Life Group Leaders’ Lounge

In this week's podcast, our podcast team shares our Top 10 Lessons We Learned this semester. We believe in the value of reflecting on what we did right, what we need to work on, and what we should celebrate in our leadership journey. Join us as we discuss our top 10 list (see list below).

Serving in ministry can be so much fun and incredibly rewarding. It can also be really hard on your family. Ever heard the phrase, "Warning: Ministry may be dangerous to your family's health”? Unfortunately, many of us have found this statement to be true. Jared Johnson, Pastor at Newbreak Church in Scripps Ranch, joins our podcast to discuss how this happens and remind us why "winning at home" is vital to everything we do as leaders. Through transparency and a willingness to open up about his own struggles, Jared identifies practical steps that each of us can take to help guard and nurture the well being of our families.

Robert Pedroza, Connections Pastor at Rise City Church, joins our podcast to discuss why being teachable is so important to our development as leaders. Robert also gets real about the dangers of comparing ourselves to others and why we need to be cautious of the trap of not measuring up. This podcast ends with a brief discussion on the types of resources available to help you grow.

Robert is an innovate and passionate follower of Jesus who has served in a variety of Pastoral roles over the last 15 years. Robert is married with three girls and resides in San Diego, California.

JoAnn Johnson, Executive Pastor at Newbreak Church, joins our podcast to talk about why it's essential for leaders to prioritize our own personal growth. Often times our own growth is pushed to the side because we get so worried about everyone and everything else. Join us as we discuss some practical steps to help reignite your growth and development as a leader.

JoAnn is an experienced Executive Pastor who has served in pastoral ministry within the Assemblies of God denomination for over 15 years. JoAnn is married with two kids and resides in San Diego, California.

We are joined again by Matt DeMateo, Pastor at New Life Community Church and Executive Director of New Life Centers Chicagoland, in Part 2 of our podcast on taking bold steps of faith. Matt gets real with us as he shares from his own experiences of climbing mountains by faith only to find dark valleys on the other side. He also shares some of his biggest lessons learned about God and himself through this journey.

Matt has been working with young people in Chicago since 2000. He lives and serves in the Little Village neighborhood on Chicago's southwest side with his wife Sarah and his three children Bella, Benny, and Robert. New Life Centers services over 5,000 youth and families with more than 750 volunteers.

Matt DeMateo, Pastor at New Life Community Church and Executive Director of New Life Centers Chicagoland, shares with us some practical lessons he's learned about taking bold steps of faith, why we talk ourselves out of it, and where to get started. 

Matt has been working with young people in Chicago since 2000. He lives and serves in the Little Village neighborhood on Chicago's southwest side with his wife Sarah and his three children Bella, Benny, and Robert. New Life Centers services over 5,000 youth and families with more than 750 volunteers. 

In this episode, we are joined by Pastor Markus Witherspoon to discuss why setting boundaries are so important in the life of a leader. We also define what guides our boundaries and why setting boundaries is so hard. Check it out!

For more information on identifying and setting boundaries, check out Henry Cloud and John Townsend's book Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life.

When it comes to choosing the service project for your Life Group this semester, how do you know which one to do? Analysis paralysis can hit you and your group fast. Should we come up with our own thing? Should we partner with the church or another non-profit? How do we keep COVID safe? Using the acronym NAPA, you can feel confident in getting your serve journey started out right!

Introducing....THE SERVE CHALLENGE! What is that you ask? Join us this week as we discuss our strategy to get our groups serving! We'll talk about origin of the idea and the "why" behind the SERVE CHALLENGE. We'll also touch on how to start talking about this with your group. Check it out!

For more info on the SERVE CHALLENGE go to www.newbreak.church/challenge