Chris explains common times when conflict is more likely to surface, including busy church-calendar seasons (Christmas/Easter), budget and stewardship campaigns, staffing changes, and when the pastor is away. The group discusses how even good seasons of activity can create a “vacuum” that leads to tension. Chris encourages leaders not to take conflict personally and to view non-essential differences as healthy tension rather than threats, noting how failure to do so can alienate people and even lead to a mass exodus.

Chris shares how he prioritized clarifying mission and values at the association, including the mission statement: to encourage, equip, and engage biblically faithful churches in the Great Commission for God’s glory, and five core values: truth, in touch, on mission, on purpose, and for the church.

Andy & Mark share personal experiences, discuss the challenge of balancing tasks, and reflect on how Jesus' unhurried life serves as a model.

The episode highlights the benefits of slowing down, from avoiding burnout to enhancing the quality of ministry, and encourages leaders to evaluate and adjust their own pace accordingly.

You can find out more about Passion Tree Ministries at https://passiontree.org

You can also get in touch with Robert by emailing him at robert@madisonbaptists.org

The blog article Jay references can be found here - https://www.brookhills.org/blog/reflect-christ-to-unbelieving-family-members-this-christmas

Below are links to the apps Jay mentions during the podcast.

YouVersion Bible App

Prayer Mate App

Bible Memory App

This episode highlights how recognizing and appreciating small victories can lead to sustained encouragement and momentum within the church. They also reference the book 'The Other Half of Church' to underscore the importance of cultivating joy and healthy relationships.

Find more about about Sean and Sixth Avenue Church of God, here: https://6thavechurch.org/leadership/

Get your digital copy of “The American Gospel” today!

Do you need a helpful resource in discipling your family? Dr. Rob Jackson’s “Moments With God” is just what you’re looking for: https://livingwordpublishing.org/product/moments-with-god/

How will your people gather as a church right now without meeting in person? Check out Mark’s blog post here on streaming your services:

https://inciteministries.org/live-streaming-options/

Does your church have online giving? If not, you can find out more about some great digital giving platforms through this article from Mark:

https://inciteministries.org/online-giving-options-for-churches/

As a leader in the local church during these uncertain times, how are you keeping things in perspective and adapting? Andy has a few helpful things to think about in this video here: https://youtu.be/2Z5FPaa9DzY

Most churches have the same problematic question: where do we find enough willing and capable volunteers? In this week’s episode, our hosts, Mark and Andy, talk about identifying, recruiting, and developing lay leaders in your church. As you listen you’ll be encouraged and challenged by the practical things you can do to help your church find willing and capable volunteer leaders. 

One resource Andy and Mark mentioned was Designed to Lead by Eric Geiger and Kevin Peck.

Do you want to know more about identifying faithful, available, and teachable leaders? Would you like to discover how your church can better develop key leaders? We would love to partner with you. Contact Incite Ministries today!

*Bonus - Mark and Andy have a special CLP prize pack for the first person to let us know the setting of the episode photo! :)

You can contact Daniel You can via email or follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or on DanieiIm.com.

You can grab your copy of the book, No Silver Bullets, by Daniel referenced in this episode here.

If you are in or around Alabama, and would like to meet Daniel, you can join us at the first ever Alabama Baptist State Discipleship Convention, on April 27-27, 2020. You can find more out and register at aldiscipleshipconference.com.

On this week’s episode of The Church Leadership Podcast, Mark and Andy get to spend some time talking with Sam Rainer. Sam serves as Lead Pastor of  West Bradenton Baptist Church, and co-hosts the Est. Church podcast. He is the president of Church Answers, the co-founder and co-owner of Rainer Publishing, and the president of Revitalize Network.

Find out more about Sam here -  https://samrainer.com

Follow Sam on Twitter here - @samrainer

On this week’s episode of The Church Leadership Podcast, we get to hear from Jarman Leatherwood. Jarman is the pastor of House of Hope and Restoration in Huntsville, Alabama, and he also serves as a church planting catalyst for the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. You will be moved by Jarman’s story, encouraged by his passion for loving people in the name of Jesus, and you’ll be greatly inspired by the faith he exemplifies in all circumstances. Be prepared, this is a powerful episode! 

Find out more about House of Hope and Restoration in Huntsville here.

Find out more about church planting in Alabama here.

Find out more about Church Revitalization Resources and Rob Paul Ministries here.

Feel free to get in touch with Rob here.

The CLP team wants to thank each of our loyal listeners for faithfully being a part of this journey! We also want to say a big thank you to all of you new listeners as well! We are so excited about the growth of our show the first 50 episodes and we are looking forward to the growth in the months ahead.

We want to hear from you! What topics or leaders would you like to be a part of our podcast? Let us know here!

Find out more about First Baptist Church of Thorsby here.

Would you and your church like to join the Unceasing Prayer Movement in Alabama? You can find out how at PrayForAlabama.com.

Here are a few of the resources mentioned in this episode:

Write It Down by Robert Mullins

City of Prayer by Kie Bowman and Trey Kent

The Anatomy of a Revived Church by Thom Rainer

Want to learn more about the H.E.A.R. journaling method mentioned? Learn more here.

Would you like to know more about the pastor’s huddle mentioned in this episode? Find out more here.

If you are looking for a couple of helpful resources to assist you in your prayer life, then check out prayermate.net and new.echoprayer.com!

You can contact Marc Hodges at marc@thorsbyfbc.org.

In our conversation, we mentioned four people who had previously been on The Church Leadership Podcast. Here are the links to those episodes:

Episode 6 with Robert Mullins

Episode 13 with David Jones

Episode 39 with Daniel Edmonds

Episode 46 with Robby Gallaty

Find out more about John and The Baptist Foundation of Alabama here - https://tbfa.org/john-ashworth/

You can access information about scholarships with The Baptist Foundation of Alabama here - https://tbfa.org/scholarships/

If you want to get a better understanding of the ministry of The Baptist Foundation of Alabama, you might want to check out a previous conversation with another team member, Joey Hocutt on CLP Episode 14.

Check out Replicate Ministries for some great online resources that will help you and your church make disciple-makers.

Find out more about Robby and Long Hollow Baptist Church at https://longhollow.com/meet-pastor-robby/

Here are a few of the books we mentioned in this episode:

Growing Up 

Rediscovering Discipleship

Disciple Her

Recovered

Check out what is happening in student ministry in Alabama at YM Link.

Do you want to better equip your students in the area of evangelism? Find out more about the “Speak” event mentioned in this episode at https://ymlink.org/events/speak/

Are you looking for a summer camp experience that focuses on leadership and discipleship for your students? Check out “Super Summer Alabama” here -  https://ymlink.org/events/super-summer-alabama/

Do you have a student in your church feeling “Called” to ministry or missions? Check out this event that will help -  https://ymlink.org/events/called/

To take advantage of the free resource Todd mentions in the Podcast, contact Generosity by Lifeway at https://lifewaygenerosity.com and mention you heard about it on the Church Leadership Podcast!

Get your copy of Todd's book, Leading a Generous Church today!

Dr. Roudkovski mentioned a book he contributed to recently called Engage: Tools for Contemporary Evangelism. You can get your copy here.

Check us out on our different social media platforms!

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Would you like to give us suggestions on topics, ask us questions, or suggest someone for us to interview? Do you need help with something we mentioned on today’s podcast? Contact us at markandandy@churchleadershippodcast.com. 

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Mark's D-Group Leader Guide

Andy's Disciple-Making Field Guide

For more information on Adam's church, Glory Fellowship, go here - http://www.gloryfellowshiponline.org

Adam mentioned the book Growing Up by Robby Gallaty

Check out Stay Forth Designs here - https://www.stayforth.com

You can listen to Alan’s Right Side Up Leadership Podcast here - https://www.stayforth.com/podcast/

Check out Alan's book Staying is the New Going that we mentioned in this episode here - https://amzn.to/2PMBmEu

You can get in touch with Mark Clifton here: replant@namb.net

You can find more out about church replanting here: www.churchreplanters.com

Get a copy of Mark’s book on church revitalization here: Reclaiming Glory: Revitalizing Dying Churches - https://amzn.to/31EnWg5

If you'd like to hear more of Andy's story, check out Episode 1 of the Church Leadership Podcast!

If you want to know more about this different approach to ministry, or if you need help balancing life as a bi-vocational church leader, you can contact Andy or Mark at markandandy@churchleadershippodcast.com

Find out more about Russell Baptist Church here -  https://russellbaptistchurch.com

Resources

In our conversation, Patrick mentions the following books:

“Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni. You can check it out on Amazon here - https://www.amazon.com/Five-Dysfunctions-Team-Leadership-Fable/dp/0787960756

“Who Moved My Pulpit” by Thom Rainer, which can be found on Amazon here - https://www.amazon.com/Who-Moved-My-Pulpit-Leading/dp/1433643871

Link Related to the Episode

First Colleyville - https://www.firstcolleyville.com

Find out more about discipleFIRST (and even purchase resources) here - https://disciplefirst.com

You can purchase Craig’s book “Bold Moves” here - https://disciplefirst.com/store/bold-moves/

More information about The Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions - Office of Men’s Spiritual Development can be found here… https://alabamamen.org

Find out more about Alabama’s Youth Ministry Link here… https://ymlink.org

You can find Jeff Iorg’s book “Is God Calling Me?” here… https://www.amazon.com/dp/0805447229/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_MQrIDb4ZS3RY9

University of Mobile - https://umobile.edu

The God You Can Know by Dan DeHaan -  https://www.amazon.com/dp/0802430074/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_na.FDbFBCGSEF

The Master Plan of Evangelism by Dr. Robert Coleman -  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HTK1GN4/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_sE4iDb2DWZN2P

Find out more about Billie Hanks, Jr., his ministry and resources such as “A Call to Joy” - https://disciple-maker.org/billie-hanks-jr/

Here is a great resource for parents seeking to disciple their children: “Moments with God” - https://livingwordpublishing.org/product/moments-with-god/

To hear more about the incredible web design & development plan from Incite Ministries that was mentioned at the beginning of the episode, go to InciteMinistries.org/Reach

Find more out about Matt and his ministry here - www.MattAdamsMinistries.com

Contact Matt here - mattadamsministries@gmail.com

Reach Your City - https://reachyourcity.com/matt-adams

Check out the amazing magic trick that Matt performed for Mark and Andy on the podcast here - https://www.facebook.com/MattAdamsMinistries/posts/3015947978420946/

You can also watch another magic trick that Matt did for Andy and Mark below!

It was the chance of a lifetime for our co-hosts to sit in the home of this special church leader as he shared of his joy in glorifying and enjoying Jesus. At over ninety years of age, “Clem” is still meeting with “his boys” and making disciples of Christ. 

“Biblical Church Revitalization” “Visit the Sick” and other helpful books by Brian Croft can be found here http://practicalshepherding.com/resources/books/

You can access the handout here.

If you would like assistance in developing and implementing a discipleship pathway in your church, feel free to contact Mark and Andy at info@churchleadershippodcast.com

You can access the handout here.

Here are the example pathways from Andy & Mark's churches:

If you would like assistance in developing and implementing a discipleship pathway in your church, feel free to contact Mark and Andy at info@churchleadershippodcast.com

Also, be sure to listen to next week's episode for an exciting announcement concerning discipleship in the state of Alabama!

The Alabama Baptist -  https://www.thealabamabaptist.org

TAB News Podcast -  https://www.thealabamabaptist.org/explore/podcasts/

Jennifer blogs at https://rashionalthoughts.wordpress.com

You can grab your copy of The Master Plan of Evangelism here - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HTK1GN4/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_sE4iDb2DWZN2P

You can find out more information about Gateway Seminary here - https://www.gs.edu

You can check out Dr. Jeff Iorg’s blog here - https://www.gs.edu/presidents-blog/

Want a copy of Dr. Iorg’s book, “Leading Major Change in Your Ministry”? You can find it here - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1462774601/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_4ndcDbZA849CV

Online Education and Certificates are available from Samford’s MTI in the following areas: Pastoral Leadership, Disciple Making, Worship Leadership, and Church Planting

In our conversation, Dr. Blackwell mentioned a great resource: Four Chair Discipling by Dann Spader.

A: All of them

Q: What happened when the two antennas got married?

A: Well, the ceremony was kind of boring, but the reception was great!

On this week’s episode, Mark and Andy discuss (and laugh about) life in Christ and the need for humor.

“A joyful heart is good medicine” - Proverbs 17:22

As an added bonus, they also took part in a Bad Dad Joke Duel! You can watch that video below. You can laugh with us, or you can laugh at us. Either way, we are happy knowing someone besides our wives will get to hear and laugh at our bad jokes. Make sure to watch until the end for the outtakes! If you are listening on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher, go to ChurchLeadershipPodcast.com to watch the video!

On today’s episode, we talk with Joey Hocutt from The Baptist Foundation of Alabama. Joey works in church relations in Alabama in the areas of generosity and legacy giving. You can contact Joey here for more information or call 334-394-2000.

To learn more about the program, contact Scott by email.

Quotables

• “We have guilt and shame if we are not overly busy.” 
• “If you are involved in serving in ministry in some way, and you don’t feel like you have enough time for people, you are doing something wrong. 
• “You need to prioritize your life and your time. The first priority, no matter who you are, has to be Jesus.”
• “I believe our greatest calling as pastors is to pastor the little church under our roof first. So that you are prepared, equipped, and qualified to pastor THE church that God has called us to locally.”
• “So, why are we spending an inordinate amount of time preparing for thirty minutes to forty-five minutes a week, when our greatest impact comes somewhere else? And, on top of that, Jesus never said, ‘Go and make good sermons.’” 
• “We want to give you permission to change what you’re doing.”

If you need to get in touch with Mark and Andy, contact them here.

This episode is sponsored by Generosity by Lifeway. To sign up for the workshop Mark mentioned, go here.

Links of Note & Interest from this Episode

Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention

Asia Baptist Network

IMB

PassionTree, a ministry to connect pastors and leaders was mentioned and was the host of the Pastor's Retreat at which this interview was recorded.

The book, No Silver Bullets by Daniel Im, was mentioned during our conversation.

During our discussion, Ken mentioned the book, Good to Great by Jim Collins.

Ken says if we are going to have disciple-making churches, we must:

1. Define our target
2. Determine our strategy 
3. Design disciple making environments 
4. Develop leaders 

Shocco Springs Website

Crossroads Community Church Website

PassionTree Website

Men's Spiritual Development of ALSBOM - http://AlabamaMen.org 

“I just began asking, ‘Alright, Jesus, where am I missing the mark?’…There were two things I learned: First, everything is not for you. Everything we should do, we should bring glory to God. Second, what’s the purpose of ministry? It is to make disciples.”

Larry mentioned the book, Demolishing Strongholds, by Johnny Hunt

“The next person that becomes a Christian, would you mind if I discipled them? … The next guy that got saved was three years younger than me, and he literally got kicked out of the state of Virginia because he tried to kill a man by burying him alive.”

“You define…you clarify what a disciple is, and how are you as a leader going to equip your people to become THAT?”

During the discussion, the book Rediscovering Discipleship by Robby Gallaty was also mentioned.

Chris serves as the Executive Director of the Birmingham Metro Baptist Association.

During the inverview, Chris mentions 5 Questions to Keep Your Life on P.O.I.N.T.

P - Who can I partner with?

O- How am I owning the Great Commission?

I- How am I investing in my life?

N- Who am I nurturing?

T- Am I teachable?

Quotable: “Somebody has got to be the voice at the table among your leadership for those who aren’t there yet.”

Common issues pastors and church leaders face…

-Lack of urgency

-Urgency about the wrong things

-Most don’t understand the need to address the changing culture around them

-No new leaders

-Leaders themselves stop being heatlhy

Chris talks about 5 Commitments to Daily Self-care

1. Read the Bible
2. Pray
3. Talk to a friend about something that matters
4. Engaging the creative arts
5. Exercise

The Common Cycle of Churches from Richard Rohr

Man > Mission > Machine > Monument

3 R’s of Revitalization

- Respect an Aging Congregation

- Reach the Next Generation

- Respond to Your Community As It Changes

Chris talks about the North American Mission Board.

Dr. Lance is the Executive Director of the Alabama State Board of Missions.

Quotables:

“A person really needs to do a ministry audit of themselves... asking themselves very strategic questions.”

“We have to be good followers of Christ in order to lead others for Christ.”

“My best avenues for learning about leadership... come by observation, and reading biographies.”

“I study war in order to make peace.”

Dr. Lance mentioned the book, The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency By Chris Whipple

Quotables: “I think the word effectiveness is better than success.”

“Most of us live our lives focusing on our résumé virtues, and trying to get through life impressing people... Eulogy virtues are far more important”

Dr. Lance also referenced The Road to Character by David Brooks

Thanks for listening, subscribing, and sharing the podcast!

Follow Mark on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Mark serves as Lead Pastor at Fultondale First Baptist just north of Birmingham, AL.

Mark is the founder and Lead Consultant of Incite Ministries.

Advice from Mark in this episode:

-Don’t ignore the red flags in your ministry and your life… God puts them there for a reason.

-Make sure you are honest with the people that are around you.

-Don’t neglect your walk with Jesus.

-Don’t neglect your family.

Quotable: “If the demands of your life are causing you to make decisions that a) neglect your relationship with Jesus and b) your relationship with your family, then stop.”

Leave a comment, if you need someone to point you in the right direction of being discipled.

Thank you for liking, commenting, reviewing, and sharing our podcast!

Follow Andy on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

During the episode, Andy mentioned the book, The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert Coleman.

Andy serves as Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Sumiton, AL.

Quotable: “There’s some leverage there; when you start talking about giving of your time, or investing your finances, or making sacrifices for your family. People will listen to you, because they know you are right there in the trenches with them. Sometimes, we can be removed from that in full-time ministry.”

Thank you for liking, commenting, reviewing, and sharing our podcast!