I've been waiting for official "Confirmation" from one of our District Officials, before I announced it here, but I was elected as one of the Presbyters for the KY District of the A/G. I was shocked to be elected and I told everyone I would turn it down if nominated, because I was too busy but something wouldn't let me do it. I probably am one of the youngest Presbyters in the whole A/G at the ripe old age of 30 years old, but it's a major honor.
The Leadership Blog Interview: Dr. Walt Kallestad
Dr. Walt Kallestad
Bio: During Walt Kallestad's 26 years as Senior Pastor of Community Church of Joy, the church has grown from 200 to over 10,000 members. Walt graduated from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, and received his Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Walt also serves as the Chief Executive Officer of The Joy Company, a 180-acre master-planned mission center in Arizona.
A popular national and international speaker, Walt presents an inspiring vision for reaching non-churched people with the message of Jesus Christ, and he helps leaders sharpen their call for ministry. Some of Walt's books include: Turn Your Church Inside Out; The Everyday, Anytime Guide To Christian Leadership; The Everyday, Anytime Guide to Prayer; Wake Up Your Dreams; Christian Faith: The Basics and Be Your Own Creative Coach
Church: Community Church of Joy
The Leadership Blog Interview Questions
1. What gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
Walt: "Watching the people I lead begin to lead like Jesus led. I don't want people following me. I want them to follow Jesus."
2. What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
Walt: "People who take leadership too lightly."
3. Who made the biggest influence in your life as a leader?
Walt: "Jesus -no one else is even close."
4. What books have changed your life?
Walt: "The Bible. All other books are supplemental."
5. What's your biggest challenge as a leader?
Walt: "Leading myself. I am my toughest challenge. Always."
6. What goals do you have as a leader?
Walt: "To lead as Jesus led and do what Jesus did."
7. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Walt: "Wherever God wants me! That's where I desperately want to be!"
Thanks Walt for taking time for the interview!
Get Over the Hump Day Quote: Connected?
"When I disconnect from technology (during vacation), the more connected I feel to God. Maybe I'm on to something." -Me
No Retreat, No Surrender
I don't retreat but I am taking the wife and kids on a vacation for a few days. I pray there is NO internet connection, if you know what I mean!
Ed Young Podcast
It's great to see Ed Young and Fellowship Church get into Podcasting and looks like now offering a free weekly MP3! Click here for the Free Mp3.
Catalyst Conference
Tony Morgan has the best notes from the Catalyst Conference, here's notes from Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Donald Miller, John Maxwell, Erwin McManus. Jason also has some great pics from Day 1.
The Leadership Blog Interview: Bob Roberts
Bob Roberts
Bio: Bob is founder and Senior Pastor of NorthWood Church. The church started September 15, 1985. NorthWood’s membership is now over 2500 and weekly attendance averages 2000+. NorthWood has planted in excess of 89 churches in the US.
Bob is a national and international speaker and thinker in transforming people, churches, communities and the world. He works throughout the world on nation building projects. He has been instrumental in building schools, clinics and hospitals in other countries. He has worked extensively on church planting with many denominations, institutions and organizations throughout the US in identifying new places to start churches and train church planters and in the placement and strategy of new churches.
Church: NorthWood Church
The Leadership Blog Interview Questions
1. Bob, what gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
Bob: "Seeing someone raised up and doing things they never thought they could or would."
2. What is your biggest pet peave as a leader?
Bob: "Dealing with people, laymen and pastors, who don't see the whole or the big picture."
3. Who made the biggest influence on your life as a leader?
Bob: "No one person--but many, Bobb Beihl, Bob Buford, Robert Clinton, Leith Anderson - lots of biographies"
4. What books have changed your life?
Bob: "The Bible first and foremost would probably be the only one that has changed me, but many have impacted me. Willard - Divine Conspiracy, Stanley Jones - Mastery - and anything else he wrote. Bonhoeffer, Ghandi's Autobiography, Tolstoy - The Kingdom of God is within you and Confessions"
5. What's your biggest challenge as a leader?
Bob: "To stay focused - I'm a local church pastor. We plant lots of churches, I also work globally - keeping it all streamlined and integrated. I've had to learn to say no a lot the past 5 years, hasn't been easy."
6. What goals do you have as a leader?
Bob: "I want to first and foremost know God deeply and hear His voice where I am doing exactly what He wants. Secondly, I want to have fun with my wife and raise 3 world class leaders in my children. Thirdly, I want to redefine what church is."
7. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Bob: "Continuing to love God, having fun, and taking risks "
Thanks Bob for taking the interview!
Get Over The Hump Day Quote
"In serving others, salvation is the ultimate motive but not our ulterior motive." -Sam Williams, quoted in "The Externally Focused Church".
The Leadership Blog Interview: Rudy Carrasco
Rudy Carrasco
Bio: Rudy Carrasco is the executive director of the Harambee Christian Family Center in Pasadena, California. A writer by training, his articles have appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Christianity Today, Religion News Service, the Pasadena Star News and other publications. He is a 2006 contributor to the Christian Vision Project. In 2002 Rudy was inducted into the Hispanic Scholarship Fund's Alumni Hall of Fame. In May, 2001 he joined a group of nine Hispanic religious leaders from around the country who advised President George W. Bush on the faith-based initiative. In 1996 Rudy was selected as One of 50 Leaders Under The Age Of 40 To Watch by Christianity Today. He serves on the board of directors of World Vision, the Christian Community Development Association, and TechMission.
Site: Harambee Ministries
Blog: Urbanonramps.com
The Leadership Blog Interview Questions
1. What gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
Rudy: "I love it when people in my circle of influence get a new perspective on an existing situation. For example, race remains a big issue in America, and we need new ways of thinking about it that go beyond black and white. Well, going beyond black and white is easier said than done. But it's possible,and in my experience it requires being interdisciplinary about race. For example, when examining race and poverty, I often find that a given situation has much less to do with race and much more to do with general poverty that afflicts people of all cultures and nationalities. And that's one way to make progress in race relations,by recognizing that the core of every problems is not necessarily racial.
It is a challenge for existing urban and multiethnic leaders to think in fresh ways about race, because racism continues to be an issue thatwe, as leaders and pastor in urban contexts, feel the most. But if we don't get fresh perspectives, we'll burn out from hopelessness. So I get great joy when other begin to "think outside the box" when it cometo race. I could say this about other areas, too: Economics. Ministry to the Poor. Cross-cultural. etc."
2. What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
Rudy: "Related to #1, my biggest pet peeve is when people in leadership do not approach an issue from an interdisciplinary point of view. I used to just feel like I was about to waste a lot of time with someone who"didn't get it." Now I realize it's just ongoing work to encourage one another to think in a more complex ways about issues. By "more complex" I don't mean "many good solutions" or "everyone has a valid point" or other such equivalizations. I mean that the solution is not always obvious, so you have to keep looking under rocks (so to speak), and in some unlikely places, to find that single solution."
3. Who made the biggest influence in your life as a leader?
Rudy: "Dr. John Perkins. I was his assistant for three years. I walked where he walked, sat in on private meetings, drove around with him, traveled with him. I spent a lot of "unofficial" time with him. That allowed me to learn from what he did, not just what he said and wrote. I had an innermost window into his life, and I could see his integrity, heart,and vision for myself. He convinced me with his actions, and his wordsgave structure and clarity to those actions. I try to do the same withthose in my circle of influence."
4. What books have changed your life?
Rudy: "Eat The Rich by P.J. O'Rourke - This helped me to think in an interdisciplinary way about economics and the poor The Mystery of Capital by Hernando de Soto - ibid, The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis - It's a fantasy book, but gives me theological constructs in which to think about the role of choice inour eternal destiny.
5. What's your biggest challenge as a leader?
Rudy: "Communication. I'm learning the hard way how critical it is to simply communicate with your people."
6. What goals do you have as a leader?
Rudy: "For those in my circle of influence to gain, for themselves, the same tools that help me in my leadership."
7. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Rudy: "Ha! Trick Question! Stealth Question! Uh, uh --- I have no good answer. No matter what I'm doing, I hope I'm writing books and magazine articles and newspaper op-eds and doing web interviews."
Thanks Rudy for taking time for the interview, you're doing a great work.
What Does Your Church Say About You?
What if at your next job interview, the boss had nothing to go on but where and how faithful you were to church? Miers' friends say church is evidence of her viewpoints
"At Valley View, pastors preach that abortion is murder, the Bible is the literal word of God and homosexuality is a sin. They also preach that God loves everybody."
Let the "Big Mo" Roll!
Check out this great post by Tadd on "Maintaining Momentum". What do you do with the "Big Mo"?
The Leadership Blog Interview: Darlene Zschech
Darlene Zschech
Bio: Darlene is lead vocalist, worship leader, and producer of Hillsong Music Australia's best selling albums. The live worship albums have all achieved gold status, and include "Stone's Been Rolled Away", "People Just Like Us", "God Is In The House", "Friends In High Places", "All Things Are Possible", "Touching Heaven, Changing Earth", "By Your Side", "For This Cause", "You Are My World", "Blessed" and "Hope".
Shout to the Lord, a beautiful chorus written by Darlene, is sung by an estimated 25 to 30 million churchgoers every week. This song is the title track for the first live album co-produced with Integrity Music featuring Darlene as a prominent female worship leader. Shout To The Lord was nominated as 'Song of the Year' for the 1998 Dove Awards and was nominated as 'Album of the year' for the 1997 Dove Awards and has been recorded on over 20 different albums. In the year 2000 Darlene received a Dove Award nomination for Songwriter of the year.
For the past eighteen years Darlene and her husband Mark have been a vital part of the leadership team at Hillsong Church, Sydney which is possibly Australia's largest church, with a current congregation of over 15,000.
Site: darlenezschech.com
1. Darlene, what gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
Darlene: "Seeing the people I am leading start to flourish and find their own wings."
2. What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
Darlene: "Seeing those you love and are committed to, making continual unwise choices when they know better... I find this extremely difficult."
3. Who made the biggest influence in your life as a leader?
Darlene: "My husband, my pastor, John Maxwell, Billy Graham, Mother Teresa.... to name a few"
4. What books have changed your life?
Darlene: "Treasury of David by Spurgeon, Surprised by Joy – CS Lewis, The Message Bible"
5. What's your biggest challenge as a leader?
Darlene: "There is very little margin for error, so aware that any decision I make has the potential to impact many."
6. What goals do you have as a leader?
Darlene: "Passionate about raising the next generation and beyond in the understanding and responsibilityof living authentic Christ honouring lives."
7. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Darlene: "Writing, teaching, loving my family and serving the poor and forgotten...."
Thanks Darlene for taking the interview and allowing us to see inside your life! Your music has impacted all of our lives!
6 Easy Steps to Grow a Blog
After the growth of the Leadership Blog and being mentioned in the recent Blogging Church podcast, I figured that I would share some things, I've learned about growing a blog.
1. Post about something that you're passionate about (and that interests others.)
Me, I'm passionate about Leadership and learning to be a better leader. If you're passionate about something, it will show. But don't just post what your cat did yesterday.
2. Have a vision for your blog.
What are you trying to accomplish with your blog or site? Is this just an online journal or do I have something to actually share. Is your life that interesting? Where there is no vision, the blog readers perish.
3. Ask yourself "So What"?
Ask yourself the question, we ask during sermon prep, "So What?" before you post. Will anybody care what your Grand Ma got for her birthday?
4. Post something you know people will want to link to.
Along with the previous question, ask yourself, "will someone find this interesting and want to link to it" and share with their world. It's all about networking.
5. Post more frequently.
If you're posting once a day, guess how many time people with Bloglines are coming to your blog? Just post one more time a day would increase your viewership.
6. Check other blogs and leave comments on great posts and link to them.
I find other leaders' blogs by them leaving comments here and elsewhere and from my referral logs. Don't be selfish with links! If you link to others, they will be more likely to link to you. If you link to me or most other people, we will come to your blog.
The Leadership Blog Interview: Doug Murren
Doug Murren
Bio: Doug founded and led Eastside Foursquare Church in Kirkland, WA for 18 years. The church registered 17,000 decisions for Christ and grew to a 5300 Sunday morning attendance. The church thrives today several years after Doug’s retiring to do evangelism, write and create new ways of looking at church.
He has been involved in guiding, directing, encouraging and planting over 90 churches. He is the author of 14 books including, “The Baby Boomerang,” “Churches That Heal,” and “Criticism: Friend or Foe.”
Doug’s ministry has covered the nations of Australia, South Africa, Russia, Poland, Germany, Norway, Haiti, Canada, Belgium, and Israel. Doug’s training and outreach ministry, Square One Ministries, has trained over 400,000 leaders the last ten years.
Site: Square One Ministries
The Leadership Blog Interview Questions
1. Doug, what gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
Doug: "Watching other’s succeed and find just how great they can be."
2. What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
Doug: "My biggest pet peeve about leadership is it isn’t about the leader. I get really antsy when a pastor or leader is constantly talking about their life issues or what they are going to do. People look to leaders for some light on the path not a autobiography."
3. Who made the biggest influence in your life as a leader?
Doug: "Jamie Buckingham. He showed me you could lead from the point of creativity as well as authority given by God."
4. What books have changed your life?
Doug: "Tipping Point recently. The Life of Ben Franklin. The life of George Whitefield. And a little book written in 1970 called the God Smuggler by Brother Andrew ignited a fire in me to believe action was the couplet to praying or it was all baloney."
5. What's your biggest challenge as a leader?
Doug: "My biggest challenge as a leader is to cut the noise out around me and stick to what I am alone am to do."
6. What goals do you have as a leader?
Doug: "I keep a set of life goals – ministry goals and self-development goals that are pretty extension on a three year plan. But as far as a goal for a leader I am hoping to reduce the motion and increase focus of what I do by at least 50%."
7. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Doug: "It sounds funny but probably just what I am doing now. Helping build churches, writing, helping leaders find their path, problem shooting and solving for what we face as churches....but maybe a little more church leading less consulting."
Thanks Doug for an interesting interview!
Greg's Podcast Interview
I figured I would be banned from the "Blogging Church" site after last week but Mega-Church Seacoast Pastor Greg Surratt mentioned me in his Podcast Interview. After seeing my name in the show notes, I thought "Oh no!" Check it out.
Drive Conference videos are Now Free
Andy Stanley & Northpoint have posted free videos & pdfs from their Drive Leadership Conference. Click here to view. Link via Ben.
The Leadership Blog Interview: Tim Elmore
Tim Elmore
Bio: Tim is the Founder and president of "Growing Leaders" a non-profit organization created to develop emerging leaders. He also serves as Vice President of Leadership Development, at EQUIP, a non-profit organization founded by Dr. John Maxwell. EQUIP's objective is to train one million Christian leaders around the globe by 2006, through conferences, training materials, books, DVD and technology.
Tim has authored numerous books, including Nurturing the Leader Within Your Child, Soul Provider and Pivotal Praying from Thomas Nelson Publishers, and a series of books with Lifeway Publishers that includes: Authentic Influence-Leading Without Titles, Wired for Influence-Skills to Lead Others, Intentional Influence-Investing Your Life Through Mentoring, and Leveraging Your Influence-Impacting Your Campus for Christ.
Site: Growingleaders.com
The Leadership Blog Interview Questions
1. Tim, what gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
Tim: "There's no question my greatest joy comes from watching someone respond to a challenge and step up to meet it. Whether it is teaching a student at a conference having a divine "aha" moment or observing a team member in our organization seize the moment and take a risk to lead, it's always fun to see the light bulb go on, and to see someone realize they can, indeed, accomplish something significant. In short, my greatest joy comes when someone recognizes they can lead and influence others with their life; that they can multiply what God has placed inside of them. This past week, I was speaking at a university. I taught some of our "Habitudes" (Images That Form Leadership Habits and Attitudes.) I shared a Habitude called: "Rivers and Floods." It illustrates how so many young leaders begin as rivers with their vision and focus...then become floods, attempting to do everything. They do more damage than good. A student ran up to me afterward and said: "This principle explains the dilemma I am in. I plan to cut back on the stuff I am doing, and focus myself this year on what counts." Those conversations...are rewarding to me.
2. What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
Tim: "Indifference. I travel to dozens of schools and churches every year, speaking to about 50,000 young leaders annually. I cannot stand it when I get to an environment that expects little from anyone, and fosters apathy from the students or members of the church. Passion should exist in every Christ-follower, even if it is quiet passion. A fire should be burning inside of everyone of us to serve in the area of our gifts. This is what makes me want to take a whip (as Jesus did) and throw the money changers out of the Temple. We've diluted the calling young people have on their lives and become satisfied with mediocrity; stopping halfway. The term "mediocre" comes from mountain climbers. It literally means "middle of the rock." It illustrated a climber who began his climb to the top of a mountain and decided to simply stop halfway and be satisfied."
3. Who made the biggest influence in your life as a leader?
Tim: "I had an early mentor named Shawn Mitchell, when I was 17 years old. Shawn launched a ministry called "Friday Faith and Film." We would show a movie each Friday night to high school students and Shawn would speak after it on a relevant issue that the movie had addressed. My job, as a high school junior, was to pray for him and hold his coat. One Friday night, Shaw approached me and with a scratchy voice said he wouldn't be able to speak that night. He pushed me to go on that night and speak for the first time in public. After that night, Shawn affirmed me and said: "From now on, I will speak one week and you'll be on the next week. We will rotate." And I have speaking and leading on a regular basis ever since then...thanks to that mentor. The amusing part of this story occurred just a few years back. Shawn and I met for a reunion and reminisced about "Friday Faith and Film" As we recalled my first speaking experience, Shawn said, "I have a confession to make. I didn't really have laryngitis that night. But I knew the only way I could get you up to speak was if I was unable to do so. I saw something in you and I wanted to fan it into flame."
Another mentor has been Dr. John Maxwell. I have been working alongside of John since 1983. I worked as an associate pastor and then as a writer of curriculum and director of next generation leaders at EQUIP. John was instrumental in my launching "Growing Leaders", our non-profit organization targeting emerging leaders--students and those who work with students. He has been a fabulous cheerleader for me.
4. What books have changed your life?
Tim: "There have been a number of books that have shaped me as a leader and as a Christ follower. Some of them have been:
1. Your God is Too Safe, by Mark Buchanan
2. Leadership and Self Deception, by the Arbinger Institute
3. Certain Trumpets, by Garry Wills
4. The Tipping Point, by Malcolm Gladwell
5. Good to Great, by Jim Collins
6. Developing the Leader Within You, by John Maxwell
7. The Master Plan of Evangelism, by Robert Coleman
5. What's your biggest challenge as a leader?
Tim: "My greatest challenge lies in partnering with schools and churches and organizations--helping them to set organic goals instead of merely programmatic goals. For example, instead of merely setting the goal of getting five new leaders for next year, we recommend a school nurture a leadership culture, where every student is contagiously affected to think and act like a servant-leader. We want to help organizations create a leadership culture not just fill a few new positions each year. But its hard to get organizations to see past the immediate needs they have. A culture affects everyone living in it. And we think the world needs more "laborers" in the harvest, not just more followers. That's why Jesus talked about leadership in His early call on His disciples: "Follow me and I will make you fishers of men (Matthew 4:19)."
6. What goals do you have as a leader?
Tim: "Our most popular resource is: "Habitudes: Images that Form Leadership Habits and Attitudes." It is very post-modern yet very biblical. Our hope is to create a four book series on Habitudes to be used in mentoring communities on school campuses, in churches and campus ministries. We teach timeless leadership truths using images (pictures) and now have teaching kits for deans, campus workers and pastors. Our goal is to see leadership mentoring communities on every campus in the U.S. This next year, we plan to establish bases internationally. We are now working in several countries in Asia, Europe Africa and Latin America. We'd love to play a key role in equipping this next generation to finish the task of reaching the world for Christ.
7. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Tim: "Mentoring key emerging leaders and staff to carry on the work. I want to continue writing and mentoring more than anything else. I love to create, to communicate and to coach. This is were my fulfillment comes from."
Tim, Thanks for taking time for the interview. You shared some great insight. I love that, "mediocre" means "middle of the rock." Good stuff.
The Leadership Blog Interview: Bob Coy
Bob Coy
Bio: Bob Coy is the Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale, which began in a living room with four in attendance. Calvary Chapel has now become home to over 17,000 men and women from the tri-county area, and ranks as the eighth largest church in the country.
Church: Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale
The Leadership Blog Interview Questions
1. Bob, what gives you the greatest joy in being a leader?
Bob: "I love to see that the direction that I provide actually bears fruit in a person's life. I want to see the tangible results of a positive outcome."
2. What is your biggest pet peeve as a leader?
Bob: "My biggest pet peeve is misunderstood communication. You know...when you really believe that you've had good, honest, open communication with someone, only to find out later that they totally misunderstood what you were trying to say, and spread that misunderstanding throughout the land."
3. Who made the biggest influence in your life as a leader?
Bob: "Well, .... Jesus is the one that changed my life of course. And of course since He is the one that I teach about every week, I'd have to say that He is the center of all that I do. Chuck Smith, the founder of Calvary Chapel would be the choice for someone that I would consider a mentor. His model of ministry is one that I've followed for the last 20 years. He is the one that gave guys like me a chance to even be in ministry."
4. What books have changed your life?
Bob: "1. The Bible 2. Jesus Style by Gayle Erwin 3. My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, and 4. The Dictionary....I use it all the time."
5. What's your biggest challenge as a leader?
Bob: "Its always my biggest challenge to wisely choose those who I co-labor with."
6. What goals do you have as a leader?
Bob: "It's my goal to see the production of Biblical principles in the lives of those who consider themselves followers of this ministry."
7. Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Bob: "Doing the same thing.... better."
Thanks Bob for a great interview! You're one of my favorite communicators! Also thanks to my new buddy Rod Pearcy for getting the interview for me!
Inquiring Minds: The New Life Site
With the growing popularity of this site, I get many emails and google searches about who I am, my church, and where I am from. Here's the website for New Life A/G , where I am the Senior Pastor. Remember, it's still a work in progress.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)