Chris Fletcher
Finding Your Team with Chris Fletcher of Manna Church
About The Episode
“Sometimes, you have the grace to receive a vision but not the grace to communicate it.” Meet Chris Fletcher, Lead Pastor of Manna Church in Fayetteville/Ft. Liberty. Today, we get to hear Chris’ insights on leadership transition. We’ll learn about the wisdom of ambiguity in the beginning, what changes with money and leaders as you transition, and the necessity of peer mentorship.
Welcome to Episode 098 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan.
Insights From Chris Fletcher
CHANGES IMPLEMENTED AT MANNA
- Money
- Money cannot be spent the same. Rather than big events, it transitioned to empowering others.
- Leaders
- You need a clear leadership pipeline.
- Over-communicate the vision on Sundays
- Empowering people to be the church
- Small groups are not a ministry of the church–it is the church
TRANSITION
- Transition in many ways feels like the best and most challenging thing.
- It can be freeing and challenging at the same time.
PREPPING FOR CHANGE
- What they did well:
- Not saying too much, too fast, too soon; There is wisdom in being ambiguous in the beginning. Sometimes, you have the grace to receive a vision but not the grace to communicate it.
- What they did not do well:
- They let ambiguity overstay its welcome.
- Key- You need clarity on when you are processing and when you are communicating next steps.
- Written down process of transition
- They did not include an unbiased third party–this is needed for a healthy transition so you don’t skew challenging decisions.
CHRIS' "LOW" OF TRANSITION
- When people were not on board with the vision and left.
- What helped: joining community within a cohort
FRIENDS
- You need friends before you need them.
- “The better friend I become, the better interviewer I become” -Chris
- Peer mentors
- They don’t have to be many years older. They can be in the same season.
- It also doesn’t have to be a lifetime commitment.
BUILDING A TEAM IN TRANSITION
- The task might not change, but how you rally around it can change. So, allow the space for the team to process that.
- Be clear on what you are clear on.
- Is leadership lonely?
- The decisions don’t change, but the weight of them does. So leaders feel that weight differently when they are making decisions.
- Learn to lean on and process with your spouse.
Episode Links
sean@theascentleader.org
If you’re a leader approaching a succession or transition. Or maybe you’re a few years in and beginning to see how complex transitions leadership is… go to The Art of Pastoral Succession and check out my brand new course in partnership with Carey Nieuwhof.
Are you in Transition or have one on the horizon? Check out our 2023 cohorts and get connected with us at: https://theascentleader.org/cohorts/
Who is Chris Fletcher?
Chris Fletcher is the Lead Pastor of Manna Church in Fayetteville/Ft. Liberty. He is married to Rachel and the couple has four children. Chris has a B.A. in Music Performance from Campbell University and an M.A. in Christian Leadership from Grace College of Divinity (now Manna University). He is the Vice President of the Fayetteville Soccer Club and a staff coach at the Villareal Force Soccer Academy.
Sponsors
Thanks to our sponsor: Food For The Hungry.
Combine your church’s heart for the poor and Food for the Hungry’s global experience at fh.org/churches.
Quotes From Episode
“You can change the world. We can help.”
“However high you hold the bar, people will rise to meet that expectation.”
“Transition, in many ways, feels like the best and most challenging thing.”
“Sometimes, you have the grace to receive a vision but not the grace to communicate it.”
“You need friends before you need them.”
“You can’t wait until the storm shows up to start building the shelter.” ~Sean Morgan
“Remember to look at life through the lens of all that God has done in the last decades.”
Listen to Recent Episodes
About the Host
Sean Morgan is a coach and speaker with a national reputation as a catalyst of fresh vision. His passion is to help ministries navigate obstacles and turn them into opportunities.
Throughout his career, Sean has pioneered initiatives impacting thousands of leaders across the country. He started out serving as Executive Pastor and CFO at New Life Church in northern California.
As host, Sean gives you access to amazing conversations, hard-won wisdom, and poignant insights from world-class leaders in intimate “living room” settings.
Your Host
Sean Morgan
Leaders in Living Rooms
Craft & Character
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