You’ve dealt with them before. At your church, as a volunteer, on your staff, and as customers. Toxic people are, well, toxic. An unhealthy person can infect your team like toxins infect the human body. After some exposure, everyone feels sick. The optimist in you and me hopes that toxic people will get better, and the good news is, sometimes, they do. Unhealthy people can grow healthier with the right care and attention in a healthy environment. But some toxic people just don’t. Some remain difficult, despite all attempts. And as you know, if you don’t address toxic people — or worse, let th ..read more

If you’re like me, you love leaders who have a bias for action. If you think about it, leadership has two kinds of personalities: People who make decisions and take immediate action. People who discuss, debate, and think but, in the end, do nothing.  So, how do you create a make-it-happen culture? A culture where your team defaults to action rather than sticking with the status quo? Start With This Phrase (and Question) When we were creating our value statements at Connexus Church, where I served as Lead Pastor, I wanted to have a value statement that captured the spirit of a church pl ..read more

https://youtube.com/watch?v=NU8nkki-4dc%3Fsi%3DAqWjAQWQJQ2PkHMJ Listen, subscribe, and leave a review on: Global investment banker, financier, and philanthropist Ken Costa talks about the 100 trillion dollar wealth transfer that’s happening over the next decade as Boomers pass on their wealth to their Millennial and Gen Z children, what happens when the next generation inherits that much money, and the key to wealth for beginning investors. This episode is brought to you by: Gloo Forward-thinking pastors are turning to texting—a direct and effective way to reach your congregation. O ..read more

You may have noticed something. Over the last few years, church leaders have incessantly focused on “getting people back in the building.” That’s completely understandable, especially given how hard it was to rebuild churches after COVID. No one likes to preach to an empty room or watch the mission sputter and falter.  Now, what’s somewhat understandable, is that the buzzword that’s emerged from this is discipleship. You can’t talk to a church leader for more than five minutes without someone bringing up discipleship, or more precisely the seeming crisis in discipleship we’re experiencin ..read more

https://youtu.be/mo7JcaIMUZY Listen, subscribe, and leave a review on: 41% of Americans experience burnout after taking time off in the summer. In this episode, Carey breaks down why rest isn’t enough to sustain a leader, what’s at stake when you return from vacation (or Sabbatical) and lead tired, and also outlines four strategies that will help you sustain peak leadership performance after you return from your summer break. This episode is brought to you by: At Your Best My program, At Your Best, is a proven strategy to get your time, energy, and priorities working in your favor ..read more

https://youtube.com/watch?v=SHGc3Cxfx9g%3Fsi%3DwtXJqx0qTFDvEBu7 Listen, subscribe, and leave a review on: UnSeminary’s Rich Birch returns to the podcast to talk about what growing churches are doing right now, the first 100 days of a new attender’s journey at your church, whether to live stream or not live stream your services, and how to create a compelling invite culture at your church. This episode is brought to you by: Gloo With texting, your messages are guaranteed to be seen. Thanks to our friends at Gloo, you don’t need to squeeze another subscription into your budget to make ..read more

Episode 650: Gavin Adams on Why Leading a Church is Harder Than Leading a Business, How to Overcome Your Insecurity When Working With Gifted People, and Top Advice from Home Depot, Popeye’s, and Coca-Cola on Leading and Scaling Change Former Woodstock City Church Lead Pastor and Entrepreneur Gavin Adams talks about why leading a church is harder than leading a business, how to overcome your insecurity as a leader when working with gifted people, and his top advice from Home Depot, Popeye’s, and Coca-Cola on leading and scaling change. Download the Transcript Conversation Links Big Shoes to ..read more

When it comes to ministry, every leader knows you’re supposed to throw your heart into your work. But can you do that if you’re experiencing burnout? Take a moment to reflect on how you started out in ministry — with your heart fully engaged. You felt a call, a passion, a deep hope and an optimism that you’re going to make an impact. Nothing was going to stop you.  While leaders start out like this, many discover that there’s a shift somewhere along the way. It changes.  Sure, some of that can be from the cynicism and disillusionment that seems to be an epidemic these days (in cultu ..read more

Episode 648: Kadi Cole on Creating a Safe Space for Self-Reporting Pastoral Misconduct, Why Older Female Leaders Often Resist Younger Female Leaders, and the Remaining Pay Gap Between Men and Women Kadi Cole on creating a safe space for self-reporting pastoral misconduct before it starts or before it escalates, why older female leaders often resist younger female leaders, the remaining pay gap between women and men on church staff, and equipping business leaders to mentor the next generation. Download the Transcript Conversation Links Theological Cheat Sheet Momentum Marketplace Mentoring ..read more

Episode 647: Lee Strobel on Sharing Truth in an Age that Doesn’t Believe in it, the Future of Evangelism, Logical Trip Lines, and the Best Arguments For and Against Christianity Award winning author and former journalist Lee Strobel talks about sharing truth in an age that doesn’t believe in it, logical trip lines, why the future of evangelism is probably relational and informational, and the best arguments for and against Christianity. Download the Transcript Conversation Links Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry and Mary by Lee Strobel ​Is God Real by Lee Strobel The Case for Heaven Docu ..read more