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 I talk with Cameron Strang, the founder and president of RELEVANT. RELEVANT is a magazine, website, and podcast reaching tens of millions pf people each month to help them change the world for Jesus. We had a fun and engaging conversation about the challenges of staying, well, relevant as culture changes and Christians age and about personally growing in character as leaders.

BEST QUOTES

“When things are digital it’s easier to start and easier to quit.”

“Some people have overnight success, but most don’t. Most people have to do a daily discipline of just sticking with it until something happens.”

“The lucky people usually work the hardest.”

“We’re learning from our audience every day. I know exactly what they want.”

“It’s important to have missional clarity and not just do low hanging fruit.”

“The leader is the one who takes it home.”

“Counseling has softened me and given e a better perspective on what’s really important.”

“My big thing is why? Why would Relevant do that?”

“Our mission is to empower a generation to change the world for Christ.”

“I don’t see the unknown of media as an obstacle; I see it as an opportunity.”

“Wonder lives at the frontiers of your ignorance.”

“Your struggling is going to make you better.”

“You stagnate when you get everything you want.”

“Dream dreams that are so big that without God you would fail.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

RELEVANT

Enneagram

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and I talk with Chris Sadler, the National Director of Alpha USA. Alpha is a course that introduces people to the basics of the Christian faith and has reached more than 27 million people worldwide. It has a massive international presence and in the past few years has begun to explode in the U.S. as well. Our conversation with Chris covers the exciting challenges of this growth and what people are looking for and in need of when they arrive at Alpha.

BEST QUOTES

“Outwardly I’d achieved everything, but inwardly I had something missing.”

“A lawyer started Alpha, and a banker runs it now – I feel like this is about to be a bar joke.”

“No matter what you’re doing, a lot of leadership is bringing someone along with you.”

“Only 2% of the churches in the U.S. run Alpha whereas in the UK it’s 22%.”

“The church leaders in the U.S. are very worried about the future and about young people leaving the church.”

“How do you get people on the fringes of a Sunday event and get them believing and in a relationship with Jesus and/or meeting in a small group? That seems to be the felt need Alpha is meeting in the U.S.”

“Alpha is about belonging before you believe.”

“We have to retrain church people because in the church people are trained to always give the answer.”

“A lot of young people may have a lot of friends on SnapChat but not a lot of people they talk to deeply, so this creates a point where someone listens to them.”

“We’re trying to move people along their journey with Christ.”

“80% of our attendees are a friend inviting a friend.”

“Sometimes in the church we end up in a little Christian club.”

“This is about helping people reach out and get back to the great commission.”

“It’s the mediocre and poor leaders who say ‘we’re good’.”

“A good leader says ‘I don’t know’ when he doesn’t know.”

“I think one of the issues for young people today is their immediate need to be successful rather than seeing the need to learn and build up skills.”

“God doesn’t lead you out of something. God leads you into something.”

“God’s timing is always perfect, but it is always different than our timing.”

“If you believe God has a plan responding to Him well is a little bit easier because you’ll believe that he’s doing things when he wants them done.”

“Do what God has put in front of you.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Alpha Course

The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard

The Road Trip that Changed the World by Mark Sayers

Facing Leviathan – Mark Sayers

Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell

Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders

Halftime by Bob Buford

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and I talk with Chris Sadler, the National Director of Alpha USA. Alpha is a course that introduces people to the basics of the Christian faith and has reached more than 27 million people worldwide. It has a massive international presence and in the past few years has begun to explode in the U.S. as well. Our conversation with Chris covers the exciting challenges of this growth and what people are looking for and in need of when they arrive at Alpha.

BEST QUOTES

“Outwardly I’d achieved everything, but inwardly I had something missing.”

“A lawyer started Alpha, and a banker runs it now – I feel like this is about to be a bar joke.”

“No matter what you’re doing, a lot of leadership is bringing someone along with you.”

“Only 2% of the churches in the U.S. run Alpha whereas in the UK it’s 22%.”

“The church leaders in the U.S. are very worried about the future and about young people leaving the church.”

“How do you get people on the fringes of a Sunday event and get them believing and in a relationship with Jesus and/or meeting in a small group? That seems to be the felt need Alpha is meeting in the U.S.”

“Alpha is about belonging before you believe.”

“We have to retrain church people because in the church people are trained to always give the answer.”

“A lot of young people may have a lot of friends on SnapChat but not a lot of people they talk to deeply, so this creates a point where someone listens to them.”

“We’re trying to move people along their journey with Christ.”

“80% of our attendees are a friend inviting a friend.”

“Sometimes in the church we end up in a little Christian club.”

“This is about helping people reach out and get back to the great commission.”

“It’s the mediocre and poor leaders who say ‘we’re good’.”

“A good leader says ‘I don’t know’ when he doesn’t know.”

“I think one of the issues for young people today is their immediate need to be successful rather than seeing the need to learn and build up skills.”

“God doesn’t lead you out of something. God leads you into something.”

“God’s timing is always perfect, but it is always different than our timing.”

“If you believe God has a plan responding to Him well is a little bit easier because you’ll believe that he’s doing things when he wants them done.”

“Do what God has put in front of you.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Alpha Course

The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard

The Road Trip that Changed the World by Mark Sayers

Facing Leviathan – Mark Sayers

Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell

Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders

Halftime by Bob Buford

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and I talk with Chris Sadler, the National Director of Alpha USA. Alpha is a course that introduces people to the basics of the Christian faith and has reached more than 27 million people worldwide. It has a massive international presence and in the past few years has begun to explode in the U.S. as well. Our conversation with Chris covers the exciting challenges of this growth and what people are looking for and in need of when they arrive at Alpha.

BEST QUOTES

“Outwardly I’d achieved everything, but inwardly I had something missing.”

“A lawyer started Alpha, and a banker runs it now – I feel like this is about to be a bar joke.”

“No matter what you’re doing, a lot of leadership is bringing someone along with you.”

“Only 2% of the churches in the U.S. run Alpha whereas in the UK it’s 22%.”

“The church leaders in the U.S. are very worried about the future and about young people leaving the church.”

“How do you get people on the fringes of a Sunday event and get them believing and in a relationship with Jesus and/or meeting in a small group? That seems to be the felt need Alpha is meeting in the U.S.”

“Alpha is about belonging before you believe.”

“We have to retrain church people because in the church people are trained to always give the answer.”

“A lot of young people may have a lot of friends on SnapChat but not a lot of people they talk to deeply, so this creates a point where someone listens to them.”

“We’re trying to move people along their journey with Christ.”

“80% of our attendees are a friend inviting a friend.”

“Sometimes in the church we end up in a little Christian club.”

“This is about helping people reach out and get back to the great commission.”

“It’s the mediocre and poor leaders who say ‘we’re good’.”

“A good leader says ‘I don’t know’ when he doesn’t know.”

“I think one of the issues for young people today is their immediate need to be successful rather than seeing the need to learn and build up skills.”

“God doesn’t lead you out of something. God leads you into something.”

“God’s timing is always perfect, but it is always different than our timing.”

“If you believe God has a plan responding to Him well is a little bit easier because you’ll believe that he’s doing things when he wants them done.”

“Do what God has put in front of you.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Alpha Course

The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard

The Road Trip that Changed the World by Mark Sayers

Facing Leviathan – Mark Sayers

Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull

21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell

Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders

Halftime by Bob Buford

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and I are joined by Andy Dukes, a teammate of ours, to talk about how leaders and teams can get the most out of attending a conference. As part of our work and ministry we attend a LOT each year, so we share some of the best practices and mindsets to have heading into a conference. We ask the following questions.

* How should someone choose which conferences to attend and how many conferences should one attend per year?

* Is it better to attend solo or to go as a team?

* How much of a conference should a person attend to get the most out of it? (Every session, cherry pick sessions, etc.)

* What kind of follow up should someone do post-conference to get the most out of it?

* What are the greatest benefits of attending a conference?

BEST QUOTES

“Attending too many conferences can leave you jaded toward the conference scene.”

“Go to get, not just to look around.”

“Get a sense of what you are walking into.”

“Some people go to conferences because they want a vacation.”

“Some people attend as a classroom.”

“If you are looking to network either ministerially or professionally going solo is a good idea.”

“Skipping sessions is a necessity to retain everything you’re taking in.”

“Watching a conference online is not really an invested listen.”

“It’s impossible to get the development you need just from a conference.”

“Processing engages knowledge, experience, and coaching.”

“Bring something to take notes.”

“The greatest benefit is the time away.”

“One of the biggest benefits is intake. Leaders are expected to push and produce.”

“When you’re attending a conference stop those volunteers and say thank you.”

“For a lot of leaders it’s a chance to worship in a way they can’t at their own home.”

“If your church staff spends the money and takes the time to go to a conference do not begrudge them that.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Moleskine Notebook

Pilot Uniball Vision Elite Pen (Barnabas’s favorite)

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and I are joined by Andy Dukes, a teammate of ours, to talk about how leaders and teams can get the most out of attending a conference. As part of our work and ministry we attend a LOT each year, so we share some of the best practices and mindsets to have heading into a conference. We ask the following questions.

* How should someone choose which conferences to attend and how many conferences should one attend per year?

* Is it better to attend solo or to go as a team?

* How much of a conference should a person attend to get the most out of it? (Every session, cherry pick sessions, etc.)

* What kind of follow up should someone do post-conference to get the most out of it?

* What are the greatest benefits of attending a conference?

BEST QUOTES

“Attending too many conferences can leave you jaded toward the conference scene.”

“Go to get, not just to look around.”

“Get a sense of what you are walking into.”

“Some people go to conferences because they want a vacation.”

“Some people attend as a classroom.”

“If you are looking to network either ministerially or professionally going solo is a good idea.”

“Skipping sessions is a necessity to retain everything you’re taking in.”

“Watching a conference online is not really an invested listen.”

“It’s impossible to get the development you need just from a conference.”

“Processing engages knowledge, experience, and coaching.”

“Bring something to take notes.”

“The greatest benefit is the time away.”

“One of the biggest benefits is intake. Leaders are expected to push and produce.”

“When you’re attending a conference stop those volunteers and say thank you.”

“For a lot of leaders it’s a chance to worship in a way they can’t at their own home.”

“If your church staff spends the money and takes the time to go to a conference do not begrudge them that.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Moleskine Notebook

Pilot Uniball Vision Elite Pen (Barnabas’s favorite)

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and I are joined by Andy Dukes, a teammate of ours, to talk about how leaders and teams can get the most out of attending a conference. As part of our work and ministry we attend a LOT each year, so we share some of the best practices and mindsets to have heading into a conference. We ask the following questions.

* How should someone choose which conferences to attend and how many conferences should one attend per year?

* Is it better to attend solo or to go as a team?

* How much of a conference should a person attend to get the most out of it? (Every session, cherry pick sessions, etc.)

* What kind of follow up should someone do post-conference to get the most out of it?

* What are the greatest benefits of attending a conference?

BEST QUOTES

“Attending too many conferences can leave you jaded toward the conference scene.”

“Go to get, not just to look around.”

“Get a sense of what you are walking into.”

“Some people go to conferences because they want a vacation.”

“Some people attend as a classroom.”

“If you are looking to network either ministerially or professionally going solo is a good idea.”

“Skipping sessions is a necessity to retain everything you’re taking in.”

“Watching a conference online is not really an invested listen.”

“It’s impossible to get the development you need just from a conference.”

“Processing engages knowledge, experience, and coaching.”

“Bring something to take notes.”

“The greatest benefit is the time away.”

“One of the biggest benefits is intake. Leaders are expected to push and produce.”

“When you’re attending a conference stop those volunteers and say thank you.”

“For a lot of leaders it’s a chance to worship in a way they can’t at their own home.”

“If your church staff spends the money and takes the time to go to a conference do not begrudge them that.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Moleskine Notebook

Pilot Uniball Vision Elite Pen (Barnabas’s favorite)

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and I talk with Scott Harrison, the founder and CEO of Charity: Water, an effort to provide clean water to the 663 million people worldwide who lack it. They partner with organizations and local workers to fund and drill wells, build filters and otherwise provide clean water to people all over the world. They have funded over 17,000 water projects and provided water to about 5.5 million people thus far and have some incredible stories of lives changed, both those receiving clean water and those donating to the cause. Scott’s story is also one of a life changed, and he shares a bit of that on the podcast. Enjoy our conversation and the insights Scott shares!

Best Quotes

“People raise money in crazy ways. We had a guy who listened to Nickelback for seven days straight. He’s still living.”

“How can people be healthy if they don’t have their most basic need met.”

“Water means health, it means education, it means time back for women and girls.”

“40 billion hours are wasted every year hauling water that’s not even clean.”

“How can I best use my unique gifts to best help the organization.”

“I really love thinking about ten years in the future.”

”Can we drive greater empathy?”

“The only person you can change in your marriage is you.”

“The vision of the group is to live such extraordinary lives that one day our kids and our grand kids will look back and say their daddy was a legend because he 1) loved God, 2) was an amazing husband, 3) was an amazing father, 4) he was an amazing friend, and 5) he crushed it at work.”

“When you look at life and when you look at leadership a lot of it boils down to daily disciplines.”

Recommended Resources

Charity Water

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and I talk with Scott Harrison, the founder and CEO of Charity: Water, an effort to provide clean water to the 663 million people worldwide who lack it. They partner with organizations and local workers to fund and drill wells, build filters and otherwise provide clean water to people all over the world. They have funded over 17,000 water projects and provided water to about 5.5 million people thus far and have some incredible stories of lives changed, both those receiving clean water and those donating to the cause. Scott’s story is also one of a life changed, and he shares a bit of that on the podcast. Enjoy our conversation and the insights Scott shares!

Best Quotes

“People raise money in crazy ways. We had a guy who listened to Nickelback for seven days straight. He’s still living.”

“How can people be healthy if they don’t have their most basic need met.”

“Water means health, it means education, it means time back for women and girls.”

“40 billion hours are wasted every year hauling water that’s not even clean.”

“How can I best use my unique gifts to best help the organization.”

“I really love thinking about ten years in the future.”

”Can we drive greater empathy?”

“The only person you can change in your marriage is you.”

“The vision of the group is to live such extraordinary lives that one day our kids and our grand kids will look back and say their daddy was a legend because he 1) loved God, 2) was an amazing husband, 3) was an amazing father, 4) he was an amazing friend, and 5) he crushed it at work.”

“When you look at life and when you look at leadership a lot of it boils down to daily disciplines.”

Recommended Resources

Charity Water