Leading From Alignment

Human nature leans toward noticing problems with other people while being blind to our own. Jesus identifies this tendency when He asks: “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” This tendency can trip up even the best of leaders. In today’s episode John and Jim unpack how we as leaders can take care of our “own yard” first.

Episode 268:John’s Four Biggest Aha’s of 2024 by Converge Coaching

The second leading cause of pastor burnout is isolation. All of us need people in our life who energize us, refresh us, make us laugh, who we can have mask-off community with. Leadership is too hard to do alone. In today’s episode John & Jim explore two major friendship obstacles, and then outline seven quick friendship tips for pastors.

What is it like to be on the other side of you? The answer can be a leading indicator of your emotional intelligence level. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand your emotions, the emotions of those near you, and the impact your emotions have on the emotions of those near you. In today’s episode we focus on four threads that help a leader gain more of this precious leadership commodi...

Ever feel like there is more work to do than hands to help? If so . . . you need a team. A team that feels free to help you. In today’s episode we explore three master keys to developing and releasing a team to help share the ministry load with you.

What is the most limiting behavior for a leader? The inability or unwillingness to have tough conversations with those you lead. In today’s episode John and Jim unpack six practical steps that will help you find the sweet spot between the tendency to bully and the tendency to wimp out when it comes to difficult conversations.

One of the most vulnerable times in an organization’s life is when it is transitioning from its current senior leader and passing the baton to the next one. In today’s episode John and Jim explore a high-level plan for a senior leadership transition. They answer two of the most frequent questions pastors ask when being coached through the leadership transition journey and then outline an example o...

Should I stay, or should I go? A question most pastors have asked multiple times. Churches can experience two extremes when it comes to lead pastors: pastors who leave prematurely, or pastors who hang on too long. In today’s episode John and Jim unpack four powerful questions and four practical steps to help leaders discern if a necessary ending is nearing

In last week’s episode 257 we explored a leader’s most important assignment . . . building a strong inner life. In today’s episode we piggyback on that idea today by unpacking a practical way to get arrive at a stronger inside life . . . responding to Jesus’ invitation to weary leaders. The more we say yes to His invitation in Matthew 11, the stronger our inner life grows.

In today’s episode John and Jim do a quick flyover of three quotes from Peter Scazzero’s book, The Emotionally Healthy Leader. Together they unpack the #1 assignment of every pastor—an assignment that if taken seriously, is the biggest contributor to a pastor’s longevity and fruitfulness.

It’s national election season again. It’s safe to assume there’s going to be some tension leaking into the churches you lead. In today’s episode John & Jim unpack four perspectives we hope will help you manage that tension.

Today John and Jim welcome to the mic Lewis Brandon, pastor of Jordantown Wesleyan Church in Vinton, Virginia. A vibrant, growing church led by a vibrant, growing pastor. His powerful journey of healing from brokenness, anxiety, and depression is one of the most moving interviews we’ve had in the history of this podcast.

Finding character-filled, talented people to add to your team is challenging. In today’s episode Johne and Jim conclude their three-part series on Staffing Your Church from Within. They welcome to the mic today, Pastor Jim Westheim, Director of Operations at Faith Alive Church in West Branch, Michigan. He will unpack the practical steps Faith Alive has taken to successfully build their team from w...

Finding character-filled, talented people to add to your team is becoming increasingly challenging. The pool of available candidates seems thin right now, and we sense it could stay that way for the near future. Considering those realities, we offer Part 2 of our series, Staffing Your Church from Within. In today’s episode we get extremely practical about taking next steps to implement this way of...

Over the past few weeks, more than a dozen pastors have reported to us they are trying to add staff. They have the budget for it but are finding the talent pool shallow. We believe this trend will continue to grow in the years ahead. With that in mind, today’s episode is the first in a series of three podcasts dedicated to the idea of staffing your church from within.

The health of your marriage is foundational to the health of the organization you lead. The most impactful thing a pastor does for a church’s health is to have a healthy marriage. In Part 2 of their conversation with Greg and Rachelle Colegrove, founders of The Fun Marriage Workshop, John and Jim explore what pastors and their spouse can do if they find themselves in marital crisis, how they can g...

In today’s episode, Greg and Rachelle Colegrove, founders of The Fun Marriage Workshop, join John and Jim on the mic. Together they unpack the leadership marriage landscape, the contributing factors to marital stress in a leader’s life, and finally what leaders can do to address those stressors both biblically and practically.

There is beauty in order. But the truth is there is also a beast . . . a dark side to task-orientation. In today’s episode John and Jim take a look at the darker side of task-oriented leadership, and what leaders can do to minimize its negative impact.

In today’s episode John and Jim explore a seismic shift in leadership style that holds the promise of leadership excellence over a long period of time . . . becoming a leader of leaders.

Statistics drawn from over 12,000 coaching and/or counseling sessions with pastors during the years 2022-2023 revealed the following top four needs being addressed in descending order were: Burnout/exhaustion; marriage counseling (both critical and preventative maintenance); unhealthy addictions/behavior (pornography, alcohol); and leadership coaching. In today’s episode John and Jim explore the s...

Discouragement is the universal experience of leadership. Extended seasons of discouragement can cause leaders to doubt their calling, capability, and value. Some leaders even prematurely exit ministry due to a growing sense of hopelessness. In today’s episode John and Jim unpack four master keys to beating this unwelcome trouble of all leaders.

Welcome back to Part 2 of John and Jim's conversation centered around eight trends emerging in churches this year. Last week in Episode 244 they explored the first four trends: The gravitational pull toward the tactical at the expense of the strategic; the way church health is measured; the loneliness of the people we lead; and the need your team has for face time with you. In today’s episode they...

Pastoring in 2024 is not like it was pre-pandemic. We can either live in denial or figure out how to adapt without diluting our message. In today’s episode John & Jim explore four trends they are noticing in the Church post-pandemic and how pastors can respond to those trends.

In today’s episode, John and Jim welcome back Greg Surratt, founding pastor of Seacoast Church in South Carolina, co-founder of the Association of Related Churches (ARC), and a pastor to thousands of pastors across the world. Today's conversation concludes a compelling two-part look at the challenges regarding the health and wellbeing of pastors. It unpacks a pathway for responding to elevated lev...

Today John and Jim welcome Greg Surratt to the mic. Greg is the founding pastor of Seacoast Church in South Carolina, the co-founder of the Association of Related Churches (ARC), and a pastor to thousands of pastors across the world. In their conversation today, they begin a two-part look at how to reduce your risk of pastoral burnout.