5 Leadership Questions: A Leadership Podcast Featuring Interviews With Carey Nieuwhof, Craig Groeschel, Matt Chandler, Jen Wi

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Rusty George who serves as the Lead Pastor at Real Life Church in Southern California, a multi-site church with campuses in Canyon Country, Lancaster, Simi Valley, Valencia, and a large online community. In this episode, they discuss who Rusty is learning from currently, where his leadership emphasis is focused, how Rusty deals with crisis within his church community, and how to stick with a long-term strategy for church leadership. BEST QUOTES “It's mind blowing the value of putting constraints on your brainstorming because we've all been taught to think of hypotheticals like, ‘what could you do if you had no budget?’ But that doesn't help you.” – Rusty George “There's always a new strategy out there and there's always a new idea out there. So just stick with one for at least maybe six weeks to three months, 90 days or so. And if it's not working for you, then try something else. But you got to give it a g

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Colin Hansen who serves as the vice president for content and editor in chief of The Gospel Coalition. They discuss his new autobiography on Pastor Timothy Keller which focused on his intellectual and spiritual formation. Colin shares about Keller's early years, the influential relationships that made him who is he today, the church where he learned to care for souls, and the city that lifted him to the international fame he never wanted. BEST QUOTES “When you're learning from Tim Keller, you're actually learning from dozens of other people. You're learning from all of those who have influenced him.” – Colin Hansen “Everything Tim writes about the power transformative power of grace, that's based on his experience with Jesus.” – Colin Hansen Tim often says, “When we preach what Jesus preached, we should be seeing a response from the people who responded to Jesus. But if our churches are not and th

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Dave Milam who serves as the Vice President of Strategic Design at Visioneering Studios. With over 20 years of experience serving churches as well as non-profits, Dave brings a vast level of experience when it comes to helping people create places that not only look visually appealing design-wise but also educates on how your building can communicate your unique vision and story. They also discuss the unique challenges facing churches today when it comes to utilizing their meeting spaces and Dave shares how church leaders can take their space from where they are to where they want to be. BEST QUOTES “You should be able to look at a church and tell what they value. But you can also look at the building and know what they’re trying to value.” – Dave Milam “I think the things that the American church values right now is very different than what we valued 20 years ago. The buildings we’re living in right

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Jason Thacker who serves as the Chair of Research in Technology Ethics and is also the Director of the Research Institute at ERLC (The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission) of the Southern Baptist Convention. They discuss how technology is shaping our walk with Christ and how we as church leaders can navigate the most difficult aspects of our digital culture including the rise of misinformation, conspiracy theories, social media, and polarization. BEST QUOTES “One of the primary disciplers of your people is actually their smartphone.” – Jason Thacker “While we think we can disconnect, we really can't in some sense. A lot of it doesn't come down to is it just bad or good because I think both of those options fail to describe what technology really is. It is a good gift from God that we can use it in good and bad ways. However, it is something that is shaping and forming us so it’s not as neutral as

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by former co-host Barnabas Piper who is an author, speaker, and an assistant pastor at Immanuel Church in Nashville, Tennessee. During the conversation, they discuss how to decide if and when you should go to seminary, how to facilitate community in your church, and how wisdom comes through time and intentional learning.  BEST QUOTES “The decision whether to go to seminary is a case-by-case decision.”  “When it comes to the decision about seminary, look for a setting that will help you in your ministry context.”  “When you go to seminary, go to get. Don’t just go to look around.”  “People are stickier than your preaching.”  “They would send 20-year olds to war, but you had to be 30-year olds to care for the holy items in the tabernacle. ”  “Wisdom comes with time and intentional learning.”  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES The Happy Rant Book  Belong by Barnabas Piper 

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Dr. Warren Bird, author, writer, and researcher of churches. During this conversation, they discuss Dr. Bird’s new research titled “The New Faces of Church Planting and Multisiting” BEST QUOTES You have not because you ask not. If the churches is God’s plan A, the church is the bride of Christ, North Carolina Baptists, we are like the bridesmaid, and we can just be off the side. We are there to support you in what you’re doing to magnify a coming Jesus.Our measuring stick is not how big our budget with NC Baptists is, our measuring stick is – what are churches doing to replicate themselves, to advance the gospel globally, and to provide help for the hurting locally. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES https://ncbaptist.org/

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Dr. Warren Bird, author, writer, and researcher of churches. During this conversation, they discuss Dr. Bird’s new research titled “The New Faces of Church Planting and Multisiting” BEST QUOTES 1) The future will be…more evangelistic. 97% said they started their new church to reach people with Jesus’ gospel 2) The future will be…more multiracial. If you want your church, if you believe God wants your church, to look like Revelation 5:9 where every tongue, every tribe, every people, every nation is worshiping together, praising the name of Jesus, then it’s a matter of intentionality at every size church, every race of leader, every different type of neighborhood, is able to develop a multiracial church. 3) The future will have…more mergers and restarts. Of church planters who end up with a building, one in five got their building through a church rebirthing, merging or restarting under them.Of mul

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Steve Gatena who is an Entrepreneur and the founder of Pray.com, the world's #1 app for daily prayer and faith-based audio content. RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Pray.com

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Trevin Wax who is vice president of research and resource development at the North American Mission Board and a visiting professor at Wheaton College. During this conversation, they discuss how to interact and engage with culture. BEST QUOTES  "You have to figure out what your town and local culture is like.” “Theologians have said you want to read the Bible and the newspaper. We want to see how it relates to our current context.” “If we aren’t having conversations about culture issues, you better believe the world is.” “One of the real temptations is you become a pundit, not a pastor.” “As pastors, you need to know your sheep.” “If you ask, people will tell you the areas that need focus in the community.” “We always tried to have a reputation that this church came here to serve us, not save us.” “Service can be the platform for sharing the gospel.”  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES ArcGIS

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Ron Edmondson who is the Senior Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Lexington, KY. During this conversation, they discuss the role of interim pastor in churches and how they are successful. BEST QUOTES  “Every church is going to face a time where there is an interim pastor, a period between one pastor and the next pastor.” “Every pastor needs to think with the end in mind. Always be asking yourself what is going to happen when you leave?” “Begin by asking a lot of questions and learn the culture.” “Don’t bind the church to something that the next pastor is tied to.”  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES RonEdmondson.com  The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast  The Mythical Leader: The Seven Myths of Leadership 

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Tyler Reagin who is the founder and CEO of The Life Giving Company and the author of The Life-Giving Leader and Leading Things You Didn’t Start. BEST QUOTES  “Leaders are learners. If there is not a system for learning, you are not going to think about it.” “Leaders, if you are not a learner, you have a short shelf life.” “Maintenance creates momentum.” “A good product with a bad process is a counterfeit win.”  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES 10 Ten Project Life Giving Leader Leading Things You Didn't Start

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins, Chandler Vannoy, and Dan Iten discuss 5 Leadership Questions on the topic of effectively recruiting volunteers. BEST QUOTES  “Our job of course is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.” “We aren’t just looking for a warm body who can fill a seat. We want to get the right volunteers in the right seat.” “Desperation for volunteers is not a good look, so you are going to get a poor result when you approach it with that posture.” “Many times, we actually say no for a person when we are asking them to serve.” “If you are recruiting me, you need to do so with great clarity including a job description and expectations.” “There is a high cost to a cheap ask.” “What you celebrate is what you cultivate in the culture.”  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Creating a Recruiting Culture eBook Sample Job Descriptions on Ministry Grid 6 Essentials to Onboarding and Training Volunteers eBook

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Dan Iten are joined by Katie Allred to discuss 5 Leadership Questions on the topic of church communications. Katie founded ChurchCommunications.com and manages the Church Communications Facebook Group that serves as a resource on marketing and communication strategies for over 30,000 church leaders. BEST QUOTES  “You can challenge your church to be salt and light on the internet.” “You can’t be on every channel, everywhere. You don’t need to be on every platform.” “If you are on every platform, you aren’t doing any of them well.” “Social media is moving from corporate to personal.” “Remember when on Youtube to name them as if someone is searching for what you are giving them.” “Intentionality trumps excellence.”  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Church Communications Facebook Group  The Church Communications Conference  Church Communications - Methods and Marketing Book  

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins, Daniel Im, and Dan Iten discuss 5 Leadership Questions on the topic of discipleship. BEST QUOTES “We have made discipleship unnecessarily complex.” “We teach the way we have been taught. We lead the way that we have been led. Unless we consciously do so otherwise.” “We can sometimes set the bar way too high for what it means to be discipled or disciple other people.” “A question we should ask ourselves is, When’s the last time I have made a disciple who is making other disciples?” “Culture is created by what you celebrate, measure, and control.” “Discipleship should be rooted in everything we do in the church.” “The people of your church are stickier than any program or preaching that you’ve got.” “Discipleship is very simple. It is follow me as I follow Christ.”  RECOMMENDED RESOURCES No Silver Bullets by Daniel Im The Gospel Project Bible Studies for Life Explore the Bible

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Todd Adkins are joined by Scott McConnell. McConnell is the executive director of LifeWay Research. They complete a discussion on research all about pastors and the greatest needs of pastors, including the following questions: What is the pastors survey?What are the top concerns from this research when it comes to the personal life of the pastor?What does it mean when a pastor says disciple-making is a big concern?Are these results just a reflection of what everyone in society is experiencing or are these unique to pastors?Are there any significant statistical differences that you might point out?What is one encouragement that you can pull from the research for pastors? BEST QUOTES "Several things that land at the top of the list for a pastor's needs are stress, their own disciple-making, consistently exercising, avoiding over-commitment and overwork, and time management.""Seven out of ten pastors need to invest time in their

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Todd Adkins are joined by Scott McConnell. McConnell is the executive director of LifeWay Research. They continue a discussion on research all about pastors and the greatest needs of pastors, including the following questions: What is the pastors survey?What are the top concerns from this research when it comes to the job of the pastor? What does it mean to force rank these areas?Do you have any idea what lies beneath some of these larger concerns?What tools are there for pastors to gauge the health of their congregations?What encouragement does a pastor need to hear based on the research? BEST QUOTES "Some of the top needs for the pastor are the ministry side. When they are thinking about what they need to give attention to, they are often thinking about the church.""Within ministry difficulties, a quarter of pastors indicated fostering connections with unchurched people as their number one ministry difficulty. Another quarte

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Todd Adkins are joined by Scott McConnell. McConnell is the Executive Director of LifeWay Research. They discuss a new set of research all about pastors and the greatest needs of pastors, including the following questions: How was this research conducted?What are the biggest concerns that pastors have today?Have you seen needs change from pre-Covid to post-Covid?What surprised you about the research?Was their one area you wish you could have gone deeper in the study? BEST QUOTES "More than three-fourths of pastors indicated that developing leaders and volunteers, peoples apathy and lack of commitment, and fostering connections with unchurched people are things they are trying to address right now." "Worship attendance is still running, on average. about 75% of what it was pre-Covid." "We've got to move in our thinking from looking at the numbers, to making sure you are looking at the names. Who exactly is not back? We ne

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Chandler Vannoy and Todd Adkins are joined by Jen Wilkin. Wilkin is the Executive Director of Family and Next Gen Ministries at The Village Church. She is also an author, speaker, and Bible teacher. They discuss how to cultivate female leaders in the church and why anonymous feedback loops are important. BEST QUOTES "All of us are called to teach and to train, so let's be well equipped to do it.""A good leader is always looking for how to give people real buy-in to what is happening in ministry.""If you pay attention to what your volunteers are giving big chunks of their time to it is actually not things that ask little of them, it is things that ask a great deal of them.""A woman who is going to risk exhibiting a leadership gift in a local church will probably first do so in an all female space.""Often in churches there are tribal cultures where the depth of relationship is what determines who received the most budget dollars. As a female in leader

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Kevin Peck. Peck is the lead pastor of The Austin Stone Church. He is the co-author of Designed to Lead. They discuss the following questions: What is the biblical reason that churches should serve the city they are in?How have the churches in Austin come together to serve their city well?How did serving become part of the DNA at Austin Stone?How does this become practice? BEST QUOTES "God is calling all of His people to love their neighbor and their neighbor is someone that you see that is in need, you are supposed to go help. It is really that simple.""Why should we help our city? A city is nothing if it is not just your neighbors.""When you see someone hurting you meet the need because Jesus Christ has saved your life and given you the capacity to love in ways that are alien to everyone else.""Some of the sweetest things for me as a pastor is to see one church be able to provide funds for another,

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Derwin Gray. Gray is the founding and lead pastor of Transformation Church. He is the author of several books including his newest, God, Do You Hear Me?. They discuss wisdom in hiring friends on your staff and closing the gap between what we know and what we live. BEST QUOTES "Leadership is about embodying what you want other people to become.""Trying to be good without God makes us bad, and people get hurt.""Make sure that Jesus comes before friendships.""The longer you keep someone in a role they are not competent for, it is actually hurting them.""Jesus is paramount and everything else is secondary.""A leader can be a leader without being a disciple, but every disciple should be a leader.""My life impacts too many other lives for me to not ask the Holy Spirit to grow me in every facet of life.""Leadership competence can be learned but discipleship flows out of obedience.""I don't think America or thei