In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and Barnabas Piper are joined by J.D. Greear, lead pastor at The Summit Church in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina. Greear is an author of several books, and The Summit Church is a planting hub both within North Carolina and around the world. In this conversation J.D. talks about the importance of work rhythm, accountability and close relationships, and working with people you like and respect.

BEST QUOTES

“Be where you are; serve where you live.”

“The local church ought to be local.”

“My call to the pastorate began as a call to the mission field and I’m fulfilling my call to missions by being a pastor.”

“Do awesome things with awesome people.”

“[Many leaders who fell] didn’t have equality in community.”

“As a leader I like to be unchallenged, but that’s bad leadership.”

“I lose votes to our elder team,. And it’s frustrating, but it’s the healthiest thing.”

“I need to have people who are not that impressed by me.”

“People start to have a vested interest in your success, so nobody wants to tell you ‘no’ since they’re part of the gravy train.”

“Fame is always making yourself accessible to a bunch of people you don’t care about at the expense of people who do.”

“I work best when I clear everything out of my morning except the Word of God, prayer, sermon writing, and other writing.”

“Working in blocks of time is most effective, but 10 -12 hour blocks are too long.”

“Show me a person who is walking with God and has a strong family life and they can withstand so much.”

“We know how to exegete texts. We don’t know how to exegete white spaces in life.”

“Every single church leader in the Bible had a time when they served when they thought they ought to be leading.”

“Glory in serving.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

JDGreear.com

Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull

7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss