The Christian Leader Podcast

Whatever position or title you have at your church, all church leaders (staff and volunteer) have a responsibility to lead teams well and create meaningful experiences where people can encounter Jesus.

That's a big responsibility! Ready for a leadership "secret" you already know? It's all about relationships--including the relationships between you and your team members, and between you and Jesus.

Today's guest is Carl Barnhill, the owner and creative director at Twelve:Thirty Media. Twelve:Thirty creates quality media packages for churches, and Carl has a ton of experience leading large church teams and creating powerful experiences. In today's episode we dive into an article Carl wrote outlining 8 important reminders for all of us in church leadership.

Read Carl's article here and be sure to check out all that Twelve:Thirty has to offer on their website. Now go take your volunteers out for lunch!

Teenagers have been given a bad rap. Sure, parenting teens brings a unique set of challenges, but you can do it, and this season doesn't have to be the horror story our culture makes it out to be. 

Today we're joined by counselor and therapist Matt Gallagher to get his insight on how to parent teens, how to prep for that season while they're young, what they need the most, and how to cultivate a healthy relationship that lasts.

This episode is full of practical and insightful wisdom we could all benefit from, regardless of what stage of parenting you're in--or even if you're not a parent! Thanks to Matt for sharing this helpful content with us!

Teaching kids about Jesus is one of a parent's most important responsibilities. Today a lot of parents feel inadequate and aren't sure how to actually do that. The church can (and should!) help, but the most effect kids ministry occurs when the church and the parents work together to install Christian principles and values to the next generation. 

J.L. Martin has been on both sides of this as a children & families pastor as well as raising four kids of his own. He understands the short attention spans, the awkwardness of praying out loud, and the importance of genuine faith conversations at bedtime. This episode is packed of super practical information that is helpful both for parents as well as those working in churches to give us the best chance at developing a healthy faith in our kids. 

Kids ministry is a crucial part of most (if not all) churches, and rightfully so. Effectively ministering to kids and their parents is a huge responsibility and great opportunity to share the gospel with our communities.

COVID rocked the world in many ways, and children's ministry certainly wasn't an exception. Finding ways to reach children stuck at home was a challenge, and now that things are opening up, are there parts of our ministries that need to be shifted, removed, or started to adjust to this "new normal"? 

Brittney Howard oversees the children's ministry at Prodigal Church in Fresno, and she and her team have been wrestling with all those questions. They found creative ways to minister during the shutdown and have great ideas of goals for the re-opening process. Be encouraged and maybe get some new ideas as we all walk through these rapidly changing times together. 

All relationships can be messy, but the parent/child relationship is particularly interesting. As parents get older and their kids become care-givers, that can be a rocky transition, even for the closest of families. Knowing how to navigate new boundaries, difficult life adjustments, and challenging health diagnoses can lead to a lot of stress for both the parent and the child. How can we prepare ourselves in advance for that stage of life, and what does "success" even look like? 

Today we talk with Lisa Keith from FPU who is currently facing this challenge with her parents. After they moved in with Lisa a few years ago in great health, all of their lives were forced to shift once health and memory issues rapidly entered the picture. Lisa is handling the challenges with a lot of grace, and today she reminds us that there is always a silver lining as long as we keep proper perspective. 

Sometimes unlikely pairings can lead to significant and important partnerships. In recent years, many Congolese immigrants have found a new home in the U.S. in MB church families. Henri Ngolo has been one of those influential leaders, and MB district ministers Terry Hunt and Rick Eshbaugh have been instrumental in helping these new Congolese church plants grow and thrive in the U.S.

Many immigrants coming to the U.S. today are viewing that shift as a missionary assignment. The U.S. NEEDS church leaders from around the world, and we have much to share with them. Together, we can have a huge impact on the kingdom of God locally and around the world.

A lot of positive change has already come from these Congolese partnerships, and exciting things are on the horizon. Enjoy this episode and be encouraged! 

The sudden emergence of COVID-19 rocked all of our worlds, but church leaders had to move quickly and make tough decisions about how their congregations would meet. Those tough decisions seemed to keep coming for basically an entire year, and that pressure can put a huge strain on leaders--especially in particularly divided times.

Today we talk with three of USMB's district ministers to hear what they have been hearing from our local MB pastors around the country. We hear some encouraging success stories, and we also share stories of burdens we've all had to learn to carry together. As the world starts to slowly reopen, we hope this conversation leaves you encouraged and ready to see what God is up to in this new season of ministry. 

Many of our listeners are on staff at a local church, meaning our literal job is to spread the word about Jesus. As great of a privilege as that is, often times people working in the marketplace have more opportunities to build relationships and share about their faith with non-believers. Business leaders have tremendous opportunities to share the love of Christ by the way they lead, how they treat their employees, and how they view their business. 

Jason Lansdown owns two Chick-fil-A restaurants in Wichita, and he is a fantastic leader. His faith plays a critical role in how he leads his teams and runs his restaurants, and he is very intentional about financial generosity and leadership development in the next generation.

How can you honor God with your day-to-day work? How should the church view wealth and business success? Should churches start utilizing more business principles in their leadership? This is a great episode with lots of practical advice, so enjoy this great conversation with Jason (and then go grab a Chick-fil-A sandwich). 

All of our lives have been affected by the spread of the Coronavirus, but few of us have been hit as directly as Tabor's president, Dr. Jules Glanzer. After catching COVID, his health declined dramatically and led to an extended stay in the hospital. As his symptoms got worse, he even had a vision of entering heaven that led to significant shifts in how he's choosing to spend his days now.

Even for a proud Sterling grad (!), Dr. Glanzer's story is encouraging and inspiring. He also shares important leadership lessons we can all take away from this challenging time. Thank you, Dr. Glanzer, for sharing your story so openly with us. Enjoy, listeners! 

Losing a loved one is one of the hardest parts of the human experience. It's also true that knowing how to support grieving friends can be a tricky tight rope to walk. Everyone grieves differently, and knowing how to walk alongside people on that journey can be a real challenge. 

Today we talk with Jenny Akina, a Grief Share leader from Fresno. Her husband passed away years ago, and her journey with her own grief has given her a big heart for others going through the grieving process. This week's episode has valuable information both for those who have recently lost a loved one, as well as those of us who want to support friends and family members currently going through the grieving process.

Grief is hard, and it's a topic the church doesn't often address. The Bible instructs us to mourn with those who mourn, so hopefully this conversation gives you the tools to do that well.