Watermark's Church Leadership Podcast

In this episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, John McGee and Caitlin Van Wagoner dive into Watermark's Master Calendar system. They chat about how it keeps the church mission-focused and resources in sync, tackling the ups and downs of growing organizations. Tune in to hear about the power of solid planning, the importance of leadership buy-in, and how teamwork makes ministry more impactful.Designation Service MenuMaster Calendar Process Explained

In this session from Church Leaders Conference, John and Pam McGee share the importance of prioritizing your marriage as your first ministry. He emphasizes evaluating one's ministry, the significance of character and competency in leadership, and the necessity of being content and intentional in your marriage. CLC Giveaway Blocks

In this episode, we dive into “Watermarkisms;” the phrases and sayings that help shape the culture at Watermark Community Church. John McGee and Ashley Lawrence unpack the importance of the words we choose, how they influence your team, and create a culture of ownership.Watermark's Owners ManualPopular Phrases We Say Around Watermark:1. Ride Along2. Think Like an Owner3. Last 2%/ 24-Hour Rule/ Widen the Circle4. Preach, Pray, or Die5. Faithfulness of the Leader, Faithfulness of the Team6. Farkle/ That's a Way to Lose!/ High-Risk High-Reward7. Find the One8. How's Your Ministry?9. Stay in the Ring With Me10. All Hands on Deck11. The Most Important 100 are the Next 100Bonus: Knock Your Socks Off

In this week’s episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, Dave Bruskas (Director of Re:generation) shares his personal journey of working in ministry and the hardships he has faced along the way. Listen to be reminded of God's faithfulness and sustaining presence, and be encouraged of the ways He uses our challenges to shape our faith and leadership. 

On this week’s episode of the Church Leaders Podcast, explore the reasons behind faith deconstruction and gain insight on supporting those going through it. Key themes include church hurt, justification for sin, politics, intellectual doubts, cultural pressures, and personal experiences, with in-depth discussion on understanding truth, authority, and offering empathy. The discussion highlights the importance of being pastoral, patient, and loving while pointing individuals back to scripture during this process. 

Creating a strong culture is crucial for any organization, including churches. In this week’s episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, John McGee and Dave Bruskas explore how leaders must clearly define and communicate the desired culture, recognize and correct behaviors that align or conflict with it, and consistently reinforce it over time. 

In this episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, John McGee is joined by Luke Friesen (Senior Director of Operations) and John Cox (Executive Pastor) to discuss strategies for navigating economic slowdowns and decreased giving. Learn how strong communication, building reserves, and finding creative solutions will help you lead confidently through financial uncertainties.

People who see the world in unique ways and have original problem-solving approaches are a huge asset to any team. But if you want to help your creatives reach their full potential, you need to understand how to best engage with them. John McGee, Caitlin Van Wagoner (Senior Communications Director), and David Penuel (Creative Director) discuss maximizing creative gifting in the church on this week’s episode of the Church Leadership Podcast.  Downloads:CLC Breakout Slides - The Creative Process

Creativity matters because we are called to reflect our Creator God. Many of us, however, think of creativity as being accessible only to the talented few who fit a certain stereotype. This week on the Church Leadership Podcast, we gathered some of our staff’s best creative minds to demystify the creative process and explore how we can harness it for God’s glory.  Downloads:Creativity is a Remix by Kirby Ferguson (Ted Talk)A Technique for Producing Ideas by William Young

When news of a pastor’s moral failure breaks, it’s appropriate to grieve for the pain the sin has caused and the damage God’s reputation has suffered. On this week’s episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, John McGee and Dave Bruskas wrestle with their own complicated feelings about recent scandals and explore how we can lead ourselves well—avoiding self-righteousness and reorienting ourselves to truth.  

None of us are capable of making ministry fruitful, but we’re still charged with putting in the work and waiting in faith for God to bring the growth. In a special message at the Church Leaders Conference this Spring, John Elmore encouraged us to work alongside God’s Spirit and His other faithful workers in this great “co-mission.” 

Church leaders are the first to extol the importance of biblical fellowship, but we aren’t always the best at practicing it. This special message from Harris Creek Baptist Church pastor Jonathan “J.P.” Pokluda, first given at CLC 2024, calls leaders to drop any pretenses and embrace the God-given gift of Christian accountability. This isn’t a race you can run well alone. 

If you weren’t able to join us at the Church Leaders Conference this year, check out pastor Timothy Ateek’s opening mainstage message on prayer as a spiritual checkpoint. Without attentive care, it’s easy to let your spiritual priority drift from enjoying God’s presence through prayer. We kicked off our time together by taking a hard look at ourselves and discussing how we can get back on-course if we’ve drifted. 

We wrapped up the “Things I Didn’t Learn in Seminary” podcast series this week with an episode on how to lead and serve in your first and most important ministry: your family. Shepherding your family well--listed in 1 Timothy as a leadership qualification--can be challenging. Whether you have a spouse and kids or hope to someday, it’s worth preparing to face these occupational hazards with eyes wide open.   

Ever heard the joke, “I love ministry—it's people I can’t stand”? It’s funny because interacting with people can be difficult, but people are our ministry, and the way we interact with them matters immensely. In this week’s episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, John McGee and Dave Bruskas talk about the nuances of interpersonal exchanges, drawing from years of real-life ministry experience.

Incompetence isn’t always a moral issue, but it will hobble your ministry just as quickly. People are inherently skeptical of churches, and if you don’t keep the trains running on time, you’ll erode their trust. In the fourth installment of this series, John McGee and Dave Bruskas discuss how the X’s and O’s of ministry administration, from complying with government regulations to maintaining excellent facilities, can either support or detract from the message of the Gospel.  

Ministry has a definite and appropriate outward focus. But you can’t lead others well if you aren’t leading yourself first—spiritually, practically, and physically. In this week’s episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, Dave Bruskas and John McGee discuss how stewarding your own time and gifts, from your schedule to your personal spiritual walk, can hugely impact your ministry’s fruitfulness.    "The Rule of Life" Reference

A lot of us go into ministry unconsciously believing that we just need to know how to teach and preach well, when in fact, leadership involves a huge amount of team management and goal-setting. In this week’s Church Leadership Podcast, John McGee and Watermark Director of re:generation Dave Bruskas return with more things they didn’t learn in seminary that have been invaluable in their pastoring careers.

Seminary is invaluable for a pastor, but some aspects of ministry can only be learned through hands-on experience. This week’s episode of the Church Leadership Podcast kicks off a new 6-part series covering things we’ve learned on the job: how to handle a confession, what to say at a hospital visit, and much more. 

Many of us have set ambitious goals for 2024. While it’s great to learn new skills and accomplish new things, the best way to have an impact is simply to be faithful. In this week’s episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, John McGee reminds us that Jesus honors faithful servants—not accomplished servants or goal-crushing servants.