Leading From Alignment

Words . . . one of the most powerful forces for good in the organizations we serve. Our teammates often rise to the level of the words we speak to them. For every human, words matter. For humans that lead, they matter even more. In today’s episode, John & Jim explore how leaders can leverage the power of words in a way that moves their organization—and the people in their organization—in a positive direction

In 2015, more than 38% of pastors in the U.S. were bi-vocational. While there are some advantages to bi-vocational ministry, one of the biggest challenges is pace. How does a leader work in the marketplace full-time, pastor a church at the same time, and yet have any hope to find space for rest and rejuvenation? In today’s episode, John & Jim outline creative ways bi-vocational leaders can lead well and find space for rest/refreshing at the same time

In Episode 96 we mentioned a 2009 Barna report that stated the average church member expects their lead pastor to be great in sixteen competencies! And we’ve observed that some lead pastors expect the same out of themselves. If you ever want to grow sustainably, and keep your sanity at the same time, letting go of some of these sixteen roles is necessary.

Question is, where does a lead pastor start? In today’s pod, John and Jim explore the reconstruction of the lead pastor role and encourage leaders to shift from a performative model of ministry to a formative model.

A vast range of opinions exist regarding online/digital church vs. in-person physical gatherings. Some leaders have fully bought into digital; others reject it outright; while most find themselves somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. Today’s pod unpacks how digital may be both helping and hurting the local church

The past eighteen months have radically impacted the way churches measure success. Most of the numbers that screamed progress in the past have been flipped upside-down. In today’s pod, John and Jim explore four possible new metrics that move us toward working on what we can control and trusting God for what we can’t control

One of the hardest things to do for most lead pastors is to separate from work. According to a Barna research study of 14,000 U.S. lead pastors, published in January 2017, 37% of lead pastors are at medium to high risk of burnout. Many of the moral failures by pastors we read about can be traced to exhaustion. One of the key contributors to this mess? Failure to pivot. The devious idea that a pastor always has to be “on.” In today’s episode, John and Jim unpack four ideas that will help you pivot away from work and toward the most important disciples in your life: Your spouse and children

Leadership possesses the uncanny capacity to keep us busy with work that gets us off-mission. On today’s episode we’re going to talk about three practical ways to manage what God’s given us to do so we can stay on-mission and one day hear, “well done, good and faithful servant.”

Welcome to Part 2 of our conversation on the subject Shaping the Culture You Need. You can craft an amazing vision, have a dynamic playbook, but only a healthy culture provides the fuel for that vision and playbook to become reality. Today’s pod unpacks a practical pathway to use core values to shape your organization’s culture

Jim & John spend a lot of time on the podcast talking about things they never learned in bible college or seminary. Today’s subject—shaping culture—is one of those things. Culture is fuel. You can craft an amazing vision, have a dynamic playbook, but only a healthy culture provides the fuel for that vision and playbook to become reality. Today’s pod unpacks a framework for shaping culture that will fuel the vision God’s given you for the church or even business you lead

Lead pastoring is quite possibly the ultimate bench vise. The lingering sense of weight, the messiness of people, and the unrelenting demands of the role squeeze even the best leaders. Here’s the good news: When difficult challenges emerge, all is not lost. In fact, something good is on the horizon. In today’s pod, Jim and John unpack four action items that can transform leadership pain into your legacy