Podcasts about supporting strategies

Thomas is a Business Development Manager at Supporting Strategies. He is a seasoned financial industry professional with over 30 years of experience in business development. His background includes 21 years in retail banking and 17 years in management roles. Thomas builds trust-based relationships with his clients that drive business growth. Key points:Supporting Strategies provides outsourced virtual bookkeeping, accounting and operational support services.He is on the Leadership Advisory Council for E-for-All/EparaTodos of Merrimack Valley near his home in Newton, NH. The non-profit supports early-stage entrepreneurs in under-served communities with a 12-week accelerator program to teach them how to run their businesses. Thomas is involved in the Pheonix Swords, and does performances that include historical martial-like stage combat and fire.SeaCaptainCoaching.comInstagram linkFB linkConnect with PhilLinkedInConnect with Thomas HowardThomasHoward@SupportingStrategies.com781-424-2204LinkedInNow Available!The Sea Captain Way for Financial Advisors

In this heartfelt episode of Daily Influence, host Gregg-Brooke Koleno sits down with Julyn Panicola of Supporting Strategies. Julyn shares her inspiring journey of spreading positivity and making a difference in the lives of others. From the profound influence of her father's unexpected passing to her belief in the power of small, kind gestures, Julyn opens up about the values and experiences that shape her servant's heart. Tune in to hear touching stories, practical advice on starting your journey of kindness, and the importance of resetting in the face of challenges. Join us as we celebrate the impact of simple acts of kindness and the power of positivity. Don't miss this inspiring conversation!https://www.linkedin.com/in/julyn-panicola/ 

Are you a small business owner struggling to find the right marketing strategy? Look no further! In this episode of Moco Business Buzz, the host, Philippa Channer, interviews Steve Barber. Steve is the owner and managing director of Supporting Strategies, an outsourced bookkeeping and accounting services business. Steve shares his most valuable lesson: the importance of networking and building trust in business. He also discusses the marketing strategies that have worked for his business, including in-person and online networking and LinkedIn outreach campaigns.   Steve also shares three examples of marketing strategies that didn't work for his business but emphasizes the importance of not giving up and pivoting to find success in each channel. He also stresses the importance of investing in marketing and not cutting it as the first thing when managing cash flow.   If you're a small business owner looking to improve your marketing strategy, tune in to this episode and learn from Steve's experience. Visit Supporting Strategies' website to learn more about their services and to contact Steve directly for a 15-minute conversation. Don't miss next week's episode for more marketing tips and advice, and an interview with another local business owner.     Whenever you are ready, here are some ways that we can help you: Free 1-Hour Marketing Consultation: https://tidycal.com/philippa/free-marketing-consultation   Free Marketing Assessment: Do you know if your marketing is working?   Are you sure that all of the work you're doing to grow your business is actually working? You might be surprised by how much money and time you could save by taking our free marketing assessment. It only takes a few minutes, but it will give you an in-depth look at how effective your current strategy really is. Click here to get started: https://bit.ly/3xnrJ1W   Subscribe for regular content on developing a solid marketing plan, marketing strategy, and marketing tips.   Connect with us:   Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/channer-consulting-llc Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channerconsulting/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channerconsulting/   Get in touch: info@channer-consulting.com

Michael Oberther is the Director of Business Development for Supporting Strategies, outsourced virtual bookkeepers and controllers providing operational support services to growing businesses. He also runs and hosts YouTube Channel, “Hard Lessons,” a place where business professionals share stories and insights about tough challenges faced and lessons learned in the business industry.

Katie Zotos, Talent Acquisition Manager at Supporting Strategies, joins host James Mackey to discuss the nuances of part-time recruiting, what's needed to overcome Glassdoor reviews, the importance of offering a good candidate experience, and more!

On this episode of Dana Being Dana, host Dana Michelle is joined by Megan Wessels of Powerful Partners Inc, Dawn Hershik of Supporting Strategies, Jen Spainhour, Nicolle Murphy Lamb, Yvonne Heller, and Ashley South Naperville Community Television broadcasts on Channel 17 in Naperville, IL (Comcast & WOW!) and all our programming is available via simulcast and video on-demand at https://www.nctv17.com/ For daily local news sent to your inbox, subscribe to NCTV17 News Update: https://www.nctv17.com/subscribe/ Follow us on: https://www.facebook.com/NCTV17/ https://twitter.com/NCTV17 https://www.instagram.com/nctv17/

Today the Inside BS Show goes behind the numbers and shows you how to get your financial reporting in order. Dave Lorenzo interviews Elliott Hershik. Elliott shares how he helps clients and then takes us inside the world of Supporting Strategies. 00:00 How to Get Your Financial Reporting in Order 00:49 What does a financial accountant do?01:32 What is the competitive advantage of implementing supporting strategies?02:39 Who is the ideal client for Supporting Strategies?03:48 What is the difference between cash and accrual accounting?05:27 What will happen if you use Cash Accounting?06:51 What inspired Elliot to become a Supporting Strategies franchisee?09:20 A case scenario: How does Supporting Strategies services work 16:34 What kinds of industries does Elliot work with?18:58 How does Elliot get new clients and where do they usually come from?Elliot HershikGeneral ManagerSupporting Strategies(630) 531-1521ehershik@supportingstrategies.comhttps://www.supportingstrategies.com/...About Elliott Hershik:Elliot brings his 40 years of business experience to managing the day-to-day operations of the Supporting Strategies | Chicago Far West Suburbs office. A CPA certificate holder, Elliot's expertise spans all aspects of bookkeeping and accounting services. He is also skilled in performance monitoring, accounts analysis and process improvement.Elliot has a B.A. in Economics from Cornell University and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. A rugby enthusiast, player and coach, Elliot shares his enthusiasm for the sport — as well as his business acumen — with his wife, Managing Director Dawn Hershik.

Guest: Hayden Huff - Supporting Strategies Interviewers: Jeffrey Davis - MAGE LLC & Evan Macedo - Sapers & Wallack The post “Trusted & Efficient Outsourced Bookkeeping” with Hayden Huff of Supporting Strategies appeared first on Radio Entrepreneurs.

Michael Oberther is the Director of Business Development at Supporting Strategies, a company that provides outsourced bookkeeping services and operational support to growing businesses. His experience spans information technology, human resources, payroll and benefits administration, and labor compliance. Michael's expertise in understanding client requirements and market conditions allows him to create client-centric solutions. In this episode: Do you have a well-defined system for managing your company's finances? Are you facing challenges with creating processes for your financial activities? Have you been experiencing cash flow problems and are finding it difficult to prevent money mismanagement? There are many benefits of documenting the processes around your company's finances. Great financial systems give you power and control over your business. This, along with a supportive bookkeeper, can help you to better manage your cash flows and profit margins and build a stronger organization.  In this episode of the Systems Simplified podcast, Adi Klevit is joined by Michael Oberther, the Director of Business Development at Supporting Strategies, to talk about systemizing the financial aspects of a business. Michael discusses the roles of bookkeepers, financial controllers, and CFOs and shares his advice on creating effective accounting systems. Stay tuned.

Episode 470 of the Sales Game Changers Podcast. Read the complete transcription on the Sales Game Changers Podcast website. LYNN'S TIP: “Take the time to plan for prospect conversations. I think it all boils down to that. The more you do that, I think you're going to see your close rate and win ratio improve.”        

A Franchise Opportunity for the Books with Jeff Schonberg Broadcast Date: February 10th, 2022 Broadcast Time : 5:00p EST / 4:00p CST / 3:00p MST /2:00p PST This week we speak to Jeff Schonberg of Supporting Strategies to learn about this opportunity. A provider of outsourcing for bookkeepers and controllers for growing businesses, this is an interesting model in the support services genre. For our mentors, Jerry Akers will discuss "Meeting Your New Business Partners," David Kagjanich updates us on his progress with The Joint Chiropractic, Karen Kimsey-Sward talks hiring and Laura Liss focuses on the FDD requirement of shared marketing. It's a jam-packed show this week - so don't miss it! As usual, join host Ray Pillar, Owner of Molly Maid Aurora-Naperville and co-host Kristin Selmeczy, Chief Business Warrior of Pillars of Franchising as they discuss how to be successful at finding a franchise, identifying funding solutions, the purchasing process, developing marketing strategies and expanding and selling your franchise. Listen live to new episodes on Thursdays at 4p central. Call in on Thursdays at 323-580-5755. Interested in buying a franchise? Join the Million Dollar Franchisee Mentor program Listen to past episodes. https://www.pillarsoffranchising.com.

This episode of Crowning Connections is perfect for the Business Leader, right now, preparing their 2022 Success Plan. Rob Clemons of Monarch Roofing hosts Steve Manz of Supporting Strategies in Myrtle Beach, discussing more than just financing. From bookkeeping to a business's focus on treating their employees well, Rob and Steve highlight how the success of your business depends on where you invest your returns. Steve was clear that the internal priorities lead to financial success... with a bit more organization than a shoe box!Listen in!Chapters:Businesses are looking for solutions!Positioning your business for success in 2022Look to Reward Your TeamWhat are some mistakes business's make?Turning Tears into a Quality Vacation!Becoming the CPA's Best Friend

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Most entrepreneurs wear many hats (if not all) when they start their businesses and, as the company starts growing, they must begin to delegate some tasks. Dawn Hershik thinks that ideally when business owners reach that point, they should delegate what they are not good at or spend time on.  Dawn Hershik is the Managing Director at Supporting Strategies, a company that provides bookkeeping and controller services through remote and cloud-based technology. Dawn is a seasoned business, sales, and finance professional with deep expertise in small businesses' financial analysis. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Northwood University, and she also is the Director of Feed the Seed Foundation. This organization provides resources through coaching, education, co-working space, and grants to improve local economies by supporting start-up entrepreneurs. In this episode, Dawn discusses her background and how she decided to invest in the Supporting Strategies franchise. Dawn analyzed the growth of outsourcing companies during the pandemic and explained the benefits of outsourcing a company's accounting. She also talked about her company's hiring process, ideal clients, and time-tracking solutions for online workers and freelancers.  Visit Supporting Strategies website: https://www.supportingstrategies.com/ or find Dawn on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawnhershik/ The Esports Connected Podcast was created by the Esports Trade Association. To find out more, visit: https://esportsta.org/ This podcast is also part of the Esports Futuri Podcast Network. To find out more about this podcast, and all of our other shows, visit: EsportsFPN.com

John Gleason is a serial entrepreneur who I have had the pleasure to work with for the last 3 years. His company Supporting Strategies does book keeping for SMBs, and we discuss just how important it is to have up to date books on this episode! John is a very smart business man, and I learned a lot from this discussion alone!

Your Partner for... Charl Riggs with Supporting Strategies, licensed CPA, helps clients develop process and financial systems for their business, is interviewed by David Cogan founder of Eliances and host of the Eliances Heroes Show. Broadcast on am and fm network channels, internet radio and online syndication.    

Your Partner for... Charl Riggs with Supporting Strategies, licensed CPA, helps clients develop process and financial systems for their business, is interviewed by David Cogan founder of Eliances and host of the Eliances Heroes Show. Broadcast on am and fm network channels, internet radio and online syndication.    

In this episode of Pittsburgh Business Insights, we host Chris Pentrack, managing director of Expense Reduction Analysts and Supporting Strategies, to discuss improving cash flow, cost control in the era of COVID-19, and tight controls in a virtual world.

Michael Oberther, Director of Supporting Strategies Bookkeeping NYC speaks about how your business can benefit from outsourced bookkeeping services including accounts payable management, billing and accounts receivable, controller-level services, financial reporting, planning and analysis, HR administration, payroll support and month-end close. moberther@supportingstrategies.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gene-panasenko/message

Jennifer Yousem is the Founder of I Heart EBITDA, an agency dedicated to translating finance into a digestible language for midmarket and emerging enterprises. After beginning her career in equity research, Jennifer transitioned to corporate finance, where she worked with countless CEOs at corporate powerhouses nationwide.  With over 20 years of financial experience, Jennifer has led teams in strategic and operational finance at top-level companies like Verizon, Daily Mail, and many more. Jennifer is also the Owner and Managing Director of Supporting Strategies, an Executive Member of Dreamers & Doers, and a Global Advisory Board Member for The CFO Alliance. In this episode… Not everyone is born with a love for numbers or a knack for people. Jennifer Yousem, however, has both—and she has been using this unique combination to help business owners build stronger financial strategies for more than 22 years. Jennifer understands that a business' financial health is its lifeline to moving forward in any industry. That's why it's her mission to guide visionaries on their journey to million-dollar success.  To learn how to achieve the next level in your business, tune in to this episode of Level Up with host Nick Araco and his guest, Jennifer Yousem, the Founder of I Heart EBITDA. Jennifer discusses her early career in finance, her advice on talent and client acquisition, and the power of an effective financial strategy. Jennifer also shares the forward-thinking mindset behind her business success, and how she is helping other business owners level up!

Read the complete transcript on The Sales Game Changers Podcast website. STEVE’S TIP TO EMERGING SALES LEADERS: “I never think of what I’m doing as selling even though I’m a sales professional and all I do is sell. I always approach sales from a technical perspective, when I worked for IBM I approached it as a technical expert.  I’m a technical expert around bookkeeping now so I know what questions to ask them about how they pay their people and how they pay their bills. When they’re sitting there, they’re thinking, “This doesn’t sound like a sales call.” Become a technical expert in what you sell. The other thing to think about when you’re selling is that no one’s driving the cheapest car made, there are cheap cars but everyone buys for value, it depends on who they are and how they define value. Sales is never about money, it’s always about problems so as you go forward, if you can solve the problems of your clients, you’ll sell in any market, in a good market and in a bad market.”

Lori Coleman, co-owner of 4 Supporting Strategies franchises in MA, RI and NY, talks about her career journey as a technology company leader, entrepreneur and 2-time business owner.She and her business partner have a passion to solve "back office" problems for their clients. Supporting Strategies provides outsourced bookkeeping services for small to medium sized businesses, so they can focus on their own expertise, and running their businesses.Description:Winning Business Radio Radio Show is broadcast live at 4pm ET Mondays on W4CY Radio (www.w4cy.com) part of Talk 4 Radio (www.talk4radio.com) on the Talk 4 Media Network (www.talk4media.com). This podcast is also available on Talk 4 Podcasting (www.talk4podcasting.com).

Mark Wald founded Supporting Strategies | Los Angeles in 2013 and has grown the business to 40 W2 employees working virtually across 10 states in the US. They're providing exceptional finance and accounting support to hundreds of growing startups, small businesses, and nonprofits as a virtual firm.https://www.supportingstrategies.com/laIn today's episode, we discuss:Growing with referral networksPricing method with custom service packages and hourly billingHiring experienced professionalsUsing teams to set staff up for successTo learn more about the Staying Power Collective, a group for aspiring and current virtual firm owners on a mission to grow their firms, visit https://www.stayingpowercollective.com/ To read the show notes, guest contact information, and impactful quotes, visithttps://www.stayingpowercollective.com/blog

How healthy is your company’s cash flow? How often do you check your business financials, and which ones are you reviewing regularly? If these questions make you clutch at your chest, you can relax! Earle Durham from Supporting Strategies is here to help you make sense of your business financials, understand your cash flow (and how to improve it), and make sure your numbers make sense to you.

In this episode, I am honored to have Pete Denholm from Supporting Strategies join me. Pete Denholm is a business management consultant with over 20 years of experience in operations and financial management. While working for Big 4 accounting firms, Grant Thornton, and Fortune 50 companies, he specialized in helping organizations improve their financial and business operations. He found the work so rewarding that he launched Supporting Strategies | Northeast Florida in 2014 — a practice that has earned Top Accounting Firm kudos in the Jacksonville Business Journal. A member of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce and St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce, Pete holds a Bachelor of Arts in Finance from the George Washington University and is proud to be a former Marine. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/smallbusinessleadership/message

In this week's Friday Five, Liz shares her top strategies for staying well and supporting her immune system. She also recaps on her recent menopause talk and discusses coping with anxiety.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In week 4 of the Vulnerable Entrepreneurs, Kham and Sean talk to John Gleason, Managing Directors of 4 Supporting Strategies franchises about how to make business personal without taking things personal. Plus so many great business tips and gems in between.  You'll here great insight on how to:  Avoid fear of failure and taking things personally  Look at your business yearly and evaluate objectively  Get past the myth of work-life balance and how to simply manage life-balance  Get off the ground with a new business

In this episode Eric interviews Steve Barber, Managing Director of Supporting Strategies an outsourced bookkeeping business that provides assistance with day-to-day transactional bookkeeping and financial management. Steve helps us understand some of the best practices for better bookkeeping. https://www.supportingstrategies.com/northwest-maryland

About Mark Schanen Mark is the owner of Supporting Strategies Milwaukee, his franchise provides bookkeeping and controller-level services to small and middle market businesses as well as nonprofits. He is a former CFO for a division of GE and he held senior finance roles at JPMorgan. Mark has experience with mergers/divestitures, international financial management, pricing, comp planning, strategic planning, new product development, cash/treasury management, and dealing with large, matrixed organizations. Can you tell the audience a bit about the Business Fundamentals Bootcamp and why you do it? “every year, in every market that Supporting Strategies works in, we try to have an event where we try to give back to the local business community. Both to our clients as well as some of the strategic partners we have…”   What’s a controller, a comptroller, and a CFO? How are their jobs different? “…your controller is kind of like your chief accountant. So, they’ll help you with making sure your recognizing revenue the right way. So, if you are in certain industries there are certain ways you should be accruing for revenue.”   What are some of the key things to look for from an accounting resource in your business? “…people try to do everything. And you’re not going to necessarily get the best level of service if you are going to somebody that does taxes, they’re also doing all of your accounting and bookkeeping…”     Can you share with me your most successful or favorite networking story/experience that you’ve had? “so, I’m a member of a BNI chapter. And I took a look at a couple of different networking groups. One of the big things in my franchise that they preach from the get-go is were big on what we call an angelist development or center of influence development…”     How do you stay in front of, or best nurture your network community? “so, one of the things is the event I just talked about in the start of the show which is the Business Fundamentals Bootcamp. Another thing I try and make sure of is I tend to make a cursory appearance to every single networking group that I’m in.”   What advice do you have for the professional on growing their network? “I would encourage you to take a look at Eventbrite and take a look at things like BNI or any of the chambers of commerce.”   Digital networking or traditional networking? “so, I do both. I think digital is more to keep me top of mind. As opposed to developing a huge section of potential clients or partners.”   If you could go back 20 years, what would you tell yourself to do more or less of regarding your career? “don’t worry so much about the hours, worry about your on the job education.”   We’ve all heard of the 6 degrees of separation… Now, who would be the one person you’d love to connect with, and do you think you could do it within the 6th degree? How would you start that journey? “I think one thing that would help my business is getting to know franchisors and talking to them a little bit about what they’re doing for franchises when it comes to accounting and bookkeeping…”   What book are you reading right now? “I’m reading the Trusted Advisor, by Richard Wagner…”   Any final words of advice for our listeners? “It’s not about net-taking, that’s one of the things I always try to caution people about. If you are in a networking situation and the first thing you do is hand somebody your card, you’re probably doing it wrong.”     You can get in contact with Mark at: Website: https://www.supportingstrategies.com/milwaukee Email: mschanen@supportingstrategies.com

                    Mark Wald is in the business of outsourced bookkeeping and is going to talk about how Supporting Strategies is revolutionizing accounting operations for startups and small businesses.   Contact Info:    Website: http://www.supportingstrategies.com/la Email: mwald@supportingstrategies.com   Bonus Material:  Informational webinars available: http://www.supportingstrategies.com/webinar  

On Time for Success - Business Owner Dads Edition We are interviewing Mo Riad Owner of Mathnasium of Creve Coeur and Supporting Strategies - St. Louis, MO Mo Riad is the owner and Center Director of Mathnasium of Creve Coeur. He has a 20 year career in institutional investment management in Washington DC, New York, and St Louis, focusing on quantitative finance. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Finance from Wake Forest University and a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis. As a father of two children who attend schools in Creve Coeur, Mo wanted to have a place that his kids felt that they could excel with their math skills. In order to fulfill this dream, Mo decided to open a Mathnasium so not only his children could benefit, but also the center could serve the rest of the community. Mo's favorite number is 10 because there are 10 fingers total on our hands. He also enjoys to barbeque during his free time. Mo Riad came to St. Louis in 1997 to pursue his MBA at Washington University. He has since forged strong connections with the local community as an entrepreneur, small business owner and member of organizations such as the Creve Coeur Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis Club of Creve Coeur. Mo has been the owner of or principal in four St. Louis-based businesses, including the Mathnasium of Creve Coeur. He launched Supporting Strategies | St. Louis in 2018.

  Stephen Schultz, Director of Business Development at Supporting Strategies, discusses their unique Franchise system concept. 100% of all Supporting Strategies' frachisees and corporate staff work remotely. Stephen and Jack talk about the benefits of this structure and how Supporting Strategies overcame early challenges to grow the system nationwide!  

Brian Schobel, owner of Supporting Strategies, talks to GRCA's Karen Marsdale about the importance of understanding your financials.

       Welcome to the Columbia Metro Connection, a podcast where you can go to get valuable, relevant, and quality resources for you and your congregation.        The Columbia Metro Connection is sponsored and supported by the Columbia Metro Baptist Association and the almost 100 partner churches that support the ministry of the CMBA.        This first podcast features George Bullard providing an initial overview of Starting and Strengthening Congregations priority of the CMBA.        To receive an e-mail notification with a link to each podcast when posted, complete this concise form: https://goo.gl/forms/saBhAh8Q379XcdPU2 or Subscribe on your favorite podcasting app (iTunes, Stitcher, SoundCloud, or TuneIn).   Co-hosts for Podcasts: JayWill Wilson of Generation Church(Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) Chris Reinolds of Killian Baptist Church(Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) George Bullard the CMBA Director (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram)   Tentative Future Podcasts: January 23rd: John Daugherty of OperationInasmuch.org on a compassion revolution. February 13th: Tommy Hutto of Crooked Run Baptist Church sharing Our Family Stories on a smaller membership church and missional engagement. February 27th: Greg Atkinson of Worship Impressions on the Secrets of a Secret Shopper. Highlights: My strong desire is that all congregations will be captured by God’s empowering vision for them and continually journey towards their full Kingdom potential. - George Bullard   At the end of the day, we are just sick people who need the same medicine that we are passing out. - JayWill Wilson   A congregation is a spiritual organism. It is a living, breathing, moving, dynamic, ever-changing organism. And, an association is also a spiritual organism and closest in character and nature to that of congregations. - George Bullard   The synergy of [our association to church relationship] allows for greater Kingdom progress among the fellowship area of the association and throughout our nation and the world. - George Bullard   Too often even associations, like churches, simply try to keep busy doing many good things. But I believe the urgency of the good news of Jesus Christ would have us focus on Gospel essentials. - George Bullard Empowering congregations to be more vital and vibrant missional communities is what we want to seek to accentuate. - George Bullard Columbia Metro Baptist Association Focus: Empowering Congregations - Focus on the vitality and vibrancy of congregations Multiplying Congregations - Planting new congregations strategically situated for the lost, the unchurched, the de-churched, and the underchurched. Transforming Congregations - Helping existing congregations soar to new heights. Developing Leadership - Developing leaders in the Richland County area. Impacting Communities - Helping more congregations to more often get outside their church buildings and engage in a Compassion Revolution that offers the opportunity to engage in good works in ways that the Good News can be authentically shared. Collegiate Ministry - Connecting churches with those students of higher education. Missional Partnership - Resourcing congregations to do ministry beyond the fellowship area of our association. Vision Tuesdays Beginning in January - January 16th, 2018 Guest Speaker: John Daugherty, executive director, Operation Inasmuch at www.operationinasmuch.org February 20th, 2018 Guest Speaker: Greg Atkinson of Worship Impressions at www.worshipimpressions.com. Show Transcript: Topic: Starting and Strengthening Congregations Welcome to the Columbia Metro Connection. A podcast where you can go to get valuable, relevant, and quality resources for you and your congregation. The Columbia Metro Connection is sponsored and supported by the Columbia Metro Baptist Association and the almost 100 partner churches that support the ministry of the CMBA. Hosts for this week’s episode are: George Bullard, the Director of Missions for the Columbia Metro Baptist Association, strategic leadership coach, lead missiologist, and virtuoso of all things church-related. Jay Will Wilson, teaching pastor at Generation Church, urban missionary, and radio host at Urban City Radio. And I’m Chris Reinolds, lead pastor at Killian Baptist Church and founder of StrategicSherpherding.com. We want to welcome you to the flagship episode of the Columbia Metro Connection: the place to go to get Kingdom resources for you and your congregation. (Laughter) CR: Well, personally, I cannot express how excited I am to be able to sit down with you guys and do this show. I know that’s something we’ve been talking about since somewhere in October. And, George, I can’t thank you enough for inviting me to be a part of it. GB: Glad to do so. JW: Yeah, I think this is a great opportunity for not just for us to get together and fellowship but for our fellowships to get together and get to know each other and just talk about different ministries. CR: Absolutely JW: So, I think this is a great opportunity. GB: Well, I think it is too. Of all the people I could’ve gotten together with, you know, you two are one of them. (Laughter) CR: Oh, good, thanks. JW: I don’t know if that’s a compliment or… GB: Well, I do want to tell you though. My vision for this podcast is that we could provide timely, helpful information for pastors, staff persons and lay leaders in our congregations. My strong desire is that all congregations will be captured by God’s empowering vision for them and continually journey towards their full Kingdom potential. CR: Mmhmm GB: You know, time is the most precious commodity of the 21st century. All of us would like to have more money. But, the reality is that time is more precious than money. So, these approximately 20 - 22-minute podcasts are intended to help leaders learn something positive that will enhance their ministry by investing just a few minutes. The medium of podcasts means that they can learn wherever they are if their schedule doesn’t allow them time with others in a face to face setting. CR: I agree wholeheartedly. One of the.. one of the most discouraging realities that I think that pastors face is the isolation that comes whenever you’re sitting in the Senior chair and, so, having some kind of resource, um, that speaks directly to pastors and be able to help them, um, as they are seeking to do ministry out in the field. Um, I think, I think it is incredibly beneficial. JW: Yeah, and it will give us a chance to reveal the fact that we aren’t perfect. Sometimes we are looked at as the people to give all of the answers. CR: Right JW: All the solutions. And at the end of the day, we are just sick people who need the same medicine that we are passing out. CR: Absolutely. That is exactly the case. Which is why I’m excited and thrilled to be partnered up with what you’re doing George within the Columbia Metro area. Now, for our listeners who may be new to the Columbia Metro area, George is our newly elected… now, I’m gonna make sure I get this right because it is a long one… Associational Director of Missions for the Columbia Metro Baptist Association. JW: Now, I bet you can’t say that five times fast. CR: Yeah, I don’t think I can say that. JW: So, George, when did you come on? GB: Well, you know, guys, time flies when you’re having fun or when you’re in the center of God’s will for your life and you generally love what you do. I actually started way back on July the 1st of last year. So, I’ve been in this role for more than six months as we are sitting now together taping this podcast. CR: Now, your role as far as your perception of the role of Director of Missions is a little bit of a different take. And, when you were elected, one of the things you did was you delivered a speech that really highlighted each one of those differences. So, for this first episode, we’d like to take some time to interview you so that people can hear the different approach to your methodology. GB: I must admit, guys, that I think I do have a different perspective on the role of the Baptist association. For one thing, I grew up in the home of an Associational Director of Missions. My father, three times in his life, served as an Associational Director of Missions. But, along the way, one of my mentors was a really funny guy named Russell Bennett who was also a person who understood deeply associationalism and would carry the title of Missiologist. Someone who knows about missions and the kind of things we need to be doing. He had a statement that went something like this: You know, there are churches and there are associations. Then, the ungodly are not so and those are our state conventions and Southern Baptist national agencies. But, here’s what he meant: A congregation is a spiritual organism. It is a living, breathing, moving, dynamic, ever-changing organism. And, an association is also a spiritual organism and closest in character and nature to that of congregations. But, a state convention and national agencies are organizations. Their role is an important one of programs, projects, and events but they do not have a primary family or solution or wisdom relationship with congregations. Their relationship is more of “acquaintance.” I know a few churches are friends. I have a few churches I know pretty well and they’re more into the broad scale, deep scope and they are more about providing information and knowledge and not really getting to the point of full wisdom that you get when you sense, you know, smell, taste or hear congregations. JW: So, now, George, some people may interpret that in a way that you’re not meaning. Uh, you’re not saying that there’s something wrong with the state and national convention, right? GB: Well, not in theory. Now, I know some state conventions and national agencies that are a little weird from time to time.. (Laughter) GB: But, no, state conventions and national agencies are very important as a part of an integrated strategy to fulfill The Great Commission and the spirit of The Great Commandment. No part of our three-dimensional denominational structure is better than the other. Each, at their best, and that’s a very important phrase, at their best, has a unique and distinct role that contributes to the work of God’s Kingdom. CR: Yeah, I think that that’s an accurate assessment and one of the things that you mentioned, in your speech that you gave, is that associations are really the foundation for the primary missional and fellowship relationship of churches with one another in the fulfillment of The Great Commission and the spirit of The Great Commandment. Now, if you could explain a little bit about what that means whenever you talk about that associations are the foundation for primary missional and fellowship relationships of churches in their desire to be obedient to Jesus’s command. GB: Alright, using that phrase I introduced just a minute ago because associations are at their best closest in character and nature to congregations and closest geographically, they have a 24/7, 365, that means every day of the week, every week of the year, they have a close relationship with congregations. They can experience a full and deep relationship. Did you know that churches actually join and are members of a local Baptist association but churches only affiliate with their state convention and the Southern Baptist Convention. The relationship is totally different. That is why we call associations a family, solutions, and wisdom relationship. CR: Now, if I could, I have a little bit of a follow up from what you just said there. A couple months ago, I was able to attend a conference you’ve been doing for, I guess, several years now. It’s called the Congregational Champions Retreat and, in that retreat, you talk about some of these things. And, specifically, you mention the importance of building a familial style or atmosphere among the churches where we begin to rely on one another for strength and encouragement, support and even some ideas. Now, this is really counterintuitive from my experiences in associations. Is this sort of the direction that you desire to see our local association to go towards? GB: It certainly is, Chris. Churches and associations, again, I may be overusing this phrase but I think it is important to say--at their best and we are striving to be at our best in the Columbia Metro Baptist Association, have an interdependent relationship with one another. The synergy of such a relationship allows for greater Kingdom progress among the fellowship area of the association and throughout our nation and the world. JW: Now, in your speech when you were elected last summer, one of the last statements you made was “We can stay busy or we can stay focused on Gospel essentials.” Can you please explain that statement? GB: Sure. Yeah, you know it is very easy for us, as Baptists, to stay busy. In fact, the humorist Will Rogers used to say that he was tired of his taxes paying for roads to be built for Baptists to tear down going to meetings. (Laughter) GB: So, ugh, too often even associations, like churches, simply try to keep busy doing many good things. But I believe the urgency of the good news of Jesus Christ would have us focus on Gospel essentials. You know, what’s the main thing and keeping the main thing the main thing. Additionally, from a human and business perspective, did you know that, over the years, the North American society has taken a word that, for 300 or 400 years, was a singular word, the word “priority,” and turned it into a plural word, priorities. When they made it a plural word, that diluted our focus. CR: Absolutely. GB: And, I’m trying to lead our association to have what I call “Our One Priority.” The way I start it is “Starting and strengthening congregations to serve as vital and vibrant missional communities.” Things that we’ve been doing that do not fit that priority we’re, quite frankly, going to try to eliminate unless there’s some key reason to keep doing them. Empowering congregations to be more vital and vibrant missional communities is what we want to seek to accentuate. JW: Now, that sounds like a great idea. What are our strategies to fill our one priority? GB: We're trying to play out and roll out some strategies. And, right now, we are saying that there are seven that we are going to focus on. Um, so, it is a little bit of a long list but let me start moving into to it here. First is what we call “Empowering Congregations.” This is sort of foundational for us where we are focusing on the vitality and vibrancy of our congregations. We consider this our key, beginning strategy. Second, is Multiplying Congregations. Again, my family was involved a lot in planting new congregations and new congregations strategically situated for the lost, the unchurched, the de-churched, and the under-churched are one of the best methods of evangelism and new member recruitment. So, our associational fellowship area is expected to increase in population by 200,000 people in less than 25 years. Many new congregational expressions and evangelism efforts are gonna be needed in our context. A third one, we call “Transforming Congregations.” It’s a what I’ve spent most of my last 40 years devoting myself to under a rubric I call “Faith Soaring Congregations.” So, many of our congregations in our association need from just staying busy to where they are soaring with faith. Fourth is “Developing Leadership.” We have a particularly unique situation in the Columbia Metro Baptist Association in that, when you consider the population in our primary core county, Richland County, we are a majority minority demographically. JW: Yes. GB: So, we need mature, motivated, and insightful leadership that is multicultural and helps create an intercultural leadership base for our diverse setting. CR: Now, all of this information is a lot to chew on. Especially for our listeners who are just hearing this information for the first time. Um, and, I know you’ve given many talks and had many conversations so we want to make sure that they know that, um, all of this information will be available in the show notes also with links so they can check out that information as well. But, those are just four of them, I think you said, seven of the strategies— GB: I did. CR: Now, that’s more than what most associations are doing— JW: Yes. CR: or will do in probably their lifetime. How can we accomplish that and how can there still be more things? GB: The good news about that, and maybe the unfortunate news about that is that our association is a five talent association. God has given us a lot of resources and abilities and availability so to do any less than three more beyond the first four, uh, it is kind of like turning our back on God. And, we can’t do that. So, I really do need to add three of what I call “Supporting Strategies.” And, so, if I could, the fifth one is what I call “Impacting Communities.” We must help more congregations to more often get outside their church buildings and engage in a Compassion Revolution that offers the opportunity to engage in good works in ways that the Good News can be authentically shared. CR: I like that Compassion Revolution. That’s good. JW: Yeah, I like that. GB: Well, we have a guy coming in January, that we will talk about in a minute, that will talk about the Compassion Revolution. CR: Oh, okay. GB: Ah, sixth, is “Collegiate Ministry.” If you think about it, including the residential and commuter students, our associational area has close to 50,000 people enrolled in higher education. That’s actually an increase from around 35,000 people just about 15 years ago. Already one-fourth of our congregations are involved with these students and their campuses. We must continue to focus on this strategy. So, there is a final one and that’s the seventh and we call it “Missional Partnerships.” This involves what our congregations do beyond the fellowship area of our association. We are a resourcing association. We need to do our part to impact the nation and our world with the unconditional love of God through Jesus Christ. JW: That’s awesome. When do we get started with this? I mean, I want my congregation to be part of this. How can we get plugged into it? CR: Well, I have to say, Jay Will, our congregation here at Killian, we’ve already begun benefitting from this transforming congregations strategy because we are doing a church revitalization here so I suspect that I’m probably not the only one already started benefitting from it and I’m sure there are others as well. GB: Right you are, Chris. You know, you already are benefitting and we’ve had some time to be together at conferences and individually to help you move forward at Killian and you’re doing a great job. We appreciate it. CR: Thank you. GB: And it honors our Lord. But, what you’ve experienced this far, I hope, is only the beginning. The best really is yet to come. We’ll be introducing new parts of these seven strategies every month during 2018. One avenue to do this is what we’re going to be calling “Vision Tuesdays.” These will take place eight times per year, generally on the third Tuesday of the month. And, if you want more information about it, I urge people to already go to our website at ColumbiaMetro.org to see about these Vision Tuesdays and what we will be offering. JW: This is a lot of information and my head is kind of spinning by now. I really hope that more churches get involved. That my church will get involved. I hope God will really use this for such a big challenge, um, it’s going to be great! GB: Jay Will and Chris, it is certainly my hope that we will follow God’s lead into the mission field all around us. CR: I hope to curb you guys’ enthusiasm as we seek to progress forward and discuss all those various ways in which we can engage the mission field that is around us but, at this point, we’ve run out of time for this initial episode of our podcast. JW: Now, one last thing. George, do you have anything—Do you know anything about our future podcasts? GB: Well, I kind of alluded to it a little while ago. When we have our first Vision Tuesday, on January the 16th, our guest speaker will be John Daugherty of Operation In As Much that can be found online at OperationInAsMuch.org. He’ll be speaking about how we go about creating a Compassion Revolution through ministry engagements in our diverse communities and neighborhoods throughout our association. And, we will be piloting some of the things he’ll be suggesting to us in the Fall of 2018 and hopefully having a full-blown Compassion Revolution experience in the Spring of 2019.  By the way, a little trivia here, reservations are going to be required for that Vision Tuesday because we are going to be having a free lunch provided by the Southern Mutual Church Insurance Company. JW: So, don’t show up if you haven’t reserved… (laughter) GB: That’s right. But, see our website for more information or connect with our Facebook page would be the thing to do. CR: Alright, well, our time really is up but if you’re interested in connecting with any of us through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, be sure to check out the show notes from today’s episode and all the applicable links will be there. Also, if you’ve found this podcast helpful to you or your ministry, could you please go over to iTunes and leave a review and a rating so that we can get the word out about what God is doing in the Columbia Metro area. Until next time, from all of us at the Columbia Metro Connection, we thank you for listening and urge you to share this podcast with everyone you know. It’s the good news about the Good News in the Columbia Metro Baptist Association. Music: www.bensound.com