Tag: church small groups

Episode #7: Barrett Bowden

Episode #7: Barrett Bowden

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Breakthrough ideas with Barrett: 

  • How can a church reach Christians who live in the city, from within the city, not just the suburbs?
  • True fulfillment as a Christ-following leader comes from a deep sense of two key understandings.
  • Why it is important to bring yourself back to your calling as a leader, not someone else’s.
  • It is hard to truly rest if people are constantly in contact, and what to do about it.
  • Every leader needs to know their symptoms of exhaustion and unkempt health.
  • The importance of every small group having direct contact with this person.
  • Marry Biblical Gospel rooted purpose with a vocational dream and people are not just looking for a job after school, they are being sent into a calling.
  • The big problem of never really casting vision beyond week-to-week ministry engagement.
  • How does the horizon storyline work and why is it important?
  • Learn the art of “purposed nothingness” and how this makes room for the Holy Spirit.
  • The one big idea to having a church of deep maturing disciples who are loving caring people reaching the lost.
  • Three things that, together, are the source of life and effectiveness in ministry.

Breakthrough resources from this episode:

Island Community Church

Zeal Without Burnout by Christopher Ash

M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

God Dreams by Will Mancini

Dangerous Calling by Paul David Tripp

New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp

Barrett Bowden is the pastor of Island Community Church, a young and thriving congregation in downtown Memphis. Barrett has a heart for leading the church to invest in its unique, urban context and to cultivate missional leaders with a heart for the nations. Barrett is married to Michelle, an adolescent pediatrician in the Memphis area, and they have one adorable daughter, Caroline Jane.

 

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Episode #6: Talbot Davis

Episode #6: Talbot Davis

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Breakthrough ideas with Talbot: 

  • Twitter is a great place to improve as a wordsmith because it forces clarity of communication.
  • It is possible for social media to make you a better pastor and leader.
  • Making diversity the cause only results in political correctness, so make Jesus the cause and let diversity be the result.
  • Bringing diversity to staff means writing every job description carefully and hiring intentionally.
  • Knowing who you are as a church, and who you are not, brings incredible focus to a church.
  • The consistency of visionary identity from church leadership brings confidence in missional activity from the body.
  • Setting people up for lots of small wins eventually results in large victory in Jesus.
  • Be clear about your expectations for hiring and set up systems of accountability.
  • Normalize the things of the church that used to be remedial: healing prayers, altar calls, and being awake to the Spirit.
  • There is a difference in being a charismatic church and a church with a lot of charismatic people in it.
  • Processes can hinder leadership; sometimes you just need to take risks on people.
  • When it comes to staff hiring and firing, long hellos and short goodbyes are best.
  • Develop your gifts and hire others that make up for your unavoidable shortcomings.
  • Work every day and you will get better at what you do.

Breakthrough resources from this episode: 

Good Shepherd United Methodist Church

The Storm Before the Calm by Talbot Davis

Head Scratchers by Talbot Davis 

Crash Test Dummies by Talbot Davis

Communicating for a Change by Andy Stanley

Talbot Davis is Pastor of Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, a modern congregation in Charlotte, North Carolina. Talbot helps lead a talented group of pastors and support staff. Talbot makes sure everyone knows that he married well, and now has two adult children. A lifetime of playing tennis consistently shapes how he leads and thinks about the world. Talbot has published five books through Abington Press as resources for both life groups and preachers in training.

 

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