The Leadership Blog Interview: Buddy Cremeans

Buddy Cremeans

Bio: Buddy Cremeans is the Founding and Senior Pastor of Northway Fellowship, one of the fastest-growing churches in the Northeast and soon to be recognized by Outreach Magazine as one of the Top 100 fastest-growing churches in the United States. Located in Malta, NY, Northway has grown from just a handful of people to over 1200 weekly attendees in just three years.

Church: Northway Fellowship

The Leadership Blog Interview Questions
1. Buddy, what gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
Buddy: "I enjoy igniting and inspiring people to dream their wildest dreams for God. Then, my greatest joy comes from watching them realize the reality of their dreams. It’s simply the best to see people get it….that the God of the Bible, the God of Moses, Elijah, is the same God of today and that He can do more than we could ever imagine, guess or request!"

2. What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
Buddy: "My biggest pet peeve is when people make excuses instead of offering solutions."

3. Who made the biggest influence in your life as a leader?
Buddy: "As a young child, I was profoundly affected by the faith of my grandfather. My grandfather was a country preacher in West Virginia who started churches and served Jesus until he was 91. His faith was transplanted in me. My father loves Jesus passionately, and my big bro has always challenged me to be better. In the last five years, as I have grown and developed in my faith, I have discovered Jesus to be the ultimate leader. Every principle from leadership, I don’t care where you get it, comes from Christ. Most recently, in the last two years, Ed Young has helped to release and affirm these leadership principles in me."

4. What books have changed your life?
Buddy: My Utmost for His Highest
Purpose Driven Life
Can We Do That?
Jesus CEO
Best Life Now
An Enemy Called Average

5. What's your biggest challenge as a leader?
Buddy: "Budgeting my energy. There is only so much to go around. I continually ask myself, “Is what I’m doing with my time and energy moving me towards my God given destiny?”

6. What goals do you have as a leader?
Buddy: "My goal is to sharpen my leadership skills by continuing to be a student of success, asking the right people the right questions, and becoming an intense listener."

7. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Buddy: "In ten years, I will be enjoying a passionate relationship with my bride and watching my kids taking the reigns of their destiny. I will be leading the greatest people I have ever met in my life as their pastor at Northway Fellowship, by then a church of 10,000. I will be starting strategic churches throughout the Northeast, authoring several books, traveling the world, and pouring myself into the next generation."