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

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Timothy Lupfer, author, speaker, and leadership consultant. They discuss the two tools of leadership and recognizing others self interests. BEST QUOTES "My definition of leadership is: leadership is a role where you affect followers to achieve the organizational goals.""People can be great specialists, but that doesn't make them leaders.""There are two tools in leadership: authority - which is top down - and influence - which is more bottom up.""Influence is your ability to personally interact with people.""Character is only effective in a leader if it rests on an existing foundation of giving direction and demonstrating capabilities.""For the vast majority of us, leadership is hard work.""To be most effective, we need to recognize the self interests of others as well and try to work in a way that these things are not mutually exclusive.""You are leading people to achieve an organizational goal and that is to benefit everybody that is in it, not just your own self interests.""If you are aspiring to be a leader, are you ready to take on that emotional burden?" RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus Leadership Tough Love by Timothy Lupfer

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Clayton King, is a speaker, author, pastor at NewSpring Church, and founder of Crossroads Ministries. They discuss fulfilling God's call on your life and pursuing friendships. BEST QUOTES "If I'm not communicating on a stage and on a page, then I am not actually fulfilling God's call on my life.""I am going to have to answer to God for what I did with the gifts that He put in me.""This covid season has given us a great opportunity to come together as a team.""I am trying to take inventory of everything in my life that I have been doing and was doing up to the point of the pandemic.""What was I doing that I could not do and not miss that would free up space and capacity in my life to do things that I absolutely cannot live without?""I want to have kids and grandkids that love Jesus, in part, because they saw me love Jesus and they saw me allow Jesus to love me.""In order for me to have a friend, I have to be a friend.""For guys, we have to schedule our lives in ways that we can have close friendships.""Getting up early in the morning has been the secret to my relationship with Jesus, my wife, my kids, and the ability to get things done in ministry that need to be accomplished.""My number one leadership commitment in my home is that we will make these decisions together as a team.""Ultimately we were created for Jesus and ministry is a small blip on the screen of eternity.""If you are too big for the small things, then you are too small for the big things." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus Crossroads Summer Camp Clayton King Ministries Reborn by Clayton King Paul: A Biography by N.T. Wright This episode's sponsor: For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases, etc — all in a system refined to make it fast, easy & fun for the weekly volunteer teams.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Daniel Im, former 5LQ cohost and senior associate pastor at Beulah Alliance Church, and Kevin Peck, lead pastor at Austin Stone. They discuss the following questions: * What is your best ministry story so far?* What has realigning your staff looked like?* What are the best practices that have come out of this situation?* What tools and frameworks are you using?* How important is it for church leaders to stay emotionally healthy? How are you doing that? BEST QUOTES "We have three times as many people in Alpha as we would normally have at this time of year.""Generosity has not stopped and our people, candidly, are leading us as much as we are leading them.""We want people to help in a new digital world that's not digital by preference, but by necessity.""In order to preserve management structures, we took whole teams and assigned them to one of those tasks.""We've seen a lot of energy coming out of people being assigned to do new work for a while.""We started off with the rallying cry of these two phrases: How are we going to be the church? And how are we going to look to Jesus?""Ask one of the accountants in your church to help do some scenario planning.""Go after the things that you know you can do and that you know people need right now.""Are we pushing people toward being more faithful or toward being more consumeristic?""Based on what we saw in the first month, what kind of goals can we have 90 days out?""If I have no reason to go to the church building, there is not reason not to treat my home as one." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus Alpha Ministry Grid Slack Asana This episode's sponsor: For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases, etc — all in a system refined to make it fast, easy & fun for the weekly volunteer teams.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Ben Mandrell are joined by John Eldredge, author of Wild at Heart and Get Your Life Back. They discuss soul care and how technology causes distractions. BEST QUOTES "My attention has been fragmented by the way I work, the way I move, the way I consume media. I want my attention back.""Transformation, human restoration, takes place when you are able to give God your attention.""If we put some boundaries around technology we get to be people again.""The modern pastor has the most ruthless job on the planet.""The human soul is nourished by creation.""Every leadership meeting has some component of waiting for God to lead.""You have to unplug from your world to move into other things.""We are in love with distraction because distraction keeps you from having to look at anything inside.""If you don't take care of your soul, you will dry out. And then you will look for relief." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus Wild at Heart by John Eldredge Get Your Life Back by John Eldredge Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge The Shallows by Nicholas Carr Experiencing God by Henry & Richard Blackaby, Claude King Jesus Calling by Sarah Young One Minute Pause App This episode's sponsor: For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases, etc — all in a system refined to make it fast, easy & fun for the weekly volunteer teams.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Léonce Crump Jr., pastor of Renovation Church in Atlanta and author of Renovate. They discuss why and when pastor's need to be vulnerable and the fear of failure. BEST QUOTES "Last year was the hardest year, ministerially, of my life.""Your Enneagram is the person you felt you had to become to navigate your world as you were developing.""Last year's conflict forced me into a place of exposure and vulnerability that made me a better leader.""A part of the reason pastor's want to look like they have it all together is because that is the pressure and the expectation.""Ensure that you put yourself in a position in which you can be vulnerable, in which you can be your whole self uncensored.""The people you lead need to know some things so that they know you are both sheep and shepherd.""There are four relationships every ministry leader needs: friend, coach, counselor, pastor.""If we are seeing this as a disruption to be waited out until we can return back to whatever we thought normal was, we are missing it.""I want to fundamentally shift and be a part of fundamentally shifting the way that the church approaches the public square.""There's a lot of risk involved in leadership, and a lot of immobility for fear of failure, but you are going to fail. That does not determine or define the scope, breadth, or depth of your leadership." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus 5LQ Episode 203: Léonce Crump 5LQ Episode 73: Léonce Crump Renovate by Léonce Crump, Jr. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality by Peter Scazzero The Emotionally Healthy Leader by Peter Scazzero Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster Abide App This episode's sponsor: For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases,

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Derwin Gray, lead pastor of Transformation Church and author of The Good Life. They discuss leadership as modeling and what true happiness is. BEST QUOTES "Leadership is influencing people to become what you are asking them 'to do.'""You can be a leader without being a disciple, but every disciple has an opportunity to be a leader because you are influencing people to become something.""You can work hard at doing the wrong thing.""The goal of working hard is not accomplishment. Working hard is the goal. That's the reward.""When we lose our life in Christ, that's when we find our lives.""No matter what's happening keep your mind, keep your vision, and adapt.""We want people to know that the church is not the building. The church is the people.""If we dismiss grief, we forfeit growth.""We have looked for happiness in the things that God has created for us to use, and we've actually missed the person who can bring us happiness.""Happiness is not about good things always happening to you, it's about God actually making you good.""Jesus is the only carpenter who can renovate and fix the brokenness in our lives.""As leaders it's important that the rhythm of our home matches what we're saying." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus The Good Life by Derwin Gray TheGoodLifeBook.net CSB Tony Evans Study Bible Paul by N.T. Wright The New Testament in Its World by N.T. Wright The Day The Revolution Began by N.T. Wright This episode's sponsor: For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases, etc — all in a system refined to make it fast, easy & fun for the weekly volunteer teams.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Rasool Berry, teaching pastor and host of "In Pursuit of Jesus." They discuss the mission of the church during the pandemic and why reflecting on the past is useful. BEST QUOTES "What I learned was that Jesus is more glorious and more worthy of worship after I went through this journey than I even had an appreciation of before.""I thought how amazing would it be for us as a church for people to not be able to talk about the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 without talking about the church's response.""For every hand that you can't shake, that should be a phone call or text that you make.""When we are able to gather and relax these social distancing policies we are always going to make available online our resources.""More than ever, being aware of what's happening in our city, in our nation, around the globe, is just part of what has to happen.""We have most of the New Testament because someone was writing correspondence to someone they could not physically be with.""That tension of intentional time and also intentional distance has been an important balancing act at home.""Reflection, in general, is such an important and under-utilized discipline right now because we live in an information age, but information is not the same as wisdom.""I see sanctification as us allowing God to help us fully realize who He has made us to be, not just simply trying to become more like somebody else." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus In Pursuit of Jesus The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch Essentialism by Greg McKeown This episode's sponsor: For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases, etc — all in a system refined to make it fast, easy & fun for the weekly volunteer teams.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Ken Costa, a London-based banker, author, and speaker. They discuss the following questions: * How does this coronavirus crisis compare to others in the past?* How should leaders be using this time to grow personally as a leader and in their relationship with Christ* What advice would you share with pastors to be prepared financially for what is next?* What does good leadership look like in crisis?* How would you advise leaders to improve in their flexibility and decision making? BEST QUOTES "There is nothing ordinary about where we are at the moment.""There is an opportunity for the moment for people to stop and reflect.""This whole nature of what is ordinary has never been able to be examined in the stripped down way in which we've been forced to examine it now.""Wherever God finds you and me, He calls us to that place.""This is the moment to be self-investing.""Don't forget that your credit card is theology in numbers.""The most difficult thing for anyone at the moment is that the horizons are being expanded in fear constantly.""We've never been in a place like this, but I honestly think it is God's way of saying I want to draw you back to being an integrated person.""The crisis leader has to be flexible to change as the circumstances change." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus Joseph of Arimathea by Ken Costa 5LQ Episode 108: Ken Costa Know Your Why by Ken Costa God At Work by Ken Costa 90 Second Leadership - Leadership When the World is V.U.C.A. 90 Second Leadership - Leading Through Uncertainty This episode's sponsor: For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases, etc — all in a system refined to make it fast, easy & fun for the weekly volunteer teams.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Joel Manby, author of Love Works. They discuss the danger in not being completely honest about our mistakes and leading through crisis. BEST QUOTES "None of us should put our self-worth in whether we keep our job as the lead pastor or not.""We have to lead in the short term and think in the short term, but at the same time we have to lead and vision to the future. That's one of the most exhausting things as a top leader.""When I've made the huge mistakes in my life, I haven't been completely truthful.""It never gets better, it only gets worse, if we don't own up to every mistake we make.""The pastor's leading is not more important than what is going on with their children or their home.""This is such a stressful time that we have to take care of ourselves first - eat, sleep, exercise. If we don't do that it causes unhealthy living.""A lack of trustworthiness can cause a meltdown personally because you've taken on too much.""I don't know why we fail to talk about our mistakes when you look at who God used in the Bible." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus Love Works by Joel Manby Love Works by Joel Manby Facebook JoelManby.com This episode's sponsor: For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases, etc — all in a system refined to make it fast, easy & fun for the weekly volunteer teams.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by JT English, pastor and cohost of the Knowing Faith podcast. They discuss how adopting structure in ministry can be beneficial and why deference is an important leadership skill. BEST QUOTES "When you get into ministry or leadership, a lot of what you end up doing relates to your story.""This philosophy of ministry is more scalable than any other philosophy of ministry.""If you adopt a structure and predicable approach to ministry, people will buy in.""I think God does organic things out of structured ministry.""As leaders we are not just called to pick up our preferences and run with them until everybody else submits to them. We are also called to lay our preferences down and learn what deference looks like to others.""In order to lead in a healthy organization, deferring is a leadership instinct that has been lost.""That kind of leadership shows us that the privilege of leading is greater than the pain of leading.""Good leaders know what their weaknesses are and they know the strength of the team around them and they learn how to create systems and operations that allow everybody to operate in their strengths so that everybody thrives.""Leadership is going to hurt, but it's worth it." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus Knowing Faith Podcast The Village Church Institute Deep Discipleship by JT English This episode's sponsor: For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases, etc — all in a system refined to make it fast, easy & fun for the weekly volunteer teams.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Karen Swallow Prior, professor of English and author of On Reading Well. They discuss how and why we should work on developing our reading skills and being comfortable with other viewpoints to better support our own viewpoints. BEST QUOTES "I think you should take notes, mark in the book, or do something to engage with it and read reflectively. Good writing is not the kind of writing you can skim." "Reading one book well is far better than reading ten to check off your list.""We all have skill levels, whether its reading or listening, and we should be trying to develop those and not get frustrated with ourselves because we aren't where we think we should be.""I really want to understand their point of view so that I can understand and support my own point of view.""We are always thinking in community and hopefully we are part of different thinking communities.""When I see leadership potential or any other type of gifting in my students or colleagues, I want to name that in them and encourage them to pursue it.""All this is about nuancing our ability to see and apply the truth and also to pursue it apart from our comfort zone." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus 5LQ Episode 351: On Reading Well With Karen Swallow Prior On Reading Well by Karen Swallow Prior How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler Sense and Sensibility: A Guide to Reading and Reflecting by Karen Swallow Prior Heart of Darkness: A Guide to Reading and Reflecting by Karen Swallow Prior This episode's sponsor: For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases, etc — all in a system refined to make it fast, easy & fun for the weekly volunteer teams.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Nils Smith, from Dunham+Company, and Jason Powell, online pastor for Harvest. They discuss the following questions: * What did Easter service look like in your context?* How are you following up with people after Easter services?* What will church look like post COVID-19 season?* Tools for doing online church better BEST QUOTES "I think American is hungry for the gospel. I think this is the perfect time right now to advance the kingdom of God using technology like never before.""If someone in this opportunity clicks a banner and fills out their information, we immediately mail them a Bible.""We call every single person that has made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ for the first three weeks and we will talk to them on the phone and give them encouragement.""Those that are really leaning into this technology and having zoom gatherings are having the depth of community and connection the most effectively.""We've got to be realistic and understanding that there will be an anxiety with physical gatherings.""This isn't new for the church. The church was born out of hardship.""Do you have a phone? Does it have a camera? That is enough. Utilize Facebook." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus Church Online Platform Zoom Ministry Grid This episode's sponsor: For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases, etc — all in a system refined to make it fast, easy & fun for the weekly volunteer teams.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Jimmy Dykes, sportscaster and author of The Film Doesn't Lie. They discuss how leadership in the sports world applies to all other kinds of leadership and how our words and actions truly reflect God's impact in our lives. BEST QUOTES "From a sports analogy - with coaches and players the real change, the real truth, the real evaluation process begins when they watch a film. I take that same scenario that's used in the sports world and I take us on a spiritual journey throughout the book.""Our walk with God goes to a whole other level when our obedience goes to another level.""I am so blessed to be a part of the ESPN family and that puts me in front of a lot of different people. A lot of coaches are mentors in my life.""If you are a head coach, you have immediate impact - hour to hour - with everyone on your staff, the student athletes you coach, and the actions you lead with speak volumes.""I have a huge platform because of those 4 letters - ESPN - they open a lot of doors for me and because of that I know God has given me a chance to be consistent in who I say He is.""Praying with my wife and daughter is a non-negotiable in my life.""My own quiet time alone with God is crucial right now and letting God speak to my heart about what He wants me to have growth in.""If you are a leader right now in any form, the higher you get the less likely people are to be brutally honest with you at times and the best leaders make sure they have those people around them.""Real lasting change occurs when it comes from the power of God's written Word in our life and letting Him change our heart." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus The Film Doesn't Life by Jimmy Dykes CoachJimmyDykes.com This episode's sponsor: For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases, etc — all in a system refined to make it fast, easy & fun for the weekly volunteer teams.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Gene Getz, author of 60 books including The Measure of a Man and the Life Essentials Study Bible. They discuss the life-long journey of learning about the pastorate and the importance of encouraging those who we have learned from. BEST QUOTES "People are sheep and they need to be lead, and they will be lead if you have strong leadership.""You've got to keep learning all the time. If you stop learning, you are going to stop growing.""When I started pastoring, being a writer, I determined that if I was going to do a series I would write my sermon as if you were reading it.""Our main point of emphasis right now is how can we stay on top of all of the tasks we have and keep things moving in spite of this shutdown because of the virus.""If communication breaks down, hit it immediately and open the door of communication. That is what keeps us efficient.""Every one of us is built on the shoulders of someone else.""As I look back over my life, every door that has opened for me was opened by someone else and I was able to walk through it with their encouragement." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus Elders and Leaders by Gene Getz The Measure of a Man by Gene Getz The Measure of a Healthy Church by Gene Getz Life Essentials Study Bible Sharpening the Focus of the Church by Gene Getz This episode's sponsor: For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases, etc — all in a system refined to make it fast, easy & fun for the weekly volunteer teams.

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Levi Lusko, lead pastor of Fresh Life Church. They discuss how being knowledgeable in areas outside your specialty can benefit your leadership and the unique challenges facing the church during this time. BEST QUOTES "We are only going to be effective in ministry long-term if we can manage ourselves, manage our emotions, and productively minister to people in a way that is life giving.""People that have a wider range than just one discipline will be more likely to explore more options than jump to what they specialize in.""The murky water is how to we execute a clear vision in a dark world?""We have Zoom, we have our Bibles, we have our phones. Let's go.""I have tried to build our home to be a place of Selah for our family.""We are trying to make sure our kids know that their problems and flaws are not ever a problem to me because i am a pastor.""I think the brokenness in the church and so many families and pastors burning out is because of the perceived need to present some sort of lacquered version of what life looks like.""I was so busy wanting to drive the devil out of Montana that I took for granted the call on my life to be intentional about helping other people succeed." RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network Lifeway.com/CoronaVirus Episode 190: Levi Lusko Through the Eyes of a Lion by Levi Lusko Take Back Your Life by Levi Lusko I Declare War by Levi Lusko The Great Bridge by David McCullough The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough Masters of Scale Podcast A Beautiful Constraint by Adam Morgan and Mark Barden The Fight to Flourish by Jennie Lusko This episode's sponsor: For more than 25 years, Portable Church® has helped thousands of churches launch strong and thrive in a mobile setting. They design custom solutions that fit each budget, vision, and venue. Everything you need to launch a mobile church — an inviting worship space, kids ministry areas, welcome spaces, storage cases, etc — all in a system refined to make it fast, easy & fun for the weekly volunteer teams.