Author: jsalanwilson

The guest on this episode podcast is Simon Marriott. Simon is originally from Lurgan in Northern Ireland, and now lives in Mullingar in the centre of Ireland. He has worked with Youth for Christ in the Czech Republic and the Irish Republic, and has served as pastor of Mullingar Christian Fellowship. More recently he has been appointed director of Foundation for the Nations – a group that has helped to resource Youth For Christ projects in scores of nations around the world by connecting them with generous donors. He is married to Hannah, and they have three children.

In our conversation, Simon talks the work he is currently involved in (which you find out about here) and reviews much of his leadership journey, including the influence of some key people, and how his philosophy of Christian leadership has evolved. He speaks powerfully about a deeply challenging personal moment at the time of the birth of one of his children and how significant he has found the meaning of his name to be in his relationship with the Lord.

There are some great leadership takeaways in the conversation.

You will notice a couple of commercial plugs through the conversation – one for the Irish Bible Institute where Simon is a recent MA graduate, and one for his sister’s stationery business. Feel free to pay them a visit, along with the Foundation for the Nations and Youth for Christ.

The guest on this episode of the podcast is Alain Emerson. Alain lives with his wife and three children just outside Lurgan in County Armagh. He pastors Emmanuel Church in Portadown alongside his work with 24-7 Prayer and his oversight of the Tobar network of churches.

Alain has just released his third book – The Cruciform Leader. The book is a rich combination of biblical reflection and personal story that aims to call Christian leaders back to the heart of New Testament leaders, embodied in Jesus and lived out by his first followers.

In our conversation we talk about Alain’s own leadership journey as well as delving into what lies behind the book and outlining some of its themes.

You can get hold of a copy of the book (which includes a helpful study guide at the end of each chapter) from various outlets, including Emmanuel Church in Lurgan (if you are in the area), the various Faith Mission bookshops, and online, including from the publisher, Muddy Pearl.

Click here to access the episode.

FOR ONE DAY ONLY!

Arianna Molloy is a Communication professor at Biola University in California. She has recently published “Healthy Calling: From Toxic Burnout to Sustainable Work.”

In our conversation, we spend a little bit of time talking about some of the people who have helped Arianna as mentors, but the bulk of the conversation focuses on the book.

We begin by talking about burnout. In the book Arianna suggests that the positive side of calling leads to greater motivation and satisfaction, but that it also has a darker side: the called are more prone to burnout!

We talk about the nature of calling and its four components (which set it apart from a job or even a career). Calling involves a relationship between the person called and the Caller, but also the community. We talk about how calling looks different from drivenness and we spend a bit of time on workaholism and job-idolisation.

In addition we reflect on the importance of humility and sabbath in sustaining calling, and we finish with the advice Arianna has for her 20-year-old self.

If you are in the US, you should have no trouble ordering from wherever you get your books: in the UK you will have to wait about 10 days for the delivery of the paperback (I managed to order one from Abe Books), though the Kindle edition is available right away.

Here is the link to the episode.

https://jsalanwilson.podbean.com/e/the-leadership-journey-podcast-arianna-molloy-on-healthy-calling/

Leaders do not lead in a vacuum. There is always a context, and part of that context is the organisation within which the leader operates, whether it’s a business with many employees or a church with an army of volunteers. So what do Christian leaders need to know about how organisations operate?

Frank Markow has written about this in his book, ‘Organizational Behavior in Christian Perspective’. Frank is Professor of Leadership Studies at the King’s University in Texas.

Here is the link to the episode.

The podcast is back after a lull and my guest is Ruth Walker.

As well as being a wife, mother, and grandmother, Ruth describes herself as ‘a whole-life disciple’ with a portfolio career. She is a non-executive director with a number of charities, including Bethany Christian Trust, a charity dedicated to ending homelessness across Scotland. She is also a coach and a speaker.

In our conversation she talks about her strong Christian family and the formative years spent growing up in a Brethren church in Glasgow where she became involved in the ministry of Crusaders (now Urban Saints). Her career has involved several roles and working with some inspiring leaders. She also talks about her work with LICC and the Evangelical Alliance Public Leadership programme.

As well as discussing some of her key learnings on the subject of leadership, Ruth shares what she would say to her 20-year-old self.

Here is the link to the episode:

https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-538iv-1748ba5

Wendy Pawsey is Head of Giving at the Evangelical Alliance: she also leads an Elim Church in rural Buckinghamshire, along with her husband, Marcus. Wendy has also written a book on generosity: Generosity with a Capital G. The book is published by Instant Apostle: it launches this month and is featured as part of The Big Church Read.

Wendy joined me on this episode of the podcast to talk about the book and its theme of generosity. She also talks about her own fascinating story of coming to faith and her journey in Christian ministry.

You can get a copy of the book via the outlets listed on the Instant Apostle website, or by visiting The Big Church Read.

The podcast can be found on Podbean.