The LeadingSmart Podcast

Influence grows when people trust both your character and your competence. Character may open the door, but results, wisdom, initiative, and leadership skill determine how much influence you can carry. In this episode, Tim Stevens talks again with David Whiting (GenerosityOS SVP and LeadingSmart Senior Consultant) about the competency side of growing influence on a church staff team. Building on p...

Influence doesn't always come from title, age, tenure, or position. Sometimes the people with the most influence are simply the people leaders trust the most. In this episode, Tim Stevens talks with David Whiting (GenerosityOS SVP and LeadingSmart Senior Consultant) about how church staff members can grow their influence in healthy, practical ways. Drawing from David’s years as a senior pasto...

Preschool ministry is not just childcare. It may be one of the clearest relational bridges your church has to young families in the community. In this episode, Tim Stevens talks with Brandi Watterson about how churches can think more strategically about preschool ministry. Drawing from Brandi’s 17 years of experience owning and operating preschools, they unpack the opportunity churches have to sta...

In this episode, Tim Stevens and Holly Tate talk about what makes a healthy church leadership team and why having the right people in the room matters. Drawing from Tim’s leadership team teaching and their work with churches, they unpack the characteristics leaders should look for when deciding who belongs at the senior leadership table. They also discuss why leadership team health is about more t...

In this episode, Tim Stevens and Holly Tate talk about the difference between leading from scarcity and leading from abundance. Drawing from Tim’s first three years leading LeadingSmart full-time, they unpack why leadership pressure can pull even healthy leaders toward comparison, defensiveness, competition, and fear. They also discuss why generosity is one of LeadingSmart’s core values, what it m...

In this episode, Tim Stevens and Holly Tate unpack the four types of crises churches commonly face: character, credibility, cash, and cultural. Drawing from Tim’s experience leading through crisis at Granger and Willow Creek, they discuss why crisis can feel like everything is on fire and how naming the type of crisis helps leaders focus on the right problem instead of spinning their wheels. They...

When clarity lacks, negativity fills the void. In this episode, Tim Stevens and Holly Tate discuss why communication and clarity are essential for healthy church teams. Drawing from real consulting conversations this week, they unpack how unclear expectations create assumptions, frustration, and tension inside organizations — especially during seasons of growth and change. They also reflect on one...

Welcome to episode 24 of The LeadingSmart Podcast! Have you ever walked away from a staff retreat thinking, "That was a complete waste of time"? You're not alone — and it's completely avoidable. In this episode of the LeadingSmart Podcast, Holly Tate and Tim sit down to unpack what makes church staff retreats genuinely effective — and what makes them a drain on your team's...

Welcome back to episode 23 of The LeadingSmart Podcast! Silos are one of the most common — and most damaging — forces quietly undermining healthy church organizations. But how do you know when you have them, and what do you do about them? In this episode, Tim Stevens and Holly Tate tackle the silo problem head-on, with Tim sharing five specific ways silos hurt organizations and Holly bringing the...

Welcome Back to Episode 22 of The LeadingSmart Podcast! Is your leadership team misaligned on staff performance? Are you holding on to people who are quietly killing your culture — or letting go of people who just need a better role? In this episode, Holly Tate and Tim walk you through one of the most powerful staff evaluation exercises they use in nearly every leadership gathering and consultatio...

Is your church approaching a leadership transition? The type of pastor you need depends entirely on the season your church is in — and most boards get this wrong. In this episode of LeadingSmart , Holly Tate and Tim Stevens break down a powerful four-part framework for church succession planning that every board, search team, and executive pastor needs to hear before hiring their next senior leade...

Welcome to episode 20! Is your church facing financial pressure? Wondering when — and how — to make the difficult decision to reduce your staff? In this episode of the LeadingSmart Podcast , hosts Tim and Holly Tate tackle one of the hardest leadership challenges in ministry: church layoffs and reductions in force (RIF). Whether you're navigating declining offering revenue, an over-staffed bu...

Is shared church leadership a growing trend — or just a passing experiment? In this episode of the Leading Smart podcast, Holly Tate and Tim Stevens dive into the rising movement of co-lead pastor models they're seeing across churches of all sizes. They unpack why this is happening now (generational shifts + leadership scandals), what these models actually look like in practice (2 pastors, 3...

What happens when it’s time for a senior pastor to step aside—and how can churches prepare before it becomes urgent? In this episode of the LeadingSmart Podcast (Season 3: Leading in Real Time), Tim Stevens and Holly Tate break down the four most common pastoral succession scenarios they see when working with churches across the country. Whether you're a founding pastor, board member, or chur...

Leadership isn’t just about stepping back… but what if stepping back is actually hurting your team? In this episode of Leading Smart , Tim Stevens and Holly Tate unpack the real difference between empowering leaders and disengaged leaders —and why so many leaders get this wrong. From “swoop and poop” leadership to decision-making authority, this conversation will challenge how you think about dele...

Welcome back to episode 16! Tim and Holly reflect on a year of unexpected transitions, courageous leadership, and the lessons that often only come through real-time experience. As Holly approaches the one-year mark of relaunching The Ready Network, she shares a reflection called “12 Lessons in 12 Months.” What began as a simple exercise in reflection turned into a meaningful conversation about lea...

Welcome back to Episode 15!  What happens when you stop telling church leaders what to talk about — and actually ask them? In this episode of The LeadingSmart Podcast, hosts Tim and Holly Tate recap three back-to-back gatherings held in Palm Springs and Clearwater, Florida, sharing the raw, unfiltered topics that rose to the top when executive pastors and lead pastors were given the mic. In this e...

Culture is either getting better or getting worse — there's no neutral. And yet so many churches wait until something breaks before they pay attention to it. So how do you build a staff culture that's truly healthy, deeply owned, and actually lasts beyond a leadership transition or a hard season? In this episode, Holly and Tim walk through the five practical steps LeadingSmart uses with...

What are the biggest legal risks churches are facing right now? In this episode of the Leading Smart Podcast, we sit down with church attorney Keith Richardson from Michael Best to unpack the top five legal issues impacting churches in 2026 — and what executive pastors, senior leaders, and boards must proactively address. Keith and his team work with over 400 churches nationwide, giving him a fron...

Are you navigating the transition from a founder-led church to a more sustainable governance model? In this episode, Tim and Holly break down the seven essential shifts every church board must make when moving from founder-led to governing board structures. Drawing from real client experiences and decades of church consulting, they explore: How founder boards differ from governing boards and why b...

How do you know if your church is overstaffed, understaffed, or positioned wisely for the future? In Episode 11 of the LeadingSmart Podcast , Tim Stevens and Holly Tate unpack one of the most common leadership questions churches ask: What is a healthy staffing percentage—and how do we know if ours is sustainable? This episode walks through two critical metrics every lead pastor and leadership team...

Welcome Back to Episode 10 of The LeadingSmart Podcast!  Struggling to figure out when your church needs an executive pastor? You're not alone. In this episode of Leading Smart, hosts Holly Tate and Tim Stevens tackle one of the most common questions church leaders ask: when is it time to hire an XP, and what should that role actually look like? Here's the challenge most churches face—th...

Welcome back to episode 9! Are you drowning in administrative tasks? Struggling to focus on what only you can do as a church leader? You might need the right support role—but do you need an Administrative Assistant, Executive Assistant, or Chief of Staff? In this episode of the LeadingSmart Podcast, Tim Stevens and Holly Tate break down the critical differences between these three essential suppor...

What if the way we start this year could reshape how we lead, relate, and respond to the people around us? In the first episode of 2026, Holly Tate sits down with Tim to unpack one simple—but deeply challenging—leadership principle: believe the best . In a season marked by polarization, cynicism, and quick assumptions, they explore why choosing curiosity over judgment isn’t just a personal virtue,...

As we close out the year, we’re reflecting on the five biggest leadership lessons we learned in 2025 —lessons shaped by real conversations with church leaders, boards, and executive teams across the country. In this season finale of LeadingSmart , Tim and Holly unpack what 2025 revealed about: Why many churches outgrow their board structure without realizing it How men and women can lead together...