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This episode explores the critical role awareness plays in avoiding burnout and fostering healthy leadership practices. Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss personal anecdotes and practical strategies to cultivate awareness, so we can better navigate the challenges that come our way. Whether you're leading a team or just trying to lead a more intentional life, this conversation is packed with insights to help you break free from autopilot mode and make mindful adjustments for a more effective and fulfilling leadership journey.

Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Jonathan Hoover in Ep. 254: Endless Expectations and Emotional Exhaustion:

“Awareness is a precursor to adjustment.”

THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• Awareness aids leaders in recognizing when they approach burnout.
• Well-trained leaders naturally navigate crises using second nature skills.
• Developing awareness prompts leaders to stop, assess shifts, and adjust effectively.
• Noticing emotions or bodily sensations signals leaders to pause and reflect.
• Naming issues in a room empowers leaders to identify and implement adjustments.

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Is the future of the church something to look forward to, or does it scare you to death. Thriving into the future will require change, and the idea of changing the way we lead, or the way we do church, or the people we reach out to, can feel overwhelming. Even if we want to do it, where do we even start?

In this episode, Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Raymond Chang share insights from their new book, Future Focused Church, where they explore adaptive leadership and offer practical tools to help ministry leaders guide their congregations through meaningful transformation.

THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• Kara Powell asserts that the best days of the church are ahead despite current challenges.
• Kara Powell credits her optimism for the church’s future to her theology and understanding of God’s goodness.
• Church leaders should focus on the three checkpoints: relationally discipling young people, modeling kingdom diversity, and tangibly loving their neighbors.
• Jake Mulder explains the concept of a journey in church change, emphasizing the importance of checkpoints along the way.
• Jake Mulder lists the four zones of church change as here, there, who, and how.
• Jake Mulder states that a majority of change efforts fail due to outdated approaches and skills.
• Transformation in the church should not be a solo effort and requires a diverse transformation team, as Jake Mulder explains.
• Raymond Chang highlights how experimenting from the edges with small changes can lead to progress without being too disruptive.
• Churches often suffer from a lack of follow-through rather than a dramatic flaw when trying to implement change.
• Raymond Chang highlights the sons of Issachar as an example of understanding the times and discerning God’s direction.
• Maintaining disciplined attention is crucial, as Kara Powell emphasizes, to ensure cultural change efforts do not falter.
• Jake Mulder shares the importance of a diverse transformation team of five to twelve people representing different perspectives for effective guidance in church change.
• Jake Mulder notes that the process of church change is not about where leaders want to go, but where God is leading.
• The journey between a church’s current state and its future should begin with gathering the right team of people.
• Kara Powell shares an example where a church emphasizes youth engagement through consistent, simple actions like attending youth events.

RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:

• Future-Focused Church website
• Books mentioned:
  • Future-Focused Church, by Kara Powel, Jake Mulder, and Ray Chang
• Related episodes:
  • 222. Building a Multi-Inclusive Church, with Efrem Smith and Dan Kreiss
  • 242. Life and Leadership in the Fog, with Michaela O’Donnell and Lisa Slayton
  • 256. Digital Disruption

Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.

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Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss insights on the importance of developing leaders who are skilled in curious listening and creating a collaborative environment where ideas are shared and valued. The conversation uncovers how shifting from monologue to dialogue can not only empower communities but also lead to more meaningful adaptive leadership in times of change.

Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Scot McKnight in Ep 250, The Prophetic Challenge of Deconstruction:

“The evangelical world does not have a culture of conversation.”

THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• Leaders improve their effectiveness by first listening before proclaiming.
• Sharing leadership with a team fosters better decision-making through collaboration.
• Engaging in conversations helps leaders adapt to situations without clear solutions.
• Encouraging conversations empowers groups by promoting shared ownership.
• Feeling heard validates individuals and supports their faith journey.

Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.