the Art of Leadership Network! Thanks to our sponsors: CDF Capital and Food For The Hungry.Hear directly from our friend, Jordan Gustafson, Director of Organizational Partnerships, at Food for the Hungry. Jordan personally walks us through how the goal at FH is to combine your church's desire to grow disciples, with their heart for the poor, by partnering with Food for the Hungry for the opportunity to do so with a global mission and outreach experience. Learn more at fh.org/churches.  CDF Capital is hosting the 2022 Executive Pastors Summit taking place May 24th and 25th in Manchester, NH. Check out Xpsummit.org for more information.

ABOUT THE EPISODE“Change is painful, but it's better than death.” Meet Tommy Politz, Senior Pastor of Hillside Christian Church, who has served as pastor, church planter, and transitional leader in his 30+ years of ministry. In this episode, Tommy shares with us his own personal journey of transitional leadership and the wisdom he’s gained along the way. Transitional leaders will face high resistance in their quest for high impact. Paying attention to the rate, pace, and acceleration of decision making will be a critical element to a successful transition. Welcome to Episode 049 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan. INSIGHTS FROM TOMMYCompare and contrast being a church planter and a transitional leader: When you plant, there is no history, and there is no expectation. It’s a blank page. Resistance is low, adoption is high. When you inherit a church, you might have the resources, but you have deeply entrenched high resistance. There is no comparison game when you’re a planter. There is nothing but a comparison game when you’re a transitional leader. “The status quo is precisely the status quo because of its pervasive ability to stick around.” As a transition leader, when you change the status quo you quickly find out why it’s the status quo.  Keys to successful transitional leadership: Change is painful, but it’s better than death.Grid of impact and resistance: High impact decisions get high resistance – those are the best ones to make because they are going to really move the needle most.  High impact, low resistance decisions are rare. A church will flourish because of the Word of God. The Word of God is where life is. Where life change happens. It’s not our ingenuity or our creativity, it’s getting people to open up the holy scriptures and let it feed their souls. The rate of decision making: Pay attention to rate, pace, and acceleration of decision making. Even if you feel good about making the right decisions, and you think it's what is best, finding that Holy Spirit moment and gap in which to insert that change is so critical that it does not outpace the relational currency that you have. Because it doesn’t matter if that’s what God wants, or how gifted you are, there is just only so far that you can push the sheep before you are really working against the macro goals of reintegrating an unhealthy church. Leadership is making changes at a rate that people can tolerate. Examining, developing, and sending your staff off well: Operate equally in the same three offices that Christ exemplified for us: Prophet, Priest, and King.Will I actually give away power and opportunity? It’s one thing to train someone up to do something at a high level of leadership. It’s another thing when you give them part of your own pie. When you say, I don’t want to give this away, but I’m going to because I love this church and this leader. EPISODE LINKSFor pastors navigating transition into a new leadership role, checkout The Ascent Leader’s transitions cohorts at: https://theascentleader.org/cohorts/ Find Tommy Politz, Senior Pastor of Hillside Christian Church at: https://hillsideonline.comWHO IS TOMMY POLITZ?Since 2005, Tommy Politz has served as the Senior Pastor of Hillside Christian Church. In 2009, he led Hillside to become a multisite church. He has served as a pastor, church planter, and speaker for over 30 years. He grew up in Dallas, Texas, where he gave his life to Christ at 17 years old as a junior in high school. He is a graduate of Baylor University, Southwestern Seminary, and Duke University. Tommy and his wife, Donna, have three children--Grant, Rebekah, and Cole. They also have a son-in-law, Matthew, and a daughter-in-law, Jessi. They are excited to welcome their first grandchild in the Spring. Hillside Christian Church has twelve campuses--ten campuses located throughout the Texas Panhandle, one campus in New Mexico, and an online campus.SPONSORSThanks to our sponsors: CDF Capital and Food For The Hungry.Hear directly from our friend, Jordan Gustafson, Director of Organizational Partnerships, at Food for the Hungry. Jordan personally walks us through how the goal at FH is to combine your church's desire to grow disciples, with their heart for the poor, by partnering with Food for the Hungry for the opportunity to do so with a global mission and outreach experience. Learn more at fh.org/churches.  CDF Capital is hosting the 2022 Executive Pastors Summit taking place May 24th and 25th in Manchester, NH. Check out Xpsummit.org for more information.

ABOUT THE EPISODEThere is both fulfillment and fruitfulness in staying in your current leadership role and in transitioning well to something new if God calls you to go. “We don't always have to leave to build a life of significance.” Meet Daniel Grothe from New Life Church, Colorado Springs, CO who shares his personal story of the road that led him to stay at New Life. If you are in a season of difficulty at your church, you will be inspired by Daniel’s story. He will encourage you that these are the moments where the spirit of the Lord will empower you to live a vow of stability, so you can stand and stay. Welcome to Episode 048 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan. INSIGHTS FROM DANIEL1) Technology has caused both discontentment and confusion.  Social media is showing us everyone else’s highlight reels. That makes our own stories feel so normal, clunky, and every day.We’ve confused the idea of what it means to be “rich.” We’ve confused the difference between financial capital and social capital. We are pathologically busy. Daniel says he jokes that being an adult is saying to other people - “we should hang out” over and over again until we die. We are missing out on the things that would make us deeply happy. Regular meals with our people. People who show up at our house unannounced with a favorite drink, people who watch our kids so we can have a date night. We’ve filled up our calendars so much, we can’t actually do the things that bring us great joy. 2) People are the great purifiers. When life gets difficult, the easiest thing to do is run. But the truth is, wherever you go, there you are. You can’t run from it. You have to look at yourself in the mirror and wrestle with your own demons.  You want to become a saint, you want to become holy, you want to become more mature, you want to have deep roots in the community? The only way to do that is to press through the difficulty of relationships. Daniel shares the concept of “transplant trauma.” The greatest images and metaphors for the Saints throughout the bible from Genesis to Revelation are about becoming like trees. Cedars of Lebanon, Oaks of Righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. For a tree, you might be able to move it once or twice and it lives, but after that point, you are starting to introduce it to transplant trauma, and it's a crapshoot on whether or not it will make it. 3) Advice for those in the transition process. Start with your smallest concentric circle of influence and pray that through with them to get in unity. Don’t make an announcement to your closest people, start the process with them. Is it possible for you to be sent? If so, it will be more fruitful by a factor of 10. You’ll take the strength of the place you’re leaving to the place you’re going. Listen to the full episode for more. 4) Advice for developing leaders well. Do the front end work of being a safe place for your people. If you will show your people that no matter where they end up, who they end up being with, you’re going to leverage every bit of strength and spiritual authority you have for their good, you will be their first phone call. Listen to the full episode for more. EPISODE LINKSDon’t miss the Ascent Leader’s new lineup of transitions cohorts for 2022. Check them out today at https://theascentleader.org/cohorts/ Find Daniel at DanielGrowthe.com  Get Daniel’s New Book: The Power of Place: Choosing Stability in a Rootless Age  Check out Brady Boyd’s (Senior Pastor of New Life Church) Book: Addicted to BusyFind Angela Duckworth’s Book: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Barna Group Study shows that 80% of lead pastors who transition to another church, move. Only 20% are raised up within their home church.* This study was commissioned by CDF Capital and can be made available to you by contacting sean@theascentleader.org.*(higher for smaller churches, and skewed by denominational data) WHO IS DANIEL GROTHE?Daniel Grothe is the associate senior pastor at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he's been for sixteen years. Daniel and his wife, Lisa, live on a hobby farm outside of Colorado Springs with their three children, Lillian, Wilson, and Wakley, and a thriving throng of happy animals. Daniel is currently pursuing his doctorate from Western Theological Seminary.Connect with Daniel:https://danielgrothe.com/ https://north.newlifechurch.org/ Instagram: @mrdanielgrotheTwitter: @mrdanielgrotheSPONSORSThanks to our sponsors: CDF Capital and Food For The Hungry.Check out Xpsummit.org - for more information on the 2022 Executive Pastors event taking place May 24th and 25th in Manchester, NH. You won’t want to miss it! Combine your church's heart for the poor and Food for the Hungry’s global experience at fh.org/churches. 

About the EpisodePart 2 of 2 - Seacoast has been a pioneering church for decades and now continues a legacy of fruitful ministry through a senior leadership transition from father to son. Greg and Josh talk about the highs and lows of that transition and offer sage advice to anyone in a leadership transition.Who is Greg Surratt?Greg Surratt is the founding pastor of Seacoast Church, which was planted with the goal of reaching unchurched people in the Charleston area. Greg led Seacoast as it grew from one campus to many, and as Seacoast became one of the first churches to pioneer the multi-site approach to the weekend experience. Greg is the president and co-founder of the Association of Related Churches (ARC), which is a global church-planting initiative that has established over 900 churches worldwide since its founding in 2000.He is the author of the book IR-REV-REND, as well as a contributor for Outreach Magazine, Ministry Today Magazine, and Charisma Magazine.Who is Josh Surratt?As Lead Pastor, Josh Surratt is helping Seacoast Church realize God’s vision for what comes next. He is passionate about helping people find God, grow their faith, discover their purpose, and make a difference. Josh was raised in Charleston, South Carolina, and attended the College of Charleston.He joined the Seacoast staff in 2001 and has served in several roles, including four years as the Mount Pleasant Campus Pastor. Josh is one of Seacoast’s Teaching Pastors and currently serves on the Executive Team as the Seacoast Lead Pastor.

About the EpisodeSeacoast has been a pioneering church for decades and now continues a legacy of fruitful ministry through a senior leadership transition from father to son. Greg and Josh talk about the highs and lows of that transition, and offer sage advice to anyone in a leadership transition.Who is Greg Surratt?Greg Surratt is the founding pastor of Seacoast Church, which was planted with the goal of reaching unchurched people in the Charleston area. Greg led Seacoast as it grew from one campus to many, and as Seacoast became one of the first churches to pioneer the multi-site approach to the weekend experience. Greg is the president and co-founder of the Association of Related Churches (ARC), which is a global church-planting initiative that has established over 900 churches worldwide since its founding in 2000.He is the author of the book IR-REV-REND, as well as a contributor for Outreach Magazine, Ministry Today Magazine, and Charisma Magazine.Who is Josh Surratt?As Lead Pastor, Josh Surratt is helping Seacoast Church realize God’s vision for what comes next. He is passionate about helping people find God, grow their faith, discover their purpose, and make a difference. Josh was raised in Charleston, South Carolina and attended the College of Charleston.He joined the Seacoast staff in 2001 and has served in several roles, including four years as the Mount Pleasant Campus Pastor. Josh is one of Seacoast’s Teaching Pastors and currently serves on the Executive Team as the Seacoast Lead Pastor.

About the EpisodePart 2 of Sean Morgan's discussion with Kevin Queen.After a devastating transition of their lead pastor, Crosspoint church in Nashville was without a lead pastor and 3/4 of their executive team moved on. This is the story of Kevin's call to leadership at Crosspoint. Kevin has now led Crosspoint through a leadership transition, a direct hit by a tornado, and now a global pandemic. In part one of this two-part series, Kevin gets real about the most important things that keep him grounded, give him perspective, and encourage him.Who is Kevin Queen?Kevin Queen is a husband, father, pastor, and communicator. Born and raised in the Atlanta area, he’s a graduate of the University of Georgia, New Orleans Seminary, and Bethel Seminary.Before joining Cross Point’s staff in August 2017, Kevin served for 14 years on staff at 12Stone Church, a large multi-site church with 8 campuses in Metro Atlanta. During his last 10 years at 12Stone, he served as both a campus pastor and teaching pastor.

About the EpisodeAfter a devastating transition of their lead pastor, Crosspoint church in Nashville was without a lead pastor and 3/4 of their executive team moved on. This is the story of Kevin's call to leadership at Crosspoint. Kevin has now led Crosspoint through a leadership transition, a direct hit by a tornado, and now a global pandemic. In part one of this two-part series, Kevin gets real about the most important things that keep him grounded, give him perspective, and encourage him.Who is Kevin Queen?Kevin Queen is a husband, father, pastor, and communicator. Born and raised in the Atlanta area, he’s a graduate of the University of Georgia, New Orleans Seminary, and Bethel Seminary.Before joining Cross Point’s staff in August 2017, Kevin served for 14 years on staff at 12Stone Church, a large multi-site church with 8 campuses in Metro Atlanta. During his last 10 years at 12Stone, he served as both a campus pastor and teaching pastor.

About the EpisodeChapelstreet church recently transitioned senior leadership from Brian Coffey to Jeff Frazier. Their story sets the bar for making room for younger leaders to rise up and then partnering with influence when the outgoing leader not only stays in the church but stays on staff. The story at Chapelstreet will open up your mind to the possibilities of leading well in transition seasons. Who is Jeff Frazier?Jeff Frazier is the Lead Pastor at Chapelstreet Church in Geneva, IL. Before transitioning into this role, Jeff was the Teaching Pastor at Chapelstreet Church, and prior to that, he spent the previous 15 years in youth ministry: 9 years at Chapelstreet Church and 6 years on staff at Willow Creek Community Church. Jeff’s primary passion in life is to see the gospel of Jesus Christ transforming human hearts. Jeff loves the process of studying, discovering, and communicating God’s Word and desires to encourage others to share this passion. Jeff is also passionate about his wife and kids, the writing of C.S. Lewis, the sport of football, strong coffee, and old books. Jeff has an MA in theology from Wheaton College Graduate School with a focus in evangelism & spiritual formation and a BA from Wheaton College. He lives in Batavia, IL with his wife, Erin, and has three young adult children: Noah, Hannah, and Benjamin.Who is Brian Coffey?Dr. Brian Coffey (D.Min) has been a pastor at Chapelstreet for 35 years and is currently the Pastor of Leadership & Development. In Brian's dreams, he won the 1978 Southern Conference Tournament Championship for the Davidson College Wildcats with a winning shot at the buzzer instead of sitting on the bench on the last place team. Brian has been married to his brilliant wife Lorene for 36 years and is the father of four adult sons, and one adorable granddaughter. Brian is the author of four books, helped edit two study Bibles, and enjoys helping mentor the younger generation as they become leaders in the church. Brian also enjoys travel, reading, all the major sports, and avoiding eating tomatoes and Brussels sprouts. 

About the EpisodeWe close out our 3-part series on Unity with Carey Nieuwhof bringing some deep thought to the conversation. Carey openly talks about how we get our identity wrapped up in things that can easily divide us, how we need to remain humble with our opinions and conclusions, and how when we move to cancel someone or something it is actually more of a statement on our own lack of ability to deal with adversity.Who is Carey Nieuwhof?Carey Nieuwhof is a former lawyer and founding pastor of Connexus Church. Carey’s passion for helping people thrive in life and leadership is evident in his latest book, At Your Best: How To Get Time, Energy And Priorities Working In Your Favor. Pastor Niewhof is also a gifted speaker and the best-selling author of, Didn’t See It Coming: Overcoming the Seven Greatest Challenges That No One Expects But Everyone Experiences.While attending law school, Carey Nieuwhof felt a strong call to ministry. After completing law school and seminary in 1995, he began his ministry as a student pastor among three little mainline churches an hour north of Toronto. When he started, one of the churches had an average attendance of 6. That church has changed everything in the last two decades...the music, the buildings, the governance, the mission, and the vision. They are now a multisite church with three locations reaching over 1500 people each weekend. Along the way, Carey developed a passion for helping other leaders lead like never before.