5 Leadership Questions Podcast on Church Leadership with Todd Adkins and Dan Iten

In this special episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast and the Unseen Leadership podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Christine and Nick Caine who are founders of the The A21 Campaign. During their conversation, they discuss how to focus on developing others, balancing delegation and excellence, and growing as an emotionally healthy leader. BEST QUOTES “We should always be focusing on developing pipelines and pathways so other people can be developed.”“If you are just going to do, you have already put a limit, a ceiling, and a lid on your leadership.”“We should always be thinking, how is this sustainable without me being the one to sustain it.”“I would take willingness to grow over giftedness and talent every day of the week because you can work with that.”“You have to inspect to make sure you get what you expect.”“Leaders need to be careful not to drive too hard in order to get an outcome at the sake of people. We have to remember we are working with people, and God loves people.”“The deeper I allow the Holy Spirit to do healing in me, the more effective leader I become.”“My gift quickly took me to a place that my character would not have kept me if God did not do a work in me.”“If the spotlight on you is brighter than the light of God within you, it is going to destroy you.”“The degree to which your heart is healthy is the degree to which you will remain a healthy leader.”“Being a healthy leader is the best gift you can give your team and your family.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend Necessary Endings by Henry Cloud 5LQ Episode 116: Pete Scazzero This Episode's Sponsor:  Every church must be equipped to respond well in the initial stages of learning about instances of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse. That is why the Southern Baptist Convention, Lifeway, and ERLC partnered together to create Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused. This training curriculum of a handbook and 13 videos brings together top experts from various fields to help volunteers and leaders understand and implement the best practices for handling the variety of abuse scenarios at church, school, or ministry. You can access this free training at ChurchCares.com.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. During their conversation, they discuss succession planning and why culture is more important than policy. BEST QUOTES "They saw that as due diligence on my part that I loved the church enough to prepare and to have a lot of young men around me that they could have called back.""I am a chronic reader of the Bible; I read the Bible at least once a year.""I made it clear that I would lead the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee by mission, not by policy.""Our vision is to reach every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state, every nation.""I think that we need to see a culture that is transforming in our convention of churches.""Unity is a powerful force that only the Holy Spirit creates.""If you lose your family on the altar of ministry success, that's a higher price than God would want you to pay.""Pay attention to every person one at a time.""Ministry is about relationships, so spend time with people and never forget to make that an important part of your life and ministry.""Faithfulness should be treated as one of our highest commodities." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Cross Church School of Ministry How to Pray by Ronnie Floyd This Episode's Sponsor:  Every church must be equipped to respond well in the initial stages of learning about instances of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse. That is why the Southern Baptist Convention, Lifeway, and ERLC partnered together to create Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused. This training curriculum of a handbook and 13 videos brings together top experts from various fields to help volunteers and leaders understand and implement the best practices for handling the variety of abuse scenarios at church, school, or ministry. You can access this free training at ChurchCares.com.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Luke Lezon, co-leads The Alternative in Atlanta and author of Your Mess Matters. During their conversation, they discuss the importance of mentorships and learning humility through challenging situations. BEST QUOTES "If God is going to put me in a position to be someone who proclaims His Name for the glory of God, how can I use what I've got right now?""If I didn't have these certain relationships I wouldn't still be in ministry.""I may not be the wisest person because I'm only 27 years old, but I can get around guys that are significantly wiser than me." "As a young leader, a lot of times I can genuinely think that I don't think that I know everything, but then I find myself in a situation where I've been thinking I knew everything to get to this point.""I've had to take the things I know in my head and try to make them things that I believe with my heart.""I am so incapable of doing the things God has called me to do unless I invite the God who called me to do them into my life and really evaluate my heart.""I've always been disciplined at the things I really care about, but it's different when I need to be disciplined about something I need to do but don't love.""I'm finding out that a lot of people in my generation are very purposeful people, but they aren't very prayerful.""There's not a whole lot that's more humbling than having to sit in a hospital or on a bed for six months and essentially be incapacitated to do anything that's productive." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network The Alternative Your Mess Matters by Luke Lezon Move Toward the Mess by John Hambrick The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell This Episode's Sponsor:  Every church must be equipped to respond well in the initial stages of learning about instances of sexual, physical, or emotional abuse. That is why the Southern Baptist Convention, Lifeway, and ERLC partnered together to create Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused. This training curriculum of a handbook and 13 videos brings together top experts from various fields to help volunteers and leaders understand and implement the best practices for handling the variety of abuse scenarios at church, school, or ministry. You can access this free training at ChurchCares.com.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Luis Palau, evangelist and author of Palau: A Life on Fire. During their conversation, they discuss what true success looks like and how facing a cancer diagnosis affects what is important in life. BEST QUOTES "The missionaries treated us, even as children, as intelligent, important members of the body of Christ.""I wanted to honor the Lord at the end of my life and honor those that God used in my life.""As long as God is in the bush, He can use you.""The body of Christ, for all it's weaknesses, has great strengths. And the strength is the presence of the Holy Spirit.""My duty in these last few months or years that the Lord gives me is to keep the vision alive.""Sometimes I wonder if the Lord didn't send me my lung cancer to force me to get out of the way.""Enjoy life. Don't just be grimly committed.""The Book of Proverbs shows you how to have success this side of Heaven and in Heaven.""There are two people who will tell you the truth: your wife and the people who leave your church." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Luis Palau Association Palau: A Life on Fire by Luis Palau Body Life by Ray Steadman This Episode's Sponsor: You’ve probably heard about the movie OVERCOMER. But you may not know there are a few books and Bible studies inspired by the film. One is called Defined by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick, which is a book and Bible study based on insights from the Book of Ephesians. You can find these books and Bible studies at Lifeway.com/Overcomer.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Scott McConnell, Executive Director of Lifeway Research, and Ben Trueblood, Director of Lifeway Students. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions: What are some of the surprising things found in this research?What are the factors that contribute to continued regular attendance in church?What are some of the shifts you can make that lead to people staying connected?Practically speaking, if I am a student pastor or a parent listening, what can I do over the next week? Over this fall? Over this year? BEST QUOTES "About 66% of young adults who attend a protestant church for at least a year in high school step away from church for at least a year between ages 18 and 22.""Of those young adults that dropped out, one of the reasons that jumped the most is the politics in the church - political views being voiced in the church that the student didn't agree with.""Teach a teenager how to see the world from a biblical standpoint and how to sit with their Bible and discover for themselves what they think and how to believe.""We are not teaching young people what it means to be truly connected to a local body of believers called a church.""The number one indicator of students staying connected to a church is when they could identify three spiritual mentors during their time in high school they were three times more likely to stay connected to the church in college.""Your care of that person's life will overcome a lack of chemistry.""Students are amazingly good at sniffing out things that are not genuine.""27% of these students said that they had spiritual conversations in the home.""Equip parents to have a spiritual conversation in their home with their children.""One of the best things we can show them is to get them to fall in love with God's Word." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Within Reach by Ben Trueblood 5LQ Episode 278: Scott McConnell on VBS Research 5LQ Episode 294: Scott McConnell on Bible Research 5LQ Episode 299: Research on the Unchurched 5LQ Episode 305: The State of Theology 5LQ Episode 348: Scott McConnell - Research on Sexual Abuse in the Church 5LQ Episode 376: Scott McConnell - Research on the State of Discipleship Lifeway Research

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Mark Sayers, author of Facing Leviathan, Disappearing Church, and Reappearing Church. During their conversation, they discuss why it's important to be effective and not just look good and cultural Christianity. BEST QUOTES "Things may look wonderful, but are they actually wonderful under the hood?""So often you hear these feedback loops where people say you are doing great and that clouds whether you are actually being effective.""The world needs more effective information that's born out of context.""Relevance was this language that emerged from the field of missions.""Disciples have to learn that the Christian life is never going to make you cool.""In creating a model for consumer Christianity, we created models which tolerated a low level of faith.""The people who led renewals always challenged their followers to actually do great things.""As a leader, I need to be connected where I am.""I think revival and renewal begins in the home." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Facing Leviathan by Mark Sayers Disappearing Church by Mark Sayers Reappearing Church by Mark Sayers The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker The Way of Blessing by Roy Goodwin A Failure of Nerve by Edwin Friedman This Episode's Sponsor: You’ve probably heard about the movie OVERCOMER. But you may not know there are a few books and Bible studies inspired by the film. One is called Defined by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick, which is a book and Bible study based on insights from the Book of Ephesians. You can find these books and Bible studies at Lifeway.com/Overcomer.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Jenaye White are joined by Kadi Cole, founder of MinistryChick.com and author of Developing Female Leaders. During their conversation, they discuss leaning into a place of learning and how constructive feedback and supportive leadership are vital for women. BEST QUOTES "The book is me researching how to help leaders do better at creating cultures, environments, and conversations that help support and develop female leaders in their churches.""The point of being a learner is that you don't know what you are doing yet.""It's easy to fall into the trap that we want to stay in the spaces that we feel confident and competent, but there is so much more to learn.""I want to have integrity that what I say is fully what I believe.""Many times the church is silent on these issues and it ends up being a real disconnect for people in the things they are struggling in implementing in their worklife.""As a personal leader and a team leader, I am always asking the Lord: I had good intentions when I started am I still working by means of the Spirit or have I moved into that area of the flesh?""When we fall victim to the pressures of other people it can cause us to violate what's really most important to us.""As a teenager, my job is to teach him to think rather than modify his behavior.""As believers we are all called to ministry and to make an impact.""Women very rarely get someone who takes the time to sit down and analyze what they just did and help them see what is good that they should keep doing and what could be better and then do it in a way that believes they will have another opportunity and do better the next time." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network MinistryChick.Com Developing Female Leaders by Kadi Cole Lean In This Episode's Sponsor: You’ve probably heard about the movie OVERCOMER. But you may not know there are a few books and Bible studies inspired by the film. One is called Defined by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick, which is a book and Bible study based on insights from the Book of Ephesians. You can find these books and Bible studies at Lifeway.com/Overcomer.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Max Lucado, author of How Happiness Happens. During their conversation, they discuss true happiness and making what you do best a priority in your life. BEST QUOTES "Sometimes we may not realize the toll that resentment takes on our Spirit." "The Bible's approach to happiness flips all of this on it's head. Jesus said it is better to give than to receive.""If I'm not secure in who I am, then how am I going to be able to share that with others?""Understanding our identity empowers us to do things we couldn't do otherwise." "We are in the process of releasing our campuses to be independent churches.""It's a lot easier to launch something than it is to unlaunch something.""Leadership development and fundraising are two areas that have been challenging for me.""That journal becomes a resource for me to go back and look at whenever I am making decisions in the future.""Leadership in our empty nest means that I am going to honor my wife.""I think ideally each decade we should be able to do more of what we do best than we were able to do the decade before.""Identify what you do best and make it your aim to do more of that over the years." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network How Happiness Happens by Max Lucado Hermie and Friends DVD This Episode's Sponsor: You’ve probably heard about the movie OVERCOMER. But you may not know there are a few books and Bible studies inspired by the film. One is called Defined by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick, which is a book and Bible study based on insights from the Book of Ephesians. You can find these books and Bible studies at Lifeway.com/Overcomer.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Eric Geiger, senior pastor of Mariners Church, and Kent Beshore, pastor emeritus of Mariners Church. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions: What do you most appreciate about the history of Mariners?What has been easy to transition and what has been hard?How are you passing the mantle of leadership in practical ways?What are some of the obstacles that have occurred that you didn't see coming?What practical tips and encouragement would you give a pastor that is close to succession but doesn't have a plan in place? BEST QUOTES "I would not have wanted to come to a place where there would be a misalignment in the values beneath the surface and the history and with who I am as a leader and the passions the Lord has given me.""Long before it was cool and it was written about, Kenton and his wife, Laurie, were involved in stepping into the pains of the poor and caring for the marginalized.""When you are talking succession you are basically asking a church to marry another pastor.""Our goal was to be clear and to also be attractive to the next pastor.""A great succession is the story of the church, the story of the senior pastor, and the story of the community have to come together.""The blessing of the senior pastor's wife to the new pastor and his wife is the single most important thing.""In our transition, the staff was not involved in any way.""We are both always asking, what is best for the people? What is best for the church?""Boundaries are critical.""I had a team of people helping me anticipate for 17 years problems, I did not see these coming.""The blessings of the transition and the succession are not worth comparing to any burden or obstacle." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Life-Style Evangelism by Joe Aldrich The Cross of Christ by John Stott Between Two Worlds by John Stott Christian Mission in the Modern World by John Stott This Episode's Sponsor: You’ve probably heard about the movie OVERCOMER. But you may not know there are a few books and Bible studies inspired by the film. One is called Defined by Alex Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick, which is a book and Bible study based on insights from the Book of Ephesians. You can find these books and Bible studies at Lifeway.com/Overcomer.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Scott McConnell, Executive Director of Lifeway Research. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions: What is the state of discipleship in the church today?What are the signposts?What was most surprising about the research? BEST QUOTES "An important perspective on discipleship and the state of it today is the pastor's perspective.""Two-thirds of pastors are satisfied with the state of discipleship in their church.""You have to look at an intentional framework that is helping individuals.""It's hard to share Christ if you don't build relationships.""What we see biblically is that our relationships with other believers should be transparent.""Most of living unashamed is identifying with Christ wherever we go.""On the pastor side of things, one of the surprises that persists is we still have half of pastors indicating they aren't regularly evaluating the spiritual progress of the folks they are serving.""If we don't know what people need spiritually, how do we point them to the truth of God's Word that actually applies to where they are at?""We see church after church struggling with building relationships." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network No Silver Bullets by Daniel Im Discipleship Pathway Assessment The Balanced Discipleship Pathway Bible Studies for Life 5LQ Episode 278: Scott McConnell on VBS Research 5LQ Episode 294: Scott McConnell on Bible Research 5LQ Episode 299: Research on the Unchurched 5LQ Episode 305: The State of Theology 5LQ Episode 348: Scott McConnell - Research on Sexual Abuse in the Church Ask Me Anything Podcast