E42: Merging Churches

What makes the best leaders stand out?

William Vanderbloemen, founder and CEO of staffing company Vanderbloemen Search Group, has conducted extensive research with the best of the best pastors, church leaders and the behaviors they exhibit.

His new book, "Be the Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders From the Rest" offers insight on becoming a better leader.

To purchase "Be the Unicorn" book:
https://www.amazon.com/Be-Unicorn-Data-Driven-Separate-Leaders/dp/1400247101/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1699474344&sr=8-1

Past episode with William:
Episode 32: Church Staffing and Pastoral Succession

What is all the hype about A.I. (artificial intelligence) and how should the church respond?

I asked Nils Smith, Innovation Director for Dunham and Company to stop by and share the basics of AI and what pastors and church leaders should consider with this not so new technology.

We discussed several things such as:

• What is AI?

• How can the church benefit from AI?

• In what ways are we already using AI?

Mentioned in this episode

Connect with Nils Smith

https://www.nilssmith.com
IG: @nilssmith

Book about New Innovations
Seeing Around Corners by Rita McGrath

Resources about AI
Gloo 
What is ChaptGPT?

Graduation season inspires many to go back to school and earn a degree or add on another one. If you are ministry, or aspire to be, it is important to think about certain factors before spending time, money, and energy in school. But let's face it: all degrees are not worth the investment and frankly some are not even credible.

This episode we discuss a few considerations:

Why Are You Thinking About a Degree?
What Type of Degree Should You Pursue?
What are the credentials for the school you attend?

Look up if your school is accredited by clicking this link:

https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home

What do you do when your heart is no longer in what you do? For too many leaders, even pastors and church leaders, this is a reality even while they continue to serve.

Dr. Wanita Mercer is the CEO and founder of Lead My Heart consulting and coaching. She shares warning signs to look out for and encourages leaders to reclaim the passion they have for ministry and leadership.

Dr. Mercer's Contact Information

Social media @leadmyheart2022
Website: www.leadmyheart.com
Email: contact@leadmyheart.com

Book recommendations from Dr. Mercer:

NIV: Leading By the Book (Zondervan Publishing)
Becoming a Leader by Dr. Myles Munroe

Tragedy happens to us all. Ministers are usually the first people we call but who ministers to the minister when he or she is going through? 

Dr. Antoine works with pastors as the Director of Bi-Vocational Pastors at Baptist General Convention of Texas. He joined us on this episode to share his story and to offer tips on caring for the preacher during crisis. 

Are you thinking about going on church staff? 

I surveyed church staff from across the country with the question, “If you could go back to your initial interview, what questions would you ask?”

This episode shared ten of those questions such as:

“What is the church vision and how is it implemented?”
“Are there any past or potential scandals I need to know about?”
“How does the church handle mental health issues among staff?”

This is a must hear episode for leaders of staff and volunteers.

It has been said the pandemic changed church forever. Maybe that declaration is somewhat exaggerated but there are trends and adjustments that definitely resulted. This episode looks at five positive trends that emerged from the pandemic.

• Online ministry
• Mental health awareness
• Young adults in leadership
• Pastoral succession
• Merging churches

To book a Wired Workshop with Dr. Anthony Cobbs email:
info@breakthroughonline.com

Previous episodes referenced in this episode:

The Church, Facebook, and Digital Trends with Nona Jones

Church Staffing and Pastoral Succession with William Vanderbloemen

As church leaders seek to gain a sense of stability and plan for the future it is important to plan based upon data. This episode is a must hear for pastors and leaders who are planning programming and a calendar for their church.

Contact Dr. Cobbs for Consulting
info@breakthroughonline.org

 Dr. John Faison is the senior pastor of Watson Grove Baptist Church in Nashville. He is a scholar, social activist and one of the rising pastoral voices in the country today. In one of the most candid interviews in Church Unfiltered history, Dr. Faison describes how the enduring pandemic impacted him as a pastor and personally and steps he took to persevere.

In this episode we discussed:

• The importance of self care and therapy
• The impact of the pandemic on pastors
• Being true to one's self

For more information about Dr. Faison
https://www.johnfaison.org

Book referenced by Dr. Faison:
Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

When is the last time you asked your young adults (ages 18-35) what they are dealing with and what questions they might have? I took the time to ask about 40 young adults from 3 different churches what topics they would want to discuss with their church leaders.

In this episode I list 10 of the most common themes that arose and how pastors and church leaders can use these topics to start Bible studies, sermon series or forums with these young students, professionals and families. A few topics on the list include:

* Sex outside of marriage
* Knowing your purpose
* Forgiveness

For more information on how to reach your young adults or for referrals on speakers and guests for your group email us at: info@breakthroughonline.org