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

In this special episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast and the Unseen Leadership podcast, Todd Adkins and Chandler Vannoy are joined by Christine and Nick Caine who are founders of the The A21 Campaign. During their conversation, they discuss how to focus on developing others, balancing delegation and excellence, and growing as an emotionally healthy leader. BEST QUOTES “We should always be focusing on developing pipelines and pathways so other people can be developed.”“If you are just going to do, you have already put a limit, a ceiling, and a lid on your leadership.”“We should always be thinking, how is this sustainable without me being the one to sustain it.”“I would take willingness to grow over giftedness and talent every day of the week because you can work with that.”“You have to inspect to make sure you get what you expect.”“Leaders need to be careful not to drive too hard in order to get an outcome at the sake of people. We have to remember we are working with people, and God loves peopl

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Ronnie Floyd, president and CEO of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. During their conversation, they discuss succession planning and why culture is more important than policy. BEST QUOTES "They saw that as due diligence on my part that I loved the church enough to prepare and to have a lot of young men around me that they could have called back.""I am a chronic reader of the Bible; I read the Bible at least once a year.""I made it clear that I would lead the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee by mission, not by policy.""Our vision is to reach every person for Jesus Christ in every town, every city, every state, every nation.""I think that we need to see a culture that is transforming in our convention of churches.""Unity is a powerful force that only the Holy Spirit creates.""If you lose your family on the altar of ministry success, that's a higher price than God would want you to pay."

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Luke Lezon, co-leads The Alternative in Atlanta and author of Your Mess Matters. During their conversation, they discuss the importance of mentorships and learning humility through challenging situations. BEST QUOTES "If God is going to put me in a position to be someone who proclaims His Name for the glory of God, how can I use what I've got right now?""If I didn't have these certain relationships I wouldn't still be in ministry.""I may not be the wisest person because I'm only 27 years old, but I can get around guys that are significantly wiser than me." "As a young leader, a lot of times I can genuinely think that I don't think that I know everything, but then I find myself in a situation where I've been thinking I knew everything to get to this point.""I've had to take the things I know in my head and try to make them things that I believe with my heart.""I am so incapable of doing the things God has called me to do unle

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Luis Palau, evangelist and author of Palau: A Life on Fire. During their conversation, they discuss what true success looks like and how facing a cancer diagnosis affects what is important in life. BEST QUOTES "The missionaries treated us, even as children, as intelligent, important members of the body of Christ.""I wanted to honor the Lord at the end of my life and honor those that God used in my life.""As long as God is in the bush, He can use you.""The body of Christ, for all it's weaknesses, has great strengths. And the strength is the presence of the Holy Spirit.""My duty in these last few months or years that the Lord gives me is to keep the vision alive.""Sometimes I wonder if the Lord didn't send me my lung cancer to force me to get out of the way.""Enjoy life. Don't just be grimly committed.""The Book of Proverbs shows you how to have success this side of Heaven and in Heaven.""There are two people who will tell you

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Scott McConnell, Executive Director of Lifeway Research, and Ben Trueblood, Director of Lifeway Students. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions: What are some of the surprising things found in this research?What are the factors that contribute to continued regular attendance in church?What are some of the shifts you can make that lead to people staying connected?Practically speaking, if I am a student pastor or a parent listening, what can I do over the next week? Over this fall? Over this year? BEST QUOTES "About 66% of young adults who attend a protestant church for at least a year in high school step away from church for at least a year between ages 18 and 22.""Of those young adults that dropped out, one of the reasons that jumped the most is the politics in the church - political views being voiced in the church that the student didn't agree with.""Teach a teenager how to see t

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Mark Sayers, author of Facing Leviathan, Disappearing Church, and Reappearing Church. During their conversation, they discuss why it's important to be effective and not just look good and cultural Christianity. BEST QUOTES "Things may look wonderful, but are they actually wonderful under the hood?""So often you hear these feedback loops where people say you are doing great and that clouds whether you are actually being effective.""The world needs more effective information that's born out of context.""Relevance was this language that emerged from the field of missions.""Disciples have to learn that the Christian life is never going to make you cool.""In creating a model for consumer Christianity, we created models which tolerated a low level of faith.""The people who led renewals always challenged their followers to actually do great things.""As a leader, I need to be connected where I am.""I think revival and renewal begins

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Jenaye White are joined by Kadi Cole, founder of MinistryChick.com and author of Developing Female Leaders. During their conversation, they discuss leaning into a place of learning and how constructive feedback and supportive leadership are vital for women. BEST QUOTES "The book is me researching how to help leaders do better at creating cultures, environments, and conversations that help support and develop female leaders in their churches.""The point of being a learner is that you don't know what you are doing yet.""It's easy to fall into the trap that we want to stay in the spaces that we feel confident and competent, but there is so much more to learn.""I want to have integrity that what I say is fully what I believe.""Many times the church is silent on these issues and it ends up being a real disconnect for people in the things they are struggling in implementing in their worklife.""As a personal leader and a team leader, I am a

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Max Lucado, author of How Happiness Happens. During their conversation, they discuss true happiness and making what you do best a priority in your life. BEST QUOTES "Sometimes we may not realize the toll that resentment takes on our Spirit." "The Bible's approach to happiness flips all of this on it's head. Jesus said it is better to give than to receive.""If I'm not secure in who I am, then how am I going to be able to share that with others?""Understanding our identity empowers us to do things we couldn't do otherwise." "We are in the process of releasing our campuses to be independent churches.""It's a lot easier to launch something than it is to unlaunch something.""Leadership development and fundraising are two areas that have been challenging for me.""That journal becomes a resource for me to go back and look at whenever I am making decisions in the future.""Leadership in our empty nest means that I am going to honor m

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Eric Geiger, senior pastor of Mariners Church, and Kent Beshore, pastor emeritus of Mariners Church. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions: What do you most appreciate about the history of Mariners?What has been easy to transition and what has been hard?How are you passing the mantle of leadership in practical ways?What are some of the obstacles that have occurred that you didn't see coming?What practical tips and encouragement would you give a pastor that is close to succession but doesn't have a plan in place? BEST QUOTES "I would not have wanted to come to a place where there would be a misalignment in the values beneath the surface and the history and with who I am as a leader and the passions the Lord has given me.""Long before it was cool and it was written about, Kenton and his wife, Laurie, were involved in stepping into the pains of the poor and caring for the marginalized.""When you are

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Scott McConnell, Executive Director of Lifeway Research. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions: What is the state of discipleship in the church today?What are the signposts?What was most surprising about the research? BEST QUOTES "An important perspective on discipleship and the state of it today is the pastor's perspective.""Two-thirds of pastors are satisfied with the state of discipleship in their church.""You have to look at an intentional framework that is helping individuals.""It's hard to share Christ if you don't build relationships.""What we see biblically is that our relationships with other believers should be transparent.""Most of living unashamed is identifying with Christ wherever we go.""On the pastor side of things, one of the surprises that persists is we still have half of pastors indicating they aren't regularly evaluating the spiritual progress of the folks they

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Dave and Jon Ferguson, authors of Exponential and founders of the church planting network New Thing. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions: Has there ever been a time when you said I can't work with my brother anymore? What does conflict look like between the two of you in front of your team?How do you lead together? How do you lead separately?How do you separate ministry and family, or do you?What's the main point of your emphasis at New Thing and Community Christian?What does the leadership pipeline look like in your church? BEST QUOTES "It started with five of us in a restaurant saying what would it look like if God did something that only He could do.""I can think about how things could be different with someone else or I can be reminded about how God has been good to us in allowing me to work with my brother for 30 years.""I've always felt that Dave genuinely has my best interest in my mind

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im discuss Daniel's transition back to church leadership. BEST QUOTES "Last Fall we sensed God stirring in our hearts that transition was on the horizon.""When we talk on the podcast, it's not just us reading from our notes, it is us learning from each other.""What I've realized about the output and the learning is that it's not as complicated as we might think.""I didn't realize how much the answers are actually within a lot of churches if you have a person who can observe and point out and make the connections.""I feel like with us there has been a synergy in the way that we've been able to work off each other that I haven't experienced before.""Look at the 100x that can happen when you have a healthy relationship with your boss.""Who your boss is can make or break your work, your satisfaction in the work, and your enjoying the ministry that you are doing.""Never did I imagine that I would have the privilege to serve church

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Ken Shigematsu, Senior Pastor of Tenth Church in Vancouver, BC, and author of God in My Everything and Survival Guide for the Soul. During their conversation, they discuss how meditation can make us more compassionate and his rule of life. BEST QUOTES "A lot of us who believe in God would say 'I believe God loves me,' but we often still function as though our true value is determined by what we do and how others view us.""It's been interesting to learn about how spiritual practice connects with neuroscience and the way we actually experience life.""After the 15 to 20 minutes of meditation is up I feel a bit more relaxed and throughout the day I feel more focused and aware of the presence of Jesus in my life.""When we take time for the care of our soul to connect with God to receive from Him, it's not a selfish thing, it means we have more to offer to the people around us.""Of course we want to grow in size, bu

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Dino Rizzo, author of Servolution and Serve Your City. During their conversation, they discuss the importance of serving in church planting and taking time to listen better to make relationships better. BEST QUOTES "We tell all our church planters, make sure you are serving in the community before you are having your first service that way people know why you are there.""You don't have to be a big church to help people.""We took half of our staff and put them in 4-5 cities so we could contextualize and make sure that what we are training in the launch is reality in the street.""Remember your vision and values and whatever method that is working at that time should serve the vision and value of what you are trying to do.""I don't love people well if I'm into social media too much.""There have been days in my life where friendship has carried me through the valley.""I'm trying to lead my home through loving, generosity, and li

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Noel Heikkinen, pastor at Riverview Church in Lansing, Michigan and author of Unchained and Wretched Saints. During their conversation, they discuss taking an annual social media fast and a five year vision to be more of the same. BEST QUOTES "I am learning more and more from people who have a total posture that doesn't draw hard lines in the sand.""It was a joy to be in a church where they didn't just wad me up and throw me in a corner, but they said 'we want to help, how do we structure your world so that you can end well?""I take the month of July off of social media and then I usually have other things that I find are changing my perspective or absorbing my time in a disproportionate way and take those away as well.""My sabbatical came on the end of a couple of years of us doing some internal analysis.""We just wrote a vision statement for the next five years that is all about being more of who we actually

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Bob Roberts, founding pastor of NorthWood Church and author of Lessons from the East. During their conversation, they discuss how to reach non-churched people and church planting outside the United States. BEST QUOTES "When we train planters we teach that there are three expressions of the church. There's the house church, or simple church, where we meet in community, the equipping church which is the congregation, and the global church that we connect to.""I don't want church planters just to read the Bible and missiology books. I want them to know the culture and be able to speak to the culture.""Read non-Christian authors if you want to understand the culture.""When I preach Sunday morning I am constantly aware that there are people listening to me that are not in Heller, Texas.""If I really want non-churched people to follow Jesus how do I communicate my values without being hateful, mean-spirited, partisa

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Jud Wilhite, senior pastor of Central Church and author of Uncaged. During their conversation, they discuss dealing with burnout and being more concerned with God's fame than your own. BEST QUOTES "Clarity, simplicity, and execution is the main point of emphasis with my team right now.""A leader's job is to bring clarity, even over inspiration.""A strategy change is a challenge and the bigger a ministry is the longer it takes to get it all down.""The best processes come up with something incredibly simple that you probably think someone could have scribbled down on a napkin running on a treadmill.""What I found in music was a way to escape all the fishbowl syndrome - where you are like a fish in water who can never get out of it.""My first ministry is my family, and my first small group is my home.""I had my own brush with burnout and it was significant.""The surprising thing about getting close to burnout for me was that it

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins and Daniel Im are joined by Bryan Rose, Lead Navigator for Auxano. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions: What does it mean for a church to breakthrough?How is breakthrough different than church growth?Where do you start with a strategic outsider to help them experience breakthrough?What are some categories of breakthroughs?Examples of churches who have experienced breakthroughWhat are some tried and true method of achieving breakthrough? BEST QUOTES "Breakthrough is clearing the fog and seeing God's hand at work, His leadership, and following Him where He is leading.""When we can learn what it means to make disciples in our context, then that breakthrough happens.""We don't start with a notion that you have to grow to be good.""You have to make disciples to see God at work and fulfill that calling He has given the local church.""We believe leaders are more known for the questions they ask than the answers th

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by David Platt, author of Radical, Counter Culture, and Something Needs to Change. During their conversation, they discuss what a prayer gathering looks like and seeking humility, wisdom, and courage. BEST QUOTES "I need to remind myself that the world doesn't look like what I see around myself every day.""It was awesome to see the Lord, even in McLean Bible Church, do a work where we were reminded in a powerful way that Jesus is the center of all that we do.""If I am not in community with some people who have different perspectives on a variety of issues than me, then I am missing out.""I found in my own life that spiritual discipline and physical discipline go together in many ways.""If I'm not careful, I will check my email right before dinner and then I am thinking about that and robbing my family of their time.""My wife and I use the same Bible reading plan and it's been so good processing the same word from God.""Our fami

In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast, Todd Adkins is joined by Ken Coleman, author of The Proximity Principle. During their conversation, they discuss the following questions: Breakdown the Proximity PrincipleHow do you prevent yourself from becoming an obnoxious networker?What does it mean to go through hard noes to get to a yes?How does the Proximity Principle relate to being close to God?What advice would you give leaders thinking about next step transition?Can you talk about the practices that go along with people and places? BEST QUOTES "The Proximity Principle says in order to do what I want to do, I have to be around people who are doing it and in places it is happening.""Proximity positions us where we need to be and propels us to where we want to be.""You need to be audacious enough to ask somebody who can really give you solid information to coffee or lunch.""This is about becoming a student and constantly being strategic and intentional to make sure that you are around pe