The Called to Flourish Podcast

Imagine you're the president of a church denomination of  2,000  individual congregations. You're responsible for scores of pastors, their ministry teams, and hundreds of missionaries across the world. How do you deal with competing interests, complex issues and people under your care who are both working down the hall and dispersed around the world? Our guest, today, is going to tell us how he's...

It's a privilege and pleasure to welcome Leighton Ford . Leighton is a Christian leader whom God has called and gifted as an evangelist and later called to identify, develop and network leaders of a new generation. He is also the author of several books including Transforming Leadership … which is used widely now in seminaries globally. You might also know another one of his books called… The Atte...

Imagine if your staff culture changed for the better through higher levels of trust, better overall management, greater compassion, plus an increasing level of fairness and integrity. My guest has seen this come true in his organization--and a transformed staff culture can happen in your organization too. Today, I want to welcome Brad Carr, Founder and President of SonicAire , a very successful Ch...

"How engaged would you like your staff to be at work, where people trust one another, give their all, and feel unified and productive in fulfilling the organization's mission?"     Wait till you hear how my guest, today, answers this question—because I think it points to some great results that would thrill any leader.   Let me welcome  Duane Zook, CEO, of Josh McDowell Ministry , based in Plano,...

I'd like to dedicate today's entire podcast to  you ,  our listener, and your leadership.    Who you are and who you desire to become as a follower of Jesus, and as a leader serving in his name, matters deeply to God.    When it comes to leadership, what you're about to hear from our guest, could… I believe, be life-shaping, even life changing ,  for you.    My guest, is  Phyllis  Hennecy Hendry ....

Here's a "what if" scenario you'll find it hard to refuse? Let's say you invested in the stock market. After one year, you'd feel pretty good to see your investment increase by 21%. But then imagine the value of investment increasing 81% of its original amount in just four years. 81%! 81% is how much the level of staff engagement has grown at Rolling Hills Christian Church in El Dorado Hills, Cali...

As you slow down to savor this Thanksgiving holiday, take some time to reflect on the heart of your leadership. Enjoy this listener favorite from our archives, as  Ruth Haley Barton teaches spiritual disciplines to keep our leadership centered on Christ. How does a busy Christian leader – with a full plate of responsibilities and activities – maintain an abundant spiritual life so they can effecti...

Our conversation today will center around the question:  What does a leader do to build high levels of trust in their organization?  As we'll learn, it has a lot to do with making regular trust deposits into your culture through transparency, consistency and integrity. It is our distinct privilege to talk with Bill Robinson , one of our early champions of organizational culture in Christian workpl...

Communicating effectively is a core competency for any leader. Today we have the pleasure of talking with Pam Marmon , the Founder and CEO of Threefold Tribe where she helps growing churches multiply. Pam is also the Founder and CEO of Marmon Consulting, a growth management consulting firm that helps growing companies scale. Hi Pam and welcome to our podcast, today. Fill full shownotes here  http:...

Here's a question: What could have motivated one the most innovative churches in the country to invest in a human resources function to help build their staff culture? The answer just might speak to where your church, organization, or business can improve the health of your own culture. With me in the studio is Chris Taylor , who serves as director of human resources for Seacoast Church in Charles...

How can you continually develop a staff both professionally and spiritually to better advance the vision and mission of your Christian ministry? Our guest, today, has walked this path and has more than a few practical insights and stories to help you strengthen your people and improve the health of your culture. Today, we have the pleasure of visiting with Scott Wiggins the Director of Staff at Pi...

One of the questions people most often ask is this: "How long does it take to improve the health of an organization's culture?" What would you say? Six months? . . . A year? It's natural to think that most people want their culture to change and be better in a relatively short amount of time. The fact is,  true, meaningful transformation of a culture often takes three to five years.  There's a hug...

The story you're about to hear is simply extraordinary. In BCWI's 15 years, we've worked with over 900 churches, organizations and companies. On average, their level of employee engagement is 53.5%. Fifty-three employees out of a hundred and engaged in their work. That's significantly better than the U.S. average of 33% reported by Gallup. Today we are talking with a guest where 91%, of the staff...

My guest, today has some answers you can use and create positive results . Her name is Pam Marmon , and she's the Founder of Threefold Tribe , a consulting firm whose mission statement will cause you to lean forward and say, "Tell me more." Pam, welcome to the Flourishing Culture Podcast. Find full show notes here  http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/ s3e39-pam-marmon /

Today we are going to talk about one of the most dreaded, yet important parts of a leaders job…..  addressing performance concerns … with truth and grace. To help us navigate these treacherous waters — we have the pleasure of talking with  Tara VanderSande , a true leader in Talent Development serving, in the current role of  Staff Development Director  at  Willow Creek Community Church  in the Ch...

Today we have the pleasure of talking with Robert Bortins , CEO of Classical Conversations . Based in Southern Pines, North Carolina, Classical Conversations is leading the home-centered education movement by teaching parents and students the classical tools of learning in order to discover God's created order and beauty. Since its founding in 1997, Classical Conversations has involved 114,000 stu...

In the next few minutes, you're going to discover how the presence and power of one word can radically improve organizational culture—perhaps even your culture. The word I'm talking about is "trust." Today we have the pleasure of visiting with Brad Eisenmann , President of Aspen Group , an integrated design, build, and furnish firm exclusively for churches, based in Frankfort, Illinois . Hi, Brad,...

As you know, there are many benefits of having a healthy employee culture. One positive outcome that's not often talked about is how a healthy culture makes leadership transition easier for an organization. That's the story going on at Redeemer Presbyterian Church throughout the leadership transition of well known senior pastor, Tim Keller. To tell us this story and shed some practical insights fo...

At this moment, I'm looking at a web site that says these startling words: TONIGHT, UP TO 7,000 PEOPLE FACE HOMELESSNESS IN METRO ATLANTA. Jim Reese is the President and CEO of the Atlanta Mission, and he's with me, today. Jim, I'm inspired by how Atlanta Mission transforms, through Christ, the lives of those facing homelessness. Last year, alone, the Atlanta Mission: · made available more than 23...

Over the course of over 20 years helping equip hundreds of organizations to improve the health of their culture, leaders will often ask this question: "Can you give us ideas to rapidly improve our culture?" Many healthy-to-flourishing culture turnarounds come about through months, even years of good, hard work. Still, there are times when you can accelerate your progress to improve the health of y...

Our mission is to equip and inspire Christian leaders to build a flourishing workplace. While a majority of our listeners are working in churches and Christian non-profits, a healthy segment are Christians who either own a business, or who are involved in a Christian-owned business. Mike Sharrow is the President and CEO of C12 Group , the largest network of Christian CEOs, business owners, and exe...

How healthy is your employee culture? How can you find out? And if you happen to find out your culture is not quite where you'd like it to be, what do you do? Our guest today, has a very compelling answer to share. His name is  Scott Kissel  and he's the  Senior Executive Pastor  at  Timberline Church  in  Fort Collins, CO . In the past two years, Scott has been at the center of the culture transf...

Here's a quiz for you : Can you n ame the three  most important things that drive the health of your culture ?   When you know these three essential drivers of a flourishing, healthy culture I'm about to share with you, you can leverage them to tremendous advantage:    Your people will feel more engaged than ever.   Individuals, teams, departments—and the entire organization—will experience greate...

Today is a celebration for me, personally. As we read in scripture, when a person comes to faith in Christ, the angels celebrate. Well, I believe the same is true when a toxic workplace culture of a Christian organization changes for the better and becomes healthy. This is especially true in Christian higher education. Ten years ago, I sat across from the table from a new university President and...

Do you have enough leaders to fuel your organizations future growth? In the next few minutes, you're going to learn about a very, very effective leadership development strategy. Whether you're in a church, a parachurch organization, or a business, I think you're in for a treat. With me is Tara VanderSande , Staff Development Director for Willow Creek Community Church . For the past 9 years, Tara h...