Watermark's Church Leadership Podcast

In many ways, the way you bring an employee or volunteer on board sets the tone for their experience going forward. It goes beyond just setting them up with a key card or a lanyard with a name tag; it’s a chance to introduce them to the culture they’re joining and communicate how valuable they are to the team. Special guests Josiah Jones and Lanie Eberhard joined this week’s Church Leadership Podcast to share their best practices for starting things on the right foot.   Onboarding Documents from Watermark's HR Department:Onboarding Document - Hosts and GuestsOnboarding Document - Events and MinistriesOnboarding Document - Contacting Facilites, IT and ProductionOnboarding Document - Writing Your Website BioRecommended Podcast Episodes for New Team Members:1. Views from the Porch “How to Work at Work”2. Views from the Porch “Becoming Unoffendable”3. Views from the Porch “Leading Up Part 1”4. Views from the Porch “Leading Up Part 2”5. Church Leaders Podcast “Giving and Receiving Feedback”6. Church Leaders Podcas

Responding to failure gets a lot of attention– but what about success? What’s the right response of a Christ-follower when things go well? What’s the difference between confidence and arrogance? In this week’s podcast, John McGee shares the six things you should always do after a win. 

The last few episodes of the Church Leadership Podcast talked about physical health and growth, but internal health is just as important. Leadership can be lonely, and the constant pressure to produce and perform can push “inside health” to the bottom of the priority list. If you strip away all the external results of your efforts and instead examine just your heart, how are you actually doing?  

Most of us hope to continue growing and developing throughout our lives. However, without taking conscious steps, it's easy to become complacent in our daily routines and habitual ways of thinking. In this week's podcast, John McGee shares ten actionable strategies to foster your own growth and self-improvement. 

Most of us acknowledge our bodies as temples to be stewarded for God’s glory, but it’s easier said than put into practice. In today’s episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, Luke Friesen and Bobby Rodriguez explain some of the spiritual implications of physical health and some measurable steps you can take toward being a healthier leader. 

When is the last time you thought about strategic plans? For many of us, it's probably been a little while. On this episode, we're joined by Harvard MBA and Executive Pastor of Watermark Community Church, John Cox as we dive into the key elements of crafting a strategic plan and common pitfalls to avoid.

Even competent employees won’t last long if they can’t manage their own emotions. Unfortunately, most of us can't even identify our emotions, much less realize when we’re allowing them to drive our decisions. On this week’s podcast, Jeff Ward, Watermark Director of External Focus, shares six tips for understanding, embracing, and managing the God-given gift of emotions.

In a time of growth and transformation for Watermark, leaders invested extraordinary amounts of time and prayer into identifying, articulating, and reinforcing the church’s four strategic priorities. Elder and senior pastor Blake Holmes shares his takeaways on bringing clarity and focus and securing team buy-in.   

The job isn’t done just because you’re moving on. How you leave is how you will be remembered; it starts long before you leave and doesn’t end the day you resign. John Cox draws from his own experience to share insight about building an environment of trust and navigating transitions with godliness. 

There’s no shortcut around spending time with God. Theology, visions, and strategies don't matter if you aren’t leading yourself well and personally abiding with Christ. This week, T.A. and John McGee share why our defining characteristic must be that we have been with the Savior. 

How can you develop your own God-given communication style? It's natural to mimic the voices of the leaders who inspire you. In today’s episode, Timothy "T.A." Ateek explains how to go a step farther and develop your own communication style that utilizes the way God has uniquely wired you to lead.   

The cultural attitude toward work has shifted—and no, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Join John McGee and Adam Tarnow for a look at how church leaders can help next-generation leaders navigate this season and continue to strive for and inspire excellence (all without compromising their values or selling their souls).

By the end of his story, Joseph testified to the incredible way God had worked through all his trials. But had you caught Joseph at any other point in his life—say, in the pit, in slavery, or in prison—would he have known that things were going to end up that way? This week, John McGee explores how apparent failure can be a matter of temporal vantage point, as well as possible reasons your plan might not yet have come to fruition.

National Director of re|engage, Robert Green, knows a thing or two about running a team. This week’s Church Leaders podcast covers his personal management best practices, how to align your team’s goals with your church’s broader vision, and why it’s worth it to be "extra.” 

Every leader wants to help their team be productive—but what is productivity? How can we be good stewards of the time and energy God gives us? How does a Vespa scooter help John Cox keep things moving? All of this and more on today’s Church Leadership Podcast.    Recommendations from this podcast: "Do More Better" by Tim Challies,"At Your Best" by Cary Nieuwhof,"Atomic Habits" by James Clear,"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen R. Covey,"The Productivity Project" by Chris Bailey,App: Coffitivity (coffee shop background noise),App: Bento (time management),App: Waterminder (water reminders),Website: https://alifeofproductivity.com/

Ask any church leader to summarize how they have felt over the past few years, and they will more than likely say “Tired.” Weariness decreases effectiveness and leads to burnout. On this episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, John McGee shares why leaders are so tired and draws strategies for ministry longevity from 1 Kings 19.

Interested in how church cultures shift over time? Want to see your own culture change or improve? On this episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, Jonathan Pokluda (Lead Pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church) shares from first-hand experience how cultures change and what strategies leaders need to make that happen. For show notes and more, visit: https://www.watermarkresources.com/clp/9338-how-to-change-your-culture

On this episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, enjoy this special talk by Blake Holmes (Lead Pastor of Watermark) from the 2022 Church Leadership Conference. For resources and more, visit https://www.watermarkresources.com/clp/9242-discouragement-and-distance

On this episode of the Church Leadership Podcast John McGee sits down with Timothy "TA" Ateek (Teaching Pastor at Watermark Community Church) to talk about how to measure success. For show notes and more, visit https://www.watermarkresources.com/clp/9203-measuring-success

On this episode of the Church Leadership Podcast, David Penuel and John McGee discuss the importance of saying no and why creating healthy boundaries is crucial in ministry. For show notes and more, visit https://www.watermarkresources.com/clp/9072-saying-no