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

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 theology in America? Why is this important? What surprised you about this research? What trends did you see? What should churches do with this research? BEST QUOTES  “7 out of 10 Americans believe in the trinity." "Almost 7 out of 10 Americans believe God is a perfect being and cannot make a mistake." "Less than a quarter of Americans agree that even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation." "Our definition of good is completely different than God's." "6 out of 10 Americans believe that religion is a matter of personal opinion, it's not about rejecting truth." "Almost 6 out of 10 Americans agree that worshiping alone or with your family is a valid replacement for regularly attending church." "Among those with evangelical beliefs, 52% agree that everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature." "Of those with evangelical beliefs, half agree that God accepts the worship of all religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam." "57% of those with evangelical beliefs are denying the personal nature of the Holy Spirit." "Imagine if in your congregation you could help people catch a glimpse of who God really is and the relationship He really wants with us." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway Research State of Theology Study Report 5LQ Episode 294: Scott McConnell on Bible Research 5LQ Episode 278: Scott McConnell on VBS Research 5LQ Episode 299: Research on the Unchurched Text "research" to 888111 to receive a copy of the research from this podcast The Lost Tools of Learning by Dorothy Sayers The One Thing Podcast

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im breakdown the leadership book The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter by Michael D. Watkins. In their conversation they discuss the following questions: What's the book and why does it matter? Overview of the book How applicable is the book to leadership in my church? What are things churches should ignore from the book? What can you do this week in light of the book? BEST QUOTES “Whatever you are living in is a direct result of whatever you were working on 90 days ago." "This book is about helping you assess what the situation is and apply the right strategy to that situation." "You have to figure out how this place works before you work on this place." "Imagine if the next 90 days were your first 90 days." "The first 90 days matter because it will help you get to the break even point." "Your job is to find clarity and understanding and then bring that to the surface." "You need to read it over and over again every time you have a transition." "When you transition into a new role, you are consuming not producing." "We need to stop approaching leadership from a scarcity mindset." "You aren't going to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff unless you use the lens of Scripture." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network The First 90 Days by Michael D. Watkins Blueprint Coaching Events Text "blueprint" to 888111 for information about Blueprint Coaching Events Leading Change by John Kotter The Heart of Change by John Kotter and Dan Cohen Group Answers Podcast

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Robby Gallaty and Chris Swain, co-hosts of the Making Disciples podcast. During their conversation, they discuss how to make disciples of the people in your church and the need for planning in all aspects of life. BEST QUOTES “The day you stop learning is the day you stop leading, so we have to be self-motivated in this." "The Church went from being a movement of people to being a monument you go to." "The pastor leader has to repent for not making disciples for years." "Most churches think they can grow and grow their people by just offering another option to the already programized church they already pastor." "Disciples don't grow by menus, they grow by maps." "How many people are you investing in who have now reproduced their life into the life of another person?" "The discipleship process is never complete until the mentee becomes a mentor or until the player becomes a coach." "The gospel came to you because it was heading to someone else." "You have to have an outlet for recovery." "The reason people don't stick with long term discipling relationships is because there is no accountability and there is no intentionality." "Nothing you do in ministry is wasted." "God uses our suffering as a platform to preach the gospel." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Making Disciples Podcast Long Hollow Replicate Books by Robby Gallaty The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt The Patient Ferment of the Early Church by Alan Kreider Disappearing Church by Mark Sayers Letters to the Church by Francis Chan That Sounds Fun Podcast Episode 82: Christine Caine EST.church podcast This Episode's Sponsor: What happens when the Bible and humanity collide? Not what you’d expect. Living & Effective, a podcast collaboration between Christianity Today and the Christian Standard Bible, journeys through history, current events, theology, and the human condition to uncover surprising ways the Bible accomplishes God’s plan in the world."

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Mark Clark, the pastor of Village Church in Vancouver and author of The Problem of God. During their conversation, they discuss over and above hospitality in the church and how his leadership role in the church has developed over the years. BEST QUOTES  “I would quit ministry before I let it crush my family." "On one hand we need to develop people, on the other hand you can't teach speed. You either have it or you don't." "As the culture keeper of the organization, I need to be aware of the things that are happening around the margins and the things that are happening in the center." "Who I interact with evolved over time, now it's really 4 or 5 people at the exec level and they develop pastors and keep me in the loop about what's going on." "I do my best to schedule meetings with people in the church so that I can keep my finger on the pulse of what the people in the church are experiencing." "There is a distinction between Christianity and ministry." "Your spouse doesn't need a great existential argument for you to listen to them." "Working on your home life is an ecosystem that is going to affect the success of your ministry." "There tends to be today a move in the church to downplay the importance of Christian education. Do not listen to that." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Blueprint Coaching Text "blueprint" to 888111 for more information on Blueprint Coaching The Problem of God by Mark Clark 5LQ Episode 89: Larry Osborne 5LQ Episode 258: Larry Osborne The New Gold Standard by Joseph Michelli Creating Magic by Lee Cockerell The Art of Better Preaching Making Disciples Podcast This Episode's Sponsor: What happens when the Bible and humanity collide? Not what you’d expect. Living & Effective, a podcast collaboration between Christianity Today and the Christian Standard Bible, journeys through history, current events, theology, and the human condition to uncover surprising ways the Bible accomplishes God’s plan in the world."

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Rich Clark, the host of the Living & Effective Podcast. During their conversation, they discuss collaboration with others led by God's grace and the importance of casting a vision for your family. BEST QUOTES  “We talk all the time about how hard it is to hear something from someone close to you." "Interviewing is one of the things I love doing most because it is fun to me to explore the ideas of another person from their perspective." "We don't have to be the center of the story that God is writing." "I'm really interested in figuring out who is good at what and what are some ways we can appreciate one another's gifts." "Collaborating with people and actively receiving their gift helps me to work more effectively." "God shows us grace when our gifts are used haphazardly." "The people we work with are human people with human traits and flaws and characteristics." "It takes a lot of intentionality and work to keep your marriage healthy." "The hardest thing for me has been to learn to trust God with flawed work." "Sometimes the way God works is a mystery and sometimes He gives us glimpses of what He is doing." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Blueprint Coaching Text "blueprint" to 888111 for more information on Blueprint Coaching Living & Effective: A Church Divided Lasting: Marriage Health App Making Disciples Podcast This Episode's Sponsor: What happens when the Bible and humanity collide? Not what you’d expect. Living & Effective, a podcast collaboration between Christianity Today and the Christian Standard Bible, journeys through history, current events, theology, and the human condition to uncover surprising ways the Bible accomplishes God’s plan in the world."

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Eric Geiger, former cohost of 5LQ and senior pastor of Mariners Church. During their conversation, they discuss leading in the workplace and in the home amidst change. BEST QUOTES  “Vision is always associated with change." "How do we articulate the vision as being an overflow and next iteration in the life of Mariners, as opposed to feeling like this hard right turn?" "We were used to being a small team with one emphasis and now we have to be more sophisticated in thinking about how all the things we've started point back to our purpose?" "How do you make the shift from seeing yourself as the hero to seeing yourself as the hero maker?" "If I'm not daily taking in articles or books, I am not going to be leading to my full potential." "Seeing my girls see how God is in the middle of things is really fun." "It's been interesting to see how my wife has come alive since she has this new purpose." "I wonder what's going on in that person's life that is making them answer that way right now." "Try to gain as much wisdom as you can, but don't lose your passion." "I went from being a guy who could get up and preach at the drop of the hat to struggling to put my thoughts together in a clear way." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network The Narcissist You Know by Joseph Burgo A Beautiful Constraint by Adam Morgan and Mark Barden Blueprint Coaching Text "blueprint" to 888111 for more information on Blueprint Coaching Ministry Grid Christian Standard Bible Ask Me Anything with J.D. Greear Podcast This Episode's Sponsor: What happens when the Bible and humanity collide? Not what you’d expect. Living & Effective, a podcast collaboration between Christianity Today and the Christian Standard Bible, journeys through history, current events, theology, and the human condition to uncover surprising ways the Bible accomplishes God’s plan in the world."

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: Overview of the research Who are the unchurched? What are some of the common beliefs about evangelism that this research confirms and denies? What surprised you most about the research? What is your personal takeaway from the research? BEST QUOTES  “Of those who said they are a Christian, a third said they aren't devout, and a third said they aren't currently practicing." "A quarter of unchurched people think they are Christians with a strong faith." "Only a quarter of the unchurched have never attended a church regularly in their life." "For the majority of the unchurched, the church has had a chance to present who Jesus Christ is and what we are about and for whatever reasons they have said, 'that is not for me.'" "Just 35% of people say they would be likely to attend if somebody they knew invited them to a worship service." "What if we didn't care who got the credit and we just wanted to meet some people and serve our community while we did it?" "Two-thirds of unchurched people do not see themselves regularly attending church in the future." "Forty-three percent of the unchurched never think about the afterlife." "Forty-seven percent said they would discuss it freely if someone wanted to discuss their religious beliefs." "When we asked the unchurched if a Christian had shared with them about the benefits of becoming a Christian, only 35% said yes." "I've got to start looking at more situations in my life when I can bring Him into the conversation." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway Research Unchurched Report from Lifeway Research 5LQ Episode 294: Scott McConnell on Bible Research 5LQ Episode 278: Scott McConnell on VBS Research Billy Graham Center Text "research" to 888111 to receive a copy of the research on the unchurched Ask Me Anything with J.D. Greear Podcast This Episode's Sponsor: What happens when the Bible and humanity collide? Not what you’d expect. Living & Effective, a podcast collaboration between Christianity Today and the Christian Standard Bible, journeys through history, current events, theology, and the human condition to uncover surprising ways the Bible accomplishes God’s plan in the world."

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Sam Rainer, Micah Fries, and Josh King, the co-hosts of the Established Church Podcast. During their conversation, they discuss what advice they would have given their younger selves about preparing to lead and what it means to be an established church. BEST QUOTES "I workout for my mind. The physical health benefits are an aside. It's to clear my head." "Daily I will read a couple of chapters of fiction. It helps my brain to shut down before I go to sleep." "I would tell my 20-year-old self I needed to be more comfortable with who I am." "I always knew that I was a chameleon, but it was a survival technique for me. Because I moved so often it was how I could quickly make friends and adjust." "Like a lot of people, I have a constant sense of inferiority and I overcompensate for that with pride sometimes." "I have to rest in who He has made me to be, rest in the Gospel, rest in who He is." "Stop dating that girl, pick up your Bible, and get your butt to church." "I quickly realized that life was bigger than money and gaining credentials." "I was headed down a road of greed and self absorption and God got me back on track. And it was through the local church that all that happened." "A lot of my earlier ministry was worrying about people who might say disparaging things, but as it turned out they had very little power." "It's when you are pastoring a church that is older than a couple of years and there are systems, and cultures that you have to deal with that were established long before you were there." "We hope to encourage pastors that are in those established church settings that don't know how to navigate some of those issues." "Most conflict in the church is over personality and leadership and how you lead change." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Blueprint Coaching Text "blueprint" to 888111 for more information about Blueprint Coaching The Established Church Podcast The Bridge Church Grit by Angela Duckworth Ask Me Anything with J.D. Greear Podcast Uni Watch Blog The Prodigal God by Tim Keller The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership by Gary McIntosh A Leader's Greatest Fear: A Deeper Look at Shadow Mission by John Ortberg New Churches Q&A Podcast This Episode's Sponsor: What happens when the Bible and humanity collide? Not what you’d expect. Living & Effective, a podcast collaboration between Christianity Today and the Christian Standard Bible, journeys through history, current events, theology, and the human condition to uncover surprising ways the Bible accomplishes God’s plan in the world."

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Mike Harland, director of Lifeway Worship and author of Worship Essentials. During their conversation, they discuss current worship culture. BEST QUOTES "Years ago, I realized that music was not the point, it was only the language." "The idea that you can unify a church around a music style is insanity. You better unify it around Jesus." "When an artist is leading congregational music it can be problematic." "There needs to be a really healthy awareness of the shepherding role that a worship leader has to have." "When we began to print lyrics and project lyrics, suddenly the hymnal wasn't the source book anymore." "What I've seen is the church believing that a worship approach could be a growth strategy for their church, and I just can't see that in the Scripture." "The way a church approaches worship becomes such an identifiable mark of their ministry approach." "In a healthy worship culture, there is a singular focus on the person of Jesus Christ, who He is and what He has done." "If your chief musician is a disciple maker, the ministry he leads will be a disciple making ministry that will be part of the overall strategy, not something that competes." "Healthy worship cultures measure their impact not on how well the set was executed but how engaged the congregation was." "Your people's prayer vocabulary will be built on what they are singing." "The body should prefer each other to any music style." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Worship Essentials by Mike Harland Text "leadership" to 888111 to be entered into a book draw New Churches Q&A Podcast This Episode's Sponsor: What happens when the Bible and humanity collide? Not what you’d expect. Living & Effective, a podcast collaboration between Christianity Today and the Christian Standard Bible, journeys through history, current events, theology, and the human condition to uncover surprising ways the Bible accomplishes God’s plan in the world."

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Scott Sanders and Derek Hanna, cohosts of The One Thing Podcast, part of the Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network. During their conversation, they discuss BEST QUOTES "My tendency always is to run toward getting the thousand things done, but I've realized I need to run toward the team at the moment." "One of the key things I am working on at the moment is how to get out of the way." "It's that process of building relationships that I am working on at the moment." "Reflecting on what's ahead is really important." "Naturally I am a forward thinker. The weakness in that is that I don't always get the stuff done that I need to do in the week." "I've made it a priority to spend a half an hour a day at the end of the day with my boys doing boy stuff and when I don't that's the beginning of everything else unraveling." "It's not just about me pursuing something, it's about us doing ministry together." "Leadership at my home looks like saying sorry a lot." "I want to create a culture of hospitality in our house." "I want to keep modeling to my kids humble obedience to Jesus." "Slow down. Enjoy and reflect on all the good things you are seeing God do in and amongst you." "Have clarity on your biblical convictions and remind yourself of them daily and their implications." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network The One Thing Podcast Developing Emotionally Mature Leaders by Aubrey Malphurs Evangelism in a Skeptical World by Sam Chan A Beautiful Constraint by Adam Morgan and Mark Barden Geneva Push Group Answers Podcast