Healthy Church Leadership with Bob Turner

Many churches today lack strong spiritual leadership. Without godly elders to shepherd and guide them, congregations often struggle in their efforts to grow disciples and spread the gospel. In this episode, Wes McAdams discusses how to develop healthy leaders with Bob Turner.

They examine Jesus’ model for training his disciples, emphasizing servant leadership and sacrificial love. You’ll gain insights into sharing wisdom between generations, as well as how to encourage every member to employ their unique gifts in the body. They offer practical steps every church can take to cultivate elders focused on nurturing spiritual growth.

Bob Turner brings years of experience guiding congregations in this conversation. As director of the Sunset Academy of Leadership Training, he provides resources to strengthen leaders through workshops, seminars, and online training content.

Links and Resources:

* Watch This Episode on YouTube

* SALT (Sunset Academy of Church Leadership)

* The Multiplication Effect by Mac Lake

* Bring | Teach | Keep by Chuck Anderson

Note: Some links may be affiliate links. Meaning, if you choose to buy something through these links, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Transcript (Credit: Beth Tabor)

WES: Welcome to the Radically Christian Bible Study podcast. I’m your host, Wes McAdams. Here, we have one goal: Learn to love like Jesus. It is so important for those of us who want to learn to love like Jesus that we be part of a community, a church family where others are loving us and we are loving them and we are working out our salvation together as fellow disciples.

But part of that is that every church community is supposed to have elders, is supposed to have shepherds who lead and guide and teach those in that community. 

In the book of Titus, Paul writes to this young evangelist, and here’s what he says in Titus 1, starting in verse 5: “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you ‑‑ if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick‑tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self‑controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”

But sadly, many, if not most, churches don’t have elders. They don’t have shepherds like Paul is describing to Titus. So what could we do to help make sure that every church is led by these kinds of shepherds? In order to help us answer that question, today I’m visiting with Bob Turner, who is the director of the Sunset Academy of Leadership Training. Bob is a wonderful follower of Jesus, a wonderful friend. I know that you and I both are going to enjoy this conversation, and I hope that it helps all of us to learn to love like Jesus.