Leading From Alignment

It’s possible to be seriously out of rhythm in your life and not know it. In today’s episode, John & Jim unpack four dashboard lights we can pay attention to that might signal arrythmia is present in our life

How does a leader take a great day off? What are some elements? Leaders are asking this question more and more. In today’s episode, John and Jim unpack the answers to these most important questions.

In today’s episode we welcome back Josh Spurlock to the podcast. In part two of our interview, we explore how to humanize the role of pastor and how a leader can get/stay healthy as they begin to dream, strategize, and grow again.

In today’s episode we welcome back Josh Spurlock to the podcast. In part one of our interview, Josh unpacks the current leadership landscape in terms of mental and emotional health; the silver lining issuing out of the struggles of the past two years, and the core building blocks of preventive self-care

A church or a business won’t get to their goal without fuel—the culture created by meaningful values provides that fuel. In today’s episode, John and Jim unpack what values are, what they mean, and why they matter.

You can have an enticing goal line, a brilliant playbook—but without the right players in the right positions, you won’t get to your destination. In today’s episode, Jim and John unpack how to discover and release the right players into the right roles

Creating and casting a compelling vision is great, But a compelling vision without an easy to follow playbook leads to frustration. Today’s pod unpacks a simple approach to creating a winning playbook for the organization you lead

During recent conversations with leaders, along with internal conversations here at Converge Coaching, we’re sensing that the dark cloud that’s hung over churches during the pandemic may be dissipating. We’re making no predictions of course, but our perspective is it’s time to get back to vision. In today’s episode John and Jim unpack what vision is and why it matters

In today’s episode John and Jim unpack three revelations John received while on his recent vacation. Rediscovering what fills up your emotional tank and make that the centerpiece of your annual time away will help you achieve the admirable goal of leading better, leading longer, and enjoying it more

Today Jim and John continue their compelling conversation with Karl Vaters. Karl pastors a vibrant church in California. His heart is to help pastors of small churches find the resources to lead well, and to capitalize on the unique advantages that come with pastoring a small church

Over 90% of churches in the United States are 200 and under in attendance. In today's episode, John & Jim interview Karl Vaters, a pastor of a vibrant church in California. Karl’s heart is to help pastors of small churches find the resources to lead well, and to capitalize on the unique advantages that come with pastoring a small church

: We spend a lot of time on the podcast talking about identity and its impact on our leadership. In today’s episode, John and Jim take a deep dive into how working from a more accurate sense of identity helps us get and stay healthier as leaders, and the powerful influence it has on those we lead

Every year, as the year unfolds, I try to keep track of the most important lessons of that year. My intention is to internalize those lessons and carry them into the next year. Here are the most important things I learned in 2021. Jim and I hope some of them speak to you

Today we welcome Aaron Hlavin to the podcast. Aaron is the District Superintendent of the Michigan District of the Assemblies of God. He previously served as a Lead Pastor for thirteen years, and an associate pastor for ten years. We invited Aaron to talk with us about a serious subject today: how the craziness of the past two years has impacted pastor's children

The most important decision a church or any organization for that matter will ever make is who they choose as their senior leader. In today’s episode, John & Jim outline 7 practical steps a search committee can take to increase their chances of making a home run hire

Why do we leaders overschedule? Really, why? Our first response might be: “Well I’m a responsible person. I have to get this stuff done.” Or, “I love what I do!” Good answers. Today’s episode unpacks three-lee-than-noble reasons we stuff our calendar, and then explores what we can do about each one of them

Today we welcome back Dr. Ralph Neighbour to the podcast as we unpack a subject too many leaders put off until it’s too late . . . getting ready for life outside of the pulpit. We are watching many pastors in the 60s, 70s, or 80s who have no defined off-ramp. Today’s episode gives leaders permission to prepare financially for retirement, and to dream about the things they could do in their next season to be a blessing to humanity

Summary: The number one challenge in a church revitalization for pastors? The pastors themselves. It’s a rare pastor who admits he needs help and is willing to do the work required to revitalize. Today we welcome Dr. Ralph Neighbour to the podcast. Ralph oversees the revitalization efforts for 2300 Baptist churches in California, and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the table

Pastors are on the move. In its most recent study, Barna discovered that 38% of pastors have thought about quitting full-time ministry this year. In today’s episode, Jim & John unpack the reasons why this phenomenon is happening, and what we can do about it

“God, why am I going through this incredibly difficult time while those who don’t love you are living the good life?” Has some version of that thought ever crossed your mind, or some version of those words ever crossed your lips? The truth is, God is good . . . but we’re not exempt. We’re not exempt from the trials and tribulations inherent in a fallen world. In today’s pod, John and Jim unpack a pathway to weather those seasons when life doesn’t make sense

Pastoring has become increasingly complex. Churchgoers expect their pastor to juggle an average of 16 major tasks! If we lead without a clear set of Biblical leadership values, we set ourselves up for frustration! In the New Testament epistles – predominantly those Paul wrote to Timothy and in his letter to Titus… we discover the model

Some of the worst days in a pastor’s life is when people they care about decide to leave—but those don’t have to be their worst days. When people leave the church we lead, it can feel like it’s our fault. And usually, it really hurts. In today’s episode, Jim & John unpack a pathway to help pastors navigate the choppy waters caused by the departure of people

Historically, the Church has not known what to do with depression, anxiety, or suicide. Our silence in the past was deafening. And while we’re grateful that increasingly, churches are talking about these three enemies more openly, we’re concerned the conversation isn’t always helpful. In today’s episode, Jim and John explore three powerful steps that will help you talk intelligently and compassionately about the evil triplets of depression, anxiety, and depression

When you love what you do for a living—when work doesn’t feel like work because of your passion for it—you’re at more risk than most of falling into the workaholic treadmill. Workaholic behavior puts leaders, their families, and their ministries at serious risk. Today’s episode unpacks three hidden dangers of workaholic addiction, and what you can do to protect yourself from them

Do you ever arrive at mid-afternoon on a work day, and feel like your brain is slowly transforming into jello? Today’s episode unpacks three dashboard warning lights that signal it is probably time to punch out for the day. Implementing a healthy daily work/rest rhythm will help you produce more, stress less, and increase your leadership longevity

The dynamics of your team—the way you work together to achieve the mission—flows throughout everything in your organization. Culture always wins. In today’s episode, John & Jim interview Jenni Catron on how culture impacts the organization you lead, why culture matters, and how to get started shaping the culture you want and need

The dynamics of your team—the way you work together to achieve the mission—flows throughout everything in your organization. Culture always wins. In today’s episode, John & Jim interview Jenni Catron on how culture impacts the organization you lead . . . and why it matters

Today's episode is pure gold. Andy Swart is back for Part 2 of our conversation about Hitting The Target When We Communication. On today's pod we explore three communication hacks that will up your communication game, and we also unpack three key next steps that will get you started

Communication has become a tricky business for leaders. Our current culture stands ready to pounce on any misspoken word or idea, and use it to attack/or criticize us. How can we hit the mark when we speak in such a volatile environment? Our guest, Andy Swart, Teaching Pastor at The Mount Church in Keller, Texas, unpacks practical ways leaders can hit the target when they communicate

Sometimes a leader has to . . . well . . . lead. Some situations call for swift action instead of collaborative consensus. And in those situations, leaders lead. In today’s episode, John and Jim unpack how to lead confidently without being too full of yourself or running over the team you lead

Retaining high-character, high-performing staff is one of the most difficult challenges facing leaders today. And yet with a thoughtful and consistent approach, staff longevity is doable. Unfortunately, A-players don’t grow on trees. In today’s pod, John & Jim unpack six practical and powerful ideas that will make your organization a great work place to work

Building a strong, productive team is one of the hardest things a leader has to do. No leader bats a thousand when it comes to hiring. When hiring staff, it’s not unusual to operate in one of two extremes: We go totally with our gut and ignore objectivity . . . or we go totally with objectivity and ignore our gut. Both extremes reduce our batting average when it comes to hiring. In today’s episode, Jim & John outline a hiring framework that increases your chances of of hiring success

Church history (and world history) is full of stories about talented people who started well and had great upside only to eventually crash and burn. In today’s episode, Jim & John unpack three behaviors that help leaders grow in the most important area of teachability, and how teachability lends to longevity

The leadership model that brought the church you lead to where it is now probably won’t get the church to where God wants it to go next. The most influential contributor to the growth of an organization? The growth of its leader. In today’s episode, John & Jim explore three practical behaviors that will help remove the lid from the organization you lead.

Today we celebrate the 100th episode of Leading From Alignment! Since we launched the podcast two years ago, we’ve had over 16,000 listens and video through plays. Today, John and Jim interview three special guests, asking them to share their favorite episodes, how the podcast is helping them and the church they lead, and what advice they would give their “just-out-of-bible-school-self.” This is a can’t miss episode!

Words . . . one of the most powerful forces for good in the organizations we serve. Our teammates often rise to the level of the words we speak to them. For every human, words matter. For humans that lead, they matter even more. In today’s episode, John & Jim explore how leaders can leverage the power of words in a way that moves their organization—and the people in their organization—in a positive direction

In 2015, more than 38% of pastors in the U.S. were bi-vocational. While there are some advantages to bi-vocational ministry, one of the biggest challenges is pace. How does a leader work in the marketplace full-time, pastor a church at the same time, and yet have any hope to find space for rest and rejuvenation? In today’s episode, John & Jim outline creative ways bi-vocational leaders can lead well and find space for rest/refreshing at the same time

In Episode 96 we mentioned a 2009 Barna report that stated the average church member expects their lead pastor to be great in sixteen competencies! And we’ve observed that some lead pastors expect the same out of themselves. If you ever want to grow sustainably, and keep your sanity at the same time, letting go of some of these sixteen roles is necessary. Question is, where does a lead pastor start? In today’s pod, John and Jim explore the reconstruction of the lead pastor role and encourage leaders to shift from a performative model of ministry to a formative model.

A vast range of opinions exist regarding online/digital church vs. in-person physical gatherings. Some leaders have fully bought into digital; others reject it outright; while most find themselves somewhere in the middle of those two extremes. Today’s pod unpacks how digital may be both helping and hurting the local church

The past eighteen months have radically impacted the way churches measure success. Most of the numbers that screamed progress in the past have been flipped upside-down. In today’s pod, John and Jim explore four possible new metrics that move us toward working on what we can control and trusting God for what we can’t control

One of the hardest things to do for most lead pastors is to separate from work. According to a Barna research study of 14,000 U.S. lead pastors, published in January 2017, 37% of lead pastors are at medium to high risk of burnout. Many of the moral failures by pastors we read about can be traced to exhaustion. One of the key contributors to this mess? Failure to pivot. The devious idea that a pastor always has to be “on.” In today’s episode, John and Jim unpack four ideas that will help you pivot away from work and toward the most important disciples in your life: Your spouse and children

Leadership possesses the uncanny capacity to keep us busy with work that gets us off-mission. On today’s episode we’re going to talk about three practical ways to manage what God’s given us to do so we can stay on-mission and one day hear, “well done, good and faithful servant.”

Welcome to Part 2 of our conversation on the subject Shaping the Culture You Need. You can craft an amazing vision, have a dynamic playbook, but only a healthy culture provides the fuel for that vision and playbook to become reality. Today’s pod unpacks a practical pathway to use core values to shape your organization’s culture

Jim & John spend a lot of time on the podcast talking about things they never learned in bible college or seminary. Today’s subject—shaping culture—is one of those things. Culture is fuel. You can craft an amazing vision, have a dynamic playbook, but only a healthy culture provides the fuel for that vision and playbook to become reality. Today’s pod unpacks a framework for shaping culture that will fuel the vision God’s given you for the church or even business you lead

Lead pastoring is quite possibly the ultimate bench vise. The lingering sense of weight, the messiness of people, and the unrelenting demands of the role squeeze even the best leaders. Here’s the good news: When difficult challenges emerge, all is not lost. In fact, something good is on the horizon. In today’s pod, Jim and John unpack four action items that can transform leadership pain into your legacy

Wounds and unfinished business from the past impact us as leaders in the present. Part 2 of John's conversation with Josh Spurlock unpacks how this dynamic plays out in the life of a leader. Today's pod outlines practical pathway to address past wounds so leaders can lead better, lead longer, and enjoy it more

Wounds and unfinished business from the past impact us as leaders in the present. In today's podcast, John and special guest Josh Spurlock unpack how this dynamic plays out in the life of a leader. They outline practical approaches to identify and address these past wounds so leaders can lead from health more and from dysfunction less

We humans tend to think we know what something feels like, until we experience it firsthand. With COVID-19, there is no lack of opinions about what it feels like. “It’s just a bad flu” or “It’s a made-up crisis” are some of the more popular opinions. In today’s podcast, we talk about the impact of COVID-19 on our relationships, our bodies, and our minds. And how these realities should shape the way we as leaders think, feel, and respond to those suffering with the virus

In today's pod John and Jim unpack some practical ways leaders can develop a most important character quality . . . resilience. The word resilient is defined as being capable of withstanding shock without permanent rupture. In other words, it's the ability to bounce back. Today's pod will outline three things leaders can do to help them bounce back in these most difficult of times

In today’s pod, we going to turn the mic around as John interviews his cohost, Jim Wiegand, as he lays out a proven, simple-to-follow method that helps churches with one of their most pressing problems . . . rebuilding their volunteer force. Today’s pod is loaded with practical, easy to follow tips that will help you build teams again.