Spiritual Life and Leadership

Rob Gailey is Professor of Business and Director of the Center for International Development at Point Loma Nazarene University , as well as the co-author of Development in Mission: A Guide for Transforming Global Poverty and Ourselves . The issue of poverty alleviation is probably one of the most challenging issues, not only for the church, but for the world in general.   As both a missionary and...

Michaela O’Donnell is the Executive Director of the Depree Center for Leadership at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of Make Work Matter: Your Guide to Meaningful Work in a Changing World .   The world of work has changed. Rarely do people stay at the same company for decades (which used to be the norm). No people move from job to job every few years.  The gig economy has change the worl...

Andy Crouch is Partner for Theology and Culture at Praxis and the author of Strong and Weak . In this episode, Andy Crouch discusses the roles of both strength and weakness--authority and vulnerability--in our leadership. So often, we assume the greatest leaders are the ones who exhibit great authority.  Or maybe we believe the greatest leaders let go of all their authority and lead only from a pl...

Mark Scandrette is the author of The Ninefold Path Jesus: Hidden Wisdom of the Beatitudes .   In this episode, Mark does a fantastic job, not only unpacking what the Beatitudes are all about, but also showing us how living into the reality of the Beatitudes can help us be healthier and more lifegiving leaders. THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Mark Scandrette is the executive director of ReI...

Phuc Luu is the author of Jesus of the East: Reclaiming the Gospel for the Wounded .  This book is based on the questions, “Why is there a theology for the sinner, but not for the victim, for the sinned against?” That same question is also at the root of this conversation.  In other words, do we need to pursue a Gospel that focuses less on punishment avoidance and more on the restoration of a brok...

Kara Powell is the Executive Director of the Fuller Youth Institute at Fuller Seminary , as well as the Chief of Leadership Formation, also at Fuller Seminary.  Kara is also the co-author (together with Brad Griffin) of 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager . While Kara Powell’s book addresses the foundational questions that adolescents wrestle with, it turns out these questions linger throug...

Leadership, at its core, always has to do with navigating change.  In a world like ours, change leadership is more critical than ever.  But change leadership, or adaptive leadership, is impossible if the leader isn’t willing or able to take a learning posture. In this episode, Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson talk about how best to learn for the sake of leadership.  Learning is always more effectiv...

Each church, each ministry organization, is situated in a unique context—a particular place and time and culture.  And that context, if we’re paying attention and engaging with a posture of learning, will call forth creative new ways of serving and loving and blessing our neighbors. In this conversation, Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss both the importance of knowing one's context and...

Mandy Smith is a pastor and the author of Unfettered: Imagining a Childlike Faith Beyond the Baggage of Western Culture .  In this episode, Mandy discusses the ways we are called to embrace childlikeness , while resisting childishness .  And, at the same time, we are called to embrace mature adultlikeness , while resisting insecure adultishness . THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDES: Mandy Smit...

Mark Lau Branson is the co-author of Leadership, God's Agency, and Disruptions .  In this episode, Mark discusses the question raised by "Modernity's Wager."  That question is, "Can life be lived well without God?"  While most of us would say, "No," the sad truth is that we often live and lead as though God is neither active nor present.  THIS EPISODE'S...

Rich Stearns, author of Lead Like it Matters to God , served as the President of World Vision from the mid-1990’s until just a few years ago.  In that time, World Vision took on the African AIDS pandemic—and through Rich’s leadership helped many of us get a better understanding of what was really happening in that crisis, and of the children whose lives were being shattered by that pandemic. THIS...

Pamela Ebstyne King and Dwight Radcliff, professors at Fuller Theological Seminary, discuss what it means to thrive as we move into a post-Covid world, acknowledging our idols of comfort, and what it means to move forward toward the healing and wholeness that God wants for the whole world. THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Pamela Ebstyne King is the Peter L. Benson Professor of Applied Devel...

Kurt Fredrickson and Cameron Lee are on the faculty at Fuller Theological Seminary .  In this episode, our conversation centers on the theme of resilience and the willingness to adapt.  What does it mean to be resilient?  And how do we become resilient leaders who are not only able but willing to adapt when called to do so? THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Kurt Fredrickson leads the Doctor...

This episode is the second part of a four-part series exploring the "Church After Covid." In this conversation, Fuller Seminary professors Ahmi Lee and David Taylor, focus on both the need for embodied presence in our lives and ministry as we return to life after Covid, and the importance of spiritual practices to help us stay grounded as we make that transition. THIS EPISODE'S HIGH...

This episode is part one of a four-part series titled, "The Church After Covid.  In this episode, we are speaking with Fuller Seminary professors Scott Cormode and Alexia Salvatierra.  They will help us see the importance of expressing gratitude, moving through grief, and even acknowledging feelings of guilt, as we move into a post-pandemic world. THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Scott...

The Church Leadership Institute is a new initiative of Fuller Theological Seminary intended to "form church leaders to lead faithful change in a rapidly changing and disruptive world."  In this inaugural episode of Spiritual Life and Leadership's partnership with the Church Leadership Institute, Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson have a conversation about leadership and formation for t...

Radiant Church , by Tara Beth Leach, is an invitation to the church to restore "the credibility of our witness."   It's no secret that the church in the West has been in decline for decades.  Why is that?  Could it be because the world no longer sees a radiant body of Christ, but rather a people who are angry, judgmental and self-centered? This conversation with Tara Beth Leach expl...

Deconstruction is the dismantling of one’s theological concepts.  Which sounds really bad, doesn’t it? But it doesn’t have to be.  Deconstruction doesn’t have to conclude with the loss of one’s faith.  In fact, it can lead to an even deeper relationship with Jesus. A.J. Swoboda has written an eye-opening book titled After Doubt: How to Question Your Faith without Losing It , in which he explores n...

Amy Watson, host of Wednesdays with Watson , shares her story of trauma and healing, and shows leaders how to care for those who have experienced deep trauma. I'm also joined by guest co-hosts Shea and Michelle Watson from The Pantry Podcast .  Yes, all four of us have the same last name and none of us are related to each other!  This podcast is part of what we are affectionately calling &quo...

Jeff Crosby, Publisher of InterVarsity Press, has learned the importance of discerning what he calls thresholds—those places and times in a leader's life when it becomes clear that a transition is about to take place.  Jeff shares with us the way he has been able to discern how to navigate these leadership thresholds. THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Jeff Crosby is the Publisher of Int...

Jay Bakker, the son of televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, was 11 years old when his parents’ ministry started to fall apart and only 13 when his dad began his prison term.  It's hard to imagine what that experience must have been like for him. In this episode, Jay Bakker and I talk about what it was like for him.  And we talk about how his experience shaped him spiritually—especially i...

Centering prayer is a form of silent, wordless prayer and a wonderful practice for spiritual formation.  Rich Lewis, author of Sitting with God: A Journey to Your True Self Through Centering Prayer , has been practicing centering for a long time.  He has writes about centering prayer, trains individuals and groups how to practice centering prayer, and in this episode teaches us how to engage in ce...

Is American unity possible?  Americans have wrestled with this question for years.  After a violent insurrection and a new administration now in place, the question seems more important than ever. Clearly, the United States is a divided nation.  So divided, in fact, that many believe unity is not possible.  How can staunch Trump supporters unite with the Democratic party?  How can staunch Biden su...

Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer have written a powerful book that addresses abuse of power in churches.  The book is titled, A Church Called Tov , and the purpose is to help churches nurture cultures of goodness (the meaning of the Hebrew word tov ). In this episode, we discuss why some churches develop toxic cultures of abuse and how to work against that by nurturing cultures of goodness. THIS...

The events of this past week, and especially January 6, 2021, have been astonishing.  Never did I imagine that American citizens would attack and infiltrate the United States Capitol building.  But it happened. And at the center of this is Donald Trump, the President of the United States.  As problematic as Donald Trump's presidency has been, he is a beloved child of God who is in deep pain r...