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: Have you ever left a church as an attender and why? What are the reasons church leaders think people leave their church? What does the research actually say? What’s the most surprising thing you discovered in the research? What do churchgoers want in their churches? BEST QUOTES “I assume people come or go from your church because of either preaching, worship, or kids." “In this economy, there are so many things that are subscription based. If I’m merely ‘subscribing’ to a church instead of becoming a part of the body, there are multiple opportunities for me to opt out.” “Only 57% of churchgoers would describe themselves as completely committed to continuing to attend their current church.” “By the time you find out someone is considering leaving your church, they are actively looking and pretty much gone. You can’t assume you will know ahead of time someone is on the brink of leaving.” “Stepping away from leadership means ‘I’m starting to look’ in a lot of cases.” “The number one reason people gave that they would leave their church is doctrine.” “When we asked people what they would like more of from their current church, there are things on that list that include serving, which implied that people want to serve more.” “In total, 1 out of 4 churchgoers indicated that they want their church to improve. Either saying ‘give me help in finding new ways I can serve’ or ‘give me more chances to serve.’” “If we are listening a little more to the talents and gifts people are bringing to the church, we can be creating roles within the church for them to help them fit.” “They are not looking for another job, they already have one of those. They are looking for something more missional.” “The second highest reason for switching churches as an adult was that you did not feel engaged or involved in meaningful work at the church.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Pipeline 2018 Conference Research results: "Churchgoers stick around for theology, not music or preachers" Keep Asking Lifeway Research podcast

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Tyler Reagin, the President of Catalyst and author of The Life-Giving Leader. During their conversation, they discuss why self-awareness is important and knowing your own influence. BEST QUOTES "What's unique about us is we are not necessarily on the frontline serving kids in Haiti, but we are serving those who serve the kids in Haiti." "Learning myself, I realized that the one thing that he felt like was a void in my wiring and leadership capacity was actually what God wanted to use to move me into the position and now sitting in the seat I'm in." "As a boss, I want to make sure I am not putting people in a position where they are operating in learned behavior all the time, because they are going to be exhausted." "One of the biggest challenges in leadership is you have to find time to work on the business, not in it." "What are you doing with your influence?" "If we are followers of Jesus, people are watching. How we manage that seat, no matter what seat it is, is bringing God glory, it's trying to honor Him, it's trying to love the people He has entrusted to us." "Everybody has a little bit of influence. You might have influence with literally one other person. How you steward that influence is going to dictate how much more influence you get outside that circle." "I will take the physical struggle of a red eye, of lack of sleep here and there, to make sure that my kids aren't getting second-best and to make sure that Catalyst isn't getting second-best." "I want us to figure out ways to make the sound God has uniquely made us to make." "As a leader, life can flow one of two ways: it can flow to you or it can flow from you." BEST QUOTES Pipeline 2018 Conference Catalyst The Life-Giving Leader by Tyler Reagin The Leadership Engine by Noel Tichy Right Path Enneagram Emotional Intelligence StrengthsFinder Myers -Briggs The Power of Moments by Chip Heath and Dan Heath Start With Why by Simon Sinek Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek Simon Sinek Ted Talk The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron What Radical Husbands Do by Reggie Campbell The Cure by John Lynch, Bruce McNicol, and Bill Thrall The Power of the Other by Henry Cloud Necessary Endings by Henry Cloud Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels There is More by Hillsong iGen by Jen Twenge

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Ed Stetzer, co-host of New Churches podcast. Ed holds the Billy Graham Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College and serves as Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center. During their conversation, they discuss being a successful leader of a large team and aggressive time management. BEST QUOTES "The more I grow in the leadership roles that I'm doing, the more I need to learn from sources that think about leadership in our culture, and simultaneously the more I need to grow in my own spiritual formation." "The Bible is not a leadership handbook. There are leadership examples in the Bible. The Bible is the story of God's redemptive plan." "As I learn to be a better leader, I also need to learn to be a servant and one who loves Jesus more everyday and is growing in my knowledge of Him." "I've got to move from being an effective executive to now building an effective senior leadership team of effective executives." "If you are the leader, you can't offload the championing of new ideas that are being introduced into a system that has to be walked through." "Aggressive time management is hard because you have to shift some of the access that people have." "When you exercise aggressive time management so you can be a good steward all people see are that you are saying no to things they think are important." "Every leader of a large organization does a lot of things, but they have a team to help them do those things." "Part of leadership in the home is helping my teenagers navigate what is a very different cultural world than what I went through as a teenager. Social media has changed everything." "My hobbies are being with my kids, and most, of not all, of my time is investing with them." "Leadership is something you learn, not something you step into." "I underestimated what I could learn from other people. I underestimated how much I would need leadership. I really underestimated how much leadership would define ultimately my ministry." "Leadership is not the answer to everything, it's not a magic potion." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Pipeline 2018 conference New Churches podcast Designed to Lead by Eric Geiger and Kevin Peck The Master Plan of Discipleship by Robert Coleman Great at Work by Morten Hanson Brand vs. Wild by Jonathan David Lewis The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker Missional Churches by Ed Stetzer Christians in the Age of Outrage by Ed Stetzer Christianity Today Strategic Leadership for Ministry & Mission

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Bruce Ashford, provost at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and author of Letters to an American Christian. During their conversation, they discuss what it looks like to have discussions with people you disagree with from a Christian perspective. BEST QUOTES "What the people around me need me to do is to lead in a fully convictional manner with fear of the Lord guiding me, not fear of other people." "Fear of man is really just putting other people at the center instead of God." "If Christ is Lord, then how does his Lordship relate to areas of life that aren't so obviously religious, like art, science, politics, Washington, D.C., and New York?" "The disposition and demeanor of many Americans today is inherently demeaning and degrading, that there is not humane respect for the person with whom we argue." "Truth without grace makes you a political bully or a jerk; grace without truth makes you a political wimp or a non-entity." "I would like it to be said, that I really and truly tried to take a distinctively Christian approach to my different leadership endeavors." "Civility is not political correctness. It's when we stand there in the moment and put our cards on the table and speak our minds with respect for the person with whom we are dialoguing." "In relation to truth content, we have to discipline ourselves to become informed and educated." "If we can practice some self-control, then we have a chance to honor the Lord and maybe even make a difference." "When people make harsh attacks on Christianity, we have to defend Christianity very firmly." "I get almost everything big done before 8 o'clock in the morning." "When you get to make a decision, that is a fantastic opportunity to bring positive change to an organization or to a group of people." "Give dignity to other people. Even when other people are in the wrong, allow them their God-given dignity. Treat them with love and respect." "When we become isolated, we are not held accountable by other people, we become divorced from reality, and make foolish decisions." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Ministrygrid.com Every Square Inch by Bruce Ashford One Nation Under God by Bruce Ashford Letters to an American Christian by Bruce Ashford

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Eric Geiger are joined by Louie Giglio, pastor of Passion City Church, founder of the Passion movement, and author of Goliath Must Fall. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions: Do you feel the depression you went through would have happened regardless of your circumstances or do you feel leaders are more susceptible to that? What is a warning signal for someone who’s need for control has moved from a healthy sense of responsibility to an unhealthy or sinful hold on control that isn’t trusting God? How do I know if this discontent is an unholy discontent and a holy discontent? BEST QUOTES “We do not like to major on our minors, we like to major on our majors.” “The number one thing you need to do for a person in a state of anxiety or depression is say, ‘It’s not a one size fits all. You are not crazy.’” “It’s not just the pressure and the weight of leadership, it’s the spiritual fight.” “I was more addicted to the approval of people than I thought I was.” “If you need the approval of people and  you are a controller, planting a church is a bad idea because you don’t have control and you are not going to be approved.” “There has to be a place in all our lives where we are willing to lay it down. If you aren’t willing to lay it down, it’s unhealthy.” “God has a way of reinforcing the idea that we are not in charge of very much in life.” “You want a leader who is a possibility thinker like Jesus.” “Growth requires relinquishing.” “In the relinquishing, what you hope is that you have taught a value system enough that the little things are going to come through in the end.” “We don’t know our own hearts, so we have to ask God to search our hearts.” “The way I know is that an unholy discontent, I am at the end of that journey. A holy discontent, the people are at the end of that journey.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Pipeline 2018 conference Goliath Must Fall by Louie Giglio

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Eric Geiger are joined by Christine Caine, founder of Propel Women and A21 and author of Unexpected. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions: What are the most common things that cause leaders anxiety? Why is anxiety so detrimental to leadership? How do you know if you are leading in faith or crippled by anxiety and fear? What are practical ways to deal with anxiety in a proactive way? BEST QUOTES “A lack of clarity of vision can cause anxiety.” “When you get anxious and fearful and lose your clarity, then most of your decisions become fear-based rather than faith-based.” “You start to play safe, rather than go for enlargement and go for growth.” “Healthy things grow and growing things change.” “If you are making decisions based out of fear rather than faith, then you are not making wise decisions in the present that will allow growth and momentum in the future.” “A lot of us aren’t leading in faith, we are just managing where we are.” “I am going to make what I know about Jesus and His faithfulness to me in the past bigger than what I don’t know about the future.” “What drives me as a leader is not how much we’ve done, it’s what is still yet to be done.” “Complacency, indifference, settling, and managing will lead ultimately to anxiety if you are called to be a leader. Anxiety will lead to fear.” “If you are feeling bad, you are most likely to be leading bad.” “It’s not how much you do for God as a leader that is going to burn you out. Burn out comes from what you stop doing.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Pipeline conference 5LQ Episode 64: Christine Caine 5LQ Episode 207: Christine Caine Unexpected by Christine Caine Propel Women A21

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Eric Geiger are joined by Thom Rainer, president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources and author of Becoming a Welcoming Church. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions: How can churches use the book? What prompted you to write the book? What are some of the most common mistakes people make in welcoming or not welcoming people in their church? Is there a difference in what millennials want and other generations want when they are visiting churches? Do churches need to have different strategies for different generations? What message do you hope will resonate most with the readers? BEST QUOTES “This book is a bridge to gospel conversations, particularly to guests coming in to your church.” “A church of 150 is most likely going to have around 250 first-time guests a year.” “The website is viewed primarily by guests, not by church members.” “We miss greeting people in the worship center. They come in early and are sitting there by themselves.” “One of the best places to get greeters is new members. They are excited because it’s brand new and they know what it felt like to be a first-time guest.” “Be genuine. Boomers and Builders have a higher tolerance for inauthenticity.” “Don’t talk differently once you are in a church facility than you do outside the church facility.” “Care makes up for a lack of personal connection sometimes.” “This is more about the gospel than some church growth methodology.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Pipeline Conference Becoming a Welcoming Church Video ThomRainer.com Becoming a Welcoming Church by Thom Rainer Community of Church Leaders Facebook group

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Daniel Im is joined by Larry Osborne, teaching pastor at Northcoast church in California, and author of Lead Like a Shepherd. During their conversation, they discuss succession and looking for the fruit in raising kids instead of focusing on the watering schedule. BEST QUOTES “The more eclectic you can be, the more helpful you’re going to be because the people you minister to are going to be all over the map.” “I never know where associative learning will take me.” “All of our biggest problems in life are going to be solved by someone outside our paradigm.” “How do we spiritually and organizationally maintain a healthy pace?” “We believe that real church takes place in circles not in rows.” “Retention is the greatest measure of health in any organization.” “I don’t think a succession plan should be more than 18 months because it’s very hard to get a big L leader who will wait 3 to 5 years.” “You need to figure out who you are and what gives you life not what gives life to someone else.” “What I encourage people to do is not to worry about the recipe, but to worry about the fruit.” “How much I work, when I’m home, when I’m not, everything is based on the fruit, not the watering schedule.” “We were pretty much an open book. My wife had cancer, we had a financial meltdown due to things not in our control. Our kids knew when that happened.” “Life is a glacier, not an avalanche.” “Glaciers carve out Yosemites, avalanches make a big mess, knock down trees, and 10 years later you don’t even know they were there.” “I have a bit part in God’s grand plan, but He’s not in trouble if I don’t do everything I could do.” “My job was to do the best I could under the circumstances, not the best I could.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Ministrygrid.com New churches interview with Larry Osborne Sticky Church by Larry Osborne Sticky Teams by Larry Osborne Lead Like a Shepherd by Larry Osborne A Contrarians Guide to Knowing God by Larry Osborne

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Eric Geiger and Todd Adkins are joined by Dr. Tony Evans, author of Kingdom Disciples and Kingdom Man. During their conversation, they discuss why it is important for a leader to be a reader and how to lead your family around the table. BEST QUOTES “I try to read people who I think will grow me in the area of where I am ministering at the time.” “I read any and everything that I can get my hands on that is relevant to the audience to whom I am speaking because the Bible was not meant to just be an exegetical book to tell you what the author thought in Scripture, but from which you use what the author taught to the group that he was speaking to, to the relevant realities of the people whom you speak to.” “You begin with after you’ve read your Bible, you read your newspaper.” “We come from the Bible, to our people. But the people are coming from the world, to the Bible. We must respect their starting place as different than our starting place because that will affect how they hear what we have to say.” “When the Bible was written, it was not written as a systematic theology, it was written as a biblical theology.” “The job of the proclaimer is to keep the relevancy without compromising what has been written.” “It is my contention that the unifying theme of all the Bible is the glory of God through the advancement of His Kingdom.” “The Kingdom agenda is the visible demonstration of the comprehensive rule of God over every area of life. And those areas are divided into four categories: your individual life, your family life, your church life, and your community life.” “The table was never used for just eating, the table was used for leading.” “Be involved in the things that matter to your family, and not just ask your family to be involved in the things that matter to the leader.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Ministrygrid.com Between Two Worlds by John Stott Kingdom Man by Tony Evans Kingdom Disciples by Tony Evans

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Art Rainer, author of The Marriage Challenge and Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. During their conversation, they discuss using your position as a leader to become a better listener and the importance of patience. BEST QUOTES “Leadership requires courage.” “A leader needs to be able to step out and overcome the fear of failure.” “In order to accomplish something great it takes times and a lot of work.” “The idea of momentary success that we often attribute to companies and individuals is a complete farce. There are many grueling hours and days and weeks and years and hard work that eventually lead to success.” “When you are a leader and in a meeting, if you speak first, then you are going to shut down a lot of the good conversation and good ideas that could transpire. Those around the table are going to defer to your particular opinion, which may or may not be the best idea.” “You have to acknowledge that your idea may not be the best idea.” “If you don’t receive questions or criticism from your team, do it yourself. Question your assumptions and allow them to speak into that so that they feel the freedom to question your idea.” “Leadership for me, right now, looks like showing my family what it is like to have a relationship with Christ and demonstrating Christ to them in the way I act.” “If we find and pursue God’s design for our marriage and our money it can lead to significantly greater purpose, contentment, and oneness in our marriage.” “I would tell my 20-year-old self to be patient. To not strive to achieve success too early. There is a lot of growth and learning that can occur through the process of becoming a leader.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Ministrygrid.com Community of Church Leaders Facebook group 5LQ Episode 167: Art Rainer The Money Challenge by Art Rainer The Marriage Challenge by Art Rainer The ImBetween Podcast Planet Money Podcast The Dave Ramsey Show Podcast The Truth About Money with Ric Edelman Podcast How I Built This with Guy Raz Podcast Building a Storybrand by Donald Miller Parenting by Paul David Tripp