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Content Library
How To Build A Rule of Life (Start Here)
Do you have a self-leadership system?If there is one thing I’ve had to learn the hard way, it is that an unhealthy leader cannot lead a healthy ministry.
Episode #015: Patrick Weikle & Landon Reynolds: Leadership Genesis, Healthy Systems, Surviving Ministry
Healthy systems create healthy leaders. What do unhealthy systems create? In this episode, I sat down with SSM founder Landon Reynolds and had an open and honest conversation about the current leadership-producing system in the church today. Are we creating healthy leaders? Is the current system setting up young pastors to fail? If so, how do we escape that system and protect the next generation of young pastors and leaders? If you are ready to end the cycle of unhealthy leadership, then this episode is for you!
Episode #014: Live Coaching: Being Busy, Leading From An Overflow, Finding Balance In Ministry
Do you feel like you're on the edge of burnout? Are you a healthy leader? Is there a balance between your work and personal life? In this episode, we talk about leading from a place of health and how to maintain a healthy work-life balance with Dupri Wells. Dupri is an Assistant Campus pastor at Church Unleashed. Additionally, Dupri is in charge of overseeing birth-12th grade ministries and staff. If you want to lead from a place of health and find balance in your life then this episode is for you!
Episode #013: Greg Gibson: Healthy Leadership, Productivity, Church Planting, Becoming A Healthy Leader
Do you want to be a healthy leader? In this episode, we interviewed Greg Gibson about healthy leadership, defining your wins, empowering people and leading teams. Greg is currently planting Nations Church in Washington, DC with his family. He also leads a global network of pastors and church planters called SALT and coaches other pastors through Gibson Leadership. Greg has a long history of leading and architecting healthy teams inside, and outside, the church. If you are ready to end the cycle of unhealthy leadership then this episode is for you!
Three Ways To Become A Healthy Leader
I've been in ministry long enough to know that our "why" can get compromised so easily. In the beginning, it was about God and serving people, but our "why" can shift to productivity, attendance, money, and influence. Now, none of those things that I just listed are bad. However, none of those things are a healthy "why" for ministry. I think that you need to work hard, be productive, reach more people this year than you did last year, and grow your influence.
Three Ways To Prepare Yourself (And Your Team) For A Tough Season
Here's a harsh reality: your ministry won't always experience growth. Your attendance won't always be substantial. Your team won't always break growth barriers. Your strategy won't always be effective. What do you do when a challenging night, event, or semester turns into a difficult season? I can promise you if you've been in ministry for more than a year, you know that a storm is on the horizon.
How To Avoid (And Help Your Team Avoid) The Ministry Identity Crisis
I found myself so anxious, angry, and tired that I had gained 40 lbs; I would get sick and vomit for 24-48 hours from stress, and I wanted to quit.
Episode #012: Live Coaching: Leading Teams, Managing Growth, Planning, & Executing Great Team Meetings
Do you lead or attend team meetings? Do you feel like most of the meetings you go to could have been an email? Are you in charge of leading a team meeting, and do you feel the weight of "death by meeting" every week? In this episode, we talk about managing teams and how to lead an effective team meeting with Sean Snyder. Sean is the student pastor of Grace Youth in Ohio. He is in charge of overseeing 7th-12th grade ministries and staff. If you want to lead meetings that motivate people to achieve more, then this episode is for you!
How To Deal With Ministry Stress
Does ministry ever stress you out? Of course, it does. Maybe it's how personal and pastoral life overlap or the burden for people's eternity. The weight of ministry is a real thing. If you lead in any capacity and make decisions, odds are you have goals to hit, change to manage, and complaints to deal with. Throw in long hours and ministry pay, and you have all the ingredients for significant stress.
10 Avoidable Mistakes Churches Make BEFORE The First-Time Guest Experience
Your first-time guest experience doesn’t begin at church. It begins far earlier. It begins on your website. It begins on your Instagram. It begins on your Google Reviews. It begins on your live stream. It begins on the road when people drive by. Guests experience your church weeks before they ever decide to show up in person physically.
Episode #011: Live Coaching: Planning Center, People & Processes, Creating A Ministry That Scales
Does your church management system frustrate you? Do you feel like you have to spend a ton of time figuring out how to find simple data? Do you wish you had an automated system to help you follow up with people and scale your ministry process? In this episode, we take a deep dive into creating a simple strategy using the Planning Center to help you better pastor and keep track of your people. Brennan Washington is a student pastor in Nashville, Tennessee, and is currently transitioning to Plant City Light Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky. If you want to want to create a system to help you make sure no one slips through the cracks of your ministry then this episode is for you!
Episode #010: Stephen Webb: Hot Takes, Youth Min Culture, Church Planter Transition, Planting vs Multi-Site
Healthy systems create healthy leaders. What do unhealthy systems create? In this episode, I sat down with SSM founder Landon Reynolds and had an open and honest conversation about the current leadership-producing system in the church today. Are we creating healthy leaders? Is the current system setting up young pastors to fail? If so, how do we escape that system and protect the next generation of young pastors and leaders? If you are ready to end the cycle of unhealthy leadership, then this episode is for you!
Five Politically Incorrect Ways To Avoid Burnout - Part 1
What if your burnout is your decision? In today's ministry world, we talk a lot about burnout. And for good reason, as I have written about here, the tenure of pastors is tragically short. But I think we've shifted the blame for burnout to the wrong place. Instead, I think we need to look at ourselves first:
Episode #009: Live Coaching: Marketing Your Ministry, Parent Meetings, Breaking Growth Barriers
Have you ever wondered how to scale your ministry and finally break your growth barriers? In this episode, we dive into marketing your ministry, parent meetings, scaling for growth, and more with Anthony Lucarini. Anthony is a student pastor in South Carolina and is in charge of leading the student ministry team at Low Country Church. If you want to break growth barriers and grow like never before, then this episode is a must-watch!
The One-Pager: The Document You Need To Scale Your Ministry
My question is – Is your ministry simple enough to fit onto one page? If you can’t, your ministry will not scale easily because it will be too complicated
Five Reasons Why The Average Youth Pastor Tenure Is 18 Months - Pt. 2
In part one, which I encourage you to read here, we look at five critical issues impacting the tenure of youth pastors. As you'll notice, many of those impacts were directly related to external circumstances. While those reasons are true for many, we cannot overlook the internal reasons why YPs leave ministry. I think we need to say "Enough of the victim mentality!" Let's look at the other side of the coin.
Episode #008: Amos Rivera: Managing Teams, The Simple Creative Process, Writing With Elevation Worship
Do you lead or manage a staff or volunteer team? In this episode, we interviewed Amos Rivera about leading teams and making the creative process simple and strategic. Amos is the worship pastor at United City Church and has worked with Grammy-nominated artists, producing and writing music as well as designing graphics and websites. If you want to get teams and processes working for you and not against you, then this episode is a must!