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David Ashcraft, CEO of the Global Leadership Network, is a dynamic leader with a proven ability to transform lives. He grew Lives Changed By Christ (LCBC) Church from a small congregation into one of the largest in the Northeastern U.S. Now leading the Global Leadership Summit, the world's largest leadership conference, David empowers pastors and leaders to drive lasting change in their communities. His story is one of growth, resilience, and a commitment to building leadership cultures that help churches and organizations thrive.
A quick survey of Jo Saxton's life would tell you that she is deeply passionate about developing leaders. Whether it's through speaking, her leadership of the Ezer Collective and Bethel University's “The 25,” her podcast or her books, her mission is easy to see. Fresh off the stage at the 2024 Global Leadership Summit, she sat down with Jason Jaggard to talk about her work, and shared wisdom on what young leaders bring to the workplace and how seasoned leaders can engage this emerging generation.
Recorded live at last year's Global Leadership Summit, Erwin Raphael McManus sat down to interview Harvard Business School Professor Arthur C. Brooks. Arthur takes us on a deep dive of science and physiology of happiness and gives us an introduction on how to leverage meta-cognition to start becoming happier people. As Erwin mentions in the interview, Arthur is a firehose of information, and you will definitely want to take notes as you listen in to this conversation.
Ruth: Faithful BitternessIs it possible to be bitter and still faithful? In the Book of Ruth, Naomi loses her husband and two sons. Ruth loses her husband and her homeland. Through the bitterness of this story, we see faithfulness sprouting in the Spring snow.Let us know your thoughts by reaching out and joining the conversation with your questions and comments using the information below:Text/Voicemail: 407-965-1607Email: podcast@wholelife.church#ThisIsWholeLifeJoin our ‘This Is WholeLife Podcast' Discord Channel: https://discord.gg/XuJaTRAt - Get access to pictures, videos, and other occasional easter eggs! If we mention in the episode that it's in our Discord Channel, you'll find it here! Download the Discord App from your device's app store, or go to https://discord.com/ and create your free account today!GLOBAL LEADERSHIP SUMMIT 2025 at WholeLife Church - Business Invitation! Download and Share!BOOK MENTIONED IN TODAY'S EPISODE: Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance by Erica DhawanGet Connected with WholeLife! Reach out and let us know how we can serve you: http://wholelife.church/connectSUBSCRIBE NOW to our weekly companion podcast, Speaking of Grace, to listen to the message this episode is based on and where our pastors and guest speakers invite you into a lifelong friendship with God. Never miss another message or series again! Take it with you in the car, at home, on your phone, on your smartwatch, and in your earbuds, wherever life takes you!This Is WholeLife features Pastors Ken Wetmore and Melanie Bockmann, with Assistant Communication Director Lucas Moraes, and Communication Director Randy Magray as the host. It is available everywhere you listen to podcasts! If you've enjoyed this episode, please rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts or your favorite platform and share it with your family, friends, and social media, where you will find us at the following links! X, Facebook, Instagram, and now on YouTube! Thank you...
Dan Owolabi is a CEO, a sought-after speaker and an author. He founded Branches Worldwide based on the belief that faith-fueled entrepreneurs can transform communities. Branches Worldwide works diligently to raise up entrepreneurs around the world and to connect them with resources, mentors and community. At the 2024 Global Leadership Summit, Dan sat down with Jason Jaggard, CEO of Novus Global and Global Leadership Podcast team member, to talk about why entrepreneurship is so critical to local communities, and the importance of being an authentic leader.
Vic Verchereau welcomes Rick Ruble, who is the Summit Point Leader for the Global Leadership Summit's Lansing area site. Rick Ruble has joined the effort to bring a worldwide event to the Mid-Michigan area. The Global Leadership Summit event reaches over 300,000 people in excess of 500 locations across the globe. As the Summit Point Leader for the Lansing area site, Rick embraces the vision and mission of the Global Leadership Network. When you see the possibilities for something bigger than yourself… when you understand your place in making a better world… when you get the tools and guidance you need to grow… when you're encouraged and energized to take that next step in your journey… you'll be ready to embrace the call to be a true leader. You'll show the way forward and bring others along with you, and you'll create moments and movements that make tangible, meaningful differences in the lives around you. That's leadership with a higher purpose. That's the vision! Hear all about this innovative program when Vic Verchereau asks Rick Ruble to take us to the event and this year's plans to grow the leader and grow your organization! Join the fun on this edition of the Leadership Lowdown. » Visit MBN website: www.michiganbusinessnetwork.com/ » Subscribe to MBN's YouTube: www.youtube.com/@MichiganbusinessnetworkMBN » Like MBN: www.facebook.com/mibiznetwork » Follow MBN: twitter.com/MIBizNetwork/ » MBN Instagram: www.instagram.com/mibiznetwork/
Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership with Ruth Haley Barton
This week, Ruth welcomes artist and pastor Delwin Eiland to discuss the spiritual practice of tarrying. Delwin shares his experience as a worship leader, emphasizing the importance of silence and restraint in spiritual life. The episode delves into how communal tarrying can create space for deeper connection with God and the role of the Holy Spirit in guiding these moments. Ruth and Delwin also discuss how silence can act as a form of resistance and sovereignty over one's inner life. The episode concludes with a tarrying moment held by one of Delwin's songs, titled 'Wait for You.' We are journeying through Lent with a podcast season entitled “Tarry with Me Awhile: Learnings from the Black Church.” We will use Dr. Selina Stone's book, Tarry Awhile: Wisdom from Black Spirituality for People of Faith, as a guide. Black spirituality has much to offer us in understanding the practice of tarrying as a Lenten practice. Together we will seek a deeper understanding of waiting on God in the liminal space—where the resurrection feels far off, and our deaths and suffering are present. Delwin Eiland (TC19) is an artist, pastor, & leader who exists to create trustworthy connections, God-centered affirmation, empathetic challenge, and steady, vulnerable leadership. He sees his work as a means to the end of building bridges and cultivating lasting connections. With over 25 years as a professional musician, Delwin brings experience and leadership in church environments and venues ranging from 30 to 30,000. He is a proven strategic & creative collaborator with work including Bethany Christian Services, the FILO Conference, and the Global Leadership Summit. Delwin currently serves as the worship pastor for Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI, as well as the worship leader for The Transforming Center. He and his wife, Ashlee, have three children. Music this season is provided by Julian Davis Reed. Julian Davis Reid (TC20) is an artist-theologian from Chicago who uses sound and word to offer hope to the searching, presence to the sorrowful, and rest to the weary. A pianist, composer, and producer, his projects featured on this podcast are the two solo piano records Rest Assured (2021) and Beside Still Waters (2024) and his single Moan (Matthew 2:18) featuring Tramaine Parker, released on Inauguration Day 2025 on the project When Souls Cry Out. Julian steadily releases music under his own name and with his group, The JuJu Exchange. You can learn more about his work at juliandavisreid.com. Mentioned in this episode: Tarry Awhile: Wisdom from Black Spirituality for People of Faith by Dr. Selina Stone The Sovereignty of Quiet: Beyond Resistance in Black Culture by Kevin Quashie Music Credit: Kingdom Come by Aaron Niequist Yesterday, Today, Forever from Music in Solitude Wait For You by Delwin Eiland Are you interested in learning more about Haven, our newest community offering from the Transforming Center? Haven is a community that meets alternately online and in person to create space for leaders to forge a stronger connection between their souls and their leadership. Each gathering (online and in-person) offers spiritual practices that increasingly open us to God over time. This new 18-month community experience will provide more intentional opportunities to engage with a diverse community of believers who are united around Christ. Learn more about dates and how to apply! Support the podcast! This season patrons will receive special bonus episodes with each guest, exploring different practices associated with Lent, such as solitude, self-examination, confession, and more. Become a patron today by visiting our Patreon page! The Transforming Center exists to create space for God to strengthen leaders and transform communities. You are invited to join our next Transforming Community:® A Two-year Spiritual Formation Experience for Leaders. Delivered in nine quarterly retreats, this practice-based learning opportunity is grounded in the conviction that the best thing you bring to leadership is your own transforming self! Learn more and apply HERE. *this post contains affiliate links
I went on airplane mode at Global Leadership Summit and a lightbulb finally went off. Learn how to be present so you don't miss your next opportunity to grow. #ThePitch #INICIVOX #VirtualMentorship
Listen to New York Times bestselling author and 8-figure entrepreneur Rory Vaden redefine personal brand /branding as "the digitization of your reputation." Moving beyond surface-level tactics, we explore how authentic personal branding isn't about social media strategies or visual design - it's about automating trust at scale and making a genuine impact through service to others. Rory challenges common misconceptions about personal branding, emphasizing that true success comes not from creating a perfect persona, but from revealing more of who you really are. As AI continues to advance, he argues that authentic human connection becomes increasingly valuable in the digital space. If you're listening to this episode, you're going to want to really listen in because chances are you are a mission-driven entrepreneur and you are desiring to make a big difference and an impact on the world. And if you're ready to change the way you think about your personal brand, why not apply for 1:1 private coaching with me? I would love to serve you on your journey to becoming your authentic self in all aspects of your life. EPISODE INSIGHTS: ✨00:00 Redefining personal brand /branding ✨05:07 Why personal branding isn't about social media or logos ✨10:17 The dangers of creating an inauthentic persona ✨15:13 Finding uniqueness in service of others ✨24:37 How to automate trust at scale ✨37:28 The role of authenticity in the age of AI HIGHLIGHT QUOTES: Personal branding is simply the digitization of your reputation. Rory Vaden Find your uniqueness and exploit it in the service of others. That's not just a great business model and not just a great personal brand strategy, but that is the bullseye of the purpose of our life. Rory Vaden When it comes to identifying that unique thing that you are, that only you can do uniquely, is such a clear thing to say but in practice, a lot of people struggle with this because it takes a certain level of knowing yourself. It takes a certain level of having the courage. Celinne Da Costa People don't actually want perfection. What they want is authenticity. What they want is connection. Rory Vaden EXPLORE FURTHER: ✨ Free Brand Call with Rory Vanden ✨ Book an alignment call with Celinne MEET RORY VADEN Rory Vaden is the New York Times bestselling author of Take the Stairs, an 8 Figure Entrepreneur, and the youngest person in history inducted into the professional speaking Hall of Fame. His expertise is in studying the psychology of influence – which he defines as the ability to move ourselves, and others, to take action. You can find his insights in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, CNN, Entrepreneur, Inc, and on Good Morning America and Fox News national television. His TEDx talk has 5 million views and he has been hired to speak for organizations like Google, Keller Williams, the Million Dollar Round Table, Leadercast and the Global Leadership Summit. While his first 2 books are about influencing ourselves to take action, in recent years he's done a lot of work around helping people build influential personal brands. In fact he's been hired as a private coach by many of the world's biggest personal development influencers. Such as: Lewis Howes, Ed Mylett, Amy Porterfield, Trent Shelton, Jasmine Star, Jim Kwik, Eric Thomas, John Maxwell and others. FIND MORE ABOUT RORY Instagram | Website MEET CELINNE DA COSTA Celinne Da Costa is a Master Coach and brand story expert who works with high-achieving, purpose-driven CEOs, experts. As well as executives to help them become confident, fully expressed leaders with transformational stories, an influential brand. Celinne has thousands of hours of practitioner training in various modalities, including NeuroLinguistic Programming, Facilitated Breath Repatterning. Moreover, hypnotherapy, shamanic energy healing, emotional intelligence coaching, and life coaching. Which she channels to create powerful breakthroughs for her clients. Her work has been featured in top media, including Forbes, Entrepreneur, and Business Insider. On the top of that - bestselling author and a popular speaker. Celinne has also delivered a TEDx speech on the power of human connection. Follow her journey on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @CelinneDaCosta. FIND MORE ABOUT CELINNE Website | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
In this deeply moving and insightful conversation, Alan Briggs sits down with bestselling author and pastor John Ortberg to explore the profound relationship between pain, spiritual growth, and authentic community. Drawing from his own personal journey, the teachings of Jesus, and the wisdom of the AA movement, John shares how embracing our brokenness can lead to deep transformation. About John John Ortberg was born in Rockford, Illinois. He earned his undergraduate degree from Wheaton College, and his M.Div. and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary. He has also studied at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. From 1985 to 1990 he served as senior pastor at Simi Valley Community Church, and then from 1990 to 1994 at Horizons Community Church (now Baseline Community Church) in Claremont, California. He then moved from California to Illinois to serve as a teaching pastor at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois until 2003, when he became the senior pastor at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, a multi-campus church in Northern California. Now, John leads the ministry Become New focused on helping people grow spiritually one day at a time through daily teaching and community. John's wife, Nancy, is also a pastor and published author. She currently leads Transforming the Bay with Christ in San Jose, California. John and Nancy have three children: Laura, Daniel, and John III. A central theme of John's teaching is spiritual formation, the transforming of human character through authentic experiences with God. John was a friend and mentee of the late Dallas Willard, a Christian teacher and author who wrote works such as The Divine Conspiracy and Renovation of the Heart. John draws much of his inspiration from Dallas. Today John continues to work alongside authors and teachers such as John Mark Comer, the founder and leader of Practicing the Way. John has been a speaker at many events including: Promise Keepers, Global Leadership Summit, Catalyst, and Practicing the Way. John is currently working on a new book based on the Become New teaching series “Ashes to Beauty” in which he explores the importance of embracing personal inadequacy as a means to experience spiritual renewal. What You'll Learn in This Episode: ✅ Why pain is often the greatest catalyst for spiritual growth ✅ The lessons John has learned from suffering and how they changed him ✅ How true connection and healing come through vulnerability ✅ What the church can learn from AA and the 12-step journey ✅ The power of confession, community, and finding a fully disclosing friend ✅ Why hitting rock bottom may actually be the beginning of real hope Key Quotes:
As leaders, we understand that purpose and calling play critical roles in achieving our goals. This week's guest highlights the potential pitfall of focusing solely on achievement. In this episode, former top sports agent Molly Fletcher shares how long-term joy and happiness come not from achievement but from daily improvement and fulfillment. At the 2024 Global Leadership Summit, she discussed key concepts from her book, Dynamic Drive: The Purpose-Fueled Formula for Sustainable Success, in a live interview with Jason Jaggard.
Discover the transformative journey of Fort Wayne, the Midwest's fastest-growing metro, with our distinguished guests, board chair Mike Packnett and vice chair Brenda Gerber Vincent. Together, we uncover the stories behind the anticipated $3 billion in building permits by 2024 and celebrate the city's accolade as the most affordable place to live. Through heartfelt conversations, we explore what sets Fort Wayne apart as a top destination for Gen Z homeownership and a beacon of community innovation and collaboration.Join us as we highlight the extraordinary unity in Fort Wayne's community development, where marketplace leaders and pastors from diverse backgrounds come together to drive positive change. This episode shines a light on impactful leaders like Pastor Anthony Payton and the significant contributions of African American pastors who uplift the entire community. We draw comparisons to other cities and reflect on successful collaborations in Allen County, showcasing how unique strategies pave the way for substantial milestones and achievements.The episode also delves into the profound impact of faith-driven leadership and mentorship in Fort Wayne. We explore how initiatives like the Global Leadership Summit and the Ignite Emerging Leader program connect seasoned and emerging leaders through faith-based principles. From the inspiring "death club" story at a local school to the vibrant prayer community at Electric Works, we celebrate the transformative power of mentorship, unity, and prayer. Tune in to be part of the Citywide Movement of Love Fort Wayne, where love, support, and prayer uplift our community.
It's difficult to keep our cool when disagreements and tension crop up in our relationships. Yet, this is the moment when we most need to be calm and curious. Is there a way that we can start to move beyond reacting impulsively and start to become curious about what is truly going on behind the conflict we are experiencing? Comedic thought leader, author and actor Michael Jr. sat down with Craig Groeschel at the 2024 Global Leadership Summit and shared what we often get wrong about conflict. He unpacked how becoming internally curious is a key tool to unlock the true gift that disagreements can bring to our lives. This episode is for anyone who is looking for practical ways to reframe conflict in any area of your life.
N. R. Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys, emphasizes hard work as a priority over work-life balance. He maintained a schedule of 14 hours a day, six and a half days a week for 30 years until his retirement in 2011. His workday began at 6:20 a.m. and ended at 8:30 p.m. He expressed disappointment when India shifted to a five-day workweek in 1986. Murthy has suggested that young people in India should work 70 hours a week, opposing local labor laws. Recently, at CNBC's Global Leadership Summit, he reiterated his belief against the concept of work-life balance. Infosys, founded in 1981 with $250, expanded to 56 countries and employs over 317,000 people. The company became the first Indian firm listed on NASDAQ in 1999 and reports a market capitalization of over $92 billion and $18 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2024.Learn more on this news visit us at: https://greyjournal.net/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dan Owolabi is the Founding Executive Director of Branches Worldwide, a fast-growing non-profit organization dedicated to investing in high-impact Christian entrepreneurs globally. With 20 years of experience in teaching leadership, Dan is a sought-after keynote speaker and a member of the Global Leadership Summit teaching faculty. He has worked with leaders across more than 15 countries and four continents, helping them clarify their identity and leverage their influence to serve others.SHOW SUMMARYIn this episode of the Selling from the Heart podcast, Larry Levine and Darrell Amy talk with Dan Owolabi about the crucial role of authenticity and self-awareness in sales and leadership. Dan shares insights from his book Authentic Leadership, discussing the importance of understanding both internal and external self-awareness and how these practices impact influence and relationships. The conversation provides practical steps for developing self-awareness and highlights the significance of core values and cultural intelligence in effective leadership. Larry and Darrell also thank listeners for their support of Selling in a Post-Trust World and encourage reviews to unlock exclusive podcast content.KEY TAKEAWAYSAuthenticity in Sales and Leadership: Genuine behavior is essential for building trust and achieving success in sales and leadership.Self-Awareness: Understanding both your internal thoughts and how others perceive you is key to enhancing influence and fostering relationships.Core Values: Identifying and adhering to a few core, non-negotiable values is crucial for maintaining integrity and guiding actions.Cultural Intelligence: The ability to understand and connect with people from diverse backgrounds is vital for effective leadership and sales.Influence and Connection: True influence comes from connecting with others authentically, helping them improve, and building trust through integrity.QUOTES TO REMEMBER"Self-awareness is a lot like trying to read the outside of a bottle from the inside. When you're inside yourself, it's really hard, but if you can ever get outside yourself, if you can understand how people see you, that'll make a huge difference in your life." – Dan Owolabi"To know thyself is to value thyself. And if you really value yourself, you've got to do the heart work (H.E.A.R.T.). It's hard work, but it pays off." – Larry LevineCONNECT WITH DAN OWOLABI:Dan Owolabi's LinkedIn.FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION:Darrell Amy's LinkedInLarry Levine's LinkedInSelling from the Heart websiteADDITIONAL RESOURCES:Order Larry Levine's book, Selling in a Post-Trust World:Get it on Barnes & Noble and access exclusive content!SUBSCRIBE to our YOUTUBE CHANNEL!Stay updated with the latest episodes and leadership tips: Selling from the Heart YouTubeGet Your Daily Dose of Inspiration:Click Here for Your Daily Dose
Julie Deem invites Monica Bush to the show, recorded live at Global Leadership Summit. Learn more about what she has been up to since last year with her non-profit, Legendary Smiles. Legendary Smiles: Strengthening and supporting families in the cleft and the craniofacial community. https://www.legendarysmiles.org/ Thank you, Crossroads Community Church! https://ecrossroads.org/ Learn more about the latest tool for dynamic professionals in the self-improvement industry, LyfQuest. A mobile CRM platform that's uniquely made for you! Learn more at: https://lyfquest.io/ Instagram: USW Podcast @uswkokomo Kalena James @yesitskalenajames Julie Deem @indymompreneur -------------------------------------------------- USW Kokomo Website Production by The Business Podcast Editor
Julie Deem invites Jenelle Campbell to the show, recorded live at Global Leadership Summit. Learn more about her role with Community First Bank in Indiana. Community First Bank: https://cfbindiana.com/ Thank you, Crossroads Community Church! https://ecrossroads.org/ Learn more about the latest tool for dynamic professionals in the self-improvement industry, LyfQuest. A mobile CRM platform that's uniquely made for you! Learn more at: https://lyfquest.io/ Instagram: USW Podcast @uswkokomo Kalena James @yesitskalenajames Julie Deem @indymompreneur -------------------------------------------------- USW Kokomo Website Production by The Business Podcast Editor
It's not often that you get to listen to someone who has literally been rated the best in the world in their craft, but that is exactly what this episode is about. Under Will Guidara's Leadership, Eleven Madison Park (EMP) received 3 Michelin Stars, and was rated the #1 restaurant in the world. In this conversation with GLN President and CEO David Ashcraft, recorded live at the Global Leadership Summit, Will shares about the power of hospitality for all businesses and organizations. He also shares some of the leadership principles that created a winning culture at EMP. If you have ever wanted to learn from someone operating at the peak of their profession, this episode is just right for you.
Alicia Antonetti-Tricker, a principal at Crowe LLP, remembers a time when she saw very few women in leadership roles in the accounting profession. Whether barriers were real or perceived, she said, “there were barriers for women advancing in the profession.” Today, that's changing, and events such as the AICPA & CIMA Women's Global Leadership Summit, which is in November in Bellevue, Wash., have helped to continue the momentum for women ascending to accounting leadership roles. In this podcast episode, Antonetti-Tricker discussed highlights of a session she took part in last year, one she says typifies the summit's agenda. She also touched on some of the initiatives Crowe has put in place and why finding advocates and allies is important for women to continue to advance to leadership roles. What you'll learn from this episode: · What stuck out to Crowe's Alicia Antonetti-Tricker about meetings nearly 30 years ago. · The value of powerful connections in helping to grow the number of women in leadership roles in the profession. · A look back at a session that is typical of the AICPA & CIMA Women's Global Leadership Summit. · A by-the-numbers look at progress made related to women in leadership positions. · Why Antonetti-Tricker keeps coming back to the summit.
Julie Deem invites Crystal Sanburn to the show. Crystal is the executive director at Cross America. This episode was recorded live at Global Leadership Summit. Learn more about Cross America at: https://crossamerica.net/ Thank you, Crossroads Community Church! https://ecrossroads.org/ Learn more about the latest tool for dynamic professionals in the self-improvement industry, LyfQuest. A mobile CRM platform that's uniquely made for you! Learn more at: https://lyfquest.io/ Instagram: USW Podcast @uswkokomo Kalena James @yesitskalenajames Julie Deem @indymompreneur -------------------------------------------------- USW Kokomo Website Production by The Business Podcast Editor
Julie Deem invites Christy Miller to the show. Christy shares how she was able to start a business doing what she loves. This episode was recorded live at Global Leadership Summit. Visit Oak Hill Millworks to view their store or place custom orders: https://oakhillmillworks.com/ Thank you, Crossroads Community Church! https://ecrossroads.org/ Learn more about the latest tool for dynamic professionals in the self-improvement industry, LyfQuest. A mobile CRM platform that's uniquely made for you! Learn more at: https://lyfquest.io/ Instagram: USW Podcast @uswkokomo Kalena James @yesitskalenajames Julie Deem @indymompreneur -------------------------------------------------- USW Kokomo Website Production by The Business Podcast Editor
Join Jenni Catron and David Ashcraft for a deep dive into transformative leadership and the vital importance of succession planning. In this insightful conversation, they explore how pride can unexpectedly shape leadership dynamics and why letting go of ownership is essential for organizational growth. David shares his journey from leading LCBC for over three decades to his current role at the Global Leadership Network (GLN), emphasizing the need to prioritize the organization's best interests during transitions. Together, they discuss the importance of initiating succession conversations early and investing in internal talent, while also addressing the emotional complexities that come with change.David underscores key leadership qualities such as focus, vision casting, and the necessity of nurturing trust within teams. He encourages leaders to maintain their relationships with God and family as top priorities, reminding us that true leadership extends beyond the spotlight.Throughout the episode, Ashcraft champions continuous learning and fostering a strong leadership culture. He invites listeners to connect with GLN and participate in the annual Global Leadership Summit, empowering them to cultivate their own leadership journeys. Don't miss this opportunity to gain practical insights and inspiration for your leadership path!https://globalleadership.org/summit/https://globalleadership.org/summit/#participateWe need your help to get the LeadCulture podcasts in front of more leaders! There are three simple things you can do that truly help us: Review us on Apple podcasts Subscribe - we're available wherever you listen to podcasts. Share - let your friends know about the podcast by sharing your favorite episode on social media!
Julie Deem invites Stephanie Brutus to the show to discuss leadership in the form of being a good steward of your death. This episode was recorded live at Global Leadership Summit. Stephanie Brutus is the Advanced Planning Coordinator at Stout Funeral Home. Stephanie previously worked for Elara Caring Home Care and Hospice. She was raised in Howard County and graduated from Ball State University with a degree in Journalism. Stephanie and her husband Bill live in Howard County. They have three children, Blake, Blaine, and Bayley. Thank you, Crossroads Community Church! https://ecrossroads.org/ Learn more about the latest tool for dynamic professionals in the self-improvement industry, LyfQuest. A mobile CRM platform that's uniquely made for you! Learn more at: https://lyfquest.io/ Instagram: USW Podcast @uswkokomo Kalena James @yesitskalenajames Julie Deem @indymompreneur -------------------------------------------------- USW Kokomo Website Production by The Business Podcast Editor
Julie Deem invites Kimberly Robertson to the show, recorded live at Global Leadership Summit. Learn more about her role with Merrell Bros. Since 1982, Merrell Bros., Inc. has helped offer solutions to environmental challenges facing municipalities, industries, and agricultural operations across the United States. Working with our team, you will experience a company that is grounded in faith, with honesty and professionalism. Website: https://merrellbros.com/ Thank you, Crossroads Community Church! https://ecrossroads.org/ Learn more about the latest tool for dynamic professionals in the self-improvement industry, LyfQuest. A mobile CRM platform that's uniquely made for you! Learn more at: https://lyfquest.io/ Instagram: USW Podcast @uswkokomo Kalena James @yesitskalenajames Julie Deem @indymompreneur -------------------------------------------------- USW Kokomo Website Production by The Business Podcast Editor
David Ashcraft, President and CEO of the Global Leadership Network, leads Global Leadership Network, highlighted by the Global Leadership Summit. He previously served 32 years at LCBC Church, growing it from 150 attendees to 19 locations with 22,000 weekly attendees. To learn more about the podcast or access the show notes, visit www.redletterpodcast.com.Today's podcast is brought to you by our partner's newest resource called Red Letter Advent. This product is only available to order for one more week (September 17th). Red Letter Advent is a 25-day devotional that is perfect for your church. For December 1-25, readers will be invited to unbox the four gifts of hope, peace, joy, and love that Jesus so desperately wants for them to not only open but give away to others. Not only will readers go through a powerful journey but so will the whole church. Alongside the book, we provide every other resource your church would need for FREE for a powerful month of December including sermons, small group or midweek videos, kids curriculum, daily family questions, graphics, you name it. But the only way to guarantee it for your church is to get your orders in now. Retail is $20 per book, but our current sale has the books 25-35% off with a minimum order of 25 books or more. Because of the seasonality of this product, we cannot guarantee a church books if they choose not to get in now. So, get in now, and lock your church into a powerful month of December with Red Letter Advent. You can find all the details or grab a FREE sample at www.redletteradvent.com.Resources mentioned in the episode: Global Leadership SummitGlobal Leadership NetworkLCBC ChurchRed Letter AdventKey insights from the episode: Churches stop growing because of a systematic issue, not a spiritual issue. - David AshcraftIf churches want to grow, you gotta look at the structure of growing churches double your size. - David AshcraftLead pastors need to hire people who will cause the church to grow, not just take the load off them. - David AshcraftFor church growth, you have to constantly be creating systems. - David AshcraftYou can't cookie-cutter discipleship. - David AshcraftSome pastors will settle for just money when they could have had all of the individuals. - David AshcraftThe bigger the organization, the less you, as a leader, get to do. - David AshcraftI know we are called to teach discipleship, but the church seems to focus only on leadership. - David AshcraftI would love to be an advantage to every pastor I come across. - David AshcraftDavid Ashcraft's Challenge: Up your leadership. Focus on leadership as an integral part of discipleship. Are you following Jesus? Many want to be greater followers of Jesus but don't know how. We extensively studied everything Jesus commanded of us and located five key targets to which Jesus invited His followers. The five targets are Being, Forgiving, Serving, Giving, and Going.In partnership with LifeWay Research, we created a Red Letter Challenge Assessment that will measure you according to these five targets. And the best news of all: it's free! You will receive your results immediately and be presented with the next steps to help you become an even greater follower of Jesus.You can take the FREE Red Letter Challenge Assessment here. This is another Hurrdat Media Production. Hurrdat Media is a podcast network and digital media production company based in Omaha, NE. Find more podcasts on the Hurrdat Media Network by going to HurrdatMedia.com or the Hurrdat Media YouTube channel!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Julie Deem invites Becky Piercy to the show, recorded live at Global Leadership Summit. Learn more about her role with Crossroads Community Church. Thank you, Crossroads Community Church! https://ecrossroads.org/ Learn more about the latest tool for dynamic professionals in the self-improvement industry, LyfQuest. A mobile CRM platform that's uniquely made for you! Learn more at: https://lyfquest.io/ Instagram: USW Podcast @uswkokomo Kalena James @yesitskalenajames Julie Deem @indymompreneur -------------------------------------------------- USW Kokomo Website Production by The Business Podcast Editor
In this second episode about the 2024 Global Leadership Summit, GLN VP of Marketing and podcast host Whitney Putnam talks with Craig Groeschel and Jo Saxton about how they were personally impacted by this year's Summit. We invite you to listen in as Craig and Jo share their highlights and challenges that they heard and also some of the ideas and actions that they are implementing immediately on their teams.
Case Interview Preparation & Management Consulting | Strategy | Critical Thinking
Welcome to an interview with Dr. Sam Adeyemi (Ah Day yeh me), a global speaker, strategic leadership expert, minister, and author who has influenced millions of people on success and leadership through radio, television, conferences, and information products for more than 25 years. Atlanta-based Dr. Sam Adeyemi leads leaders. He shifts mindsets to help leaders see possibilities and become those possibilities. More than 3 million CEOs and high performing individuals follow Dr. Sam on top social media sites. He holds a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership from Virginia's Regent University, and is author of the book "Dear Leader: Your Flagship Guide to Successful Leadership." He and his wife, Nike (say Nee keh) have three children and founded Daystar Christian Centre in Lagos, Nigeria. More than 45,000 alumni have graduated from Dr. Sam's leadership school. As a global conference speaker, Sam has addressed audiences in the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, South Africa, Nigeria, India, and several other countries. In 2015 and 2017, he spoke at the Global Leadership Summit, a global conference attended by over 400,000 leaders in 130+ countries. Get Dear Leader here: https://rb.gy/cin0ng Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo
Julie Deem invites Jen Rummel to the show, recorded live at Global Leadership Summit. Learn more about her role with Crossroads Community Church. Thank you, Crossroads Community Church! https://ecrossroads.org/ Learn more about the latest tool for dynamic professionals in the self-improvement industry, LyfQuest. A mobile CRM platform that's uniquely made for you! Learn more at: https://lyfquest.io/ Instagram: USW Podcast @uswkokomo Kalena James @yesitskalenajames Julie Deem @indymompreneur -------------------------------------------------- USW Kokomo Website Production by The Business Podcast Editor
In this insightful episode of The Messenger Movement Podcast, host Tamra Andress shares her key takeaways from the Global Leadership Summit in Chicago. Dive into the wisdom of renowned speakers like Coach K, Joe Saxton, Molly Fletcher, and Erwin McManus as they explore themes of agility, adaptability, and the power of communication. Tamra reflects on how these lessons apply to her own life and leadership journey, offering practical insights for personal and professional growth. Discover Coach K's seven values of life, Joe Saxton's strategies for restoring your voice, Molly Fletcher's alignment audit for creating choices, and Erwin McManus's profound thoughts on the frequencies of communication. Plus, learn about Tamra's upcoming conference, Founder Con, designed to empower marketplace ministers. Join us at FounderCon! https://thefoundercollective.org/foundercon Where to Find Tamra: Become a Millionaire Messenger! Take your Voice and Vocation to the Nations: https://fitinfaithmedia.com/millionaire-messenger ⁉️ Have a faith & or biz question you'd like to have me answer? Feel free to write it, along with your honest review on Apple Podcasts - I'll share you and give you the answer in an upcoming episode!
As the 2024 Global Leadership Summit wrapped up, we sat down with David Ashcraft, President and CEO of the Global Leadership Network. In this conversation with Whitney Putnam (GLN VP of Marketing), David shares some of his highlights and takeaways from this year's Summit, and looks forward to GLS2025.
Julie Deem invites Kim Lafollette to the show, recorded live at Global Leadership Summit. Learn more about her role with Community First Bank in Indiana. Community First Bank: https://cfbindiana.com/ Thank you, Crossroads Community Church! https://ecrossroads.org/ Learn more about the latest tool for dynamic professionals in the self-improvement industry, LyfQuest. A mobile CRM platform that's uniquely made for you! Learn more at: https://lyfquest.io/ Instagram: USW Podcast @uswkokomo Kalena James @yesitskalenajames Julie Deem @indymompreneur -------------------------------------------------- USW Kokomo Website Production by The Business Podcast Editor
Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 475, an interview with Dr. Sam Adeyemi (Ah Day yeh me), a global speaker, strategic leadership expert, minister, and author who has influenced millions of people on success and leadership through radio, television, conferences, and information products for more than 25 years. Atlanta-based Dr. Sam Adeyemi leads leaders. He shifts mindsets to help leaders see possibilities and become those possibilities. More than 3 million CEOs and high performing individuals follow Dr. Sam on top social media sites. He holds a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership from Virginia's Regent University, and is author of the book "Dear Leader: Your Flagship Guide to Successful Leadership." He and his wife, Nike (say Nee keh) have three children and founded Daystar Christian Centre in Lagos, Nigeria. More than 45,000 alumni have graduated from Dr. Sam's leadership school. As a global conference speaker, Sam has addressed audiences in the United States, Canada, Germany, United Kingdom, South Africa, Nigeria, India, and several other countries. In 2015 and 2017, he spoke at the Global Leadership Summit, a global conference attended by over 400,000 leaders in 130+ countries. Get Dear Leader here: https://rb.gy/cin0ng Here are some free gifts for you: Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo
Join Sarah as she recaps what she learned at the 2024 Global Leadership Summit. Contact the Agent Survival Guide Podcast! Email us ASGPodcast@Ritterim.com or call 1-717-562-7211 and leave a voicemail. Mentioned in this episode: Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast: Official | Apple | Spotify | YouTube Global Leadership Summit: https://globalleadership.org/summit/ Kindra Hall Storytelling Books: https://www.kindrahall.com/books Moriah Smallbone Official Website: https://www.moriahofficial.com/ Mind Shift with Erwin & Aaron McManus: Apple | Spotify | YouTube The Seven Frequencies of Communication: https://www.thesevenfrequencies.com/ Resources: Best Practices for Training Downline Agents: https://link.chtbl.com/ASG589 Developing an Agency: Your Guide to Getting Started: https://ritterim.com/agency-guide/ How to Be an Adaptable Insurance Agent: https://link.chtbl.com/ASG582 How to Recruit Agents to Your Downline in 2024: https://link.chtbl.com/ASG588 The Best Books for Insurance Agents: https://link.chtbl.com/ASG590 References: “7 Workplace Personality Tests That Can Help Improve Your Team.” LinkedIn, LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/learning-and-development/workplace-personality-tests-that-can-improve-your-team. Accessed 13 Aug. 2024. Follow Us on Social! Ritter on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/RitterIM Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/ritter.insurance.marketing/ LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/company/ritter-insurance-marketing TikTok, https://www.tiktok.com/@ritterim X, https://twitter.com/RitterIM and Youtube, https://www.youtube.com/user/RitterInsurance Sarah on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/sjrueppel/ Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/thesarahjrueppel/ and Threads, https://www.threads.net/@thesarahjrueppel Tina on LinkedIn, https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-lamoreux-6384b7199/
In this enlightening episode of The Messenger Movement Podcast, host Tamra Andress shares her transformative experience and key takeaways from attending the Global Leadership Summit. Emphasizing the power of effective storytelling for leaders, speakers, and messengers, Tamra discusses various techniques and insights from renowned speakers at the summit. From Craig Groeschel's lessons on focusing and caring deeply, to Kendra Hall's structured storytelling strategies, and Mariah's poetic approach to sustainable artistry, Tamra covers it all. She delves into the importance of creating analogies and metaphors to build bridges and connections, allowing stories to resonate and transform. Tamra encourages listeners to apply these storytelling techniques to turn their messages into powerful movements. Additionally, she invites everyone to join The Founder Collective event on November 7th and 8th, 2024, a gathering designed for messengers and leaders eager to ignite their passion and learn from experienced voices. Tune in to discover how you can elevate your storytelling skills and become an effective messenger in your own right. Where to Find Tamra: Become a Millionaire Messenger! Take your Voice and Vocation to the Nations: https://fitinfaithmedia.com/millionaire-messenger ⁉️ Have a faith & or biz question you'd like to have me answer? Feel free to write it, along with your honest review on Apple Podcasts - I'll share you and give you the answer in an upcoming episode!
Kalena James and Julie Deem kick off a 10 week leadership series recorded live at this year's Global Leadership Summit. Catch up with them and learn more about our favorite take aways from the conference so far! Thank you, Crossroads Community Church! https://ecrossroads.org/ Learn more about the latest tool for dynamic professionals in the self-improvement industry, LyfQuest. A mobile CRM platform that's uniquely made for you! Learn more at: https://lyfquest.io/ Instagram: USW Podcast @uswkokomo Kalena James @yesitskalenajames Julie Deem @indymompreneur -------------------------------------------------- USW Kokomo Website Production by The Business Podcast Editor
We recently heard Coach Mike Krzyzewski at the Global Leadership Summit outline four keys to dynamic leadership that helped him coach teams to national championships and Gold Medals. Tune in as we dive into these and apply them to leading a business. Enjoy.
Welcome to the Essentially You podcast, where we explore the science of happiness and well-being to help coaches and coaching leaders bring out the best in themselves and those they serve. Join host Mark Mathia as he delves into how to maximize learning experiences by creating an integration plan and putting those learnings into action. In this episode, Mark shares insights from the Global Leadership Summit and discusses the importance of not just consuming information, but actively applying it to achieve personal and professional growth. He offers 10 practical ways to create and execute an integration plan, ensuring that new knowledge is effectively retained and utilized. Whether you've attended a workshop, read a book, or taken a course, this episode will provide you with actionable strategies to deepen your understanding, enhance your productivity, and create positive changes in your work and life. Tune in to discover how to turn your learning into lasting impact and become the kind of leader others want to follow.
We gather leaders to address our city's greatest needs. We also like to invest in them and help them grow. What better way than to hear from our city's Mayor. Jonathan, our Executive Director, had the privilege of interviewing Mayor Stephanie Terry at the Global Leadership Summit this year. We hope you're encouraged by her leadership and inspired to work together to make Evansville a place where everyone can flourish.
Pastor: Jordan Hansen Series: Priority Mail (10) Title: 1 Timothy, Disciplined Leadership Date: 2024.08.03+04 --------------------- CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Teaser 00:18 - Series 00:59 - Sermon (1) 02:46 - Prayer & Fasting 04:11 - Sermon (2) 04:27 - Dad Picture 06:14 - Sermon (3) 08:27 - Main Idea 11:16 - Point 1 16:22 - Point 2 20:57 - Point 3 34:26 - Closing --------------------- RESOURCES: Recommended Author: John Maxwell Book: Fasting | By Jentezen Franklin Book: The Life You've Always Wanted: Spiritual Discipline for Ordinary People | By John Ortberg Craig Groeschel's Leadership Podcast - https://www.craiggroeschel.com/leadershippodcast --------------------- LINKS: First Wednesday Prayer and Worship - August 7, 7 pm in the Main Auditorium. The first Wednesday of each month is a special time for CLC'ers to come together for a dedicated prayer and worship service. All-Church Prayer and Fasting - August 8 - 28. Prayer services, August 14, 21, and 28, 6 - 7 pm. CLC will be open for prayer during office hours, Monday - Thursday, 8 am - 5 pm and Friday, 8 am - 12 pm. The Global Leadership Summit is August 8 - 9. Price roll-back to $159 until August 4! Register at https://www.clcdayton.com/summit GrowthTrack 101 - August 14, 7 pm. Are you new to CLC and want to learn more about the church and meet others you worship with? If so, GrowthTrack is the place for you! For more information and to register visit https://www.clcdayton.com/grow Water Baptism - August 17 and 18 during the weekend services. For more information and to fill out the interest form, visit https://www.clcdayton.com/baptism GROUPLIFE: to see the current group opportunities visit https://www.clcdayton.com/groups ---------------------
Our guest is David Ashcraft, CEO of the Global Leadership Network which puts on the Global Leadership Summit, the largest leadership event of its kind in the world. David spent over 3 decades as the senior pastor of LCBC Church in PA before his current role. He's also the founder of The Advantage, a leadership collective focused on equipping pastors across the state of Pennsylvania. We discuss succession planning, conferences today, best leadership lessons, the power of focus, and much more. Make sure to visit http://h3leadership.com to access the list and all the show notes. Thanks again to our partners for this episode: HELP ONE NOW – empowers families in developing countries through partnership with high-capacity leaders with proven solutions to end extreme poverty. Visit https://helponenow.org/thecircle. Get involved by joining The Circle, a growing network of people committed to ending extreme poverty through family empowerment. Your monthly recurring gift will send students to school, empower families to launch businesses and support the growth and impact of Help One Now. The Circle creates a sustainable pathway to break the cycle of poverty for generations to come! To learn more visit http://helponenow.org/thecircle. And DIME – DIME Accounting will help you manage HR, accounting, payroll and tax. Find out more at http://dimeaccounting.com. Get back to doing what you love by allowing DIME to be your comprehensive business services company. Helping simplify your business – DIME can pay the bills, record deposits, file taxes, run payroll, keep the books, provide legal advice and more. Visit http://dimeaccounting.com to learn more.
There is a loneliness epidemic. We've lost our ability to connect to one another. In this conversation with Bryan Loritts we discuss the importance of enduring friendships. God's primary way of shaping people is through relationships with others and the Bible places a high premium on relationships, seen in concepts like the Trinity and salvation. Jesus modeled community by choosing 12 disciples to be with. We talk about the idea that friendships are important for accountability, correction and preventing isolation that can enable moral failure and the importance of being open and vulnerable within close friendships. Join us as we learn how to connect and have friendships that endure. Bryan C. Loritts (DMin, Liberty University) is teaching pastor of the Summit Church in Durham, North Carolina. He has dedicated his life and ministry to seeing the multiethnic church become the new normal in our society. He is also vice president for regions for the Send Network, the church planting arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, where he is responsible for training church planters in multiethnic church planting. He has been a featured speaker at the Global Leadership Summit and Catalyst. His books include Insider Outsider, The Dad Difference, and The Offensive Church. His latest book is Enduring Friendship. Bryan's Book:Enduring FriendshipBryan's Recommendations:TrumanThe Miracle of St. AnthonyJoin Our Patreon for Early Access and More: PatreonConnect with Joshua: jjohnson@allnations.usGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Threads at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcasthttps://www.instagram.com/shiftingculturepodcast/https://twitter.com/shiftingcultur2https://www.threads.net/@shiftingculturepodcasthttps://www.youtube.com/@shiftingculturepodcastConsider Giving to the podcast and to the ministry that my wife and I do around the world. Just click on the support the show link belowSend us a Text Message.Support the Show.
Many of the best leaders are confident and humble, driven yet healthy, and focused but still flexible. Greatness is often found in those extremes, and in this episode, Craig shares the secrets to mastering these extreme qualities. Watch video and download the leader guide: https://www.life.church/leadershippodcast/leading-from-your-extremes-live-from-the-global-leadership-summit/
GLS Next Gen is an exciting new model to enhance the Global Leadership Summit for a new audience! Join GLS Next Gen team members, Jenna Istvanik and Mariana Rubinec, who share their experience in developing this new, exclusive content. We hear the importance of investing in the present to build the future. Join the conversation to identify and nurture leadership potential in young people. Links Mentioned Network Code to receive $99 : SMT24NXTGEN Link to NNYM's GLS NextGen info page: nnym.org/gls Takeaways Leadership training is crucial for the next generation in youth ministry GLS Next Gen offers a second screen experience for students with exclusive content and networking opportunities Investing in the present is essential for building the future Youth leaders should identify and nurture leadership potential in young people GLS Next Gen conference provides resources and inspiration for young leaders Sound Bites "There's a lot of students that are just longing and have a desire to grow as leaders in leadership positions." "We build the future by investing in the present." "I was ready to go and lead anything and everything." Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the FreeRefills Podcast 02:30 Introduction to GLS Next Gen 04:07 The Importance of Leadership Training 07:01 The Need for Leadership Training in Brazil 08:27 The Beginnings of GLS Next Gen 10:50 What to Expect from GLS Next Gen 2024 13:43 Engaging with GLS Next Gen Content 14:41 Bringing Teams and Student Leaders to GLS Next Gen 16:38 Closing Thoughts on GLS Next Gen 18:19 Investing in Leadership Potential 22:42 Calling Out Leadership Potential in Others 26:02 The Impact of Leadership Development 28:01 Promoting GLS Next Gen and Discount Offer 29:21 Encouraging Conversation on Student Leadership Keywords #leadership #training #leadershiptraining #youthministry #GLSNextGen #GLS #GLS2024 #GLS24 #networking #NNYM
How can we train up the next generation of leaders? The Global Leadership Summit has been thinking about that very question and they're ready to answer. On this episode of Student Ministry Connection, we talk with Jenna Istvanik and Mariana Rubinec, two young leaders from GLS NextGen about what we can expect from this year's event, why you should attend, and why you should consider bringing your team and students along with you. Links referenced in this episode: Find out more about GLS NextGen - www.nnym.org/gls Use the discount code SMT24NXTGEN to get the $99 rate for GLS NextGen! Sign up to host GLS NextGen for free - https://bit.ly/hostglsnextgen2024 Learn more about Steve's ministry with NNYM at http://nnym.org/stevecullum Sign up to get Steve's newsletter at https://bit.ly/cullumnewsletter Support the ministry by giving online at https://bit.ly/cullumsupport Contact Steve about partnerships, speaking, coaching, or consulting at https://bit.ly/cullumcontact Read Steve's blog at https://stevecullum.com Follow Steve on Twitter: https://twitter.com/stevecullum Follow Student Ministry Connection on Instagram: https://instagram.com/studentministryconnection Be sure to join us in prayer for revival every Wednesday at 11am PT, 12pm MT, 1pm CT, 2pm ET. Sponsor for this episode of podcast: G Shades - https://gshades.org (Use code CONNECTION to save 10% off your next order). Purchase a copy of Life Through the Lens of the Gospel by Mike Haynes - https://amzn.to/432h2B5 Get a copy of the Cards Christians Like card game by using the link https://bit.ly/cardschristianslike and also support Student Ministry Connection. Note: Some of the links above are affiliate links. By clicking them, Steve may receive commission to support this ministry. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, including these listed below: Apple Podcasts YouTube Podbean Spotify Amazon Podcasts Pandora TuneIn Radio If you like what you hear, be sure to like, subscribe, share, and comment! Thanks, be sure to get connected, and may God bless your ministry!
Leadership is about providing vision and hope, empowering others by recognizing and cultivating their strengths, and using adversity as an opportunity for creativity and growth. In this episode, Dr. Graham Taylor speaks with Sam Adeyemi. Sam Adeyemi (say: Ah Day yeh me), is a global speaker, strategic leadership expert, minister, and author who has influenced millions of people on success and leadership through radio, television, conferences, and information products for more than 25 years. As a global conference speaker, Dr. Sam has addressed audiences in several countries including appearing at the Global Leadership Summit, a global conference attended by over 400,000 leaders in 130+ countries. Sam has trained thousands of leaders through the Daystar Leadership Academy (DLA), which has graduated over 45,000 people since he founded it in 2002. He currently serves as a coach and mentor to hundreds of CEOs around the world. In 2022, Sam published his book “Dear Leader: Your Flagship Guide to Successful Leadership”. Today, we're excited to have Sam with us to discuss successful leadership and our duty to influence and serve others for the greater good. For more information about Dear Leader – Your Flagship Guide to Successful Leadership, by Sam Adeyemi, please visit: https://samadeyemi.com/books/ For more information about Sam Adeyemi, please visit: https://samadeyemi.com Connect on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesamadeyemi Connect on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SamAdeyemiTV Connect on LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dr-sam-adeyemi-64823263
Fernando Carillo is an Anglican priest, entrepreneur and leadership coach based in London, England, and recently sat down with podcast team member Jason Jaggard at the 2023 Global Leadership Summit. In this episode, Jason and Fernando discuss his upbringing, the extraordinary life change he went through, as well as the role leadership plays in helping individuals step into their calling and purpose.
What an awesome and incredibly important discussion I have for you today! It's my long-awaited sit-down with none other than Marcus Buckingham. I first got the chance to hear Marcus speak fifteen, or maybe, twenty years ago at the annual Global Leadership Summit in Chicago. Marcus was captivating AND inspiring that day. His new book […] The post 524: How to Find What You Love, Love What You Do, and Do It for the Rest of Your Life with Marcus Buckingham (an Encore Presentation of Episode 417) first appeared on Read to Lead Podcast.
Guest Bios Show Transcript Everything rises or falls on leadership. Ever heard that line? Think about what it means when applied to a pastor's role in a church. What about the priesthood of all believers? And where is Jesus in that equation? In this edition of The Roys Report, veteran church planter and pastor, Lance Ford, challenges popular views of leadership, showing how they're the opposite of what Scripture teaches. In the Body of Christ, the pastor is not the head; Jesus is! In 2012, Lance Ford's landmark work UnLeader exposed how unbiblical models of leadership have become an obsession in the church. Now The Atlas Factor, which is about shifting leadership onto the shoulders of Jesus, serves as a sequel to that book. One of the most eye-opening truths of The Atlas Factor is that leadership, when presented as a key to organizational success, is a relatively new concept. The multi-billion-dollar industry built around teaching and training people in leadership—in both the corporate world and the church—has emerged only within the past 40 to 50 years. And this model of leadership didn't come from Scripture; it came from the world. Lance was featured in a recent podcast with his message from the Restore Conference titled, “It's the System, Stupid.” If you caught that message, then you heard a preview of what Lance and Julie delve into in-depth in this podcast. Lance's prophetic message is a clarion call to the church to return to Jesus' way of doing things—or continue to face disastrous consequences. Guests Lance Ford Lance Ford is an author, church planter, coach, and consultant who has designed unique training systems currently being used by networks, seminaries, and leaders throughout the world. He has written several books including The Atlas Factor, UnLeader, The Missional Quest, and The Starfish and the Spirit. Lance holds a master's degree in Global Leadership from Fuller Theological Seminary. Learn more at LanceFordBooks.com. Show Transcript SPEAKERSLANCE FORD, Julie Roys Julie Roys 00:04Everything rises or falls on leadership. Ever heard that line? Certainly, great leaders can make a big difference in the success of an organization. But think about what that line applied to the church really means. Does everything rise or fall on the pastor? What about the priesthood of all believers? What about the body of Christ, where each member plays a vital role? And most importantly, what about Jesus? Welcome to The Roys Report, a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. I’m Julie Roys, and joining me today is Lance Ford, who spent decades planting and pastoring churches. And recently we published his talk from the RESTORE conference where he argued that so many of the scandals and issues that we see in the church today stem from our toxic model of leadership. Well, today you’re in for a treat, because Lance is joining me to discuss his new book, The Atlas Factor. And this book eviscerates the conventional wisdom that leadership is everything. In fact, one of the most eye-opening things I learned in this book is that leadership is a relatively new concept. Sure, there have always been people who lead and manage organizations. But leadership as this thing that’s crucial to the success of organizations is relatively new. And certainly, the industry that’s been built around teaching and training people in leadership in both the corporate world and the church is super new, like within the past 40 to 50 years. But I think the pressing question, especially in the church concerns whether these notions of leadership we’re training pastors to follow are actually biblical. And if they’re not, what’s the alternative? We’ll dig into those questions in just a minute. Julie Roys 01:46 But first, I’d like to thank the sponsors of this podcast, Judson University and Marquardt of Barrington. If you’re looking for a top ranked Christian University, providing a caring community and an excellent college experience, Judson University is for you. Judson is located on 90 acres, just 40 miles west of Chicago in Elgin, Illinois. The school offers more than 60 majors, great leadership opportunities, and strong financial aid. Plus, you can take classes online as well as in person. Judson University is shaping lives that shaped the world. For more information, just go to JUDSONU.EDU Also, if you’re looking for a quality new or used car, I highly recommend my friends at Marquardt of Barrington. Marquardt is a Buick GMC dealership where you can expect honesty, integrity, and transparency. That’s because the owners there Dan and Kurt Marquardt, are men of integrity, to check them out, just go to BUYACAR123.COM. Julie Roys 02:49 Well, again, joining me is Lance Ford, a church planter, coach, and consultant who spent decades pastoring and planting churches. And out of that experience and biblical study, he’s designed unique training systems that are being used by seminaries, church networks, and leaders throughout the world. Lance is also the author of several books, including one of my favorites called Unleader. This book exposes the obsession in the church to unbiblical models of leadership. It’s fantastic and eye opening. And Lance’s latest book, The Atlas Factor, is essentially a sequel to Unleader, and it’s quickly become one of my favorites as well. So, Lance, thanks so much for joining me. I’m really, really looking forward to our discussion. LANCE FORD 03:29 It’s always one of my favorite things to do is visit with you, Julie. Julie Roys 03:32 I’m glad to hear that. And I should mention that you also are a recent addition to The Roys Report board. So, we’re pretty excited about that. But I know you spoke at RESTORE and I heard from so so many people, but our board as well, just saying, hey, we need to get this guy on our board. So just really, really glad for all the wisdom that you’re going to bring to the board. So, thanks for being willing to do that. LANCE FORD 03:55 Well, it’s a huge honor to be invited to be a part of y’all. The boardroom didn’t get smarter because I showed up it probably got a little dumber When I joined. Julie Roys 04:04 I do not believe that. But as I mentioned, you spoke at RESTORE and gave a great talk on toxic leadership and our obsession with it and probably had the best line of the entire conference I have to say, which became the title of the podcast that we put out with your talk, which is, It’s the System, Stupid! Just briefly for those who didn’t hear your talk, which if you didn’t hear Lance’s talk, it’s the System, Stupid!, I think it was like back in mid-December, we published that. Go back and listen to his talk. It is so so good. But talk about what you meant by that, that it’s the system stupid. LANCE FORD 04:41 I think probably Julie one day I was probably somewhere along the midst of listening to The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill podcast, and I was just thinking, they just keep talking about symptoms, symptoms. They never get to the solution, and I just said it out loud. It’s the system stupid. And it reminded me, James Carville’s deal with Clinton. It’s the economy stupid. So that’s kind of where that came from is that all these problems that we have are downstream from a messed-up system. And you can’t just deal with the symptoms and try to throw drugs at the symptoms. You have to bandage the wounds, pouring the oil on the wine, that’s necessary to say the least. Well, let’s do some preventative medicine. Let’s go back to the headwaters of this thing and try to nip some of this stuff in the bud. And it just seems that the answer almost every time, especially internally, from the groups that are in the midst of these falls and these breakdowns in leadership, usually their answer is, well, we just need better accountability. But it’s the same type of what they call accountability. So rare is it that when you hear a group say, well, we need new leadership, they don’t mean they need new leadership systems. They mean, we need a new hero leader. Julie Roys 06:05 Yeah. Oh, exactly. I mean, I remember when Rick Warren was stepping down. And of course, there’s all sorts of issues with Andy Wood, who was picked as his successor. And we’ve published many articles on how he apparently is a horribly abusive leader. But he’s now in that position. And when I heard the language, though, it was like we need to find a successor for Rick. And I thought, really, who can be the successor to Rick Warren, and who is capable of being in a position over so many churches and having so many people following you? And I sit there and wonder, because there’s this idea that there’s going to be this really good, noble, full of integrity leader that can handle those kinds of pressures. And I sit there, and I look at that, and I’m like, I don’t know that I can handle that. That’s an awful lot to shoulder. And I think that really is at the root of what you’re talking about in this book, The Atlas Factor. The metaphor is great of you know, Atlas with the weight of the world on his shoulders. But essentially, that’s what we’ve set up leaders to be, to be Atlas, to do the impossible, and then we’re surprised when they fail. Here’s a quote that’s very early in your book from the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, they’re irrefutable. LANCE FORD 07:15 Be careful, Julie. Julie Roys 07:17 But the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is this quote from LeRoy Eims, “a leader is one who sees more than others see, who sees further than others see, and who sees before others do.” And then there’s the quote that I said at the beginning of the podcast, that “everything rises or falls on leadership.” It’s almost like we have made these men into gods; talk about that whole dynamic and what it’s doing to pastors. LANCE FORD 07:47 The thing about the typical the prevailing leadership system in the overwhelming majority of churches today, it puts a weight up on the senior, and I might as well just say senior guy, cuz 99% of them are guys. But there are a few women in senior leadership positions, but just the job description, and then even the unwritten expectations that are placed upon them. I know I was a pastor for well over 20 years and was a church planter and a senior pastor for 10 years. So, if you just look at the job description, you’re basically the CEO. In fact, some of them call themselves CEOs, you’re the face of the church, the organization, you’re the top fundraiser, you are the top theologian, you’re supposed to be a marriage expert, a family expert, a child rearer. I mean, just go on and on and by the way, you need to give 45 to 50 fantastic talks a year too. No one’s built for that. And certainly when you go to the New Testament of any description of any type of leadership in the church, you don’t see that. In fact, Paul mentioned several times that he wasn’t even a good speaker. So, it’s a burden. And so that created the metaphor for The Atlas Factor for the book. It’s the weight of the world. It’s like Atlas, and a lot of people look at Atlas and they go, he was this hero. No, that was a punishment, Zeus gave him the punishment of having to hold the weight of the world on his shoulders. It’s out of order. It’s a misalignment. So, a lot of these pastors are victims too; Even the ones that don’t abuse, they’re being abused by this system of expectations, this fault system of leadership as it’s been cast upon them. And then of course, the ones as you said, that are narcissistic, have the tendencies, then they take that power, and then they become the abusers. And basically, then they take that weight, and they place it up on the shoulders of their staff or the volunteers and church members, and then they crush others with that weight. Julie Roys 09:49 I have heard that so much from these churches where there is this big celebrity pastor, and they have to put on the big show and it’s really impossible to do. I mean, I have I always said, When my husband and I used to be youth pastors and we always said, The World entertains better than we do. So, if you want to be entertained, like go see a movie, go to all those things, but in the church, we’re gonna focus on worship and prayer and discipleship and Bible study. That’s what we do. But I think we’ve gotten away from that. And we’ve certainly gotten to this model where man we have to put on the show every week, and it’s crushing. And the staffs are getting crushed too. You quote this in your book that there’s a 2021 Barna study, 38% of pastors say they’ve considered quitting within the past year. And then if you look at pastors who are just 45 or younger, that jumps to 46%. So, I mean, if this plays out, we’re looking at a crisis in the church, we’re not going to have pastors willing to take these jobs. LANCE FORD 10:45 Yeah well, there’s some stats that came out, I forget if it was Barna or who it was a couple of weeks ago. But it said that right now, currently, between four and 5000 pastors a month, are leaving the ministry. So you’re talking about a huge under the watermark in the boat of the church right now. So not only are people leaving the church, but you’ve got pastors leaving the church. So, it is a crisis, as you said. Julie Roys 11:09 Although, I have to say at the same time, like I’m in this small house church, and he said recently, if we get a pastor, I’m gone. I’m gone. I mean, I think we’re a unique group, because there’s some pretty highly competent, mature Christians in there. So, you kind of have more leaders than you know what to do with. So, God help the pastor that would come in and try to pastor that. But yeah, I think there is sort of a suspicion about pastors. But really, because I think exactly what you’re talking about in this book is that we have merged this idea of leadership that really is worldly based with, we’ve kind of baptized it in Christian lingo. So that now so many people think that leadership, the way it’s being taught, you know, by people who claim they’re Christian, so that, you know, this must be biblical, is biblical. But leadership, it’s not really talked about very much in Scripture is it? LANCE FORD 12:03 It’s not that there’s not leaders in Scripture, there’s leaders all throughout Scripture, but the leadership system as we know it today, in fact, leader or leadership is not even mentioned. It’s like, a half a dozen times in the entire New Testament. And it’s not spoken favorably, most of those times. But if you really get down to it, and I do try to make a delineation between attorney leader in leadership, because it’s become such a in our nomenclature today, but it’s a real new term. I’ve said that before some well-known authors that immediately react, and just like push back. Okay, first off, definitely, there’s been leadership forever. And it’s been studied. I mean, the Chinese going back to the 1300s. I mean, you can look at Plato and Machiavelli and others that studied leadership, but not leadership as we know it today. And what got me on this was just doing some research on it. And I just got curious one day and thought, Well, I’m gonna look up the word leadership. And I went to my old 1955 Oxford Dictionary, which is probably the best because it gives the evolution of words. And it wasn’t even defined there. I couldn’t even find the term and a definition, I finally found at one time in about a seven- or eight-word definition for the word leader, but then it didn’t even define leadership. That pushed me back further, you start reverse engineering, you know, how you are doing research, and I found the 1915 Webster dictionary. The word leadership was not even in there. And that really took me down a rabbit hole of finding out after just doing a couple of years of research, in searching even secular scholars that had done research on the word leadership and come to find out you couldn’t even find the word leadership until the mid-19th century. So, you’re not finding publications anywhere that mentioned it until the early 1900s. Even the term. Now the reason I say that, and it should stand out to us as a stark contrast, because leadership is an $87 billion dollar industry today. 87 billion, I mean, that’s more than entertainment, media and everything put together. So, it’s a huge thing that’s evolved over the last 100 years. And it didn’t even really start entering in the church, which is a gigantic thing in the church now, it didn’t even start entering into the church until I would say the 1970s. Because you can’t even find a dozen books with the term leadership in the title, even in the 1960s. So, it’s a really new thing. And now, and I say it as its defined, because you could interchange the word management and you’d be just fine because that’s really what it is. It’s management theory. It goes back to Peter Drucker 1966, his famous book, The Effective Executive. There were some significant church growth leaders took that book, they parlayed it into the Church Growth Movement because some leaders such as Robert Schuller, for instance, with Crystal Cathedral, Robert Schuller doesn’t get enough if you want to call it credit or blame for really being the biggest shaper of what we have today. And my research bears this out. You can track Bill Hybels in Willow Creek, they go right back to Schuler, although they scrubbed a lot of that from their history, because Schuler became so controversial that they just didn’t want to be associated with him. Rick Warren was a disciple of Schuler. Schuler was a disciple of Norman Vincent Peale. That’s where he got all of his positive thinking and everything. But then all of them went to Peter Drucker to get the management systems. And then Bob Buford, who created Leadership Network, which a lot of people, the listeners would say, I’ve never heard of a guy named Bob Buford. Well, he was way behind the scenes. But he was hugely shaping of what we have today with Leadership Network and funded and raised up and platformed and helped develop a lot of those leaders such as Hybels and Warren and others. And then a lot of the newer leaders that lead these prevailing, what I call Neo attractional churches today, their heritage, the family tree goes straight back to Peter Drucker and these management systems. And these management systems just conflict with what Jesus said Matthew 20, of the Gentiles, or the world systems; it’s a metaphor, he where if he was in the Old Testament would have said, The Babylonians or the Egyptians. But when he says the Gentiles practice dominating one another, or lorded over one another, it will not be this way among you. But the first will be last, the greatest will be the servant, which basically was pushing back against power, and against dominating one another in any system in his kingdom. But that’s the very thing that we have today. And it goes right back to management systems that we imported straight into the church. Julie Roys 17:06 And you alluded to this, that we don’t see lead or leader much in Scripture. You write, and this was in Unleader as well, and this just blew me away, that we see the word disciple 260 times, as opposed to leader. Leader, I think is mentioned like seven times. So, it’s a 37:1 ratio. We used to think of the pastor as the shepherd. Even when I was a kid, that was really the prevailing metaphor was that our pastor was the shepherd, that changed. And I remember even when I was at Willow Creek because my husband and I spent several years there. And I just remember Hybels talking about how they had found shepherds to do the shepherding within the church, because he didn’t do it. It was kind of like, yeah, they have been put in as pastors, but they’re really more Shepherd. So, we’re putting them over here to let them Shepherd. Meanwhile, I’ll do the pastor thing, which is being the great orator and charismatic leader, and all that. And that became our model for pastor and then of course, Bill Hybels brought in so many worldly leadership. In fact, if you go and read about the Global Leadership Summit, like I’ve read some of the articles that were published in secular publications saying, Man, this is like the best business school that’s out there, like, I know, it’s at a church, but this is like, this is a great business school. Everybody in business, whether you’re a Christian or not, whatever you profess, just go to this really good. And we love that as Christians, because we constantly were seeking the world’s affirmation, which is really sad. Like we wanted that credibility in the church. So again, you’re putting language into things I felt for so long, and that the research in your book, you even go back farther, and I found some of this stuff that gave birth to our modern leadership movement was fascinating. And you start with 1840s, 1900, around there with this thing called Great Man theory. Describe what this is, and how it’s impacted our view of leadership today. LANCE FORD 19:01 Great Man theory was the prevailing ideology of where great leaders came from. That was the term that they used. And so, when you go back and you look at even, I was able to even trace back and find some of the speaking topics for some conventions, conferences that were taking place back in the 1920s and 1930s. And so Great Man theory was basically the idea that leaders are born, they’re not made. And so, you’re gonna think about Teddy Roosevelt, you’re gonna think about Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon, people like this, that just have this ability to lead, and you can’t make it. So that that would that would mean there’s a real limitation if you don’t happen to have a great man walk into the room, you know. So, then they started studying the traits of the great man and that about 20 years after Great Man theory was the prevailing theory. Then by the 1930s, 1940s was what was called Trait Theory, and they basically were studying the traits of the great man and saying, Well, maybe it’s possible that we can teach these traits, we can mimic these traits, and we can actually make great leaders. That’s how it started evolving. Then there became for a while it became what was called Group theory, which they said, well, leadership really is an effect upon a group of people. They actually started getting a little closer to what was right about what I would call leadership, that leadership is a fruit product. It’s not a position, I would say a faithfully following Jesus as a servant. But then they moved away from the group theory, and that really went back into a person at the top. And then Management theory, by the 1950s, to corporate America, and the Industrial Revolution had matured and was getting old by that time. By that time, it really became Management theory. And then we replaced it with the word leadership. And like you said, earlier, Julie, I was just reflecting a while back and thinking, you know, when I was growing up, if you walked into a Denny’s, there were no Starbucks back then. So, if you walk through a breakfast place, and let’s say that there was and we used to have in small towns, they would call it the Ministerial Alliance. And pastors of local churches that actually liked each other, and they get together about once a month. So if you were to see a group of those guys sitting around, have a breakfast together, I say, 1980. I’ll guarantee you; the word leader and leadership would not even been uttered at that table while they’re having breakfast. It wouldn’t even come into their mind. They might have called themselves pastors or shepherds, they probably call themselves ministers. And certainly, the people from the local community sitting around would look over and said, Oh, yeah, that’s the ministers. They wouldn’t say that’s the leaders. That’s the leaders of the faith community. It just wasn’t in their thinking, right? Because the word Minister means servant, but it’s washed out today. And so, I mean, who wants to be a servant? You want to be a leader. This was the problem with the disciples of Jesus, and they watched him be a servant, and he still had to, you know, thump upside of the head, more than one occasion. Julie Roys 22:20 I want to read a section of your book because I think it really crystallizes the moment that we’re living in right now. You write, “The industrial leadership approach to church leadership caused us to abandon the understanding of the church as a body and turn to a view of the church as a machine. Our language and titles changed as we veered away from the code of the New Testament in Jesus. It became normal to hear terms and titles such as strategic initiative, ROI, return on investment scale, engineering, management, leader, executive, superior, replace biblical language, such as steward, disciple, co-laborers, servant, minister, elder, brothers and sisters, et cetera. Noncompetes, and NDAs, and HR became leverage points in place of loving your brother, blessing those you believed were your enemy and letting your Yes be Yes and your No be No.” Bingo. Right there. I mean, I talk a lot about the Evangelical industrial complex. And of course, that gets into the money and everything that’s involved. But it’s also once you become a corporation, you’ve got to manage that image. And that is the situation that we’re in. I’m guessing some people who have been really, really schooled in this, because I mean, leadership is everywhere, right? I mean, from the time kids are like teenagers, even maybe younger, in our church, we’re training them to be leaders. But it does beg the question, and I’m sure people are wondering right now is if everything doesn’t rise or fall on leadership, and what does it rise or fall on? LANCE FORD 23:47 I believe it rises or falls on the headship of Jesus. And I believe that’s where we land on the problem of what’s happened in the church. That’s the other part of the metaphor for this book, The Atlas Factor was. I had written something one day, about three years ago on Facebook or X, it was Twitter then; we had the pretty little blue bird. But I just said something about leadership in the church being misaligned with the headship of Jesus, and the body. Had a buddy that reposted that and then his chiropractor made a comment. And he said, Yeah, that’s like subluxation with the C-1 and the C-2 vertebra in the body. Then he said something that really got my attention. He said, Yeah, when you have a problem with the Atlas vertebra, and the Axis vertebra, it misaligns the body with the head. And I was like, Whoa, that really got my attention because I’ve been playing around with this Atlas metaphor before. And little did I know, and you know, this is as a journalist and a researcher, then it sends me down into this wormhole. I ended up reading three or four books in chiropractic. Julie Roys 24:57 You sound like my husband. My husband would do that. Give me the Cliff Notes honey. LANCE FORD 25:02 My wife’s like land it, land it. Yeah, but it was fascinating Julie because he said C-1, the first vertebra is called the Atlas. So, in fact, this particular doctor had written a little book, a real tiny little pamphlet size book called, It Just Makes Sense. Well come to find out there’s a certain amount of chiropractors, it’s a small percentage of chiropractors that just practice, they call it upper cervical care. And so, they only focus on the two top vertebra, because they’re convinced that if you line those up, everything below is going to come in order and align. In fact, they’ve got some pretty large claims of incredible maladies that get healed and come into order when the body, the neurological system starts functioning like it should. In fact, my buddy that had posted this, his chiropractor, so my buddy has a very rare form of cancer. And I forget what it’s called, but it should not kill him. But he’s had it for several years. And so, he’s always having to watch his T counts and everything. And under Dr. Weller’s care, his numbers have totally come in order. And that’s been going on for about four or five years now. So, it’s really amazing. So, one of the quotes that he said, and I did quote it in Atlas, so that Atlas vertebra, that’s where the brain stem sits into. So, he’s talking about the relationship between the head and the body. And he says, there’s that extra something inside each and every one of us that gives life; the inborn, innate intelligence knows what to do and how to do it. The intelligence that came from our Creator travels in and through your nervous system, which is commonly referred to as the neurological system. Neuro logic or intelligence within the nerve, the neurological communication between the brain and the body through the brainstem is imperative for allowing the body the best ability to function at its optimum. We believe that the body does not need any assistance, just no interference in its functioning. When you apply that to what Paul said about the body of Christ, and the relationship to the head, which he really goes in depth in Ephesians 4, he mentioned the other places, but in Ephesians 4, which Ephesians. The whole book of Ephesians is scholars say this is the book for the church. And it’s not a book about leadership. Ephesians 4 is not text about leaders, it’s about the body, it’s a text, read to the body, corporately, it’s talking about the body when he says the apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd, and teacher – that’s within the body. These are not professional positions. And I would say, and I know you would agree, Julie, that your house church, you guys already have at least one, you have multiple pastors there already. So, you don’t need some pro that comes in leveraging authority and power. They’re gifted. So, the body of Christ is already gifted in these functions. But the problem is, is when humans try to occupy the place of headship and playing Atlas, then it creates a disjointedness, between the Atlas vertebra and the rest of the body. And so, what happens is, we get paralyzed, we can’t move. We get all these maladies in these atrophy that sets in below the neck because somebody else has stepped in and cause misalignment with our true head Jesus. And so, I really believe that the first job of a church leader, or a pastor that wants to try to change is it’s kind of what Dr. Eddie Weller said is that we need to eliminate interference between Jesus in the body. And usually, it’s our system of leadership that’s causing the interference, and is bringing that paralysis and those maladies that go along the neckline. Julie Roys 28:54 That’s so interesting. As you’re saying this, I’m beginning to get an image in my head of a body trying to function with just the brain. Right? And the rest of the body being literally paralyzed or just limp and not able to move. And I think about that in the church because we have made these guys at the head who communicate truth to us. I mean, most of the people come into our churches right now, they don’t know how to read the scripture for themselves and listen to the Holy Spirit themselves. They need that pastor to interpret for them what’s going on, which is scary. I remember going to one of these, you know, video, Pastor churches, and I’m like, and it had a celebrity pastor who was in from, you know, states away, who was preaching to them, telling them what to do. And I thought to myself, that guy who was preaching, nothing he said was heretical; however, he was not explicating scripture right. He was making it say things it didn’t say, and it scared me because I thought, that guy anything he says will get swallowed by this mass of people, because they don’t know they are not equipped. They are not connected to the head. They’re connected to the pastor, right? Who really functions in a godlike way with so many of these people? And I think that’s why when you see one of these falls, you see, just huge disillusionment. You know, for a lot of us, it’s been hurtful. It’s been disillusioning. Yes. But not to that foundational level, because my pastor was never my God. He was always just a man. Right? That’s all he was. And so yeah, we’d have lost that idea that really, it’s a functioning body, and all the members have to be functioning for this thing to work. And the guy at the top is not the pastor. It’s Jesus Himself, which is a radical idea, the biblical idea. LANCE FORD 30:43 You know, the word radical and radish have the same root. Radical literally means root. So, it’s funny how that when you talk about people that are radicals, man, they’re so radical. That’s usually the people that have gone back to the roots of things that we call the radicals. It was like the hippies back in the 70s, they were reading Mother Earth News, you know, and they’re, you know, got their gardens out the backyard, and they’re doing all this stuff, you know, are they radical? No, they’re doing what people have done for thousands of years. So sometimes that’s the hint that the people that we call the radicals may just be the ones that have tapped back into something that’s at the root of our beginnings as the church. And so that’s one of the things that when you get to this misalignment of the body, the real job description of a pastor or if you believe in those FIFO gifts, the apostle, prophet, Pastor, shepherd, and evangelists and teacher, their job description, Paul says, is to equip or resource and train and supply the saints for the work of ministry. So, it’s not to do everything, it’s not to be the chief speaker to be the end all. Really your job there, when you wake up in the morning, I don’t care what your title is, if you’re on staff at a church, no matter what your rank is, first thing you wake up in the morning and think what I need to do is how can I best resource and equip and serve the people that are around me? So, during your day, you shouldn’t be telling people what to do, you should be asking people, how can I help you? How can I serve you? What do you need youth pastor? How can I help you today to fulfill your calling? But that’s not the way it is. I mean, it’s usually everybody’s here to serve my needs. That’s leadership. That’s the system. Julie Roys 32:37 I mean, we have a professional pastorate. So, we pay for you to do things for us. LANCE FORD 32:42 You’re a vendor of religious goods and services, and I’m a consumer. So, give it up. Julie Roys 32:48 Exactly. And that’s where I don’t put all the blame on the guy at the top. It’s what we’ve allowed as consumers. It’s what we’ve allowed as the body that is not doing what the Bereans did, and going back and saying, is what they’re teaching us right now, is this biblical, or is it not? LANCE FORD 33:03 One of the things I thought about is you look at iteration or a church says today, most people are biblically illiterate. We don’t expect them to read their Bibles. We don’t. I mean, that’s why we project every scripture on screen. We don’t expect people even to bring a Bible. When you and I were growing up. I mean, people were bringing a Bible to church. I grew up spent a lot of time in the Baptist Church. every other weekend, the whole family would load up and we go spend the weekend with my grandparents about an hour away. They were Nazarene. They were in a little Nazarene church. And so, I literally spent half my time in a Nazarene church. So, I got a lot of Nazarene in me. And that little church of about 60 people and 55 of them were my kinfolks. I mean, you talk about a pastor not having a chance. Stay in line buddy because the Browns and the Fords will kick you to the curb. Anyway, it was a sweet fellowship and all my great aunts and great uncles and everything, They had the little board on the side of the pulpit that told the attendance from the week before, it told the offering. And I’m not making this up, even had a place it said Bibles present, you know, which was always funny to me, because I’ve looked back, and I thought they were trying to make a point. And those folks knew their scriptures. I mean, they knew the Bible, and they may have been misapplying it, but they still knew the Scriptures. And we just don’t have that today. We really have dumbed people down. And that’s part of the entertainment and this all comes from the secret church evolvement but if you go into the prevailing church today, if you go anywhere on a Sunday morning, most of the churches especially of any size you walk in, you don’t even know what denomination you’re in because most of them are singing the same songs. And the style is the same you’re going to go into a dark room. The ceiling is going to be black. The stage is going to be well lit depending on how much money and resource they have. It may even have some smoke machines which I call that the Shekindof. Glory, by the way, Julie Roys 35:03 When I see the smoke machine, I am so over the top that I just I cannot I just cannot. And by the way, though, when you talked about Nazarene, this is going to warm the heart of Christine Jones, who’s one of our board members because she’s Nazarene. But I did Bible Quizzing. So, when I heard she was a Nazarene I’m like, Oh, dang! Oh, man! You know, and I am was pretty good Bible quizzer. LANCE FORD 35:27 I bet you were. Julie Roys 35:29 We went to Nationals a couple times. Our Bible Quizzing, my mom was our coach, but I’m telling you, I learned 100 you know, 150 verses every single year I did Bible Quizzing. I mean, that’s how I learned the scripture. But those Nazarenes they memorized the whole book. They memorized the whole thing. LANCE FORD 35:45 I had a niece that does the Bible Quizzing in the Nazarene church, and I don’t ever want to go toe to toe with her. Julie Roys 35:52 But here’s the thing. Like I know Christine to this day says when they say a passage, she’s going over the passage in her mind, because it’s still there, the memory is still there of that passage. And you can’t distort something that people know. But we’re in a situation where people don’t know it., and so it creates just this fertile ground for everything to be messed up, and it’s gotten really messed up. So, you’re talking about realignment, how do we realign? Like in this situation that we’re in, how can we realign because we’ve got some major, major vertebrae out of whack? LANCE FORD 36:24 So, you have to start off not with just looking at and saying, Well, yeah, I gotta choose a different way lady. No, you have to repent. This is an issue of repentance. Because we disobey Jesus and the word disobedient in many places. In fact, Paul uses it when he talks about your disobedience coming into a line. It means to, to hearken to not just to hear, but to listen and obey. We’ve disobeyed Jesus disobeyed Jesus, not only with our systems, but just some of those things that you mentioned, when you read the quote from the book earlier, even our what we call ourselves as leaders is disobedient to Jesus. Jesus could not have been more plain, don’t call yourself Father, don’t call yourself Teacher, don’t call yourself leader, because he says it causes you to lift yourself up above your brothers and sisters. Because he’s trying to create a peer type of a culture, a sibling culture. And this is the nomenclature that you see throughout the New Testament, co-laborer, coworker, fellow worker, is mentioned dozens of times those terms. You never see employee and boss. Because what happens is, that’s a power difference, right? It differentiates between the power, every time those words are mentioned, every time those terms and those rank-based titles are mentioned. So, the first thing a leader has to do is say I have to change the culture, I have to repent. And I have to admit this, and then I have to be willing to start changing the culture. So, I think the first thing that a leader has to do is then move into saying, I’m going to ditch the management systems. And I’m going to try to learn what it would look like if people on our team are able self-manage. And as I’m doing that, not only am I changing my titles, which that’s probably the first thing you need to do, because it will just freak everybody out. But what you do is you change your role. And so, you wake up in the morning and saying, I’m no longer going to act like I am chief, and everybody’s here to serve me. But I’m going to do what Jesus said, I’m gonna become a chief servant. I’m gonna out serve everybody here. And I’m gonna go back to the very thing that Paul said in Ephesians 4. I am going to work myself silly in helping the people around me to fulfill their calling. I’m going to do everything I can to resource them, to equip them, and just watch this rising tide lift all the boats around. So that’s the first moves. And I always say this is when you’re looking at moving from a centralized leadership to a decentralized leadership, you can’t just wipe everything out, because then it’s just chaos and anarchy. So, you have to replace the systems with other processes and agreements. And that’s one of the things I’ve tried to write a lot about, wrote about a lot book called The Starfish in the Spirit. And in this, try to give some processes in some systems and some agreements of how you can rebuild your system into working this way. Because it doesn’t just happen in a vacuum. It’s too enormous of a change to move into it. But it has to be biblical, because that’s where the safety and that’s where the joy is. And this doesn’t mean that everything’s going to be rainbows and unicorns. There’s still stress and hard things and difficulty. I mean, Paul talked about the anxiety he had in the churches, but a lot of that was him trying to straighten stuff like this out. Julie Roys 39:58 The book that I interviewed Scott McKnight and Laura Behringer on, Pivot, you know, is talking a lot about sort of similar things making this pivot from realizing you have a toxic culture. You guys are talking about it from the same idea, but a little different vantage points. And given, you know, he’s more of a theologian, you’re more of a boots on the ground kind of guy. But I think saying a lot of the same things. And one thing I wonder is that we’re often thinking about it in terms of like you said, we’ve got this church that needs to change. I was very interested in church planting in my 20s. And a lot of people would say that a lot of time, it takes way more energy to change an existing church than it does to grow a new one. And it’s just something I’ve been wondering, you know, out of these ashes, because what’s happening in the evangelical church right now, I mean, it is, it’s imploding, which I know is painful for everybody involved in you know, to see these kinds of implosions. But I’ve really been asking myself, Should we be putting energy into changing the existing church, or should we be saying, we just need to close some churches, we need to scrap this model? Because I mean, even so often, when you get rid of like the toxic guy at the top, it’s a toxic system throughout, it is so hard. You have so much inertia, that to change that church is so hard. So, I know you don’t get into this really in your book, but it’s something I’ve been wrestling with. And even wondering once you do start that new thing. How can we do it differently because this is what we’ve seen modeled? Julie Roys 40:02 What you’re touching on there is the whole wineskin issue that Jesus taught. You can’t put new wine in an old wineskin. But can you create a new wineskin for the old wine? Heard a lot of people talk about that. Which yeah, well, maybe you can, I think is very difficult for the reasons you said. Now, two out of the last three houses that my wife and I have lived in, we built ourselves. And when I say that, I mean, we built it ourselves. I didn’t contract it. Our hands, blood and sweat, and skin. And I just kind of grew up with that, my grandpa was a carpenter. So, I kind of grew up with that. LANCE FORD 41:31 We built one house. We didn’t do everything ourselves. But yeah, I thought, general contracting, how hard can that be? LANCE FORD 42:14 Oh yeah, you got that lesson, then, you found out. And you promise, I will never do this again, which I said I would never do it again after the first one. Julie Roys 42:22 Well, no, actually, I said, I learned so much by making so many stupid mistakes in that first one that I want to do it again, so that I can capitalize on the lessons learned. LANCE FORD 42:31 Now that’s good. And it is a fun process. And it was very cathartic. This one that we built was a smaller house. And it was very cathartic. But also, we’ve rehabbed houses. And I would say as hard as it is to build from the ground up, it’s easier than rehabbing a house. Julie Roys 42:47 Cuz you never know what you’re gonna get into. LANCE FORD 42:49 You don’t know what’s behind that wall, you know, and you think that you know, and you peel it back, and you just discover, oh, it’s deeper, and you’re taking it down to the studs, and you get down the studs and go, Oh, the termites were here before I was here, right? All kinds of stuff. So yeah, those issues come into place. I tell you, one of the things that we’ve seen a lot of success, and I say we because I do work with a few others. I’m a part of a team that we do help churches in consulting and coaching. we talk about terms of a parallel track, just trying smaller little projects, and seeing how they go. In fact, several of the largest churches, and we’ve worked with large churches that realize that they just cannot completely turn that thing around. So, what they do is they start investing in different types of church plants, or micro churches, or whatever. And I think their hearts are good and right in that. And so, I’ve got some friends that do lead large mega churches. And I think that they are, some of them have developed some leadership systems that are closest to what I would hope to see. And I think it’s probably about as close as they can get without just killing the thing. LANCE FORD 44:06 Our time is getting short. But there’s one term that I thought was so good when you’re talking about developing a culture of equality, and you talked about this term, I’ve never heard this this term before, but equa-potency, thank you. But yeah, explain what you mean by that, because I thought that was actually a pretty key component to what you’re talking about. LANCE FORD 44:30 What equa-potency basically, is kind of a culture of equals. When you talk about a quality in a leadership system, it freaks a lot of people out because immediately the pushback is somebody has to be in charge. The buck has to stop somewhere. You can’t have equality, everybody’s not equal. You can just look at him. Okay, so let’s start right there. And Paul talks about this in Romans 12. In fact, Romans 12:1-2 you know, we usually start out with be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind right? So that you can prove what is the good, perfect, pleasing will of God. And we usually stop there. And so, people usually read that verse and say, Oh, that’s the verse about not being worldly, you know, don’t drink, don’t chew, don’t run around with girls that do, right? And always blame a woman, right? That was the little saying growing up. But don’t stop there, keep reading the rest of the of the text, because then he’s really going into how gifts that the Lord pours out should be functioning. And so, one of the things that he says he talks about the different gifts, in fact, he talks about people that do have a gift of administration, or what we would call leadership. And he talks about, then he says, but do it with sobriety, be sober, and then he starts talking about don’t look on your own things and be selfish. And he starts going into this whole thing about different people have different measures for their giftings. So, in any room, if you have a sizable room, and you think about just outstanding, let’s say the great men or the great women that are great into gifting or whatever. And you and I, Julie may have a similar gifting. But we can just look like I’ve got a couple of friends that are mentors of mine. And I’m thinking about one in particular. He’s been an incredible mentor in my life. And he and I have similar gifts. Mine, I can’t even touch his abilities in some of this stuff. He is just far out. Well, Paul will call that he has a greater measure of faith. It’s not faith like we think about it all. Oh yeah, he’s confident and all that. No, it’s really the term there, really iterates it’s the ability to use that gift. And some people just have that, have a greater measure. And so, Paul warns them to treat the others as equals. And so, this particular mentor in my life, he’s always treated me that way. And in the first few years, we started working together, man, I mean, there was no way I could touch what he did. But he always encouraged me genuinely, not patronizing me. But really, he just thought you never know when what the Lord wants to say or do is going to come through Lance or Jill or Rob or Steve in the room, just because I’ve got the big platform, I’m speaking as him, I can use any of them. So that’s equa-potency. So, it’s potent. So, when you get a group of people together, and you have an equal atmosphere, not meaning that everybody has the same has equal gifts, but they have equal opportunity. And so that’s really what we’re saying. It’s a culture that everybody is treated as equals to have equal opportunity, even if they don’t have the equal faith in the giftings that they have. Does that make sense? Julie Roys 47:55 Absolutely it does. And as you’re talking about this, we do think of the people that that are incredibly gifted. And we have examples of that in scripture. But we also have probably the greatest leader, or one of the ones that we look to in the Old Testament was Moses, who couldn’t speak, had all sorts of failings. And yet God used him in amazing ways. Because he had that spiritual connection to God. He knew God, and he had a heart after God. And we have majored on the minors, right? We’ve made the gifting so important instead of the heart for God. And there’s so much in your book, we could discuss, and I would love to discuss, you get into how spiritual warfare, how that plays out in this practical steps. And so, I really encourage people, this is going to be our book for this month, for anybody who gives a donation of $30 or more, we’ll get you a copy of The Atlas Factor, just a phenomenal phenomenal book. So, if you want to do that, support our work here at The Roys report, but also get this incredible resource, just go to JULIEROYS.COM/DONATE. And we can get this book in your hands. And I want to get this book as many hands as I can. Because I think it’s a paradigm shift is what you’re talking about. And you’ve been talking about it now for 11 years since you wrote your first one, Unleader. And I think there’s a lot of resistance. But the more and more we see the crash and burns, the more and more we’re going to have to say we’ve got to do it a different way. And so, I feel like you’re very much a prophetic voice when it comes to this issue. Just so grateful for it. So, Lance, thank you. Thank you for taking the time. Thank you for speaking at RESTORE. Thank you for being on our board. Thanks for writing this book, The Atlas Factor. Really awesome. Julie Roys 48:13 Always a joy, Julie, thank you. Julie Roys 49:41 Well, again, that was Lance Ford, an experienced church planter, pastor, consultant, and author of The Atlas Factor, Shifting Leadership Onto the Shoulders of Jesus. And as we mentioned, this book releases this month, and we’re actually giving away copies of The Atlas Factor to anyone who gives a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month. Again, we don’t have any big donors or advertisers almost all the funding for The Roys Report comes from you, the people who care about exposing abuse and corruption in the church and caring for abuse victims. So, if you can please go to JJULIEROYS.COM/DONATE and give what you’re able to this ministry. And when you give, we’ll gladly send you a copy of The Atlas Factor. Also, just a quick reminder to subscribe to The Roys Report on Apple podcast, Google podcasts or Spotify. That way you won’t miss any of these episodes. And while you’re at it, I’d really appreciate it if you’d help us spread the word about the podcast by leaving a review. And then please share the podcast on social media so more people can hear about this great content. Again, thanks so much for joining me. 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