5 Leadership Questions Podcast on Church Leadership with Todd Adkins and Dan Iten

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins, Eric Geiger, and Daniel Im discuss how to lead a staff retreat well. During their conversation, they answer the following questions. * Should you do a staff retreat? * What’s the purpose of a staff retreat? * Who, what, where, and how long? * What’s your worst staff retreat experience? * How do you follow up from a staff retreat? BEST QUOTES “Some people love staff retreats while some people hate them.” “Not all staff retreats are created equal.” “A big mistake is when we make a staff retreat just a long staff meeting.” “If you are organizing a staff retreat, you have to realize that what works for you might not work for everyone else.” “Don’t set up activities that could potentially divide your team.” “If you don’t follow up from a staff retreat, there will be major plans discussed but no execution put to them.” “You have to hand out responsibility after a staff retreat or else it won’t be executed.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Ministry Grid 90 Second Leadership Ridgecrest Conference Center Oops! We could not locate your form. The winner of this drawing will receive a FREE church staff retreat at Lifeway Ridgecrest Conference Center: * 3 days, 2 nights * Can be used Sunday - Thursday during 2018 (based on availability) * For up to 10 church staff members * Deluxe accommodations (based on availability) * Continental breakfast and lunch provided * Meeting room setup provided * Coffee service in meeting room provided * Additional seasonal surprises provided * NOTE: Travel expenses to/from Ridgecrest are not included. * Cannot be used in conjunction with any other event

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined for the second time by Alli Worthington, the author of Fierce Faith and Breaking Busy, speaker, and the Executive Director of Propel Women. During their conversation, they discuss how to deal with failure, the legacy they want to leave behind, and the need for character as a leader. BEST QUOTES “Fail fast and fail often. Because the faster that you can prove that something doesn’t work, the faster you can find out what does work.” “I have to remind myself all the time that whenever I completely mess something up, it is a stepping stone for me to be able to learn to do it the right way.” “So often we equate God’s blessing with God’s presence, and we think if God doesn’t bless it, he isn’t in it.” “Most of the times in my life where I feel closest to God is through failure.” “As leaders, we have to see ourselves on the frontline of the battle for the kingdom and learn how to fight.” “I want my legacy to be that I cared more about obedience to God more than how I looked to the outside world.” “I am really structured with my day to protect those 4-5 hours when I can do my best work.” “Leadership is all about your character, not your charisma.” “The answer to most of our problems is to just keep going. When things get hard, don’t take that as an indication that you aren’t supposed to do it. But take it as an indication that it is important and you need to keep going.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Fierce Faith by Alli Worthington Breaking Busy by Alli Worthington Great by Choice by Jim Collins New Churches Podcast Episode 244: Moving to a New City

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Trevin Wax, Bible and Reference Publisher at Lifeway Christian Resources, general editor of The Gospel Project, and a teaching pastor in Middle Tennessee. During their conversation, they talk about the trends in Christianity for the upcoming year and discuss the following questions. * What’s the bad news? * What’s the good news? * What is broken? * What’s working? * What is coming in 2018? BEST QUOTES “A lot of the bad news that has been out the last couple of years has been the decline of percentage of people in the US who identify as Christian.” “The number of Christians in America is the highest it has ever been, but that is because the population of America continues to grow.” “America is still a deeply religious country overall.” “The vast majority of Americans don’t read the Bible, even those that are Christian.” “The good news is that Americans still have a high regard for the Bible.” “More than half of Americans believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant word of God.” “As a pastor, the Bible is the best thing you’ve got going for you.” “Our culture is engulfed by nostalgia, the idea of a golden era of the past.” “Nostalgia is an idealized view of the past that keeps us from really being faithful in the present.” “It is so easy for us as people to move into maintenance mode instead of mission mode.” “When we look at church history, we need to look at it as a treasure box, not a map.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Ministry Grid Trevin’s Blog Word Matters This is Our Time by Trevin Wax Story of Christianity by Justo L. Gonzalez

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins, Eric Geiger, and Daniel Im discuss the growing trend of remote teams and how to lead them well. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions. * What are some reasons for the new trends of teams working remotely? * What are some benefits and some pitfalls? * Can anyone on your team work from home? * How do you lead a team meeting remotely? * What are some best practices when working remotely? BEST QUOTES “You save a lot of time working remote. You can actually give back more to your church, ministry, or organization by working remotely.” “One thing you do miss out on when working remotely is the hallway conversations.” “It takes discipline to be able to work remotely.” “It’s product management versus people management. One can be managed remotely, the other is a relationship.” “If you are going to lead a meeting remotely, you have got to use video.” “Try to send documents ahead of time, so that everyone can have them on their screen.” “Remote meetings can tend to be shorter because there isn’t the hangout time beforehand.” “When I work remotely, I don’t dress up.” “If you are on a remote meeting, learn to mute your mic.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Zoom Shout out to Sheboygan, Wisconsin

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Lane Grimes, the Event Specialist for Lifeway Leadership and previously an Administrative Assistant at Lifeway and many other organizations. In this episode, they discuss how to hire an administrative assistant and answer the following questions. * How do you know it's time to hire an admin? * What qualities and skills should you look for? * What interview questions should you ask? * What are the biggest mistakes churches make when hiring an admin? * What are the keys to on-boarding an admin well? BEST QUOTES “The point of leadership pipeline is becoming who God has called you to be and multiplying yourself there.” “No position in any church or organization should be a cul-de-sac position, meaning there is no where to go or progress.” “From a pastor stand point, you need to be doing what only you as a pastor can do, and if you are spending your time in the weeds of administration, it is time to get yourself some help so you can focus on teaching, preaching, and developing leaders.” “The fact is everyone needs to about the details. You may not want 100% of your job to be about that, but you still need to be about details.” “If you are the person hiring an administrator, you are still the person responsible for getting the work done. You aren’t delegating ownership.” “I think one of the things pastors and church leaders tend to do is under communicate things they are not happy about. But you administrative assistant wants to know what needs to change to make their life easier.” “You should always want to develop the people under your care, or you are not a leader.” “One of the biggest mistakes you can make is hiring too fast.” “The biggest mistake I see in hiring is that people don’t check references.” “Transformation happens when you have knowledge, experience, and coaching.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Belay Ministry Grid Pipeline West: Developing Leaders at Every Level 

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins, Eric Geiger, and Daniel Im discuss what it means to lead up. During their conversation, they answer the following questions. * What is leading up? * Does leading up look different for different bosses? * When should you shut up and not lead up? * How do you lead up and your boss doesn’t know it? * What are some best practices for leading up? BEST QUOTES “The first rule of leading up is you should never waste your boss’s time.” “Leading up is communicating to your boss your priorities for the area that you lead and the direction that you are taking.” “You may thrive under one type of boss, and then become frustrated working for a different type.” “If I am going to lead effectively, I’m going to submit to my leader by learning how I can best serve them.” “There are definitely times where you should shut up and not speak up. The key is learning your leader really well.” “Don’t speak up when you don’t have anything to say but just feel like you have to say something.” “Leading up is never supposed to be in a way that the boss doesn’t know what you are doing. It is not manipulation.” “It takes more effort and time to be concise.” “If you can help your boss succeed, it is all going to take care of itself.” “Instead of asking what do I need to do to succeed, a leader should be asking what do we need to do to succeed.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Managing the Boss by John Kotter 5LQ Episode 195: Lateral Leadership Pipeline West: Developing Leaders at Every Level

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Kailey Black, the Content Specialist for Lifeway Leadership. During this conversation, they discuss how to handle maternity leave and answer the following questions: * How did you prepare yourself for leave? * How did you set up your team for success in your absence? * How did you establish boundaries for time away? * How did you prepare to return? * What did you learn upon returning? BEST QUOTES “The first thing you need to do is educate yourself on the policies and procedures.” “Your local chamber of commerce is a wealth of information and you should really think about joining it.” “Start the search for child care early.” “To help prepare your team well think through what you do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.” “Having checklists in place helps a seamless transition take place during periods of leave.” “We all need to work on becoming less of a doer and more of a developer” “You can’t give your ministry away if it all relies on your and it is all in your head.” “Make sure to let everyone knows beforehand that your extended leave is coming and who to contact in your place.” “I didn’t think about work until about 2 weeks before I returned.” “Your team doesn’t have things they can take of their plates to do your tasks while your away so offer them grace when you return.” “Give your team grace and give yourself grace as you are getting settled back in.” “When I go to work, I want to be fully invested in my work. When I go home, I want to be fully invested in my home.” “Life happens and there are always moments of temporary succession.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Ministry Grid Pipeline West: Developing Leaders at Every Level Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Eric Geiger are joined by Steve Green, President of Hobby Lobby and author of the new book This Dangerous Book. During their conversation, they discuss how to lead your family well, what it looks like to be a servant leader, and why the Bible still matters today. BEST QUOTES “My first calling is my family. That is my first ministry.” “My greatest role as a husband and father is to raise Godly generations.” “When you are in a leadership role, you have to remember you are serving those you are leading.” “All that we have is God’s, and we are stewards of what he has entrusted to us.” “The challenge every day is to be fully giving your all in whatever you are doing.” “In everything you do, be all in.” “The better you are at something and the better you do something, the more you enjoy it.” “If you only encourage your people and never make the tough decisions, you are going to wind up having problems.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Museum of the Bible This Dangerous Book by Steve Green and Jackie Green Good to Great by Jim Collins Pipeline West: Developing Leaders at Every Level

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined for the second time by Craig Groeschel, the founding and senior pastor of Life Church and author of the new devotional Daily Power: 365 Days of Fuel for Your Soul. During their conversation, they talk about the necessity of daily Bible reading, how to learn from failure in ministry and leadership, and learning from younger leaders. BEST QUOTES “There are a lot of lessons while walking on water, but there are also lessons in sinking in the water.” “If we don’t know why something is working while it is, we won’t know how to fix it when it is not.” “We were putting the wrong type of leader in the wrong place at the wrong type of season.” “There are some leaders who are better at starting, some better at building, and some better at sustaining.” “The most important lessons we learn are often not those most visible on the surface, but they get down to heart issues.” “Rather than having 1 mentor, I want to have 10 people I am learning from in 10 different categories.” “Some of the best things I have learned about ministry are from people who don’t do ministry.” “Why would I go and fight off a temptation in the future if I have the power eliminate it today?” “People would rather follow a leader who is real than a leader who is right.” “You will vastly overestimate what you can do in the short run, but you will vastly underestimate what God can do through you over a lifetime of faithfulness.” “Be faithful with a little bit today, and he’ll trust you with even more tomorrow.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Daily Power: 365 Days of Fuel for Your Soul by Craig Groeschel Pipeline West: Developing Leaders at Every Level Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss The Power of Moments by Chip Heath The Four by Scott Galloway Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller Be Our Guest by Theodore Kinni The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Nick Runyon, the North America Director of Christian Vision. During this practical conversation, they discuss how to have great results in Google for the purpose of evangelism, how to use Google this Christmas season, and what churches need to know about Google search. BEST QUOTES “I think Google search is like a window into the psyche of America.” “Churches need to know that Google search is relevant and that it matters.” “Google is your phone book, your map, and your directory.” “Before we measure success, we must define what qualifies as a win.” “86% of people surveyed said they would attend church if a friend asked them.” “Everything changes so rapidly, so we need to make sure we read a lot.” “Start small and copy people who are doing things well.” “Let your people contribute to your social media.” “If you want people to engage, it needs to be valuable to them, and contributing is valuable.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES CV Outreach Facebook Likealyzer  Nick Runyon Twitter Pipeline West: Developing Leaders at Every Level

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Eric Geiger are joined by Will Mancini, founder of Auxano and author of many books including Church Unique. During their conversation, they discuss how to cast vision and answer the following questions. * Where does vision come from? * How important is clarity to vision? * How do you make sure that vision moves from the wall to the hall? * How do you measure the ongoing success toward a vision? * How do you navigate the crossroads of recasting or redefining vision? BEST QUOTES “God is the chief visionary.” “No idea is our own. We are always working with God’s ideas.” “You have to bloom where you are planted and work with what God has provided.” “You might as well not have a vision if it is not clear.” “We miss our goal, not because of obstacles, but because of a clearer path to a lesser goal.” “Great articulation of a vision is the first step of implementation.” “We want to tell fresh stories, but fresh stories that reinforce the vision.” “It is easy for churches to have too many goals.” “If you have 5 goals, you don’t have any.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Church Unique by Will Mancini God Dreams by Will Mancini Auxano.com Pipeline West: Developing Leaders at Every Level

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Emerson Eggerichs, the  president of Love and Respect Ministries and author of the new book Before You Hit Send. During their conversation, they discuss email and answer the following questions. * Why do people hate email? * The framework you give is: is it true, kind, necessary, clear. How do these filters help keep you from sending emails you'll regret and being the bane of someone’s inbox? * What are some best practices when handling email? * How do you respond when you send or receive a thoughtless email? * What are some of the worst #EmailFails you have ever witnessed? BEST QUOTES “We are all in the maturation process.” “We are all just beggars pointing other beggars to where the bread is.” “A lot of leadership is learning in front of people.” “We are seeking to emoticon ourselves through life.” “We need to think be thinking before we are speaking.” “Everything we communicate through media is permanent. You can’t remove it.” “Savvy people will outperform savvy policy every day of the week.” “You can say 5 positive things in an email and 1 negative thing, and they are going to fixate on the negative.” “Everything we say now is leaving a digital footprint.” “Email is a cheap message to send, but it is has a high cost after you send it.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Before You Hit Send by Emerson Eggerichs Love and Respect Ministries A Modest Proposal to Eliminate All Email Pipeline West: Developing Leaders at Every Level

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Eric Geiger and Daniel Im are joined by author, songwriter, and worship leader Keith Getty. During their conversation, they discuss the call in Scripture to sing, singing hymns with your kids, and creating a culture of encouragement. BEST QUOTES “The truth is most of our congregations aren’t singing.” “The second most common command in scripture is to sing and praise. To not do it is disobedience.” “Our voices don’t have to be at a professional standard to sing. They just have to be confessional. ” “If a pastor isn’t interested in singing, the congregation won’t be interested either.” “The Lord doesn’t have to give me breath to finish this interview. And if he doesn’t, it is a promotion.” “Our phones are a thief of time.” “Leaders need to create places where there is freedom to fail.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Sing by Keith Getty Pipeline West: Developing Leaders at Every Level

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Eric Geiger are joined by both Matt Carter and Aaron Ivey, pastors at The Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, TX and authors of the book Steal Away Home. During their conversation, they discuss making an impact on your city, leading well in your home, and listening as a leader. BEST QUOTES “We wanted to start a church with a heart not only for the gospel and to preach the Bible, but also to impact our city in a real and tangible way.” “Whatever city you happen to be a leader in, it is incredibly helpful to get good data on who the people are in your city.” “As a leader, it is crucial to maintain relationships with younger people.” “As you age as a pastor, it tends that your congregation ages with you.” “We get in trouble when we think we have to be an expert in every subject. That never works.” “Every day I try to stay emotionally in love with Jesus and my wife.” “My goal is for my kids to say that is the Godliest man I have ever known and for my wife to say I’d marry him all over again.” “Input is always the key to output.” “I always try to be the lead repenter in my house.” “There is so much potential in a leader when they are willing to listen.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Steal Away Home by Matt Carter and Aaron Ivey Matt Carter catching a bird with his bare hands Befriend by Scott Sauls Revisionist History podcast Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon Barna Cities & States Reports The Epic of Eden by Sandra L. Richter Recovering Eden by Zack Eswine As Kingfishers Catch Fire by Eugene Peterson The Christ-Centered Expositor by Tony Merida

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins, Eric Geiger, and Daniel Im discuss adding a worship service. During this practical conversation, they answer the following questions. * How do you know when to add a new worship service? * How do you sell the vision? * What are the complexities to adding a new service? * What’s a good timeline for the change? * When do you go multi-site instead of adding a service? BEST QUOTES “When are 80% full, you should start looking to add another service.” “The only people who love a full room are preachers.” “It is not only about the attendance in your worship service. There are 3 areas you must watch: parking, kid’s space, and the worship service.” “When any of the 3 environments of parking, kids, or the worship service is 80% full, it is time to add another service.” “We have to be careful not to focus on the process instead of the people.” “Christmas Eve or Easter is a great time to test out adding another service.” RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Pipeline West