Lead On Podcast

In this episode of the Lead On podcast, Jeff Iorg, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, discusses the role of competition in Christianity, reflecting on his experiences as the chaplain for the San Francisco Giants and broader ministry leadership. He argues that competition is healthy for Christians and can coexist with their faith. Iorg emphasizes that true competiti...

In this episode of the Lead On podcast, Jeff Iorg, President of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, discusses the pastor search process. Iorg highlights that selecting a pastor is a critical decision for any church, especially in congregations that operate autonomously. He stresses the importance of forming a pastor search committee with spiritually mature and discerning in...

In this episode of the Lead On Podcast, Jeff Iorg, president of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee, emphasizes the importance of maintaining personal spiritual disciplines for ministry leaders. He acknowledges that while these practices—such as Bible reading, prayer, rest, worship, and fellowship—may seem basic and elementary, they are essential for sustaining a leader over a life...

In this episode of the Lead On Podcast, Jeff Iorg, president of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, discusses the perplexing problem of loneliness in Christian leadership, despite leaders being embedded in communities and relationships. Iorg explains that loneliness is an occupational hazard due to isolation by information, obedience, job demands, and emotional depletion. H...

In this episode of the Lead On Podcast, Jeff Iorg, president of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, discusses models of bivocational and covocational ministry, challenging traditional views and highlighting their benefits. He shares personal experiences, such as his time at the Northwest Baptist Convention, where he expanded his staff significantly by integrating bivocation...

In this episode of the Lead On Podcast, Jeff Iorg, president of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, delves into the topic of humility in leadership. He emphasizes that true humility involves using one's position and privileges to benefit others and sacrificing for their needs, exemplified by Jesus Christ. He also explains that humility is not about self-abasement but about...

In the Lead On podcast, Jeff Iorg, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's executive committee, discusses practical ministry leadership issues, focusing on Vacation Bible School (VBS). Highlighting its evangelistic impact, Iorg shares humorous and humbling anecdotes. He emphasizes VBS's significance as outreach, involvement, training, and Bible teaching events. Iorg urges aggressive follow-...

Jeff Iorg emphasizes the importance of rest for ministry leaders in his podcast. He shares his personal journey from being a driven perfectionist to valuing rest after his wife confronted him. Iorg highlights the biblical patterns of rest, including Sabbath and week-long festivals, and their purposes: to remind, refocus, and rejuvenate. He debunks myths about ministry, such as the need to be alway...

Jeff Iorg discusses the challenges and opportunities presented when people leave ministry organizations in his "Lead On" podcast. He emphasizes that departures—whether through resignation, retirement, or termination—disrupt relationships, emotional equilibrium, and morale. However, these moments also offer opportunities for organizational learning and meaningful change. Leaders should assess and r...

In this podcast episode, Jeff Iorg, President of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, discusses the leadership discipline of being "slow to speak," based on James 1:19. Iorg emphasizes the importance of measured and thoughtful communication in various contexts like preaching, email, social media, and informal conversations. He shares personal anecdotes illustrating the pitfa...

Cooperation is challenging because of differing viewpoints, diverse backgrounds, and the problems that inevitably arise during collaboration. Within the Southern Baptist Convention, where cooperation is central, these challenges are particularly pronounced. Differing perspectives on worship styles, preaching methods, and mission strategies can lead to tensions among church leaders. Additionally, c...

In this episode of the Lead On Podcast, Jeff Iorg dives into the significance of leveraging data to evaluate your ministry effectiveness and elevate discipleship. We start by shedding light on the Annual Church Profile (ACP), a tool used by the Southern Baptist Convention to gather church data. While recognizing its limitations, it's crucial to have statistical insights into your ministry progress...

Dr. Iorg provides five questions through which someone can evaluate God's leading when other people are offering advice or direction.

How do you start a new ministry position well? Dr. Iorg discusses how to be intentional and effective in your first few months in a new role. 

Dr. Iorg provides some ideas about men's ministry. 

Dr. Iorg discusses two overarching principles for ministering in tragedy and provides seven steps to help people go through a process of recovery.

Short term missions requires training. Dr. Iorg discusses some of the negative ways to do short-term missions but discusses some of the best practices to get the most out of a short-term trip. 

Why is pastoral presence so important? Dr. Iorg discusses the importance of being with people and offers fresh ways to engage with and effectively be with the people you are leading.

A lot of the time we don't know what to say. So what do you do? Pray and ask for help. And then speak the best way you know how trusting God will work through your words. 

Dr. Iorg provides several benchmarks leaders can use to evaluate the financial health of their church. 

Dr. Iorg explains why a planned program of preaching is vital for a healthy ministry. Dr. Iorg also encourages non-preachers to consider long-term planning and intentional ministry decisions.

In addition to suggesting how to read more efficiently, Dr. Iorg shares ways that he has benefitted spiritually and theologically from intentional reading. 

One of the most difficult parts of being a ministry leader is maintaining confidentiality. Dr. Iorg discusses what confidentiality means and how leaders can manage this important responsibility in leadership.