Sean Morgan shares crisis leadership insights he gained from serving in the military in the Middle East and combines them with insights he’s learned from working with high capacity leaders in growing churches to give advice on leading through unpredictability, crisis and offer thoughts on what the new normal for churches and culture will look like.
Welcome to Episode 338 of the podcast. Listen and access the show notes below or search for the Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts and listen for free.
Plus, in this episode’s What I’m Thinking About segment, Carey gives his latest thoughts on the COVID-19 crisis and how to respond as leaders.
Guest Links
Instagram | Twitter | The Ascent Leader | Leaders in Living Rooms
Episode Links
Generis
One of the things that’s happened in this crisis is that so many people, almost every organization’s budget, has been blown up. And what do you do if you’re a church and your whole giving plan is off? Our friends at Generis have a brand new resource called Your Budget Just Blew Up…Now What? In this eBook, Generis Principal, Jim Sheppard shares some very practical advice on how to strengthen your church right now to weather the current storm and actually thrive in the months ahead.
Generis is making this new resource available exclusively to Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast listeners before they release it to everyone else. And, there’s a bonus chapter just for you. They’re also providing a support hotline during this time. They’ve got you completely covered.
Check out Your 2020 Budget Just Blew Up…Now What?, and get a free bonus chapter by going to
Generis.com/carey2020
Pro Media Fire
Things are moving lightning fast as we’re walking into the new normal, but what if you had a digital coach to help you successfully navigate this unknown space? I think one thing we’ve all learned in the last two months is digital matters, and Pro Media Fire has realized that for a while.
They’re providing digital coaching and out-of-the-box creativity sessions to help you reach more people. Not only in this moment but beyond. And creative coaching is what drives their most successful program. It’s called the Church Growth Program. Here’s what that includes: Custom website, digital marketing, social media management, custom graphics and videos. And right now, for a very limited time, you get 40% off the regular price.
Apply to book a digital strategy session with Pro Media Fire, and get 40% off for a limited time at
ProMediaFire.com/ChurchGrowth
CONVERSATION LINKS
Text CRISIS to 33777 to get access to Carey’s How to Lead Through Crisis online course
3 INSIGHTS FROM SEAN
1.Your opportunities are actually responsibilities
Sean’s experience in the military changed his view of the “warrior mindset.” Most people view the warrior that goes off into battle as being heroic, taking an opportunity. But Sean sees it differently. Sean thinks that if you have been trained and equipped to lead in the challenging times ahead, it’s your responsibility to face those challenges.
Many people will call this opportunity, but Sean calls it good stewardship. So, when it comes to leading through this crisis, he views this as wartime. He sees high quality leadership in this unpredictable season as a responsibility not an opportunity.
2. Stay married to the mission and date the methods
Sean emphasizes that we are married to the mission and only dating the methods. In this crisis, many of you are doing everything you can to preserve your prior method. That is the wrong approach. What needs your time and attention right now is how you are going to keep the mission alive no matter what the methods look like.
Larry Osborne put it this way, “Many times we focus too much on the watering schedule, and we forget about the fruit that we’re after.” The church has a 2,000 year track record of growing and thriving in the midst of these pandemics. We aren’t going to stop now.
3. Keep the good that happened in the pandemic
So many leaders just want to “go back to the way things were.” This is wrong on many levels (Carey writes about why here.) During this interview, Sean points out that there has been a ton of good that has come out of this pandemic.
49% of churches are growing, many churches are seeing more salvations than ever before, and the church is focused on all 7 days of the week more than ever. We can’t lose these improvements when we go back to meeting in-person if we want to continue to thrive.
Quotes from Episode 338
In crisis, flexibility is key. @_seanmorgan Click To Tweet It's not just crises like the global pandemic that get in the way of innovation. Companies and organizations get disrupted all the time. @cnieuwhof Click To Tweet Are we actually restructuring in ways now that even if we went back to normal, we would say we want these things to actually be a part of the fabric of the church? @_seanmorgan Click To Tweet If the current crisis is a disruption, leaders who see it as an interruption will be disrupted in the future. @cnieuwhof Click To Tweet Don't let your fatigue make decisions for you. Take care of yourself and let the mission determine your decisions. @cnieuwhof Click To Tweet Good leaders know how to live in the gray and still find the clarity and move the mission forward. @_seanmorgan Click To TweetRead or Download the Transcript for Episode 338
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NEXT EPISODE: TIM KELLER
Tim Keller is one of America’s most renowned preachers, authors and thought leaders. Tim talks about what NYC was like when he planted Redeemer Church in 1989, how the city’s changed, how the culture has changed and how his preaching has evolved. He shares the approach he would take if he was preaching regularly today, why founders get addicted to their church, why he left Redeemer when he did, and offers profound insights into post-Christian America, how to reach it, and even talks through how he works through personal discouragement and disappointment.
Subscribe for free now so you won’t miss Episode 339.
