“It wasn’t until maybe four years into me leading the church that I really felt like, “Okay, now I have a good sense as to what it means to lead the congregation from here to there from a vision perspective.” Meet Rich Villodas, lead pastor of New Life Fellowship, a large multiracial church in Elmhurst, Queens. In this episode, Rich shares his own leadership transition story, as he was called to lead New Life at 28 years old, succeeding the great Pete Scazzero. He gives listeners an inside look at the  intimate details of his transition—both the things that went well and the areas that were most challenging for him as a young leader. This is an episode packed with wisdom and honesty on the topic of pastoral succession, you won’t want to miss it. 

Welcome to Episode 073 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan. 

EPISODE LINKS

Good and Beautiful and Kind: Becoming Whole in a Fractured World by Rich Villodas

Leading Change by John Kotter 

Check out a brand new resource from Sean Morgan and Carey Nieuwhof, the Pastoral Succession Toolkit.  The Toolkit is available to pastors for free and includes access to a live workshop on Jan 23/24, a training video, and a few downloadable guides. Get yours today!

Are you in Transition or have one on the horizon? Check out our 2023 cohorts and get connected with us at: https://theascentleader.org/cohorts/ 

WHO IS RICH VILLODAS?

Rich Villodas is the Brooklyn-born lead pastor of New Life Fellowship, a large multiracial church with more than seventy-five countries represented in Elmhurst, Queens. Rich holds a Master of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary. He enjoys reading widely, preaching and writing on contemplative spirituality, justice-related matters, and the art of preaching. He's been married to Rosie since 2006 and they have two beautiful children, Karis and Nathan. His first book, The Deeply Formed Life, is now available wherever books are sold.

SPONSORS & PARTNERS

Thanks to our sponsor: Food For The Hungry. Combine your church's heart for the poor and Food for the Hungry’s global experience at fh.org/churches.