Leading From Alignment

Today we welcome Daniel Whitehead, CEO of Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries to the mic. In Part 1 of our conversation with Daniel, we unpack what is happening—in the arena of wellbeing—in the lives of people who attend the churches we lead. We hope you enjoy this powerful episode!

The average age of a clergy member today is 57, compared to age 50 in 2000 Half of all American pastors today are older than age 55. These realities are ubiquitous across almost every denomination. And it begs the question: Is the talent pool merely shallow? Is God not calling enough leaders into vocational ministry? Or . . . is the talent pool afraid? Afraid to take on a role that while extremely...

Everywhere we turn, it seems the alarm is sounding about the graying of pastors. Legitimate concerns exist, including, “What happens if at some point we don’t have enough qualified leaders?” In today’s episode, we begin a two-part conversation on this most important subject: Engaging and Incorporating the Next Generation of Leaders.

The average age of a clergy member today is 57, compared to age 50 in 2000 (Lifeway Research). Half of all American pastors today are older than age 55. In 1992, 24% of all American pastors were older than 55 (Barna). One of the impacts of these alarming trends? The pastor talent pool is getting shallow. Every denomination is dealing with a leadership shortage. In today’s episode, John and Jim unp...

In today’s episode John & Jim welcome back Shannon Shaffer to the mic to continue their compelling conversation about worship leaders. In today's chat they explore the personal and public components of worship leading, the traits of an effective worship leader, and how worship leaders can avoid an age-old trap the devil often sets for them.

In their work across the country, John and Jim are noticing a troubling trend . . . worship pastors and lead pastors butting heads. Sparring over worship styles, over who’s in charge, or over whose kingdom is being built. Today's episode contains Part 1 of their powerful conversation with Shannon Shaffer, Worship Pastor at Auburn Hills Christian Center, focusing on factors that cause turbulence be...

What does success in pastoral or ministry leadership look like? And what can make success—though desirable—dangerous? In today’s episode John and Jim outline what success from God’s perspective looks like, share two of the most common snares success brings, and what leaders can do to avoid getting trapped by those snares.

Discernment is an often overlooked and underutilized tool in a leader’s repertoire. Finely tuned discernment can become one of a leader’s best friends. It can spare you heartache, save you time, and protect the people you lead and serve. In today’s episode we unpack three ways discernment helps you as a leader, and then explore four practical ways you can hone this most important skill

In the final segment of the Leadership & series, John and Jim unpack Leadership & Soft Skills. You as a leader are the biggest contributor to your team’s level of production. And most of the things you can do to increase good outcomes have to do with soft skills. Today’s episode outlines eight powerful contributors to a team’s productivity and five impactful soft skills that will help your team co...

John & Jim are in the third segment of the Leadership & series. In Episode 205, they explored Leadership & Communication. In 206, Leadership & Seismos Moments. Today’s episode focuses on Leadership & Delegation. In today’s pod we unpack five helpful delegation tips, and five levels of delegation that will allow you to successfully share the ministry load

Leadership tosses a variety of storms our way . . . some are garden variety storms, others are more intense. Today John and Jim tackle the subject of Leadership and Seismos Moments. They explore some of the larger storms leadership tosses at us, and then outline four helpful and encouraging tips.

Effective communication is a super important leadership skill, but it is hard. In today’s episode we explore four types of communication and then share three secrets to doing it effectively. If you want the culture of the organization that you lead to be healthy . . . effective communication is non-negotiable.

In 2015, more than 38% of pastors in the U.S. were co-vocational. In today’s episode, we unpack three of the many challenges facing co-vocational pastors and offer helpful tips in navigating the often-exhausting world of co-vocational leadership.

Humility . . . a word often misunderstood and misapplied in the world of leadership. Our culture bombards us with images of leaders who are strong, smart, skilled, super-men and super-women who lead their organizations to triumph. In today’s episode we unpack six powerful ways humility shapes our leadership and sets us up not only to bear good fruit . . . but to do so over a long span of time.

In Part 2 of our conversation with JD Wiegand, JD unpacks what he wishes he could have said to his parents, shares insightful advice for pastors who have children, and offers encouragement to kids whose parents pastor a church. If you are pastoring a church and still have children at home, you are not going to want to miss today’s episode

In Part 1 of a two-part conversation, we interview JD Wiegand, Jim’ son. We explore a few of JD’s favorite things about being a pastor’s kid, some of the challenges he experienced, and three things he wished he could have said to the congregation his dad pastored

As we approach our 200th episode, we thought it might be fun to re-release our most popular five podcasts. Today’s episode is our most listened to and watched episode of all time: Shaping the Culture You Need. Culture is fuel. You can craft an amazing vision, have a dynamic playbook, but a healthy culture provides the fuel for that vision and playbook.

Sometimes a leader has to . . . well . . . lead. Some situations call for swift action instead of collaborative consensus. And in those situations, leaders lead. In today’s episode we unpack how to lead confidently without being too full of yourself or running over the team you lead

When you love what you do for a living—when work doesn’t feel like work because of your passion for it—you’re at more risk than most of falling into the workaholic treadmill. Workaholic behavior puts leaders, their families, and their ministries at serious risk. Today’s episode unpacks three hidden dangers of workaholic addiction, and what you can do to protect yourself from them

Words are one of the most powerful forces for good in the organizations we serve. Our teammates often rise to the level of the words we speak to them. For every human, words matter. For humans that lead, they matter even more. In today’s episode, we explore how leaders can leverage the power of words in a way that moves their organization—and the people in their organization—in a positive directio...

Lead pastoring is quite possibly the ultimate bench vise. The lingering sense of weight, the messiness of people, and the unrelenting demands of the role squeeze even the best leaders. Here’s the good news: When difficult challenges emerge, all is not lost. In fact, something good is on the horizon. We hope you enjoy this episode today!

The first 30 days on a new team are the most important 30 days in that person’s experience with you, or whoever is leading the team they’re on. In today’s post, we unpack how to implement this often-missed step that helps a new teammate get off to a great start, and why it matters so much

It is amazing isn’t it that the Bible never gets boring, stale, or old? In today’s episode John and Jim explore one of the many timeless principles found in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 . . . Rhythms of the Garden

What are you 40 days away from if you tried and had a plan? In today’s pod John & Jim reveal their thoughts on what we might be 40 days away from if we tried and had a plan . . . and the incredible impact following through will have on both our life and our leadership.

We live in a world where success is idolized and so-called shortcuts to success abound. If we are not careful as leaders, we can find ourselves frustrated, confused, overwhelmed, and maybe even burned out by the relentless pursuit of success. In today’s episode John & Jim explore four ideas reimagining success in a way that keeps us healthy and in the game for the long haul