Episodit
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In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Vance Pitman who serves as the President of Send Network, the largest church planting network in North America. Pitman reflects on his time as the Pastor of Hope Church in Las Vegas, discussing conflicts with church leadership that led to his departure and his subsequent pursuit of intimacy with Jesus Christ. He also discusses his current role as the head of the North American Mission Board's church planting efforts and emphasizes the importance of pursuing intimacy with Christ, prioritizing rest, and aligning oneself with God's mission.
BEST QUOTES
“The primary call on my life is not ministry, the primary call on my life is intimacy. Ministry is what He does out of the overflow of intimacy.” – Vance Pitman
“Spiritual leadership is not what I do for God. Spiritual leadership is what God does through me out of the overflow of my intimate love relationship with Him.” – Vance Pitman
“God has really taught me that I can be so consumed with what He’s called me to do that I forget about what He’s called me to be. We’re not human doings, we’re human beings.” – Vance Pitman
“Every man that I know that had an affair in ministry first had an affair with a ministry that wooed him away from intimacy with Christ and opened him up to things he never thought he do.” – Vance Pitman
“Jesus didn't bring us into a relationship with Himself just so we could do something for Him. He brought us to a relationship with Himself because He wants to be with us.” – Vance Pitman
“The local New Testament Church is the tool that he gave us for the accomplishment of the mission. It's not the mission. The mission is the kingdom of God being expanded in cities and nations all over the world.” – Vance Pitman
“Leadership is lonely, but it can't be done alone. Leadership implies there are other people involved in following your leadership and speaking to you as a leader.” – Vance Pitman
“Leaders are learners and when you stop learning, you forfeit the right to lead.” – Vance Pitman
“Somebody less experienced than us often we think about them as only people we can pour into, but often the people less experienced than us bring a perspective that we don't have because it's fresh.” – Vance Pitman
“The relational environments that you set and create in your life set the environment from which decisions will be made.” – Vance Pitman
“Joy is in the journey. If we only focus on achievements, destinations, goals, or milestones, we’ll miss so much along the way.” – Vance Pitman
“For every one major achievement, there will be a thousand leadership moments along the way that are shaping the culture of your organization and the people within your organization.” – Vance Pitman
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Vance Pitman -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Danny Franks, the Connections Pastor at the Summit Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, as they discuss the book, "Unreasonable Hospitality" by Will Guidara. The book tells the story of Will Guidara, a New York restaurateur, and his experience running the number-one restaurant in the world. The podcast explores the book's main points, such as the importance of exceptional service and authentic connections, and how they apply to leadership and first impressions within the church.
BEST QUOTES
“They really focused on the service and what happened in the dining room versus what happened in the kitchen. As church leaders, we can really learn a lot about that as we learn to set up the table for guests as they enter our building.” – Danny Franks
“It's important for us to understand that in the context of the church, we need to be aware of where the culture has shifted and to adjust accordingly. Not to water down what we do, if anything, to distill down what we do to serve better.” – Todd Adkins
“No matter what industry you're in, service is ultimately important.” – Todd Adkins
“When you do your job in color, it means that you make people feel great about the job that you're doing for them. You're doing it to make an authentic connection, which is hospitality.” – Danny Franks
“There are certain fads that come and go with the church world, but taking care of humans, that's not ever going to go away. That’s something that we need to continue to think about as we try to make people feel welcome and ready to worship the Lord coming into a Sunday service.” – Danny Franks
“Repetition is extremely important. Whether it's our vision and values, or any of those things, you can't assume that somebody understands why you’re doing it.” – Todd Adkins
“A lot of leadership is shifting from being intuitive to intentional, and that's where you get the gains.” – Todd Adkins
“Being in the local church, my primary role is built around creating a culture that takes outsiders and makes them insiders.” – Danny Franks
“I think a lot of times, especially in the climate that we're in too many people have too few expectations for churches, and they just kind of show up expecting to be disappointed if they show up at all.” – Danny Franks
Yes, it's a clear command from Scripture that we must show hospitality. But it's not supposed to point to itself. It's got a point beyond itself as a signpost straight to the Gospel. We can't get that wrong.” – Danny Franks
“If we are continually failing, in the implicit or explicit promises that we made to people, and we're not even measuring up to their low expectations for us, we might not ever get a chance to point them to the gospel.” – Danny Franks
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara
All My Knotted-Up Life: A Memoir by Beth Moore
Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business by Danny Meyer
Inside the Magic Kingdom: Seven Keys to Disney's Success by Tom Connellan
The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World by Rosaria Butterfield -
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In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Dr. Angie Ward, a leadership author and teacher with nearly 30 years of experience in church, parachurch, and Christian higher education ministry. She also serves as Director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Denver Seminary. They discuss the concept of adaptive leadership and its importance in today's rapidly changing culture and churches. Dr. Ward shares insights and practical tools for agile and adaptive leadership, including managing leadership anxiety and understanding the emotional aspects of change management.
BEST QUOTES
“Especially when it comes to change and leading an organization, you're going to have people that want to transfer their anxiety to you. It’s at that point that you must have a barrier up to be able to maintain a clean and clear point of view.” – Dr. Angie Ward
“Anytime there's change, that introduces disequilibrium into the system, and then disequilibrium seeks stability.” – Dr. Angie Ward
“When you have everybody bringing their own things into a change situation in the organization, then then it's not just what's going on in the organization, but what's going on in every individual person and in between every person in the system.” – Dr. Angie Ward
“We need to do that deep change on our own before we try to lead a system, an institution, an organization, or a group through that deep change.” – Dr. Angie Ward
Nobody's going to say, “Let me give you extra time. Let me protect your time.” You must do it. You must block out those things.” – Dr. Angie Ward
“I wish I would’ve been aware of God saying, “This is who you are”, instead of all the external internal voices because that causes a lot of turmoil and doubt and trying to be somebody I'm not created to be.” – Dr. Angie Ward
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Uncharted Leadership: 20 Case Studies to Help Ministry Leaders Adapt to Uncertainty by Dr. Angie Ward
At Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor by Carey Nieuwhof
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
Managing Leadership Anxiety: Yours and Theirs by Steve Cuss
Leading Change by John P. Kotter
The Change Monster: The Human Forces that Fuel or Foil Corporate Transformation and Change by Jeanie Daniel Duck
The Heart of Change: Real-Life Stories of How People Change Their Organizations by John P. Kotter and Dan S. Cohen
Dr. Angie Ward Website -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Mark Satterfield, the Lead Pastor at the Glade Church in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. They focus on the five steps to getting things done, which include reducing, prioritizing, planning, executing, and measuring tasks. Satterfield also highlights the importance of having a vision framework, utilizing task management and productivity apps, learning from CEOs, reducing clutter, saying no to non-priority tasks, and delegating effectively.The 5 steps to getting things done are:Reduce: This step involves evaluating tasks and prioritizing them based on importance and relevance. (3:07)Prioritize: After reducing tasks, it is important to prioritize the remaining tasks based on their significance and alignment with vision and values. (14:18)Plan: The planning step involves creating a schedule or a plan to allocate time and resources to the prioritized tasks. This includes using strategies like the Eisenhower matrix to determine what is important and urgent. (22:56)Execute: Once the plan is in place, executing and working towards accomplishing the tasks is important. This step focuses on acting and following through with the plan. (26:16)Measure: The final step is to measure the progress and effectiveness of the tasks. This includes evaluating whether the tasks were successfully completed and adjusting if needed. (38:08)You can follow Mark on Twitter @sattymark or at his website at marksatterfield.blog.BEST QUOTES"The reduction of insignificant tasks and clutter in physical and digital spaces also leads to greater efficiency in work." â Mark Satterfield"The evaluation and elimination of insignificant tasks should be a constant habit for leaders." â Mark SatterfieldâOne of the craziest things that can take place in the leader's life is working on things that you accomplish for the day only to walk out and not know that those things really aren't important for your own personal mission or the mission of the church.â â Mark SatterfieldâThere's work that we're doing that technically shouldn't be our work, you should be delegating it to others because it's actually their work.â â Mark SatterfieldâIf you're a leader of an organization and you're trying to think through your measures or evaluate what's getting done, that is only going to be as strong as the vision framework you have for your organization.â â Mark SatterfieldâYou do not rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems.â â James ClearRECOMMENDED RESOURCESEssentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeownBuilding a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential by Tiago ForteAt Your Best: How to Get Time, Energy, and Priorities Working in Your Favor by Carey NieuwhofAtomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James ClearHigh-Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way by Brendon BurchardThe Compound Effect: Jumpstart Your Income, Your Life, Your Success by Darren Hardy
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In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Jared Musgrove, Co-Founder of the Community Leadership Collective and Executive Pastor of the Well Community Church. The episode focuses on the importance of small groups and communities in church ministry. Musgrove also discusses his new book, "A Short Guide to Groups: The Art of Leading Community," and highlights the transformative power of small groups in personal growth and leadership. The guys also talk about the significance of mid-sized communities as well as the role of prayer in leadership.
BEST QUOTES
“I want people who lead communities within churches to feel seen and to feel equipped and empowered to get in on what God's doing through those groups.” – Jared Musgrove
“The guys that try to go it alone, whether it's planning a church or leading a company ends up burning out really quick.” – Jared Musgrove
“Our entire mission is to equip and empower college men to live faithfully and lead courageously. I want these guys going into church planting and training. I want these guys to be elders in churches and to be leading companies with Christian conviction.” – Jared Musgrove
“Honestly, I get more pastoral insight from fiction books than I do from pastoral books most of the time.” – Jared Musgrove
“I think the greatest way I can lead my kids is just remembering what it was like to grow up.” – Jared Musgrove
“There is no one size fits all way for designing transformational groups within the church. It is an art, not a science.” – Jared Musgrove
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
A Short Guide to Groups: The Art of Leading Community by Jared Musgrove and Justin Elafros
Dictionary of Biblical Imagery by Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III
The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary by Robert Alter
Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Daniel Im who is the Lead Pastor of Beulah Alliance Church in Edmonton, Alberta.
During their conversation, they discuss the following questions:
What is one thing you've read recently that you would want to pass along?
What is one thing that you've listened to or watched recently?
What is one tool or resource that you've started to use recently?
Daniel, your church just celebrated 80 baptisms. Can you tell us how that came about and what you learned throughout that process?
BEST QUOTES
"Leadership is disruption. If you are not constantly leading the disruption, and then bringing about change, then someone else or something else is going to disrupt your organization, and you are going to be out of control of that." – Daniel Im
“With customer service, we want people in our churches to be well-cared for as guest services are super important to us. But a lot of times we make it very transactional and make it about boxes being checked or processes being created rather than making it about the person.” – Todd Adkins
“I don't want to let the pain, the criticism, and the hurt of ministry so affect me that my heart is hard.” – Daniel Im
“I feel that we can so easily get caught up in the, “I want the biggest church, I want the biggest name, I want all these things” mindset in our ministries. But you know, when you encounter these people who only want to make Christ famous or when they want growth in their church and organizations for God’s glory and not their own, it’s a powerful example of where I’d like to me in my own life.” – Dan Iten
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies about Work, Life, and Love by Daniel Im
No Silver Bullets: Five Small Shifts that Will Transform Your Ministry by Daniel Im
Planting Missional Churches: Your Guide to Starting Churches that Multiply by Ed Stetzer and Daniel Im
Managing Corporate Lifecycles (Pb): How Organizations Grow, Age and Die by Ichak Adizes
Don't Hold Back: Breaking Free from the American Gospel to Follow Jesus Fully by David Platt
Discovering the Gospel in Every Book of the Bible with Tim Keller (YouTube Series)
Words with God: Trading Boring, Empty Prayer for Real Connection by Addison Bevere
Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect by Will Guidara -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Addison Bevere, COO of Messenger International and author of "Words with God: Trading Boring, Empty Prayer for Real Connection". Their discussion covers diverse topics such as leadership, the importance of reading and learning from different sources, prayer, and the impact of the voice of the accuser in today's world. This episode emphasizes the significance of leadership grounded in faith and listening to God's voice.
BEST QUOTES
“So much of prayer invites us into a form of silence where we discover that the silence is actually a language of God’s. And it's not a form of rejection. It's an invitation to a fresh way of engaging with God's voice and understanding how God has worked with us.” – Addison Bevere
“Something about silence drives us to better understand God and our world and ourselves and how it all comes together.” – Addison Bevere
“I thought that peace was having all the answers. I didn't realize that peace was being in tune with the one who is the answer.” – Addison Bevere
“God doesn't deliver us from a thing. If he knows that that thing will ultimately deliver us to Him.” – Addison Bevere
“Joy is an important tenant of the kingdom of God. You are sacrificing your joy because you are trying to sustain something that is not yours to sustain.” – Addison Bevere
“When we make prayer about us moving our mouths, we actually make prayer about us and not about God.” – Addison Bevere
“Shalom does not mean peace. We use it as peace and peace is certainly a part of shalom. But what Shalom literally means is integration. It means the pieces coming together to make a whole. And because the pieces are coming together to make a whole, Shalom communicates peace, joy, and wellness. What is fractured and fragmented is coming together and becoming whole.” – Addison Bevere
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Words with God: Trading Boring, Empty Prayer for Real Connection by Addison Bevere
How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren
A. Lincoln: A Biography by Ronald C. White, Jr.
Addison Bevere -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Mark Dance, Director of Pastoral Wellness at Guidestone Financial Resources, and author of "Start to Finish: The Pastor's Guide to Leading a Resilient Life and Ministry". Mark shares insights on building resilience in ministry, especially during the pandemic. They also talk about the importance of prioritizing relationships according to the Great Commandment, where loving God, family, and others should be at the forefront. They also aim to guide pastors and ministry leaders on how to lead a resilient life and ministry, grounded in a deep love for God and others.
BEST QUOTES
"This book is not about finances. It's about the comprehensive nature of the great commandment, heart, soul, mind, strength, as they are never meant to be separated and compartmentalized into separate things." – Mark Dance
"It's not how we start but how we finish that matters." – Mark Dance
“The hardest thing for a pastor to do is to ask somebody for help.” – Mark Dance
“If you want to be a resilient, healthy pastor, you're going to have to be a Great Commandment Pastor. You got to love the Lord with your heart, soul, mind, and strength.” – Mark Dance
“Our ministries will never be stronger than our marriages. So never feel guilty about investing time in your spouse.” – Mark Dance
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Start to Finish: The Pastor’s Guide to Leading a Resilient Life and Ministry by Mark Dance
Guidestone Financial Resources -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Henry Costa, the CEO and co-founder of Glorify, a Christian daily worship app. Costa shares his background in finance, the military, and the technology industry, and how these experiences have led him to focus on technology for positive societal change. They also discuss the importance of learning from multiple sources, building a council of elders for advice, and the current focus of Glorify's leadership team on communication, remote work, and building culture.
BEST QUOTES
“I think the Christian world is crying out for better products to help them connect with God better.” – Henry Costa
“The thing that makes people love that their job is really understanding what the vision is, what's the mission of how they're contributing directly into that, and then what's the output of that as they bring everything that we do back to the user.” – Henry Costa
“Focus on where you're weak rather than thinking that you're great at everything.” – Henry Costa
"I just want to hire the best people around me give them autonomy and let them build under the strategic direction that that I can provide.” – Henry Costa
"I have had great bosses and I've had terrible bosses. I have learned probably as much from the terrible ones of how I don't want to lead and how I never want to lead with a culture of fear.” – Henry Costa
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Glorify | #1 Christian Daily Worship App
Organizational Culture and Leadership by Edgar H. Schein -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Brian Dodd who serves as the Director of New Ministry Relationships for Injoy Stewardship Solutions where they help churches fully fund their mission and vision. During this conversation, Brian emphasizes the importance of continuous learning and curiosity in leadership, advising leaders to ask the second and third questions of everything to gain deeper insights and implications for application. They also touch on the topics of failure, personal growth, and self-leadership.
BEST QUOTES
“Everybody’s a leader. Because if nothing else, you got to practice self-leadership. So, everybody's a leader, and everybody can get better as a leader.” – Brian Dodd
“Failure is a data point to learn from. That's the way you need to view failure. If the failure is not fatal, it's just a data point to learn from.” – Brian Dodd
“If you're a leader and you're not reading books, I can’t help you. It is easily the best return on investment that a person can make.” – Brian Dodd
“Work on leadership development, but also work equally hard on leader development so that when you become the person in public that God wants you to be, you have the character to sustain it.” – Brian Dodd
“There will come countless times in your marriage that there will be a disagreement or an argument. Your job during those times is not to try to win the argument and not to try to prove your point. Your job is to take responsibility, the blame, and the responsibility so that your relationship with your bride can be restored.” – Brian Dodd
“When you're creating content, whether it be a sermon, a Sunday school lesson, small group content, or anything of that nature; if you make it about the other person, God will honor that and make it more effective than anything you've done previously.” – Brian Dodd
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Hard Work: A Life On and Off the Court by Roy Williams and Tim Crothers
Leadership as an Identity: The Four Traits of Those Who Wield Lasting Influence by Crawford Lorritts
Mighty: 7 Skills You Need to Move from Pandemic to Progress by Brian Dodd
2021: The Year in Leadership: The Stories of Faith, Athletics, Business, and Life Which Inspired Us All by Brian Dodd
Timeless: 10 Enduring Practices of Apex Leaders by Brian Dodd
The 2-Minute Leader Coaching Course by Brian Dodd -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten break down an article from the Harvard Business Review titled "Who Has the D? How Clear Decision Roles Enhance Organizational Performance." The article emphasizes the importance of making quick and effective decisions to prevent loss of ground in businesses. Todd and Dan review two frameworks from the article, bottlenecks in decision-making and the RAPID framework for accountability, and discuss how these frameworks can be applied to improve clarity on decision-making in church settings.
BEST QUOTES
"Yes, it's important to pay attention to the prompting of the Spirit. But it's never going to go against what Scripture says, or what your good and godly wise counsel and people have to say." – Todd Adkins
"Consensus is a worthy goal. But as a decision-making standard, it can be an obstacle to action or a recipe for the lowest common denominator compromise." – Todd Adkins
"As a company grows, its operation becomes more complex. However, senior executives can no longer master the details." – Todd Adkins
"Consensus kills when it's a watered-down decision, or it's something that's compromised, that isn't as clear or isn't as executable or doesn't get executed, because nobody owns it." – Todd Adkins
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
"Who Has the D? How Clear Decision Roles Enhance Organizational Performance." – Harvard Business Review Article
90-Second Leadership – Vote, Voice, and View Meeting Framework -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Jeff Dalrymple who serves as the Executive Director of the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention (ECAP). In this episode, they discuss the importance of coaching and leading a team toward a shared mission, vision, and values. He shares his experiences in identifying gaps in knowledge and management surrounding child safety in the evangelical community and the challenges of leading a dispersed team during the startup phase of an organization. Jeff also emphasizes the importance of balancing work and family life and provides insights into his leadership approach in his home.
BEST QUOTES
"Advancing the mission and making things happen is important, but don't forget to care for and invest in the people around you." – Jeff Dalrymple
"Shared experiences create relational deposits that are valuable in the life of a child and family." – Jeff Dalrymple
"The mission is important, but how you go about accomplishing that mission is just as important." – Jeff Dalrymple
"Constant communication and support with team members is necessary for successful leadership." – Jeff Dalrymple
"God is calling us to a mission and a calling, but it's important to remember the relationships along the way." – Jeff Dalrymple
"Modeling Christ's likeness and good leadership through presence and intentional words is important in the home." – Jeff Dalrymple
"The key to leadership is coaching and leading a team towards the same mission, vision, and values." – Jeff Dalrymple
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
The Conviction to Lead: 25 Principles for Leadership That Matters by Dr. Albert Mohler
TRUST: The Firm Foundation for Kingdom Fruitfulness by Dan Busby
This vs. That Podcast by Anchored Hope
Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Chuck Peters, who serves as the Director of Lifeway Kids and Scott McConnell, who serves as the Executive Director of Lifeway Research. In this episode, they discuss the current trends, challenges, and needs of Generation Z and Generation Alpha in kids’ ministry. The conversation highlights the importance of adapting to the needs of younger generations, creating a culture of belonging, and addressing the need for identity. They also talk about Lifeway's book called “Flip the Script” which is a resource that offers tools for preschool kids and student ministries to effectively reach Gen Z and Alpha. Overall, the episode provides valuable insights for church leaders seeking to connect with and minister to younger generations.
BEST QUOTES
"We can't do what we've always done and expect a different outcome." – Chuck Peters
"The biggest disconnect is assuming that kids think how we do." – Chuck Peters
"The most connected generation in history through technology is simultaneously the loneliest and most isolated generation ever." – Scott McConnell
"We have an epidemic of loneliness, of isolation, of separation. In real life, kids don't have real relationships." – Scott McConnell
"We need to create a culture of belonging and speak to the need for identity among younger generations." – Chuck Peters
"Once they find a place to belong, it heavily influences their identity." – Chuck Peters
"We as the church have to adapt, based on the research, to use different approaches to connect with kids in ways that are actually meaningful." – Scott McConnell
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Flip the Script: Disrupting Tradition for the Sake of the Next Generation by Chuck Peters, Jana Magruder, and Stephanie Salvatore
Hyfi: A Digital Curriculum to Reach the Next Generation of Kids and Students -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by David Putman who serves as a Senior Lead Navigator at Auxano where he is committed to catalyzing movements of disciples who make disciples and that plant churches that plant churches. In this episode, they discuss the church’s God-given mandate to make disciples and how to intentionally develop person-to-person discipleship so that your church can start planting other churches. They also talk about the importance of having a clear vision and strategy for churches as well as the need for simple and reproducible tools for discipleship and disciple-making.
BEST QUOTES
“I think the most important thing missing piece that churches often have is a lack of clarity around their vision.” – Todd Adkins
“If you want to see movement on an individual or organizational level, you have to put tools in people's hands, and they need to be simple, reproducible tools.” – David Putman
"It's not just about producing disciples, but disciple makers." – David Putman
"If you really want a framework to be carried forward, it needs to be put in the form of a hammer, it needs to be put in the form of something that people can actually use." – David Putman
“Every church needs a culture of discipleship. But sometimes we confuse the culture of discipleship with the micro tools of disciple making, so we end up calling everything discipleship.” – David Putman
“The Kingdom of God grows by multiplication, not by addition.” – David Putman
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Contagious Disciple Making: Leading Others on a Journey of Discovery by David Watson and Paul Watson
Breaking The Discipleship Code: Becoming a Missional Follower of Jesus by David Putman
The Gospel Disciple Life: A Micro-Group Strategy for Making Disciples that Make Disciples by David Putman
Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman
Auxano | Get A Visionary Plan For Real Church Growth -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins, Chandler Vannoy, and Dan Iten discuss the subject of how to transition jobs well. As Chandler transitions to a new role away from Lifeway, the team reflects on ways that leaders can improve the process of transitioning out of their role and how they can create an environment where open dialogue about job changes is encouraged. Here are some of the questions they discussed:
Why is this important to the life of a church?
What are some general reasons why people leave their jobs?
What are some best practices or opposing views on how people look at this subject?
What are some ways you’ve seen this go well and other ways that you’ve seen it go poorly?
How do you develop a culture that is comfortable having these types of conversations?
What are some best practices for you as the employee leaving to set up the next person for success?
BEST QUOTES
“If there's anybody that should be able to retain employees or retain staff, it's the church. Because the church should be the best place at developing, caring, and encouraging those people.” – Todd Adkins
“People don't quit jobs, they quit leaders or organizations.” – Todd Adkins
The employees that you have or those who are serving on your team are only there for however long God has them there. They're going to move to something else eventually and you can either look at that as you something that you can be against, or you can be for them in moving for that.” – Chandler Vannoy
“One of the best things you can do as a leader is continually have an open dialogue with your team and have the viewpoint that God has whoever's on our team here for a season, and to be open handed with your people.” – Chandler Vannoy
“Whenever someone leaves my team, I want them to be pulled towards something else, not pushed away from where they are at.” – Todd Adkins
“We rise to our level of incompetence.” – Todd Adkins
“You are not a good leader if everything falls apart once you leave.” – Todd Adkins
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Unseen Leadership Podcast by Chandler Vannoy and Josh Hunter -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins, Chandler Vannoy, and Dan Iten discuss the subject of how to conduct better, more effective meetings in whatever leadership setting you find yourself. Here are some of the questions asked during the episode:
Why are meetings important for the local church?
Why is it important to gather volunteers or others who aren’t paid staff?
What are some best practices or opposing views about getting the most out of your team meetings?
What are some good filters on how to determine what a meeting is about and whether something should be a meeting at all?
What are some real-life examples of leading a team meeting well?
How are meetings conducted in an effective manner in a much smaller context?
Are there any resources that would be helpful in learning how to conduct more effective meetings?
BEST QUOTES
“You should not have a meeting to decide on what the question or the point of the meeting is.” – Todd Adkins
“If you've got layers of teams, those should be done from a development standpoint to check in and make sure somebody's continuing to grow, or you're able to address any issues.” – Todd Adkins
“I think it's really important to let your participants know in advance what type of meeting that's going to be so they can they you know that you have an agenda and a purpose for it.” – Dan Iten
“Part of the issue with most meetings and why people feel like they're a waste of time is they don't get anywhere; they don't move things forward.” – Todd Adkins
“Nothing frustrates a participant more than leaving a meeting feeling clueless about next steps.” – Dan Iten
“Everything is a coaching moment.” – Todd Adkins
“Coaching is not just critique; it is also encouragement.” – Todd Adkins
“I don't care whether you're in a big church or a small church, everybody has an opinion on the way they make decisions.” – Todd Adkins
“The cardinal sin of the modern day is wasting someone's time.” – Todd Adkins
“Don't try to do a team meeting just because you feel that need to gather everyone together.” – Dan Iten
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable...About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business by Patrick Lencioni
The Coming Church Revolution: Empowering Leaders for the Future by Carl F. George
90 Second Leadership Starters -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Brad Lomenick who is a leadership consultant, speaker, founder of BLINC, and author of The Catalyst Leader and H3 Leadership. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions:
What is one thing you’ve read recently that has had an impact?
What are you listening to?
What is one tool or resource you’ve started using recently?
Who is one person who has influenced you recently?
What is one lesson you’ve learned recently?
BEST QUOTES
“I think a lot of training is really more about confidence than it is competence.” – Todd Adkins
“If you become a curator of connections, resources or talent, you automatically have influence in the place you traffic.” – Brad Lomenick
“Conversation, community, and connection around a table with people today is arguably more desirable than a conference or a big gathering where it's only about content.” – Brad Lomenick
“As you think about the way you curate your church, your content, or the friendships you have, lean more into how are you creating transformational experiences that allow for a person to feel like it's it was created for them.” – Brad Lomenick
“The things that are going to perhaps make the most impact on people are the things that don't scale well. It's the things that are one-on-one, very customized, and specific to that individual.” – Brad Lomenick
“People want to feel like they're getting something that is so customized to them, something that is built on every sort of their felt needs. This is the challenge in today's environment, especially around leadership.” – Brad Lomenick
“One of the things that you'll see whether someone is a pastor or just a normal person is that there is a great desire to be known. Not to be a user, not to be an acquaintance, or distant friend on social media, but to truly be known.” – Todd Adkins
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
The Power to Change: Mastering the Habits That Matter Most by Craig Groeschel
The Diary of a CEO Podcast with Steve Bartlett
How Leaders Lead Podcast with David Novak
God Comes Where He’s Wanted (Sermon) by Jon Tyson
The Intentional Father: A Practical Guide to Raise Sons of Courage and Character by Jon Tyson
Deep Discipleship: How the Church Can Make Whole Disciples of Jesus by J.T. English
From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur Brooks
Lifeway Research Pastor Survey: U.S. Pastors Identify Their Greatest Needs -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Chris Horst who most recently served as the chief advancement officer at HOPE International, where he employed his passion for advancing initiatives at the intersection of faith and work. They also discuss Chris’ recent transition into a new chapter of his life and how one can transition out of an organization well while establishing a culture of trust and transparency between team members.
BEST QUOTES
“We are living in a place where stability is something that we can count on. I think the last few years really revealed how much we, at least for me personally, idolize stability and certainty.” – Chris Horst
“The most important performance assessment you'll get is not during your tenure, but it's one, two, or even three years after you transition out of a leadership role.” – Peter Greer
“If people are able to express that they might be thinking of leaving or processing a different calling on their life right now, I think that is something to strive for as a leader to be able to have those very candid and caring conversations.” – Todd Adkins
“Leaders that have an agenda and ambition geared at serving their own careers often miss opportunities to faithfully serve in the places where they are.” – Chris Horst
“A problem I see frequently is watching leaders that have come into their role with ambition and expectations, but oftentimes, it felt like they were never able to fully live into the role that they were in because they were constantly thinking about that steppingstone into what was next versus leaders that were just really focused on excelling in their work to serve the organization.” – Chris Horst
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
The Gift of Disillusionment: Enduring Hope for Leaders After Idealism Fades by Chris Horst and Peter Greer
Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk and True Flourishing by Andy Crouch -
In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Shane Pruitt who serves as the National Next Gen Director for the North American Mission Board (NAMB). In this episode, they discuss the responsibility of ministry leaders to find future leaders under their care and what the process of discipleship looks like in that context. They also discuss how to recognize future leaders in your midst, and what needs to be done in order to call out those whom God has called for full-time ministry leadership.BEST QUOTESâGod hasn't stopped calling out those to ministry leadership. I think we as current leaders have stopped asking a whole generation to consider if God is calling them.â â Shane PruittâI know young people get told all the time that they are the future of the church and I know what people mean by that. However, thatâs not biblically correct because if they'd been bought by the blood of Jesus and are indwelt by the Spirit of God; they are not the future of the church, they are the church right now.â â Shane PruittâIf young people can handle Algebra, they can handle some doctrine and theology. Donât dumb it down for them, raise the bar. They can handle it.â â Shane PruittâOften I see church leaders reactively responding to a leadership void rather than proactively. So if a Youth Pastor leaves, they have to go out and search for another one, instead of asking themselves if God is raising up somebody in their congregation to fill that role.â â Shane PruittâLet young people and young adults start serving. Give them a seat at the table and raise their leadership capacity. I've often found that typically calling will reveal itself in serving.â â Shane PruittâThe best thing we can do for those who want to be in ministry leadership is to teach them to walk deeply with Jesus. I often see churches move these people to find out their gifts and talents and once those skills have grown, we see a spike in leaders failing. So many leaders are falling into immorality, burnout, and rejection of their faith because on some level, weâve helped cultivate gifted and talented people and with those gifts and talents, we end up putting them on stages and platforms that maybe their character and integrity werenât ready for.â â Shane PruittâSo many leaders focus on the depth of your ministry rather than letting the Lord take care of the width and platform of it.â â Shane PruittRECOMMENDED RESOURCESCalling Out the Called: Discipling Those Called to Ministry Leadership by Shane Pruitt and Scott PaceSpiritual Leadership by J. Oswald SandersUnderstanding A Calling to Ministry Resource with Shane Pruitt & Scott Pace
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In this very special episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Dan Iten for the first time (or the second) in the history of this podcast will ask Todd Adkins the 5 leadership questions. They discuss how God is influencing Todd’s leadership today and some of the biggest lessons he has learned over the last 500 episodes of this podcast.
BEST QUOTES
“Instead of looking at our lives and saying, ‘are we getting better and better day by day as a Christian?’ That is what I am called to do. I'm not called to win. I can't win it compared to Christ. Yes, I am a loser. But I'm not playing that game. I'm an eternal being. I'm playing an infinite game and if anybody should understand that it should be Christians that we should look at each day getting better and better.” – Todd Adkins
“As pastors, even as Christians, our fruit does grow on other people's trees. And that's not us taking credit for what other people do. It is to say, the fruit of a Christian is another Christian, the fruit of volunteers and other volunteer, and the fruit of a leader is another leader.” – Todd Adkins
“If I am not learning daily, I am not leading daily.” – Todd Adkins
“If we're intentional with anybody, it should be with our family.” – Todd Adkins
“You can overestimate what can get done in one year and underestimate what can get done in five.” – Todd Adkins
“Your role is to do the best that you can do wherever God has placed you and keep the room clean so that when others look at your ministry, your business, or at your role, they go, ‘man, he's doing a great job, she's doing a great job.’” – Todd Adkins
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
Ministry Grid
Todd Adkins - Näytä enemmän
