Cornerstone Pastors Network

John Calvin put it this way, “Nearly all the wisdom which we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.”  St. Augustine once prayed, “Grant, Lord, that I may know myself, that I may know Thee.” Consider this too: “Self-awareness is our only defense against self-deception.” No matter how you slice it, without clarity in regards to our awareness of self, we will not fully know the true God who created us in the first place. And, discovering the truth about ourselves is only possible through the work of the Spirit in our lives…and our willingness to prayerfully receive the input of others.

Rick Anderson and Steve Macchia, from Leadership Transformations, have been coming alongside pastors, leaders and teams for many years. They help leaders get to know the true God and their true selves with a strong conviction that both are necessary for the sanctifying process of transformation. They will lead us in this important discussion on Thursday, January 25 at 11am CST and introduce us to a self-awareness tool that they have found to be extremely fruitful in spiritual formation work with Christian leaders. Rick Anderson serves as Senior Vice President and Steve Macchia is the Founder and President of Leadership Transformations.

The Rev. Dr. Stephen A. Macchia became the founding president of Leadership Transformations, Inc. (LTI) on July 1, 2003. LTI is a ministry which focuses on the spiritual formation needs of leaders and the spiritual discernment processes of leadership teams in local church and parachurch ministry settings nationwide. He is the author of several books, including Broken and Whole (IVP, 2016), Outstretched Arms of Grace (LTI Publication, 2015), Path of a Beloved Disciple (LTI Publication, 2014), Wellspring (LTI Publication, 2014), Crafting a Rule of Life: An Invitation to the Well-Ordered Way (IVP, 2012), and the Baker Best-seller Becoming a Healthy Church.

John Calvin put it this way, “Nearly all the wisdom which we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves.”  St. Augustine once prayed, “Grant, Lord, that I may know myself, that I may know Thee.” Consider this too: “Self-awareness is our only defense against self-deception.” No matter how you slice it, without clarity in regards to our awareness of self, we will not fully know the true God who created us in the first place. And, discovering the truth about ourselves is only possible through the work of the Spirit in our lives…and our willingness to prayerfully receive the input of others.

Rick Anderson and Steve Macchia, from Leadership Transformations, have been coming alongside pastors, leaders and teams for many years. They help leaders get to know the true God and their true selves with a strong conviction that both are necessary for the sanctifying process of transformation. They will lead us in this important discussion on Thursday, January 25 at 11am CST and introduce us to a self-awareness tool that they have found to be extremely fruitful in spiritual formation work with Christian leaders. Rick Anderson serves as Senior Vice President and Steve Macchia is the Founder and President of Leadership Transformations.

The Rev. Dr. Stephen A. Macchia became the founding president of Leadership Transformations, Inc. (LTI) on July 1, 2003. LTI is a ministry which focuses on the spiritual formation needs of leaders and the spiritual discernment processes of leadership teams in local church and parachurch ministry settings nationwide. He is the author of several books, including Broken and Whole (IVP, 2016), Outstretched Arms of Grace (LTI Publication, 2015), Path of a Beloved Disciple (LTI Publication, 2014), Wellspring (LTI Publication, 2014), Crafting a Rule of Life: An Invitation to the Well-Ordered Way (IVP, 2012), and the Baker Best-seller Becoming a Healthy Church.

The internal culture of a church is the most important social reality within the church. Often more powerful than vision, mission, strategy or doctrine, it is deep, complex, difficult to articulate and largely unseen because so much of it is “below the water line.” A church can have the right vision, mission, strategy or doctrine but if the internal culture is not aligned with those elements, the best efforts to live into vision, execute against mission and strategy, and preach and teach doctrine will be thwarted by its internal culture.

If you can’t figure out where you are stuck or not sure what obstacles are in the way of creating the culture you want in your church then join us for this informational and timely Pastors Resource Call. One of the most important skill sets that a 21st century pastor must have is the ability to lead and manage change. Changing a church’s internal culture is difficult because it requires altering the behavior of both individuals and the church itself.

Carol Childress is the founder of the Carol Childress Group, a consulting practice that helps leaders and organizations understand today and lead for tomorrow. Gifted in bringing clarity to complex issues, Carol is known for her ability to help leaders “connect the dots” and enable organizations to craft strategic direction, navigate change, and process transition in the 21st century world. A trusted advisor, experienced consultant, frequent speaker and workshop leader, Carol has worked with church leaders in every region of the U.S. as well as selected international areas.

The internal culture of a church is the most important social reality within the church. Often more powerful than vision, mission, strategy or doctrine, it is deep, complex, difficult to articulate and largely unseen because so much of it is “below the water line.” A church can have the right vision, mission, strategy or doctrine but if the internal culture is not aligned with those elements, the best efforts to live into vision, execute against mission and strategy, and preach and teach doctrine will be thwarted by its internal culture.

If you can’t figure out where you are stuck or not sure what obstacles are in the way of creating the culture you want in your church then join us for this informational and timely Pastors Resource Call. One of the most important skill sets that a 21st century pastor must have is the ability to lead and manage change. Changing a church’s internal culture is difficult because it requires altering the behavior of both individuals and the church itself.

Carol Childress is the founder of the Carol Childress Group, a consulting practice that helps leaders and organizations understand today and lead for tomorrow. Gifted in bringing clarity to complex issues, Carol is known for her ability to help leaders “connect the dots” and enable organizations to craft strategic direction, navigate change, and process transition in the 21st century world. A trusted advisor, experienced consultant, frequent speaker and workshop leader, Carol has worked with church leaders in every region of the U.S. as well as selected international areas.

The gospel is meant for every people group in the world without exception, since all are made in God’s image and are specially designed for relationship with him.

Across the world there are an estimated 1 billion Muslims who are considered unreached (less than 2% of the human race are known Christians). Of those, there are over 1,000 Muslim people groups that remain completely unengaged (having no known Christians among them). If you are searching for help in how you can love Muslims well along with other unreached people groups this call is designed for you.

Our Resource person for this call is Brian Newman. Brian grew up in a secular, cultural Jewish family on Long Island (outside New York City). His family celebrated the Jewish holidays, he was bar mitzvah, but he was a functional agnostic. At 20 years old as a college student Brian had a dramatic conversion to Christ, which launched him into a life of serving God overseas for 20 years and now in the United States. He has worked In Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and elsewhere for over 25 years.

In 2011, Brian founded The Isaac-Ishmael Initiative to bring together the three monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. At a time when Christians, Muslims, and Jews are in conflict around the world, he believes there is a way forward together.

Brian has earned two Master of Arts degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary – one in multi-cultural studies and the other in theology.

The gospel is meant for every people group in the world without exception, since all are made in God’s image and are specially designed for relationship with him.

Across the world there are an estimated 1 billion Muslims who are considered unreached (less than 2% of the human race are known Christians). Of those, there are over 1,000 Muslim people groups that remain completely unengaged (having no known Christians among them). If you are searching for help in how you can love Muslims well along with other unreached people groups this call is designed for you.

Our Resource person for this call is Brian Newman. Brian grew up in a secular, cultural Jewish family on Long Island (outside New York City). His family celebrated the Jewish holidays, he was bar mitzvah, but he was a functional agnostic. At 20 years old as a college student Brian had a dramatic conversion to Christ, which launched him into a life of serving God overseas for 20 years and now in the United States. He has worked In Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and elsewhere for over 25 years.

In 2011, Brian founded The Isaac-Ishmael Initiative to bring together the three monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. At a time when Christians, Muslims, and Jews are in conflict around the world, he believes there is a way forward together.

Brian has earned two Master of Arts degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary – one in multi-cultural studies and the other in theology.

Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., holds the Billy Graham Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College and serves as Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors and church planters on six continents, holds two masters degrees and two doctorates, and has written dozens of articles and books.

Previously, he served as Executive Director of LifeWay Research.

Stetzer is a contributing editor for Christianity Today, a columnist for Outreach Magazine, and is frequently cited or interviewed in news outlets such as USAToday and CNN. He is the Executive Editor of The Gospel Project, a curriculum used by more than one million individuals each week. Stetzer is also Executive Editor of Facts & Trends Magazine, a Christian leadership magazine with a circulation of more than 70,000 readers.

In 2015, he began serving as the co-host of the BreakPoint This Week radio program with John Stonestreet. He also serves as Visiting Professor of Research and Missiology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Visiting Research Professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has taught at many other colleges and seminaries.

He serves as interim pastor of Moody Church in Chicago.

Ed Stetzer, Ph.D., holds the Billy Graham Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College and serves as Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism. He has planted, revitalized, and pastored churches, trained pastors and church planters on six continents, holds two masters degrees and two doctorates, and has written dozens of articles and books.

Previously, he served as Executive Director of LifeWay Research.

Stetzer is a contributing editor for Christianity Today, a columnist for Outreach Magazine, and is frequently cited or interviewed in news outlets such as USAToday and CNN. He is the Executive Editor of The Gospel Project, a curriculum used by more than one million individuals each week. Stetzer is also Executive Editor of Facts & Trends Magazine, a Christian leadership magazine with a circulation of more than 70,000 readers.

In 2015, he began serving as the co-host of the BreakPoint This Week radio program with John Stonestreet. He also serves as Visiting Professor of Research and Missiology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Visiting Research Professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has taught at many other colleges and seminaries.

He serves as interim pastor of Moody Church in Chicago.

Preaching today is not without its challenges. With the average “regular attender” showing up just 1.5 times a month, it is getting more and more difficult to be an effective communicator. Barna Research shows that the number one reason people come to church is to hear a good message. Jeff Jones brings over a decade of preaching experience to the Pastors Resource Call. Jeff is an extremely good communicator with a passion to see and help people experience godly transformation. He will speak to the importance of preaching for transformation – not just information. What is the difference? Sign up early to get a hand out for the call.

Since 2004, Jeff Jones has served as Senior Pastor of Chase Oaks Church, a large multi-campus church in North Texas. He is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and helped launch the Center for Church-Based Training, an organization that helps churches around the world disciple and develop new ministry leaders. He is co-author of the book The Leadership Baton and most recently authored, Distinct by Design. Jeff has been married to his wife Christy for twenty-eight years, and they have two adult sons, Collin and Caleb.

Preaching today is not without its challenges. With the average “regular attender” showing up just 1.5 times a month, it is getting more and more difficult to be an effective communicator. Barna Research shows that the number one reason people come to church is to hear a good message. Jeff Jones brings over a decade of preaching experience to the Pastors Resource Call. Jeff is an extremely good communicator with a passion to see and help people experience godly transformation. He will speak to the importance of preaching for transformation – not just information. What is the difference? Sign up early to get a hand out for the call.

Since 2004, Jeff Jones has served as Senior Pastor of Chase Oaks Church, a large multi-campus church in North Texas. He is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and helped launch the Center for Church-Based Training, an organization that helps churches around the world disciple and develop new ministry leaders. He is co-author of the book The Leadership Baton and most recently authored, Distinct by Design. Jeff has been married to his wife Christy for twenty-eight years, and they have two adult sons, Collin and Caleb.