S4 Ep. 78 // Brandon Stewart on Executive Leadership & Decision Fatigue During COVID-19

Summary: It’s only the second episode of this new fourth season, and we’re already mixing it up! We want to switch things up every once in a while this season, and this is one of those episodes. We gathered a panel of executive pastors and campus pastors. These are some incredible second-chair leaders, who sat down with me, and just got to fire away some questions that they’ve been having this past year as they navigated leading during COVID-19. This panel is from churches of various sizes, different demographics, and from all over the country. I was so happy to sit down with Jeffery Davis from Verve Community Church, Nick Dekold from Lakeshore Church, Sarah Nelsen from The Well, Stephanie Blanton from Freedom House Church, and Dillon Ritchie from Coastlife Church. The goal of today’s episode is just to share some wisdom, and our big question is, “What does leadership look like during COVID-19?” There isn’t exactly a playbook on how to lead during a pandemic. Our pastors have some of the same questions that we’ve all been asking ourselves. There is so much uncertainty right now, and we need constant flexibility. So what does leadership look like, and how do we lead well from the second chair right now? I believe the questions asked were some that so many of us have been facing this past year. We tackled real problems that we’re facing and had some excellent conversations wrestling through these topics together. Here are the questions and topics we cover in this episode: What advice on developing healthy relationships would you give pastors/ leaders transitioning into new roles or churches during this time? We live in a world where people are worshipping opinion over God, self over others, and convenience over the church. In what ways can we support our Pastors in challenging worldly culture, which sometimes causes people to exit the church and at the same time focus on mobilizing the church for growth? For those of us who have gotten the opportunity to return to in-person gatherings, one of the hurdles I think many of us have experienced is re-building our Serve Teams. What are some ways or maybe some methods that can help re-engage our church family in serving? What are some things that I can do as a second chair leader to help continue to move the vision of the church forward in a time of uncertainty and during a season where everything seems like it has been put on pause? When the church (The Christian church as a whole) is under so much pressure, our Senior Pastors need us to hold their arms up more than ever. How can we do a good job of this when we ourselves need someone to hold our arms up? How do we tap into support while we are their support? I pray this leaves you with some practical wisdom so we can all lead at our absolute best. Run strong this week, Brandon After The Episode: What are you doing as a leader right now to fill in the gaps that you see? What practical steps can you take to create and guard alignment with your Pastor and your team this week? SUBSCRIBE COMMENT LIKE & SHARE We want you in our tribe! Stay connected to all Leading Second has to offer: Website: leadingsecond.com Instagram: instagram.com/leadingsecond Connect with Brandon Stewart Facebook: facebook.com/brandonmstewart Instagram: instagram.com/brandonmstewart Leading Second is an extension of the Team Church tribe. For more information on Team Church Conference and One Day events, check-out teamchurchconference.com or search Team Church on Facebook.