Racial and gender reconciliation is so much more than hearing stories and singing songs during Black History Month. It requires us to know the whole story, go back before we can go forward. Reconciliation starts with God and ends in transformation of systems, relationships, and structures. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil goes there in challenging the Church’s political duplicity, the relationship between patriarchy and white supremacy, and how white women need to be allies to people of color. Take a deep breath and lean in. It’s time to do some work. Warning: do not listen to this episode if you don’t have a pen and paper to take notes. 

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• Website: https://www.saltermcneil.com

Resources:

• Buy Roadmap to Reconciliation and Becoming Brave (pre-order)

Dr. King said 60 years ago it’s a tragedy that 11am on Sunday morning is the most segregated hour in America. While we’ve made progress, this is still painfully true. The lens for segregation is often fear. As a Jesus follower, pastor, and a former candidate for other church staffing companies, Christopher is sick and tired of the racism and lack of opportunities for people of color in churches, but he’s committed to changing the narrative with a new church staffing company. Diversity is a critical pathway toward wholeness because those not like us teach us so much more about God, ourselves, and the world. We desperately need more diversity in our churches, especially on leadership levels.

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• Website: https://www.diversechurchjobs.com and linktr.ee/cjharrisone

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream feels more necessary today than it did when the Civil Rights movement began in the 1950’s. To be a person of faith compels you to be a bearer of justice in this world. To separate that out as unimportant wounds the image of God within you … and those not like you. Racial injustice is one of our country’s greatest sins and disparities. As a MLK Jr. scholar, Goodie masterfully weaves the Gospel, Dr. King’s life, and our current culture together into three specific action steps white people can take if they want a more robust faith in 2020. Get ready to come to CHURCH in this episode.

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• Website: www.goodiegoodloe.com 

Would you be willing to lose your dream for the sake of your integrity? Steve Carter lost his dreams when he stood up to power and sided with women’s stories of abuse. Through the loss, he’s more committed than ever to be an ally for women in life and leadership. In this episode, he vulnerably shares some of his personal journey from becoming the succeeding Lead Teaching Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church to leaving it all behind less than one year later because he believed the women. He offers practical ideas on how women can look for male allies and strongly calls men toward a better way forward in partnering with women that owns their own privilege, power, story, brokenness, and fear. This final episode of Season 3 is equally a tender and strong expression of Ezer + Co.’s vision of wholeness and partnership.

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• Website: https://www.steveryancarter.com

We really are better together. We all have more in common than our differences. Chris Marlow is the CEO of Help One Now, a non-profit that invisibly works in 8 countries around the globe. He’s seen first-hand that women are the solution to many of the world’s greatest problems. “Women are so freaking brilliant. They just need to be told their brilliant.” Chris shares what he wishes every woman would know, what men must stop doing, and the two keys to changing the power structures. This episode will simultaneously expand your vision of the world while inviting you into personal transformation. Men, you’ve got work to do. Women, don’t wait for permission to be a warrior. We’ve got important work to do together.

Follow Chris Here:

• Help One Now: https://www.helponenow.org

Managing your mental health and caring for your soul is essential if you want to avoid burnout. Dr. Wes Beavis, a clinical psychologist, specializes in mental health and leaders’ wellbeing in body, mind, and spirit. In this episode we talk about the findings from his new book, including what burnout is, the six stages of burnout, the two greatest causes, and how to prevent it. (HINT: burnout prevention begins with recognizing you are actually human.) If you’re a person of influence, this episode may save your life.

Follow Dr. Beavis Here:

• Website: www.DrWesBeavis.com

What’s the one word that best describes being a female leader? Kadi Cole gives her best response based on 25 years of corporate and church executive leadership, and over 1200 surveys and 30 interviews. Knowing what it’s like to be a female leader gives men and women an opportunity to lead together better. In this episode, we talk about building bridges so men and women can better partner together in leadership. Understanding the differences in how we listen empowers us to truly hear one another. She also unpacks the “sticky floor” principle and two practical ways that we can move beyond limiting internal conversations. Finally, Kadi gives women-specific advice about how to negotiate your compensation package when you know there’s an unfair (and illegal!) disparity.

Follow Kadi Here:

• Website: www.kadicole.com and www.developingfemaleleadersbook.com

Nancy Beach reluctantly found herself as a leader pursuing justice within an abuse scandal at Willow Creek Community Church. Over the last five years, Nancy has worked diligently with victims and key leaders to expose the truth, bring healing, and restoration in the midst of one of the most public evangelical scandals in America. She’s now focused on helping leaders and churches work toward better partnerships between men and women in leadership. In this episode, she honestly exposes and courageously challenges the current narrative about power, abuse, female exclusion, and owning our stories. She offers her dream for the future and two ways to partner better among genders, starting with the belief: “You’re my brother. You’re my sister.”

Follow Nancy Here:

• Website: www.nancylbeach.com

Can men and women be friends? We’re betting on it! Rules don’t address staying healthy within the guardrails. Deep friendship and healthy partnership are not only possible – but needed! – between men and women. Though a strong, independent woman raised him, theologically Mike required a shift in how he thought about women in life and leadership. Over the years, women have been the greatest truth tellers and most courageous voices in his life. We get real and practical about how our 9 years of friendship works, how we feel about the Billy Graham rule, and wisdom warnings to honor. This episode is a personal, behind-the-scenes look at what’s possible when honor, respect, love, and equality guide a friendship.

Follow Mike Here:

• Website: Hope West Side

What can a former NFL linebacker turned stay-at-home dad teach us about partnering as a husband and father? So much! Nick has done two things very few men do in their lives: compete at the highest level of football for 8 years and become a stay-at-home dad. In this episode, Nick shares about what true masculine strength looks like (SPOILER: opposite of toxic masculinity), how the posture conflict is critical for intimacy, and what he’s intentionally giving his kids that he never had. Nick opens up with tender strength about supporting his wife and kids’ dreams, even at his own expense. Perhaps the most ridiculous part of this episode is April failing to make sports analogies. #epicfail