Dr. Derwin L. Gray is the founding and lead pastor of Transformation Church, a multiethnic, multigenerational, mission-shaped community located in Indian Land, South Carolina. Derwin met his wife, Vicki, at Brigham Young University where he played for the BYU Cougars football team. They have been married since 1992 and have two children.  After graduating from BYU, Derwin played professional football in the NFL for five years with the Indianapolis Colts (1993-1997) and one year with the Carolina Panthers (1998). During that time, he and Vicki began their journey with Christ and experienced God’s faithfulness and direction as He moved their hearts to know Him and make Him known. Derwin went on to graduate magna cum laude from Southern Evangelical Seminary with a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree and in 2015 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Southern Evangelical Seminary. In 2018, he received his Doctor of Ministry in the New Testament in Context at Northern Seminary.  In addition to his role at Transformation Church, Derwin teaches at conferences nationwide, and will be joining us at the Multiply Vineyard Summit in February! He is the author of Hero: Unleashing God’s Power in a Man’s Heart, Limitless Life: You Are More Than Your Past When God Holds Your Future, Crazy Grace for Crazy Times Bible Study, The High-Definition Leader, and The Good Life: What Jesus Teaches About Finding True Happiness.   

In this episode of the How To Plant A Healthy Church podcast, Derwin and our host Michael Gatlin have an inspiring conversation about finding our identity in the Lord and leading from a place of groundedness in the gospel.  Derwin also shares concrete guidelines for building a healthy church and lays down some truth about current situations pastors might find themselves navigating regarding race, politics and generational divides. This episode is fast-paced and packed full of goodness that you’ll want to refer to in the coming year, so pull out a pen and get ready to learn!

Show notes:
For more information on the Multiply Vineyard Summit, or to register, go to https://mvsummit.org

The Good Life: What Jesus Teaches About Finding True Happiness by Dr. Derwin L. Gray
https://amzn.to/2XfoWI3

Keri Ladouceur is the pastor of Community Christian Church in Naperville, IL, as well as the founder of New Ground Network. She has been coaching pastors, church leaders and non-profit leaders for over a decade and is the author of “Together as a Team: A Values-Based Approach to going Further, Faster – Together”. Keri and her husband Marc have two children, Leah and Liam.

In this episode of the How To Plant A Healthy Church podcast, Keri and our host Michael Gatlin talk about reframing our disqualifiers as qualifiers, the impact of 2020 on the church and the opportunity it presents to be honest about what has been working and what’s not, and Keri shares an encouraging word about pressing into the presence of the Lord in the wilderness and not trying to skip through it. Keri also shares her own experiences with abusive leadership dynamics and provides invaluable insight into how church leaders might manage crisis in a healthy and honoring way.

Show notes:
To register for the Multiply Vineyard Summit, go to mvsummit.org

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
https://amzn.to/37VOrUY

Keri’s book: Together as a Team: A Values-Based Approach to going Further, Faster – Together
https://amzn.to/3pylR1U

Keri’s church: Community Christian Church
https://communitychristian.org/naperville/

Tempered Resilience: How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change by Tod Bolsinger
https://amzn.to/3rC8lMb

The Gift of Imperfection by Brené Brown
https://amzn.to/3aK2UFc

Jim Herrington has been a pastor for 45 years, as well as serving as a denominational executive and pastor to pastors since 1989 where he first began coaching leaders. He has worked with hundreds of congregations from a variety of traditions around the challenges of personal and congregational transformation. Jim is the co-founder of Faithwalking, and co-authored Leading Congregational Change: A Practical Guide to the Transformational Journey,  The Leader’s Journey: Accepting the Call to Personal and Congregational Transformation, and Learning Change: Congregational Transformation Fueled by Personal Renewal. Jim lives in Houston and has been married to his best friend, Betty, for 45 years. They have five children and four grandchildren.

In this episode of the How To Plant A Healthy Church podcast, Jim and our host Michael Gatlin talk about church planting in a hyper-polarized culture and how the church can show up in a post-Christian world. Jim also shares some of his formative leadership stories, the importance of engaging in healthy community and expanding our capacity for emotional maturity. As a beautiful follow-up to last week’s conversation with Jim’s co-author Trisha Taylor, this episode will continue shaping our hearts and minds towards healthy, Jesus-centered leadership.

Show notes:

To register for the Multiply Vineyard Summit, go to mvsummit.org

The Leader's journey by Jim Herrington, Trisha Taylor and R. Robert Creech
https://amzn.to/3nHDpI9

Faithwalking
http://faithwalking.us

Tempered Resilience by Tod Bolsinger
https://amzn.to/3nHgj4i

Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
https://amzn.to/34y1j1j

The Spirit  of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard
https://amzn.to/3h6j6Sn

The Wisdom Pattern by Richard Rohr
https://amzn.to/3mG6ylR

A Failure of Nerve, Revised Edition by Edwin Friedman
https://amzn.to/34vwo5x

Jim's email
[email protected]

Looking for a coach/consultant?
theleadersjourney.us

Trisha Taylor is a counselor, author, consultant and speaker based in Houston, TX. As a counselor she works with individuals, couples and families and seeks to provide a safe space where people who are hurting or confused can find God’s grace and wisdom. Trisha also co-authored the book “The Leader’s Journey: Accepting the Call to Personal and Congregational Transformation”, which challenges leaders to see their congregations as living systems and to respond to leadership challenges with emotional maturity, leading as Jesus did, from the inside out.

In this episode of the How To Plant A Healthy Church podcast, Trisha and our host Michael Gatlin share a thorough discussion of the role of empathy in leading a church: Is all empathy beneficial? How do boundaries tie in? How can we partner with others in developing the kind of empathy that will truly serve the church? Trisha also shares tips on how to find a good coach to walk through ministry with, as well as several valuable resources for further learning. This conversation is chock-full of wisdom nuggets that will benefit even the most established of pastors.

Show notes:
The Ferment Podcast – Trisha Taylor
https://bit.ly/2WfTw3C

The Leader’s journey by Jim Herrington, Trisha Taylor and R. Robert Creech
https://amzn.to/37kPL3a

Edwin Friedman’s Theory of Differentiated Leadership Made Simple
https://bit.ly/2KxxB5e

A Failure of Nerve by Edwin Friedman
https://amzn.to/2K7LYNY

Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue by Edwin Friedman
https://amzn.to/2IT8olx

Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin
https://amzn.to/3qUaqCW

Faithwalking
https://faithwalking.us

Corey Garris is a pastor with the Mile High Vineyard in Denver, CO and has been a member of the Multiply Vineyard team since 2014. He is passionate about seeing Jesus transform lives in his city and about MHV hubs being life-giving communities that profoundly impact their neighborhoods. Corey also provides pastoral care and leadership to the pastors of the Mile High Vineyard and works to connect with pastors in his community outside of the Vineyard. He and his wife Cyndia have been married since 2003 and have two daughters, Ava and Rylee.

In this episode of the How To Plant A Healthy Church podcast, Corey shares his testimony of salvation and journey towards becoming a pastor, and the scripture the Lord spoke to him about the value of the local church and expanding the number of “wells” in his city. His story inspires faith in asking the Lord to lead us, guide us through setbacks and teach us how to love our communities well.

Show notes:
Mile High Vineyard
https://www.milehighvineyard.org

The Navigators
https://www.navigators.org

Jason and Betsy Patrick are co-pastors of the Streamwood Vineyard in Streamwood, IL, planted out of the Elgin Vineyard in 2019.  High school sweethearts, Jason and Betsy met in youth group, were married at 17 and now have six children through birth and adoption.   

In this episode of the How to Plant a Healthy Church podcast, Jason and Betsy share about hearing the call to church plant and the emotional honesty, vulnerability and patience required in the discernment process. As champions of leaving the sending church well, Jason and Betsy are a wealth of helpful tips on how to navigate this transition with integrity. If church planting is something you feel stirring in your heart, grab a pen and notebook and settle in for a heavy dose of wisdom and encouragement!

Streamwood Vineyard Church – Youtube
https://bit.ly/2KVcvy4

Dr. Thomas Campion is a Licensed Psychologist who specializes in providing counseling services across all ages as well as the family unit, and performs extensive intelligence, aptitude, psychological and vocational assessments. He is the President and CEO of Campion, Barrow and Associates, a psychological services organization founded by his father. He frequently consults with ministries and faith-based organizations and is the go-to guy for Multiply Vineyard in providing assessments and counseling for potential pastors and church planters as he is passionate about supporting and encouraging people in ministry. Dr. Campion and his family also attend the Urbana Vineyard in Illinois.

In this episode, Dr. Campion and our host Michael Gatlin discuss the difficulties pastors and people in ministry are facing during this unique season of pandemic, and the ways recognizing our emotional “lights on the dashboard” and learning to practice self-care can help ease stress and prevent burnout. This is a practical and refreshing episode that will be hugely beneficial in helping pastors navigate the changing landscape of 2020 both personally and vocationally.

Show notes:

Campion, Barrow and Associates
http://www.campionbarrow.com

Strange Rites by Tara Isabella Burton
https://amzn.to/3nOpv6L

Conversation with Tom Campion & Phil Strout
https://bit.ly/3l3cggO