Guest Host, Josh Surratt

Guest Host Josh Surratt Asks Sean Anything

About The Episode

“Trust comes from relationships.” Today, you’ll be hearing a familiar voice from the podcast. We’re flipping the script on episode 100, and Sean Morgan is interviewed today by Josh Surratt, Lead Pastor at Seacoast Church. How can we learn intentional leadership development from the military? What makes it easier to follow a lead pastor and make space for high-level leaders on your team? Listen in for Sean’s perspective and wisdom for these questions.

Welcome to Episode 100 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan.

Insights From Sean Morgan

WHAT IT TAKES TO FINISH WELL

First things first
- Soul, body, time with Christ, professional counselor, prioritizing marriage
Margin
- While there are “sprint seasons,” healthy leaders don’t have these sprints too often. And when they do, they have enough in the tank.
- Focus on the most important things, and say “no” to the less important things.
- Perspective – a lot of time thinking, marinating, and praying

TRANSITIONS

What leaders overestimate:
- How qualified a resume needs to be for a leader
  - There are so many young, talented, anointed, and called leaders.
  - We’re looking for a resume that only a 45-year-old could have. This might not always
What leaders underestimate:
- The timeline
  - They don’t start early enough in the transition process. (Part of this process is identifying areas where a pastor needs to unwind from an attached identity in ministry.)
  - They celebrate too early, when there may be some bumps ahead.
What’s a good first move in transition
- Put on the “pastor” hat well.
  - Churches in crisis need less of the “leader” hat and more of the pastor.
  - Pastor well, and love well.
- Then get the right team around you.

LEADERSHIP INFLUENCE FROM SEAN’S MILITARY EXPERIENCE

The military is great at intentional leadership development
- It’s driven out of necessity.
  - The average age of an army soldier right now is 23.
  - Tools, training, and equipping early on…followed by opportunities to lead
    - Churches can tend to do one or the other while leaving the second half missing.
    - You can talk about how to land an airplane…but that person is never going to get better until they put their hands on the controls.

FOLLOWING LEAD PASTORS

What’s easy to follow?
- Understanding the “why”
- Leaders who are getting “shared leadership” right are easy to follow.
  - Not to be confused with “co-leadership”
  - Clear chain of command
What’s hard to follow?
- When pastors are misunderstood
  - Making changes people don’t understand. We have to have the “why” in place so people understand the change.
How to make room for high-level leaders on a team
- Pay attention to hiring well. (Building your team)
- Put in the time to build relationships.
- Ask yourself, “Who do you trust that could do it?”
- Don’t say “no” for other people.

ADVICE FROM SEAN

Ask for help/assistance sooner. It will put time/equipping on your side. Problems get worse when they’re not being managed.

Episode Links

Episode 046 with Josh Surratt

Episode 047 with Josh Surratt

Leadership Pain by Samuel Chand

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

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 Sean Morgan?

Sean started out in ministry serving in a San Francisco area church plant as their Executive Pastor. He went on to help coach and consult with church leaders across the country and eventually founded The Ascent Leader, a first of its kind organization focusing on relational leadership development for local church pastors.

He also hosts the Leaders In Living Rooms podcast.

Sean recently retired from a 26 year career as a KC-10 pilot in the US Air Force Reserve.

His favorite titles are “Stacy’s husband” and “Kaylee and Ayden’s dad.”

Who is Josh Surratt?

As Lead Pastor, Josh Surratt is helping Seacoast Church realize God’s vision for what comes next. He is passionate about helping people find God, grow their faith, discover their purpose, and make a difference. Josh was raised in Charleston, South Carolina and attended the College of Charleston. He joined the Seacoast staff in 2001 and has served in several roles, including four years as the Mount Pleasant Campus Pastor. Josh is one of Seacoast’s Teaching Pastors and currently serves on the Executive Team as the Seacoast Lead Pastor. He and his wife Lisa have three children – Miles, Greta Kate, and Ellie. In his off-hours, Josh loves to cheer for all Chicago sports teams and the Clemson Tigers.

Quotes From Episode

“There are so many young, talented, anointed and called leaders…”

“You can talk about how to land an airplane…but that person is never going to get better until they put their hands on the controls.”

“Leaders who are getting ‘shared leadership’ right are easy to follow.”

“Trust comes from relationships.”

“I wish people asked for help sooner.”

“Great leaders know that they need to raise their hand.”

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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