Hosted by John McGee, Senior Director of Watermark Resources, the Church Leadership Podcast discusses relevant topics for church leaders to encourage and equip them for ministry at their own churches.
Episode: 153Aug 7, 2024
Leading Your Church in Economic Uncertainty
In this episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, John McGee is joined by Luke Friesen (Senior Director of Operations) and John Cox (Executive Pastor) to discuss strategies for navigating economic slowdowns and decreased giving. Learn how strong communication, building reserves, and finding creative solutions will help you lead confidently through financial uncertainties.
Church Leadership
Church Operations
Episode: 152Jul 24, 2024
How to Lead Creatives
People who see the world in unique ways and have original problem-solving approaches are a huge asset to any team. But if you want to help your creatives reach their full potential, you need to understand how to best engage with them. John McGee, Caitlin Van Wagoner (Senior Communications Director), and David Penuel (Creative Director) discuss maximizing creative gifting in the church on this week’s episode of the Church Leadership Podcast. Downloads: CLC Breakout Slides - The Creative Process
Church Leadership
Staff & Teams
Episode: 151Jul 10, 2024
How Creativity Really Works
Creativity matters because we are called to reflect our Creator God. Many of us, however, think of creativity as being accessible only to the talented few who fit a certain stereotype. This week on the Church Leadership Podcast, we gathered some of our staff’s best creative minds to demystify the creative process and explore how we can harness it for God’s glory. Downloads: Creativity is a Remix by Kirby Ferguson (Ted Talk) A Technique for Producing Ideas by William Young
Church Leadership
Episode: 150Jun 26, 2024
How to Lead Yourself After the Fall of Another Leader
When news of a pastor’s moral failure breaks, it’s appropriate to grieve for the pain the sin has caused and the damage God’s reputation has suffered. On this week’s episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, John McGee and Dave Bruskas wrestle with their own complicated feelings about recent scandals and explore how we can lead ourselves well—avoiding self-righteousness and reorienting ourselves to truth.
Care & Recovery
Spiritual Formation
Church Leadership
Episode: 149Jun 12, 2024
Sowing Seeds of Ministry
None of us are capable of making ministry fruitful, but we’re still charged with putting in the work and waiting in faith for God to bring the growth. In a special message at the Church Leaders Conference this Spring, John Elmore encouraged us to work alongside God’s Spirit and His other faithful workers in this great “co-mission.”
Spiritual Formation
Church Leadership
Episode: 148May 29, 2024
Cultivating Community
Church leaders are the first to extol the importance of biblical fellowship, but we aren’t always the best at practicing it. This special message from Harris Creek Baptist Church pastor Jonathan “J.P.” Pokluda, first given at CLC 2024, calls leaders to drop any pretenses and embrace the God-given gift of Christian accountability. This isn’t a race you can run well alone.
Discipleship
Church Leadership
Episode: 147May 15, 2024
The Priority of Prayer: A Course Correction
If you weren’t able to join us at the Church Leaders Conference this year, check out pastor Timothy Ateek’s opening mainstage message on prayer as a spiritual checkpoint. Without attentive care, it’s easy to let your spiritual priority drift from enjoying God’s presence through prayer. We kicked off our time together by taking a hard look at ourselves and discussing how we can get back on-course if we’ve drifted.
Spiritual Formation
Church Leadership
Episode: 146Apr 17, 2024
Things I Didn't Learn in Seminary: The Art of Leading and Serving Your Family
We wrapped up the “Things I Didn’t Learn in Seminary” podcast series this week with an episode on how to lead and serve in your first and most important ministry: your family. Shepherding your family well--listed in 1 Timothy as a leadership qualification--can be challenging. Whether you have a spouse and kids or hope to someday, it’s worth preparing to face these occupational hazards with eyes wide open.
Marriage
Church Leadership
Episode: 145Apr 3, 2024
Things I Didn't Learn in Seminary: The Art of Personal Interactions
Ever heard the joke, “I love ministry—it's people I can’t stand”? It’s funny because interacting with people can be difficult, but people are our ministry, and the way we interact with them matters immensely. In this week’s episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, John McGee and Dave Bruskas talk about the nuances of interpersonal exchanges, drawing from years of real-life ministry experience.
Spiritual Formation
Church Leadership
Episode: 144Mar 20, 2024
Things I Didn't Learn in Seminary: The Art of Administration
Incompetence isn’t always a moral issue, but it will hobble your ministry just as quickly. People are inherently skeptical of churches, and if you don’t keep the trains running on time, you’ll erode their trust. In the fourth installment of this series, John McGee and Dave Bruskas discuss how the X’s and O’s of ministry administration, from complying with government regulations to maintaining excellent facilities, can either support or detract from the message of the Gospel.
Church Leadership
Church Operations
Episode: 143Mar 6, 2024
Things I Didn't Learn in Seminary: The Art of Leading Yourself
Ministry has a definite and appropriate outward focus. But you can’t lead others well if you aren’t leading yourself first—spiritually, practically, and physically. In this week’s episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, Dave Bruskas and John McGee discuss how stewarding your own time and gifts, from your schedule to your personal spiritual walk, can hugely impact your ministry’s fruitfulness. "The Rule of Life" Reference
Spiritual Formation
Church Leadership
Episode: 142Feb 21, 2024
Things I Didn't Learn in Seminary: The Art of Organizational Leadership
A lot of us go into ministry unconsciously believing that we just need to know how to teach and preach well, when in fact, leadership involves a huge amount of team management and goal-setting. In this week’s Church Leadership Podcast, John McGee and Watermark Director of re:generation Dave Bruskas return with more things they didn’t learn in seminary that have been invaluable in their pastoring careers.
Church Leadership
Church Operations
