Category: Christian leadership

The Leadership Journey Podcast with Israel Olofinjana

Posted on by jsalanwilson in Christian leaders, Christian leadership, church leadership, church ministry, Podcast, podcasts

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-7upik-187d7c0

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Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana is director of the One People Commission at the Evangelical Alliance. He is the founding director of the Centre for Missionaries from the Majority World, a mission network initiative that provides cross-cultural training to reverse missionaries in Britain. He also serves several other organisations, including Tearfund and Lausanne Europe. In addition, he has authored or edited several books, including the upcoming Polyphonic God: Exploring Intercultural Theology, Churches and Justice.

In our conversation we talk about Israel’s ministry journey but also about some of the issues that come under the umbrella of the work of the OPC. We chat about ‘Visions of Justice and Hope’ – a new resource on racial reconciliation from the EA and we unpack some of the differences between cross-cultural, multi-cultural, and inter-cultural churches.

Here is the link to the podcast conversation.

You can find out more about Visions of Justice and Hope from the Evangelical Alliance website where you can download a PDF: otherwise you can email opc@eauk.org to request a copy.

Also, Israel will be taking part in the Irish Bible Institute’s Summer Institute that will be held in June in Maynooth. The theme is churches moving from being multi-ethnic to intercultural and you can find information about this – and register – on IBI’s website.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Israel Olofinjana

Posted on by jsalanwilson in Christian leaders, Christian leadership, church ministry, Podcast, podcasts, worship

Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana is director of the One People Commission at the Evangelical Alliance. He is the founding director of the Centre for Missionaries from the Majority World, a mission network initiative that provides cross-cultural training to reverse missionaries in Britain. He also serves several other organisations, including Tearfund and Lausanne Europe. In addition, he has authored or edited several books, including the upcoming Polyphonic God: Exploring Intercultural Theology, Churches and Justice.

In our conversation we talk about Israel’s ministry journey but also about some of the issues that come under the umbrella of the work of the OPC. We chat about ‘Visions of Justice and Hope’ – a new resource on racial reconciliation from the EA and we unpack some of the differences between cross-cultural, multi-cultural, and inter-cultural churches.

Here is the link to the podcast conversation.

You can find out more about Visions of Justice and Hope from the Evangelical Alliance website where you can download a PDF: otherwise you can email opc@eauk.org to request a copy.

Also, Israel will be taking part in the Irish Bible Institute’s Summer Institute that will be held in June in Maynooth. The theme is churches moving from being multi-ethnic to intercultural and you can find information about this – and register – on IBI’s website.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Nick Park

Posted on by jsalanwilson in Christian leaders, Christian leadership, church leadership, leadership, Podcast, podcasts

Nick Park is the Executive Director of the Evangelical Alliance (Ireland). He is also the founding pastor of of Solid Rock church in Drogheda, and oversees a network of almost 40 churches in the Republic of Ireland under the auspices of the Church of God.

In our conversation Nick talked about his dramatic early years, coming to faith in Christ as a young man through the work of the Salvation Army, after several years of homelessness. He talks about his path into ministry and how he and his wife came to start Solid Rock Church in Drogheda (there is a fascinating reference to St Patrick). Along the way we chat about the state of the Evangelical Church in Ireland and discuss ways in which it might contribute to church planting in the North.

As ever, we finish with Nick talking about what he would like to say to his 20-year-old self.

Visit the EAI’s website where you can catch Nick’s Friday podcast.

Here is the link to my conversation with Nick.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: The Practicing Change Collection with Tod Bolsinger

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, books, Christian leadership, Podcast

Tod Bolsinger is the author of popular leadership books, Canoeing the Mountains, and Tempered Resilience: we chatted on a couple of episodes of this podcast back in 2021.

More recently he has been working on a series of short books on change.

  • How not to waste a crisis
  • The mission always wins
  • Leading through resistance
  • Invest in transformation

Basically, the books work off the ideas that Tod has established in his earlier writing, in particular Canoeing the Mountains.

Each of the books tackles a mistake that good leaders often make, whether it is responding to a crisis by working harder, or aiming to lead always on the basis of ‘win-win’ – the mistakes form the (sometimes provocative) subtitles of the books. These mistakes are what he calls old mindsets and they need to be replaced by a series of new skillsets which lead to an adaptive reset.

In our conversation we begin to unpack some of the key ideas in the books – mission, loss, disagreement and values. Hopefully you will hear enough to make you want to purchase the books and get to work on them with your leadership team!

The collection will be available around the middle of August, but they are already available for pre-order. If you are in the US, visit the IVP website, and in the UK, try Eden Books.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Practicing Change, with Tod Bolsinger

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, books, Christian leaders, Christian leadership, leadership, Podcast

Tod Bolsinger is the author of popular leadership books, Canoeing the Mountains, and Tempered Resilience: we chatted on a couple of episodes of this podcast back in 2021.

More recently he has been working on a series of short books on change.

  • How not to waste a crisis
  • The mission always wins
  • Leading through resistance
  • Invest in transformation

Basically, the books work off the ideas that Tod has established in his earlier writing, in particular Canoeing the Mountains.

Each of the books tackles a mistake that good leaders often make, whether it is responding to a crisis by working harder, or aiming to lead always on the basis of ‘win-win’ – the mistakes form the (sometimes provocative) subtitles of the books. These mistakes are what he calls old mindsets and they need to be replaced by a series of new skillsets which lead to an adaptive reset.

In our conversation we begin to unpack some of the key ideas in the books – mission, loss, disagreement and values. Hopefully you will hear enough to make you want to purchase the books and get to work on them with your leadership team!

The collection will be available around the middle of August, but they are already available for pre-order. If you are in the US, visit the IVP website, and in the UK, try Eden Books.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Fred Drummond

Posted on by jsalanwilson in Christian leaders, Christian leadership, church ministry, Podcast

For the past 16 years Fred Drummond has been the director of the Evangelical Alliance in Scotland – a role he is leaving in a few weeks. He also has a role with the EA in encouraging and developing prayer.

In our podcast conversation he talks about his early years, including the story of coming to faith in Jesus and how he was mentored both in his first steps as a Christian, and as he developed in ministry. He also talks about his work in Scotland, with the challenge of encouraging Christians to cultivate intimacy with Jesus, hope in the gospel, and confidence to live as disciples in a rapidly secularising culture.

He shares personally about his own habits of prayer and – as with other guests on the podcast – about what pieces of advice he would share with his 20-year-old self.

You can find a selection of Fred’s writing, including his articles on woundedness in leaders, via the website of the Evangelical Alliance.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Mitch and Amanda – Crown Jesus Ministries

Posted on by jsalanwilson in Christian leaders, Christian leadership, evangelism, Podcast

On this episode of the podcast, the guests are husband and wife team, ‘Mitch’ and Amanda Mitchell who are based in Belfast with Crown Jesus Ministries, a Christian charity at work in evangelism across Ireland.

In our conversation they talk about their own story – how they became Christians and some of the ways their faith has grown – as well as the remarkable story of Crown Jesus, birthed in a dramatic encounter at a conference in Germany 25 years ago.

They bring a challenge in terms of how we think of evangelism and what they believe needs to happen in the Church (and academy) for witness and evangelism to regain their rightful place.

Of course we also wrap up the conversation by hearing them share what they would say to their 20-year-old selves.

You can visit their website to find out more about Crown Jesus and their mission to ensure that everyone on the island of Ireland has the opportunity to hear and respond to the good news of Jesus.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Justin Irving on Organisational Leadership

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, books, Christian leaders, Christian leadership, leadership, Podcast

The guest on this episode of the podcast is Justin Irving. Justin is Professor of Leadership at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and his new book, Healthy Leadership for Thriving Organizations: Creating Contexts Where People Flourish, is set for publication this month. Previously, along with Mark Strauss, he wrote Leadership in Christian Perspective: Mark Strauss joined me on the podcast four years ago to talk about the book.

Justin’s new book focusses on the work of organisational leaders, what he describes as ‘the thirty-thousand-foot-level of leadership’. Such leaders are still required to pay attention to how they lead individuals, but they also lead at a level that requires them to pay attention to the big picture. Behind the book are insights from a survey that was carried out among over two hundred leaders.

In our conversation we spend some time talking about the book and some of the ideas it covers, but Justin also talks about his own story: how he has been shaped, and what he has learned along the way.

The book’s official launch date is Tuesday 19th December in the US and as a Kindle e-book in the UK: you will have to wait another two months to get your hands on a paper copy here.

That’s all for the podcast for 2023. If you have been following along – or even just dipping in from time to time, thanks for listening, and may you have a wonderful Christmas!

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Jo Frost and Peter Lynas on ‘Being Human’

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, books, Christian leadership, Current affairs, MIssion, Podcast

This week we have another book-related episode as I am joined by Jo Frost and Peter Lynas who are talking about their new book, Being Human: A New Lens for our Cultural Conversations.

Jo has been with EA since 2017 and is director of communications and engagement. Peter is UK director and oversees EA’s advocacy work.

In our conversation Jo and Peter talk about their own journeys in Christian leadership and their work with EA (Peter has previously been a guest on the podcast and you can listen to his story here). They also talk about the book – how they came to write it, what the process of team writing was like and some of the basic ideas behind the book.

The book is one part of a suite of resources on the theme of Being Human – details of a podcast and video course are available on a special ‘Being Human’ website.

Peter Lynas and Jo Frost along with Manoj Raithatha, Chairman of the Evangelical Alliance, pictured at a book launch event in September

There is a special bonus for listeners to this episode of the podcast (and to anyone living in Northern Ireland). If you would like to support the work of the Evangelical Alliance, you can take out a personal or family membership: as part of your welcome pack you will receive a copy of the book. To find out more, or to sign up, go to the Evangelical Alliance website.

The guest on the next episode of the podcast will be Jonathan Thomas, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Abergavenny.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Andrew Ollerton

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, Bible, books, Christian leadership, Podcast

The guest on this episode of the podcast is author, speaker, family man, and outdoors adventurer, Andrew Ollerton. Andrew works with the Bible Society and has written The Bible: A Story That Makes Sense of Life, and Romans: A Letter That Makes Sense of Life. He has also written The Bible Course and The Romans Course which you can discover more on the website of the Bible Society.

Andrew’s mission in life is to help cultivate confidence in the Bible. It’s a thread that runs through his own life as well as his work. We develop this theme in our conversation and towards the end Andrew discusses the task as it relates to:

  • Preachers
  • Parents
  • Publishers and professors
  • The digital space (we couldn’t come up with a word starting with P)
  • Personal devotion

As with other guests on the podcast, he shares what he would say to his twenty-year old self.

Upcoming guests on the podcast include:

If you have not already done so, why not subscribe to to the podcast via Apple or Spotify?

Andrew Ollerton (L) with Bear Grylls: they’re working on a new project together.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Portstewart Keswick special edition

Posted on by jsalanwilson in burnout, Christian leaders, Christian leadership, church leadership, church ministry, Podcast, self-care

Last week Pauline and I had the opportunity to share some thoughts on ministry resilience in the context of a leadership seminar at the Keswick at Portstewart Convention. The overall theme of the convention week was unshakable and the week featured some outstanding Bible teaching from Gilbert Lennox on Daniel, and from Jonathan Thomas and Andrew Ollerton on Romans.

In keeping with the overall theme (and with a little nod to James Bond) we called our seminar, Shaken but still Standing. Our presentation took the form of a conversation that we built around a structure that Pauline developed. If you want a quick takeaway, we start with the reminder that we are disciples and followers before we are leaders, and this means learning to walk with Jesus, which in turn means RELATIONSHIP, REST, and ROOTEDNESS.

Here is a link to a PDF of the slides we used during the seminar:

keswick-portstewart-2023-shaken-but-still-standing-1Download

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Andy Lamberton

Posted on by jsalanwilson in books, Christian leaders, Christian leadership, Podcast

The guest on this episode of the podcast is Andy Lamberton. For several years Andy has been leading the work of Exodus in the North West. Exodus is a young people’s discipleship movement that each year mobilises some 500 young people for summer missions. Andy’s role in Exodus is currently changing as he spearheads a new ministry called Legacy – a ministry designed to encourage fathers. He is married to a Derry Girl (an actual Derry Girl rather than a TV one) and has recently written his first book – Letters for Exiles: Faithful Living in a Faithless World.

In our conversation we talk about Andy’s own story and about his new book.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: John Risbridger

Posted on by jsalanwilson in Christian leaders, Christian leadership, church leadership, church ministry, Podcast

John Risbridger served for 17 years as pastor of Above Bar Church in Southampton. For most of the past year he has been working on an MA in Global Missiology and he and his wife, Alison have been appointed as the new leaders of the Catalyst Leadership and Theology training course.

Previously John worked for several years for UCCF in both regional and national roles. He has also served as chair of the Keswick Convention and is currently chair of the Evangelical Alliance Council and a member of the board. He is a conference speaker and author, having written The Message of Worship in the IVP Bible Speaks Today series.

In our conversation John talks about growing up in a strong family of faith and about the importance of forming strong peer friendships. He talks about some of the important lessons he has learned from various ministry settings and shares some of the opportunities and challenges of ministry. He also talks about ‘missional ecclesiology’ and the need for the Church to understand and speak of mission in a better way. And of course he also talks about what he would say to his twenty-year-old self.

During the conversation we mention a talk John gave on depression at New Horizon in 2022. You can access the talk here.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Phil Knox

Posted on by jsalanwilson in books, Christian leadership, evangelism, leadership, Podcast

On this episode of the podcast I am talking with Phil Knox. Phil works with the Evangelical Alliance as an evangelism and missiology specialist.

Phil has recently published his second book, The Best of Friends: Choose wisely, Care well, and we spend some time talking about ideas from the book.

To get a copy of the book, you can try your local Christian bookshop, or follow the link to the IVP page where you can purchase a copy – either an ‘actual’ book or an ebook.

The podcast will be back in May and I will be talking with John Risbridger. John and his wife, Alison, are the leaders of the Catalyst Leadership and Theology Training programme.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: ‘Monty’ Montgomery

Posted on by jsalanwilson in Christian leaders, Christian leadership, leadership, Podcast

My guest on this episode of the podcast is David (more commonly known as ‘Monty’) Montgomery. Monty is the Regional Secretary for IFES Europe (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students), a role that involves oversight of student work in over forty countries.

In our conversation we discuss Monty’s early days (his father was a mission worker) and several key moments in the development of his faith. We talked about his sense of call to ministry and his time in the rarefied spiritual atmosphere of Regent College in Vancouver. This was followed by a season of ministry in several Presbyterian churches on either side of the Irish border before a move to student work with what became known as CUI (Christian Unions Ireland).

Monty shares about some of the challenges of and encouragements of ministry, including a helpful and challenging outline of how the nature of internal challenges change over the course of a ministry journey.

As ever, we conclude the conversation by hearing what he would say to his twenty-year old self.

The next guest on the podcast will be Phil Knox. Phil works with the Evangelical Alliance and is the author of an excellent new book on friendship: The Best of Friends: Choose wisely, Care well.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Donna Jennings

Posted on by jsalanwilson in Christian leaders, Christian leadership, MIssion, Podcast

Donna Jennings is Church and Missions Co-ordinator with the Evangelical Alliance in Northern Ireland and she is the guest on this episode of the podcast.

As she reflects on her story, she talks about early church experiences and the sense that there should be ‘something more’ (a recurring theme in her story). As a young person she had a remarkable experience of the Lord and a sense that he had taken hold of her life. Student years carried their questions about the Christian faith but there were wise mentors who helped as came through this. She talks about life in Bangladesh, where she met her husband and learned how to introduce Jesus into a quite different culture. A diagnosis of autism for their son meant that the family moved to Northern Ireland where part of Donna’s energy has gone into working in the area of disability theology.

Donna talks about some of the resources she has been involved in producing with EA and answers the traditional podcast question of what she would say to her 20-year-old self.

If you would like to know more about the mission resources that Donna mentioned for churches, you can contact her at d.jennings@eauk.org. To learn more about the Evangelical Alliance and its work across the UK, visit their website.

The next guest on the podcast (after Easter) will be David ‘Monty’ Montgomery, Regional Secretary of IFES Europe.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Kees Postma

Posted on by jsalanwilson in authors, books, Christian leaders, Christian leadership, church leadership, church ministry, mentoring, MIssion, Podcast

The guest on this episode of the podcast is Kees Postma. Kees is a Dutchman living in the northern part of his home country (Friesland) where he is involved in a church plant. He also helps oversee the church planting work of ECM (European Christian Mission) in Holland, Belgium and Germany.

Kees is also an author. His first book, The Retreat, is an unusual combination of humour and spiritual wisdom that tells the story of a fictional group of Dutch pastors who travel to the southern coast of Ireland (Kees used to work in Ireland) for a spiritual retreat.

In our conversation we talk about the book as well as taking about Kees’ own story and we get a preview of his next book which should appear this year.

You can pick up a copy of The Retreat here.

At the end of our conversation, in answer to the question of what he would say to his 20-year-old self, Kees, refers to a song by singer-songwriter (and author) Andrew Peterson. The song includes these words:

You don’t have to work so hard
You can rest easy
You don’t have to prove yourself
You’re already mine
You don’t have to hide your heart
I already love you
I hold it in mine
So you can rest easy

You might like to take a few minutes to listen to the rest of the song.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Sir George Hamilton

Posted on by jsalanwilson in Christian leaders, Christian leadership, leadership, Podcast

In the final episode of 2022 I’m speaking to Sir George Hamilton, former Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). George served in this role for five years, retiring in 2019 – this after a police career spanning thirty-four years.

Among the things we talk about are ambition and following God’s will. At times we can limit our understanding of calling to the world of pastors and missionaries: but what does it mean to someone progressing in a career outside of the church? The conversation also talks about the formation of values: how might a Christian’s personal values impact a secular organisation? And what really matters, even when someone reaches the pinnacle of their profession.

I hope you enjoy listening to this episode of the podcast: if you do, why not leave a review on Apple or Spotify?

Thanks for visiting the page, and may you have a wonderful Christmas.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Andy Hickford

Posted on by jsalanwilson in books, Christian leaders, Christian leadership, church leadership, church ministry, Podcast

For the past four years Andy Hickford has been Senior Minister at Upton Vale Baptist Church in Torquay. He is currently on sabbatical ahead of moving into a new phase of ministry with Jubilee Leadership – a new ministry with a focus on helping leaders have the opportunity for rest, release and restoration.

Previously Andy worked in churches in Worthing and Luton.

Be sure to listen all the way through and catch the things Andy would say to his 20-year-old self. I’ve asked him to wrote a blog about them – it will be posted here: they are very rich. In anticipation, here are the bullet points:

  • You are perfectly loved: learn to rest in that and minister from it.
  • God does speak, so learn to listen.
  • Pay attention to the habits and pace of your life.
  • Don’t be deceived by the miraculous aspects of your calling.
  • Embrace pilgrimage: enjoy the journey.

The guest on the next episode will be Andrew Roycroft. Andrew is pastor of Portadown Baptist Church. We will be talking about his leadership journey, but also about his new poetry collection: 33 reflections on the Gospel of Saint John.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Gavin Calver

Posted on by jsalanwilson in Christian leaders, Christian leadership, leadership, Podcast

The guest on this episode of the podcast is Gavin Calver. Gavin is CEO of the Evangelical Alliance, a network of over 3000 churches and organisations across the UK. Previously he was the National Director of Youth for Christ and he has served as chair of Spring Harvest. He has authored several books, including ‘Unleashed: The Acts Church Today‘, written with his wife, Anne.

The podcast will be back next month when I will be talking to Andy Hickford.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Manoj Raithatha

Posted on by jsalanwilson in books, Christian leaders, Christian leadership, church leadership, Podcast

Manoj Raithatha is pastor of Pinner Baptist Church in London and chair of the board of the Evangelical Alliance. He has recently published an updated version of his autobiography, ‘Filthy Rich: How the Property Crash Saved My Life‘ which tells the story of how God transformed the life of an Asian property dealer whose reputation was such that he was featured in the property pages of the Daily Telegraph.

It took the crash of 2008 to cause his lifestyle to crumble and the serious illness and subsequent miraculous recovery of his little boy to bring Manoj to the point of surrendering his life to Christ.

If you would like to get a copy of Manoj’s book, you can visit the website of Instant Apostle.

The podcast will be back next week when my guest will be Gavin Calver, CEO of the Evangelical Alliance.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Book Launch Edition

Posted on by jsalanwilson in books, Christian leaders, Christian leadership, Podcast

This episode of the podcast is a bit different. We have a guest interviewer, Gemma Brown, and she’s talking to me (her dad) about my new book, ‘The Crucible of Leadership’ which has been officially launched this week.

As well as talking about some of the processes and ideas behind the book, we even have a surprising intervention about dinosaurs!

The book is now fairly widely available. Make a start with your local Christian bookstore and if you can’t get it there, then it will be available from some of the usual online sources, or you can contact me via this website and I will send you a copy. Otherwise I will be at several of the summer conferences and copies of the book will be available – you can even get your copy signed!

In July I will be recording a special live edition of the podcast at the Keswick at Portstewart Convention, when I will be chatting with David Scott and Glen Scrivener over Wednesday lunchtime.

Launch day for ‘The Crucible of Leadership

Posted on by jsalanwilson in books, Christian leadership

Although the book has been in circulation for a few weeks, today is the official launch day. You can read the publisher’s official announcement on their website.

In recent years, there has been a craze for all things ‘leadership’, with one fad after another promising dramatic change. But as headlines have proven in recent months, just what constitutes good leadership is very far from settled. So if the quick fixes don’t work, where can we turn to discover how we might lead well, in church or in the workplace, when our time comes?

Read more here.

The Leadership JOurney Podcast: Patrick Regan

Posted on by jsalanwilson in books, Christian leadership, leadership, Podcast

Patrick Regan is CEO of the charity, Kintsugi Hope, a charity that exists ‘to make a difference to people’s well-being’. Previously he founded and led a youth charity called XLP. He’s written six books – including his most recent one, ‘Bouncing Forwards‘ which looks at the subject of resilience, and he has travelled to over forty countries.

In our conversation we talk about some of what led Patrick into leadership, what it was like to hand over the leadership of XLP, the charity that he had started, and about the nature of Kintsugi Hope. Along the way we talk about resilience, about the stigma that often seems to be attached to issues of mental health, and – of course – about what Patrick would say to his 20-year-old self.

Here are three of Patrick’s top tips for resilience:

  • Go gently
  • Be kind
  • Stay connected
Kintsugi

You can visit the Kintsugi Hope website to find out more about what’s involved, and if you are interested in starting a group: you can also pick up copies of Patrick’s books (as well as your own Kintsugi kit).

On the next episode of the podcast, I will be talking about my new book – ‘The Crucible of Leadership: Learning from the story of Moses‘ which officially launches this month.

The Leadership Journey Podcast: Sharon Garlough Brown

Posted on by jsalanwilson in books, Christian leaders, Christian leadership, Podcast

This week’s guest on the podcast is the author, Sharon Garlough Brown, well-known for her ‘Sensible Shoes’ and ‘Shades of Light’ series of books.

Sharon will be visiting Northern Ireland towards the end of the month, leading several retreats, including a morning for people involved in leadership and ministry.

In our conversation Sharon talks about her writing, but also about her own journey of faith. We talk about some of the themes of spiritual practice that occur in the book and discuss why men are probably more likely to attend an event promising ten principles for effective leadership than a spiritual retreat!

Sharon also answers the regular podcast question about what she might say to her twenty-year-old self (she’s not sure that her younger self would have known how to take the advice).

Details of Sharon’s visit to Northern Ireland can be found on the Cleopas website and leaders may be particularly interested in the event at Edenmore on Monday 23rd May (not Monday 24th as incorrectly stated on the podcast).