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Steve Cuss

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For most pastors, there has never been a year filled with more turmoil, tension, criticism, and anxiety than 2020. Our congregations were divided by politics, masks, in-person gatherings, and the appropriate reactions to racism in our country. Pastors struggled with preaching through cameras to invisible congregations while making impossible decisions, where any choice would disrupt half the church. 2020 was filled with leadership anxiety, and many of us were never fully equipped to manage it well. In this episode of Craft & Character, author and pastor Steve Cuss talks with Steve Carter about his book Managing Leadership Anxiety. They review what anxiety actually is and how to best take care of your personal struggles while shepherding your congregation through worry and anxiety.

Sam Acho

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In this episode of Leaders in Living Rooms, Sam Acho talks about handling success as a Christian influencer in the NFL. He and Sean Morgan discuss the power of a good name and the importance of being a lifelong learner. Sam talks about using his relational gifts to influence those around him. Finally, Sam shares how he has been able to see God’s blessings during the storms of life.

Gene Appel

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In the latest Craft & Character podcast, Steve Carter talks with Eastside Christian Church senior pastor Gene Appel about effective leadership through preaching. Gene is an incredible mix of strategic leader and kind pastor, and he leads with integrity. He refers to this mix of strategy as “directional leadership” and explains that his goal of shepherding his congregation influences both his message preparation and his sermon calendar. Gene’s clarity of mission plays a key role in moving the Church forward.

Hosanna Wong

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In this episode, Hosanna dives into her trajectory as a spoken word artist. She helps us learn how to stay authentic and to be truly seen by those we influence. Hosanna talks about handling success, influence, and the personal battles that arise in our hearts, including the challenge of killing one’s own ego. Finally, she offers these 4 keys to developing female leaders in our ministries: invitation, inclusion, provision, and permission.

David Wise

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In this episode of Leaders in Living Rooms, skiing pioneer and 2-time Olympic gold medal winner David Wise takes us along on his faith journey. He recounts his meteoric rise in his sport and the reaction of his grace-filled church when he confessed some huge mistakes. We relive the story of David’s 2 harrowing crashes which led up to his breathtaking gold medal run in 2018. Finally, he tells us about his current walk with Jesus and his pastoral calling.

Chuck DeGroat

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In this episode of Craft & Character, Steve Carter interviews Western Theological Seminary pastoral care professor Dr. Chuck DeGroat about narcissism in the local church. Chuck explains the narcissism spectrum and discusses how pastors can demonstrate characteristics that lead to unhealthy and toxic narcissistic actions. This might be the most important Craft & Character podcast to date. If you’re a church or ministry leader, Chuck’s wisdom will help you recognize and combat unhealthy narcissism within yourself, your ministry, and Church culture as a whole.

Patrick Lencioni

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In this episode of Leaders in Living Rooms, Patrick Lencioni shares:

How to build teams in order to get things done
The frustrations at home and at work that inspired The 6 Types of Working Genius system
How he developed one of the most effective tools for building the right teams
How each of the 6 types of genius can be maximized
How to think about managing your church board . . .
and much, much more.

Nicky Gumbel

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At the heart of human happiness are purpose, love, and belonging. In this episode, Sean Morgan and Nicky Gumbel discuss how to find hope in the midst of despair, avoiding false hope and worry. After many years of ministry, Nicky explains what he’s learned about how to unify others, respectfully disagree, and become a better questioner.

Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer

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In this latest Craft & Character podcast, Steve Carter interviews New Testament scholar Scot McKnight and author Laura Barringer about their latest book, A Church Called Tov. Scot and Laura unpack the stories of abuse at Willow Creek, Harvest, and the SBC that led them to write these words. This is a different kind of episode than we have ever done—but we feel it is paramount to talk honestly as pastors, preachers, and teachers about our burden to do whatever we can to create cultures of goodness and not abuse. This episode will teach you about the Hebrew word “tov” and how we can bring “tov” to the pulpit and to our churches. It will also move you to consider what a pastor is truly called to be in this day and age.

Andy Stanley

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Better Decisions, Fewer Regrets is Andy Stanley’s new book that will undoubtedly transform leaders everywhere. Sean and Andy spend this episode unpacking the keys to the book and discussing how Andy learned them from his Father and life circumstances.

Pete Wynter

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In this episode of Leaders in Living Rooms, Sean Morgan sits down with Warren Bird, author of 33 church leadership books. Warren brings incredible insight and wisdom into church leadership that you won’t want to miss. This is Warren Bird at his best.

Derwin Gray

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In this episode, Steve Carter interviews Pastor Derwin Gray about the importance of personal discipleship, intimacy with Christ, and helping people truly discover what the gospel is all about. Derwin dives into everything from discipleship vs. leadership in the Bible, and how the church has forsaken one for the other, to the most pastoral and compelling way one can experience deep intimacy (or “into-me-you-see”) with Christ.

Warren Bird

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In this episode of Leaders in Living Rooms, Sean Morgan sits down with Warren Bird, author of 33 church leadership books. Warren brings incredible insight and wisdom into church leadership that you won’t want to miss. This is Warren Bird at his best.

AJ Sherrill

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In this episode Steve Carter talks with AJ Sherrill about his process for crafting messages and six the values that drive each talk he creates to be a transformative preacher. These six (character, identity, cultivation, authenticity, confidence, and teachable) will help your posture be open to all God wants to do within you and through you. One of the highlights of this episode is hearing AJ’s honesty regarding what he must say no to in order to truly live the life God desires for him. We also talk about AJ’s latest book, The Enneagram for Spiritual Formation.

Tara Beth Leach

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In this Craft & Character podcast Steve Carter interviews Tara Beth Leach, Senior Pastor at First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena (“PazNaz”) in Southern California. Tara Beth discusses her prep process, how she invites the pastoral and the prophetic to intersect, the importance of preaching live using video during this COVID-19 season, and the critical spiritual exercises that help her character lead the way.

Jim Tomberlin

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Jim Tomberlin joins Sean to consider how the new realities of 2020 are changing church multiplication and how mergers can help solve succession issues and pastoral compensation. They also discuss Better Together: Making Church Mergers Work, Jim’s book with Warren Bird that has been expanded and updated in a new edition.

Megan Fate Marshman

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In this Craft & Character episode, Steve talks with Megan Fate Marshman, an incredible teacher, pastor, and author of Meant for Good. Megan shares how she started preaching, the art of storytelling, the importance of pacing, and key spiritual practices that are crucial for her.

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