The Leadership Blog Interview: Bill Easum

Bill Easum

Bio: Bill Easum is the President of Easum, Bandy & Associates and is one of the most highly respected church consultants and Christian futurists in North America.

Bill has been a pioneer in the church growth movement, with 35 years of pastoral ministry in four churches and two denominations. During his 24 years at Colonial Hills Church in San Antonio, the church grew from 35 in worship to over 1,000...with 2,200 members.

Site: Easum, Bandy & Associates, Inc.

The Leadership Blog Interview Questions
1. Bill, What gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
Bill: "That's easy. Seeing someone either give their life to Christ or find their place in God's world and put their faith into action. One of the greatest joys I get is to receive emails and letters from people I have mentored or coached telling me about their victories and what God is doing in their lives."

2. What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
Bill: "I have two. Pastors who allow their mercy gifts and their need to be liked to get in the way of doing what they have to do to lead their church. And churches that rely on representative democracy and corporate structure instead of listening to the movement of the Spirit and having a flexible, permission-giving, servant empowering environment."

3. Who made the biggest influence in your life as a leader?
Bill: "Nelson Mandela, who taught me that you should never give up on your dream and Billy Graham who caused me to go into pastoral ministry."

4. What books have changed your life?
Bill: "Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer
Rules for Radicals, Alinsky
Leadership and the New Science, Wheatley
Jumping the Curve, Imparato "

5. What's your biggest challenge as a leader?
Bill: "Reading and watching culture enough to stay ahead of the curve as well as connecting with enough spiritual giants to continue to grow as a leader. When you start approaching 70, you need to work even harder to keep pushing the horizon farther ahead."

6. What goals do you have as a leader?
Bill: "To assist in the planting of as many churches as possible over the next ten years. I'm presently working with a group out of Virginia who is putting together what we hope will be a church planting movement."

7. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Bill: "Well, I trust I'm still kicking and if so, I will probably be doing less traveling as a consultant and more online coaching through our EBA Community network."

Bill, Thanks for taking time for the Leadership Blog Interview. I was excited when another pastor emailed me that you contacted them through their interview, they said Bill Easum reads your blog! Thanks.