Thriving Church Leadership
By Grace Gospel Fellowship
Church boards: they are one of the common realities of local bodies of believers around the world. Regardless of size, theology, or governance structures, formal church leadership plays a key role in the relative health or even un-health of local churches. Even your church. Some churches are heavy on the paid pastor influence and light on the volunteer elder or deacon influence. Others are church-board dominant in leadership style and pastors become an extension of the will of that board. Still others have no paid pastor and all leadership is voluntary. Some churches have clear written expectations of their pastor and their boards. Some may know those expectations. Others will learn over time what the role actually entails. While the criteria and qualifications of Elders and Deacons are clear in Scripture, the actual roles and expectations of those who inhabit such titles are often not so clear. Further, there is often very little time spent cultivating and equipping board members and other formal leadership within the church. Even as the qualifications may be clear, what skill sets are needed or need to be cultivated? The understandable tyranny of the urgent in the life of most churches tends to shape our roles, our board meetings, and our engrained habits of what it means to be a leader in our local churches. And then there is the politics—no church is exempt—that can often throw off even the most intentional church leadership even if only commanding an inordinate amount of time and energy managing expectations. The privilege, struggle, and opportunity are all very real. Jump into this timely conversation and we talk through these subjects—and many more—together.
Thriving Church LeadershipApr 15, 2024
Mini-Series: Positivity in Grace
In this episode, Pastor John Lowder and Dr. Bryan Walker welcome our special guest, Dr. Sam Vinton. As a vibrant 91-year-old, Dr. Sam has spent his entire lifetime in ministry and has a vast wealth of experience in a variety of service and leadership roles nationally and internationally. Throughout his life, Dr. Sam has invested himself fully into learning about God's Grace and demonstrating it to others around the world. Join us as we interview our dear friend and hear his life testimony and his reflection on the "Positivity in Grace".
In this episode:
00:00 - Introduction
01:00 - Special guests: Pastor John Lowder and Dr. Sam Vinton
03:30 - Dr. Sam Introduced
04:30 - Why are you still a Mid-Acts Dispensationalist?
06:45 - What influence did Charles Baker have on you?
09:20 - How did you feel teaching Mid-Acts Dispensationalism in a more Charismatic culture?
12:45 - What has kept you a Mid-Acts Dispensationalist?
14:50 - How do you respond to some of the challenges Mid-Acts Dispensationalism faces?
19:30 - Have you ever had doubts about Mid-Acts Dispensationalism?
23:40 - Final thoughts and encouragement
27:00 - Big thanks to Dr. Sam Vinton!
Mini-Series: Emphasis In Grace
In this episode we welcome back Pastor John Lowder, the lead pastor of Frontline Bible Church in Byron Center, MI, and the Director of Pastoral Care at the Grace Gospel Fellowship, to help us interview today’s guest, Pastor Dave Cannon.
Pastor Dave Cannon has spent many years serving as a pastor in Florida. He first served as a pastor of a church in Inverness for 18 years before moving to Palm Bay, where he has been pastoring for the past 20 years. We are so grateful for his many years of service and look forward to learning more about his life and walk with God.
In this episode:
00:00 - Introduction
00:40 - Special guests: Pastor John Lowder and Pastor Dave Cannon
06:00 - How did you come to know Christ?
07:45 - How did you end up in Colorado?
09:45 - How did you hear the Grace message?
14:50 - When did you fully embrace Mid-Acts Dispensationalism?
17:35 - What is it that’s kept you a Mid-Acts Dispensationalist?
20:35 - How have you maintained your spirit of graciousness?
25:50 - Have you ever had doubts about Mid-Acts Dispensationalism?
28:00 - Final thoughts and encouragement
31:00 - Big thanks to Pastor Dave Cannon!
Mini-Series: Answers In Grace
In this episode, Bryan welcomes two guests to the podcast: Pastor John Lowder and Pastor Rick Owlsley.
Pastor John is the lead pastor of Frontline Bible Church in Byron Center, MI, and the Director of Pastoral Care at the Grace Gospel Fellowship. Pastor John will be helping us interview our guest, Pastor Rick Owlsley. We’ve invited Pastor Rick onto the podcast to glean the wisdom of our more seasoned pastors.
Pastor Rick Owlsley currently serves at St. Louis Bible Fellowship where he has been pastoring for the past 26 years and has spent the past 50 years working in ministry. He is 72 years old and lives in St. Louis with his wife.
Before we get the interview underway, we just want to take the time to thank Pastor Rick for his lifetime of service in ministry. 50 years of ministry work is no small feat, and to continue to pastor at 72 years old just shows his love and dedication to God’s kingdom. So thank you Pastor Rick for the work you’ve done. We’re excited to start this interview and learn from someone who has spent their life in ministry.
Mini-Series: Freedom in Grace
In this episode, we have the honor of welcoming not one, but two guests to the podcast: Pastor John Lowder and Pastor Dan Wolgast.
Pastor John is in the studio with us today. He is the lead pastor of Frontline Bible Church in Byron Center, MI, and the Director of Pastoral Care at the Grace Gospel Fellowship. He and Bryan have also been friends for a long time! Pastor John will be helping us interview our very special guest, Pastor Dan Wolgast.
We’re so excited to have Pastor Dan join us over the phone today! He is 75 years old and has been married to his wife Sheila for 54 years. They have one son and five lovely grandchildren. Pastor Dan was born and raised in Michigan, but he’s spent the last 40 years living in Wisconsin. He has pastored two churches and is currently a professor at Berean Bible Institute.
In this episode:
00:00 - Introduction
00:45 - Special guests: Pastor John Lowder and Pastor Dan Wolgast
04:00 - First episode of a new miniseries
05:30 - How did you come to be a Mid-Acts Dispensationalist?
09:00 - How did you decide to become a pastor?
12:00 - What about Mid-Acts Dispensationalism has kept you dispensational?
17:20 - What does the freedom you’ve found mean practically in a person’s life?
20:25 - Have there been times when your position on this has been tested?
22:25 - How have you stayed so gracious?
24:25 - Final thoughts
26:30 - A big “thank you” to Pastor Dan!
Ep 15: More Than a Pastor's Wife
In this episode, our special guests Ami Walker and Kaylee Johnson dive into their roles within the church themselves and as wives of church leaders.
Ep 14: Church Health & Political Complexity
It’s not news to anyone that the last several years have been incredibly tense and complex when it comes to the political scene in America. No one has felt this tension more than pastors, yet so many have had to forge their own paths forward without much help or support.
In today’s episode, we offer some much-needed encouragement and advice for church leaders as they shepherd their congregations through these tumultuous times.
Our special guests for this episode are Pastor Cameron Townley and Pastor Matt Loverin.
Ep 13: Spiritual Discipline for Church Leaders
Today, Brett and Bryan welcome Dr. Matt Loverin to the podcast to talk about spiritual discipline for church leaders. Matt teaches Bible and theology at Grace Christian University and is on the board at Grace Bible Fellowship in Jenison, MI.
Ep 12: Loneliness in Pastoral Ministry
Today in the studio we have Bryan, Brett, and our special guests, Pastor Jim Shemaria from Celebration Bible Church and Pastor Cameron Townley from Rush Creek Bible Church, both in West Michigan.
In this episode, we’ll be discussing how easy it is for pastors to experience isolation and loneliness, even in a role that embodies the opposite of that.
Resources Mentioned:
John Mark Comer - The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
Eugene Peterson - The Contemplative Pastor
Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
00:35 - Meet our guests, Jim Shemaria and Cameron Townley
2:08 - Working hard yet risking loneliness
6:58 - Jim and Cameron’s churches
8:43 - Defining “meaningful relationships”
12:55 - Reciprocation in relationships
17:13 - Introverts and extroverts
19:18 - Are there bigger issues than loneliness?
21:55 - Generational challenges
26:30 - The concentric circle of relationships
28:42 - The risks of not cultivating deep relationships
33:55 - How to encourage a lonely pastor
39:30 - What do our church leaders need to know about this issue?
42:15 - Is the pastor responsible for cultivating this culture?
45:45 - Recommended resources
49:16 - Closing thoughts
Ep 11: Balancing Pastoral Leadership and Family
Bryan and Brett are together in the studio today with special guest, Pastor John Lowder of Frontline Bible Church.
Pastor John is currently near South America in Curaçao on sabbatical with his family. In this podcast, he shares valuable insights on balancing ministry with family as well as how, when, and why to take a sabbatical.
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00:00 - Introduction
03:45 - John’s sabbatical and the balancing act
07:18 - John’s ministry at Frontline
12:50 - The challenges of being a pastor
18:56 - The challenging of finding balance
21:40 - The lie that it’s all up to you
25:00 - Red flags: how to know whether you need a sabbatical
28:30 - How do boards feel about the pastor taking a sabbatical?
32:00 - Is it ever the time to say, “now’s not the time?”
33:25 - “The church doesn’t care”
35:00 - How does a small church pastor balance the pressure of being always present?
38:25 - Communicating expectations to your family
41:07 - What if I’m years into ministry and this balance just hasn’t played out well?
45:45 - Recommended resources
48:00 - Closing thoughts
Ep 10: Evaluating Church Leadership
Churches often wait to evaluate their leadership until something goes wrong. But proactive church leadership evaluation is actually a key ingredient for a healthy church!
Join us for episode 10 as we discuss how to – and how not to – evaluate your church leadership.
Check out our summary for this episode here.
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In this episode:
00:00 - Introduction
01:00 - This episode’s special guests
02:00 - Today’s topic: evaluating church leadership
05:40 - Why is evaluation helpful?
07:43 - What happens when an organization doesn't evaluate itself?
11:00 - The importance of self-evaluation
12:50 - How does a board avoid catching the pastor off-guard with negative feedback?
19:08 - Do boards understand their role?
22:20 - What does a good pastoral evaluation look like?
27:45 - Questions to ask in a pastoral evaluation
30:30 - Advice for pastoral evaluations
35:00 - Tools and resources for evaluations
39:00 - Final thoughts
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Tools and Resources:
We asked our guests for their best resources for evaluating church leadership. Here are the books they said were most helpful to them in this process:
It by Craig Groeschel
High Impact Church Boards by T.J. Addington
Deep and Wide by Andy Stanley
At Your Best by Carey Nieuwhof
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell
Ep 9: Stagnant Ministries
Have you ever felt like your church was stagnant? Like some of the vibrancy had been lost?
You’re not alone. Especially after COVID-19, many churches feel like they are stuck on a plateau and don’t know how to get off.
In this episode, we explore how to identify stagnancy in the church and how to get that forward momentum going again. Listen in and be encouraged!
Ep 8: Board Development in the Local Church
Today, for the first time ever, the Thriving Church Leadership podcast has the pleasure of welcoming a pastor as our guest!
Pastor Jim Shemaria from Celebration Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan is joining us to talk about board development in the local church.
Church board development isn’t always easy, but is it worth it? And how can a pastor engage his church board, anyway? In the end, it mostly comes down to the quality of relationship that the pastor has with individual board members.
Join us for this episode as we tackle these difficult questions, and hear some words of encouragement for struggling church boards!
Ep 7: Board Member Development
Many church board members feel unequipped for their important role as spiritual leaders. They want to use their God-given gifts to serve the church, but aren’t sure how to do it. Is it possible we’re taking the wrong approach to the boardroom?
In this episode, we talk about how to help board members grow and learn, so they can work together effectively in the church.
Ep 6: A Dose of Medicine to Encourage Church Health
In this episode, Dr. Scott Paskewicz joins Brett Elder and Dr. Bryan Walker to continue a dialogue about church health. Join in as they tease out the remarkable similarities and applications that straddle both physical health and church health.
The church is a body. And sometimes, bodies get sick.
How do you diagnose and treat unhealthiness in the church?
In this episode, we’re addressing lack of health within the church, and exploring the best ways to move toward church health. It turns out, human medicine and church medicine aren’t so different!
Check out our transcribed summary of this episode for more information.
Ep 5: Changing Church Ministry Paradigms
Changing Church Ministry Paradigms with special guest Scott Paskiewicz.
Ep 4: Strategy and Church - Thriving Church Leadership
Ep 3: The Boardroom Agenda Part 2 - Thriving Church Leadership
Ep 2: The Board Room Agenda - Thriving Church Leadership
Ep 1: The Problem And Opportunity of Church Leadership - Thriving Church Leadership
Join the guest hosts of this first episode, Brett Elder and Oscar Quesada, as they explore together with Bryan the importance and unique calling and considerations of board leadership over and above—and different than—other para-church and non-profit ministry leadership.
Welcome to Thriving Church Leadership - Thriving Church Leadership
Church boards: they are one of the common realities of local bodies of believers around the world. Regardless of size, theology, or governance structures, formal church leadership plays a key role in the relative health or even un-health of local churches. The privilege, struggle, and opportunity are all very real. Jump into this timely conversation and we talk through these subjects—and many more—together.