Behind the Seal

Mark Yarbrough was a student, professor, and now President of Dallas Theological Seminary. For 100 years, DTS has held the word of God high in training young men and women to go into ministry and shepherd flocks worldwide. What's next for Pastors? How do cultural influences challenge private seminaries? How does a seminary take on the challenge of teaching integrity to future leaders? Subscribe wh...

Raised as a Pastor's kid, then going in the ministry himself for over 35 years, Sam Chand has seen the changes in the church firsthand. His book, Leadership Pains, dials into the challenges that have resulted in failure among pastors. He's come alongside leaders as a first responder after a fall. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: https://www.ecfa.org/podcast ========================= ECFA...

Best Christian Workplaces Co-Founder and Board Chair Al Lopus has seen it all. Anonymous surveys reveal the heart of health in organizations. He shares telling signs of unhealth and examples of leaders who took it head on, even as they were the problem. Check out the Flourishing Culture Leadership Podcast here: https://workplaces.org/podcast

Ministry Lead Brian Kreeger worked hard. He was doing the Lord's work at all costs. Listen to his reflections from The Courageous Ask, a book considering how a leader finds support from his board, friends, and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Connect with Brian https://www.briankreeger.com/ ECFA's Lessons from the Boardroom https://www.ecfa.org/lessonsnonprofitboardroom/Default.aspx

Gary Hoag sees and hears about the global church every day. As CEO of Global Trust Partners, birthed from the heartbeat of ECFA, Gary witnesses how ministry work is done worldwide and how different cultures and governments perceive financial integrity,  good governance, and leadership. Biblically, Gary has spent time as a New Testament scholar considering the Jerusalem council and its leadership s...

Jacob Bland answered the call. As a young leader in a storied ministry, his wisdom in humbly leading and balancing a young family is relatable for so many of us. The relationship between Youth For Christ's Board of Directors and senior leadership is thoughtful, caring, and saturated in prayer. The God-honoring succession transition Jacob stepped into is one we all hope can be repeated in our own c...

The spiritual formation of Christian Leaders can get deprioritized in the face of other metrics of success. Steve Macchia has spent his career teaching the importance of a nurtured soul. As he says, where the soul goes, so goes the leader.   Check out more of Steve's writing here: https://www.stevemacchia.com/

CAFO Leadership released a document to staff that spells out how to have a balanced and healthy work, personal, and spiritual life. It's working!  They call it the Strategic Plan for Thriving Souls. As Jedd Medefind discusses, good fruit comes from good roots.   Find Jedd's Podcast here: https://resources.cafo.org/series/justice-and-the-inner-life/ and the Thriving Souls Plan here: https://cafo.or...

Mindy Caliguire leads Soulcare.com and frames Soul Care as a personal resolve to build a life deeply connected to God—the path to true flourishing. Most important, her work imagines the “what if?” of a future where the new norm is one in which leaders thrive, integrity thrives, and churches and ministries thrive because of better soul care. Take the integrity assessment! https://www.soulcare.com/i...

Our motivations are a shadow to us and others.  Not always good or bad, but present.  Know them, Redeem them. Gary L. McIntosh is President of the Church Growth Network and Professor of Christian Ministry and Leadership at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University.  He has forty years of experience consulting non-profit organizations, coaching of leaders, and seminar presentations. Find more of...

Good and Bad Leadership can push us towards knowing the Lord deeper.  Glen shares how to find new wells to drink from, to stay resilient as a Christian leader in these times. Check out all Glenn's writing and podcast here : https://www.glennpackiam.com/

Over 2/3's of larger churches in America have an Executive Pastor. There is opportunity to be effective and efficient in church business, all while increasing integrity with a pastor's heart.  David Fletcher of Xpastor.org shares the trends and practical insights all churches can benefit from. Register for the Free Workshop from XPastor and ECFA at www.xpastor.org

What are the legal risks of unhealthy leadership?  Erika Cole, The Church Attorney, gives insight to how important a pastor's role is and how that can be isolating, taxing, and can lead to pastoral burnout.  The importance to stay spiritually and emotionally healthy as a pastor seems obvious, but the legal ramifications of un-health can affect entire churches and communities.   Find Erika's course...

You don't know what you don't know, and those unseen traps can catch any of us. Carey has spoken with thousands of leaders and lived through a burnout period in his own life, so glean the wisdom and warnings for a full life of healthy leadership. On-Demand Courses on Leadership, Productivity, and More from Carey Nieuwhof: https://careynieuwhof.com/ Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: https:/...

You are not made for work alone. Embrace the rhythms your Creator designed for you. You are not made for the Sabbath; the Sabbath is made for you. Ruth Haley Barton | CEO Transforming Center https://transformingcenter.org/

Change, change is the only constant. That's what thousands of interviews and surveys confirm about Christian culture in the U.S. With access to this data The Barna Group has a finger on the pulse of the big C church and its Pastors.  David Kinnaman reveals the trends he sees and how pastors without healthy leadership practices have a higher probability to leave the ministry.   David Kinnaman and T...

Edgar Sandoval's amazing story of hardship, hard work, and surrender is filled with God's continued work in each of us and this world!  As CEO of World Vision, a large, tenured Christian Humanitarian Aid Organization, Edgar discusses the organization's willingness to respond to dangerous situations because of soft hearts, calling it the "right kind of dangerous".  As generations change, Edgar desc...

When David Wills was growing up, every time he took a spiritual gift test he always seemed to score lowest in "generosity," but that didn't stop the Lord from working in his heart. Listen in as Michael Martin sits down with the President Emeritus of the National Christian Foundation, which serves as a global generosity movement, and discusses his passions around generosity and eternity. Subscribe...

Being accountable to someone doesn't mean you'll achieve perfection. Accountability, particularly in a Christian organization, looks like a relationship built on trust with "course correcting" conversations happening regularly. Sit down with Michael Martin and Jake Lapp as they dig in to what accountability looks like with ECFA accredited members. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: https://...

"Trust is the bedrock. Out of good trust comes productive conflict management, clarity on goals and objectives, people feel like they can speak into something, and you begin to see outcomes. Outcomes that really are transforming a leader. Transforming your organization. Transforming communities. And now we're even witnessing how it's transforming nations." Michael goes "Behind the Seal" with Tami...

Does the name "evangelical" do more harm than good in today’s culture? What role is "deconstruction" playing in the Christian community? Do Christian ministries have a trust problem, and how do we respond? Join the conversation as Michael Martin sits down with Walter Kim, the President of the National Association of Evangelicals, as they work through these questions together. NAE's For the Health...

Nonprofits and churches were experiencing a “crisis of confidence” in the late 1970s. Scandal after scandal highlighted the great need for standards and accountability, and from it, the ECFA seal was born to help regain and enhance trust. In episode one, Michael Martin unpacks a little of the seal's history and gives a taste of the conversations coming over the next few weeks.  Subscribe wherever...

ECFA is announcing our new Podcast.  Subscribe now!  Episodes are released every week starting in late March!