The Leadership Journey Podcast: Recent Episodes
Dr Alan Wilson
A series of interviews with leaders, for leaders, exploring the ups and downs of a leadership journey.
Hold on to Hope is the title of a new book (July 18) from Instant Apostle. The author is Howard Satterthwaite who works for a global Christian charity and previously served as the lead pastor at Westminster Chapel in London. Howard is the guest on this episode of the podcast.
In the podcast, Paul talks about coming to faith in Christ as a law student. He had not grown up in a believing family, but had a praying grandmother whose prayers for her family were powerfully answered as other members of the family came to faith through Alpha.
After some time working as a barrister and working with the Lawyers’ Christian Fellowship, Paul joined the staff at Westminster Chapel in central London, where he was mentored by the then-senior pastor, the late Greg Haslam.
Two years ago, overwhelmed by discouragement, Howard felt that he had to step away from leadership in the church. In our conversation he talks about this season, and about his recovery, with grace and vulnerability.
Hold on to Hope emerged from journalling and conversations during Howard’s discovery. It’s largely based around an incident in the life of David in 1 Samuel 30, where David ‘encouraged himself in the Lord.’ His reflections on the story are interspersed with contributions from a number of other people, including RT Kendall.
The book will be published on July 18: in the meantime, you can pre-order a copy from several online outlets, including from the publisher, Instant Apostle, and from Amazon.
https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-7upik-187d7c0
Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana is director of the One People Commission at the Evangelical Alliance. He is the founding director of the Centre for Missionaries from the Majority World, a mission network initiative that provides cross-cultural training to reverse missionaries in Britain. He also serves several other organisations, including Tearfund and Lausanne Europe. In addition, he has authored or edited several books, including the upcoming Polyphonic God: Exploring Intercultural Theology, Churches and Justice.
In our conversation we talk about Israel’s ministry journey but also about some of the issues that come under the umbrella of the work of the OPC. We chat about ‘Visions of Justice and Hope’ – a new resource on racial reconciliation from the EA and we unpack some of the differences between cross-cultural, multi-cultural, and inter-cultural churches.
Here is the link to the podcast conversation.
You can find out more about Visions of Justice and Hope from the Evangelical Alliance website where you can download a PDF: otherwise you can email opc@eauk.org to request a copy.
Also, Israel will be taking part in the Irish Bible Institute’s Summer Institute that will be held in June in Maynooth. The theme is churches moving from being multi-ethnic to intercultural and you can find information about this – and register – on IBI’s website.
Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana is director of the One People Commission at the Evangelical Alliance. He is the founding director of the Centre for Missionaries from the Majority World, a mission network initiative that provides cross-cultural training to reverse missionaries in Britain. He also serves several other organisations, including Tearfund and Lausanne Europe. In addition, he has authored or edited several books, including the upcoming Polyphonic God: Exploring Intercultural Theology, Churches and Justice.
In our conversation we talk about Israel’s ministry journey but also about some of the issues that come under the umbrella of the work of the OPC. We chat about ‘Visions of Justice and Hope’ – a new resource on racial reconciliation from the EA and we unpack some of the differences between cross-cultural, multi-cultural, and inter-cultural churches.
Here is the link to the podcast conversation.
You can find out more about Visions of Justice and Hope from the Evangelical Alliance website where you can download a PDF: otherwise you can email opc@eauk.org to request a copy.
Also, Israel will be taking part in the Irish Bible Institute’s Summer Institute that will be held in June in Maynooth. The theme is churches moving from being multi-ethnic to intercultural and you can find information about this – and register – on IBI’s website.
Nick Park is the Executive Director of the Evangelical Alliance (Ireland). He is also the founding pastor of of Solid Rock church in Drogheda, and oversees a network of almost 40 churches in the Republic of Ireland under the auspices of the Church of God.
In our conversation Nick talked about his dramatic early years, coming to faith in Christ as a young man through the work of the Salvation Army, after several years of homelessness. He talks about his path into ministry and how he and his wife came to start Solid Rock Church in Drogheda (there is a fascinating reference to St Patrick). Along the way we chat about the state of the Evangelical Church in Ireland and discuss ways in which it might contribute to church planting in the North.
As ever, we finish with Nick talking about what he would like to say to his 20-year-old self.
Visit the EAI’s website where you can catch Nick’s Friday podcast.
Here is the link to my conversation with Nick.
Tod Bolsinger is the author of popular leadership books, Canoeing the Mountains, and Tempered Resilience: we chatted on a couple of episodes of this podcast back in 2021.
More recently he has been working on a series of short books on change.
- How not to waste a crisis
- The mission always wins
- Leading through resistance
- Invest in transformation
Basically, the books work off the ideas that Tod has established in his earlier writing, in particular Canoeing the Mountains.
Each of the books tackles a mistake that good leaders often make, whether it is responding to a crisis by working harder, or aiming to lead always on the basis of ‘win-win’ – the mistakes form the (sometimes provocative) subtitles of the books. These mistakes are what he calls old mindsets and they need to be replaced by a series of new skillsets which lead to an adaptive reset.
In our conversation we begin to unpack some of the key ideas in the books – mission, loss, disagreement and values. Hopefully you will hear enough to make you want to purchase the books and get to work on them with your leadership team!
The collection will be available around the middle of August, but they are already available for pre-order. If you are in the US, visit the IVP website, and in the UK, try Eden Books.
Tod Bolsinger is the author of popular leadership books, Canoeing the Mountains, and Tempered Resilience: we chatted on a couple of episodes of this podcast back in 2021.
More recently he has been working on a series of short books on change.
- How not to waste a crisis
- The mission always wins
- Leading through resistance
- Invest in transformation
Basically, the books work off the ideas that Tod has established in his earlier writing, in particular Canoeing the Mountains.
Each of the books tackles a mistake that good leaders often make, whether it is responding to a crisis by working harder, or aiming to lead always on the basis of ‘win-win’ – the mistakes form the (sometimes provocative) subtitles of the books. These mistakes are what he calls old mindsets and they need to be replaced by a series of new skillsets which lead to an adaptive reset.
In our conversation we begin to unpack some of the key ideas in the books – mission, loss, disagreement and values. Hopefully you will hear enough to make you want to purchase the books and get to work on them with your leadership team!
The collection will be available around the middle of August, but they are already available for pre-order. If you are in the US, visit the IVP website, and in the UK, try Eden Books.
For the past 16 years Fred Drummond has been the director of the Evangelical Alliance in Scotland – a role he is leaving in a few weeks. He also has a role with the EA in encouraging and developing prayer.
In our podcast conversation he talks about his early years, including the story of coming to faith in Jesus and how he was mentored both in his first steps as a Christian, and as he developed in ministry. He also talks about his work in Scotland, with the challenge of encouraging Christians to cultivate intimacy with Jesus, hope in the gospel, and confidence to live as disciples in a rapidly secularising culture.
He shares personally about his own habits of prayer and – as with other guests on the podcast – about what pieces of advice he would share with his 20-year-old self.
You can find a selection of Fred’s writing, including his articles on woundedness in leaders, via the website of the Evangelical Alliance.
On this episode of the podcast, the guests are husband and wife team, ‘Mitch’ and Amanda Mitchell who are based in Belfast with Crown Jesus Ministries, a Christian charity at work in evangelism across Ireland.
In our conversation they talk about their own story – how they became Christians and some of the ways their faith has grown – as well as the remarkable story of Crown Jesus, birthed in a dramatic encounter at a conference in Germany 25 years ago.
They bring a challenge in terms of how we think of evangelism and what they believe needs to happen in the Church (and academy) for witness and evangelism to regain their rightful place.
Of course we also wrap up the conversation by hearing them share what they would say to their 20-year-old selves.
You can visit their website to find out more about Crown Jesus and their mission to ensure that everyone on the island of Ireland has the opportunity to hear and respond to the good news of Jesus.
This week the Evangelical Alliance in Northern Ireland released a detailed snapshot of evangelicals in this part of the world. ‘Good News People’ brings together the results of two surveys that were carried out in 2023: one, a representative survey of the general population, and the other, an online survey of professing Christians.
David Smyth, head of the Evangelical Alliance in Northern Ireland, joins me to talk about the report.
You can download your own copy of the report, or read it online, on the EA website.
Colin Holmes is pastor of Ferrybank Christian Community Church in Waterford. Four years ago he suffered a brain injury (from which he has thankfully recovered). He has recently written about his experience in a new book, Recovering Life: Searching for a Healthy Spirituality for the Whole of our Humanity.
Not only does the book reflect on Colin’s experience of a health crisis, but it also seeks to reflect on a number of themes that Colin believes have been brought into focus during the recent pandemic. Colin takes these themes and turns to Scripture to trace ways in which they are discussed there.
In our conversation we talk about Colin’s story and about aspects of the book.
For anyone in Northern Ireland, there is a launch event in Ballymena on Friday, February 16. It’s a ticketed event and the price of the ticket covers a meal as well as a copy of the book. Tickets are available on Eventbrite (follow the link). Otherwise, the book is available at various Christian bookshops.
My guest on this episode of the podcast has been described as ‘the nicest man in politics’. While John Kyle is no longer involved in electoral politics, he has some fascinating things to say about his career (which culminated in him serving as High Sheriff of Belfast) and on the role that Christians can play in civic life – and it was pertinent that we were having this conversation what may turn out to be a(nother) pivotal week in Northern Ireland politics.
As well as his political career John has worked as a GP and has been very involved in church and pastoral work.
Our conversation covers his formative years, including his experience in the fledgling Charismatic movement in Belfast and runs through his time as a GP and on to his time as a member of the Progressive Unionist Party in Belfast. He has a lot to say about the idea of vocation outside of the conventional understanding of church or mission work and he brings encouragement for Christians involved in politics and other areas of civic life: the key is servanthood.
He’s also given some thought to the five things he would say to his twenty-year old self.
The guest on this episode of the podcast is Justin Irving. Justin is Professor of Leadership at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky and his new book, Healthy Leadership for Thriving Organizations: Creating Contexts Where People Flourish, is set for publication this month. Previously, along with Mark Strauss, he wrote Leadership in Christian Perspective: Mark Strauss joined me on the podcast four years ago to talk about the book.
Justin’s new book focusses on the work of organisational leaders, what he describes as ‘the thirty-thousand-foot-level of leadership’. Such leaders are still required to pay attention to how they lead individuals, but they also lead at a level that requires them to pay attention to the big picture. Behind the book are insights from a survey that was carried out among over two hundred leaders.
In our conversation we spend some time talking about the book and some of the ideas it covers, but Justin also talks about his own story: how he has been shaped, and what he has learned along the way.
The book’s official launch date is Tuesday 19th December in the US and as a Kindle e-book in the UK: you will have to wait another two months to get your hands on a paper copy here.
That’s all for the podcast for 2023. If you have been following along – or even just dipping in from time to time, thanks for listening, and may you have a wonderful Christmas!
Paul Williams is the Chief Executive of the Bible Society, a charity dedicated to making the message available to everyone. Previously he has worked in business in London and has taught at Regent College in Vancouver, where he is Research Professor of Marketplace Theology and Leadership. He is the executive producer of Reframe, a resource that aims to help Christians see how the gospel reframes all of life.
Paul is also the author of Exiles on Mission: How Christians Can Thrive in a Post-Christian World. The book is the fruit of years of reflection and challenges Christians to engage missionally in the world. The late Tim Keller had this to say about the book:
“This book comes at a most important time, when orthodox Protestant believers in particular are struggling. In some ways it is the age-old problem of how to relate Christianity to culture, but in other ways we are faced with some unique challenges–namely, how to engage not merely a pre-Christian or a non-Christian but a post-Christian society. Williams’s book helps us avoid the twin dangers of being too at home in or too withdrawn from our culture. We are exiles, but exiles on mission. Highly recommended.”
In our conversation Paul talks about some of the ideas behind the book and we also spend some time exploring Paul’s leadership journey, from his earliest interest in the Bible through a developing path that has brought him to his current role with the Bible Society.
The book is available from the Bible Society; if you live in Northern Ireland you can get a copy from ICM Books or the Evangelical Bookshop, and there are various online options for ordering, as well as a Kindle version.
There is one more podcast episode planned for 2023: I will be talking to author and seminary professor Justin Irving about his new book, Healthy Leadership for Thriving Organizations: it’s filled with helpful ideas for leaders of churches and Christian organisations or businesses.
Jonathan Thomas is pastor of Cornerstone Church in Abergavenny, Wales. He is a regular contributor to BBC Radio Wales, has written and presents the material in a recent film on ‘Welsh Awakenings‘ and has published ‘Intentional Interruptions‘, a book that challenges us about the interruptions we experience in our distractedness and encourages us to seek the ways that God wants to interrupt us.
In this episode of the podcast, Jonathan talks about his journey as a Christian and in leadership, from his early years in a Welsh-speaking chapel, through his conversion and early steps in ministry. He. talks about some of the challenges that leaders can face in remaining focussed on the core of their calling and reminds us of the ‘glorious mundane’ – the sphere of simple service to God, perhaps in smaller or apparently less-spectacular places. He also talks about his book and – of course – what he would say to his 20-year-old self.
Watch out for a moment of poetic irony towards the end of the conversation!
The book, Intentional Interruptions, is available through various outlets: you might like to consider buying several copies to use with a small group.
In December I will be talking with Paul Williams, Chief Executive of the Bible Society.
This week we have another book-related episode as I am joined by Jo Frost and Peter Lynas who are talking about their new book, Being Human: A New Lens for our Cultural Conversations.
Jo has been with EA since 2017 and is director of communications and engagement. Peter is UK director and oversees EA’s advocacy work.
In our conversation Jo and Peter talk about their own journeys in Christian leadership and their work with EA (Peter has previously been a guest on the podcast and you can listen to his story here). They also talk about the book – how they came to write it, what the process of team writing was like and some of the basic ideas behind the book.
The book is one part of a suite of resources on the theme of Being Human – details of a podcast and video course are available on a special ‘Being Human’ website.
Peter Lynas and Jo Frost along with Manoj Raithatha, Chairman of the Evangelical Alliance, pictured at a book launch event in SeptemberThere is a special bonus for listeners to this episode of the podcast (and to anyone living in Northern Ireland). If you would like to support the work of the Evangelical Alliance, you can take out a personal or family membership: as part of your welcome pack you will receive a copy of the book. To find out more, or to sign up, go to the Evangelical Alliance website.
The guest on the next episode of the podcast will be Jonathan Thomas, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Abergavenny.
Iain Provan is a retired professor of Biblical Studies at Regent College in Vancouver where he worked for twenty-five years. He is the author of several books and his most recent offering is Cuckoos in our Nest: Truth and Lies about Being Human which was published earlier this year.
In our conversation we talk about Iain’s own story, from growing up in Scotland, and spend time talking about some of the ideas in the book.
The book essentially presents a biblical theology of what it means to be human, teasing out some of the implications of this, for example as they relate to wealth or creation care, and identifying some of the cuckoos, or false ways of thinking that have found their way into the Christian nest.
This is the first of a couple of podcasts on a similar theme as the next episode will consist of an interview with Jo Frost and Peter Lynas from the Evangelical Alliance, talking about their new book (set for release next week), Being Human.
For more from Iain, visit his website, where you will find information about his writing and other teaching.
The guest on this episode of the podcast is author, speaker, family man, and outdoors adventurer, Andrew Ollerton. Andrew works with the Bible Society and has written The Bible: A Story That Makes Sense of Life, and Romans: A Letter That Makes Sense of Life. He has also written The Bible Course and The Romans Course which you can discover more on the website of the Bible Society.
Andrew’s mission in life is to help cultivate confidence in the Bible. It’s a thread that runs through his own life as well as his work. We develop this theme in our conversation and towards the end Andrew discusses the task as it relates to:
- Preachers
- Parents
- Publishers and professors
- The digital space (we couldn’t come up with a word starting with P)
- Personal devotion
As with other guests on the podcast, he shares what he would say to his twenty-year old self.
Upcoming guests on the podcast include:
- Ian Provan, talking about his book, Cuckoos in our Nest: Truth and Lies about Being Human
- Jo Frost and Peter Lynas, from the Evangelical Alliance, talking about their upcoming book, Being Human, and the resources that will go along with it
If you have not already done so, why not subscribe to to the podcast via Apple or Spotify?
Andrew Ollerton (L) with Bear Grylls: they’re working on a new project together.
Last week Pauline and I had the opportunity to share some thoughts on ministry resilience in the context of a leadership seminar at the Keswick at Portstewart Convention. The overall theme of the convention week was unshakable and the week featured some outstanding Bible teaching from Gilbert Lennox on Daniel, and from Jonathan Thomas and … Continue reading The Leadership Journey POdcast: POrtstewart Keswick special edition →
The guest on this episode of the podcast is Andy Lamberton. For several years Andy has been leading the work of Exodus in the North West. Exodus is a young people’s discipleship movement that each year mobilises some 500 young people for summer missions. Andy’s role in Exodus is currently changing as he spearheads a … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Andy Lamberton →
John Risbridger served for 17 years as pastor of Above Bar Church in Southampton. For most of the past year he has been working on an MA in Global Missiology and he and his wife, Alison have been appointed as the new leaders of the Catalyst Leadership and Theology training course.
Previously John worked for several years for UCCF in both regional and national roles. He has also served as chair of the Keswick Convention and is currently chair of the Evangelical Alliance Council and a member of the board. He is a conference speaker and author, having written The Message of Worship in the IVP Bible Speaks Today series.
In our conversation John talks about growing up in a strong family of faith and about the importance of forming strong peer friendships. He talks about some of the important lessons he has learned from various ministry settings and shares some of the opportunities and challenges of ministry. He also talks about ‘missional ecclesiology’ and the need for the Church to understand and speak of mission in a better way. And of course he also talks about what he would say to his twenty-year-old self.
During the conversation we mention a talk John gave on depression at New Horizon in 2022. You can access the talk here.
On this episode of the podcast I am talking with Phil Knox. Phil works with the Evangelical Alliance as an evangelism and missiology specialist.
Phil has recently published his second book, The Best of Friends: Choose wisely, Care well, and we spend some time talking about ideas from the book.
To get a copy of the book, you can try your local Christian bookshop, or follow the link to the IVP page where you can purchase a copy – either an ‘actual’ book or an ebook.
The podcast will be back in May and I will be talking with John Risbridger. John and his wife, Alison, are the leaders of the Catalyst Leadership and Theology Training programme.
My guest on this episode of the podcast is David (more commonly known as ‘Monty’) Montgomery. Monty is the Regional Secretary for IFES Europe (International Fellowship of Evangelical Students), a role that involves oversight of student work in over forty countries.
In our conversation we discuss Monty’s early days (his father was a mission worker) and several key moments in the development of his faith. We talked about his sense of call to ministry and his time in the rarefied spiritual atmosphere of Regent College in Vancouver. This was followed by a season of ministry in several Presbyterian churches on either side of the Irish border before a move to student work with what became known as CUI (Christian Unions Ireland).
Monty shares about some of the challenges of and encouragements of ministry, including a helpful and challenging outline of how the nature of internal challenges change over the course of a ministry journey.
As ever, we conclude the conversation by hearing what he would say to his twenty-year old self.
The next guest on the podcast will be Phil Knox. Phil works with the Evangelical Alliance and is the author of an excellent new book on friendship: The Best of Friends: Choose wisely, Care well.
Donna Jennings is Church and Missions Co-ordinator with the Evangelical Alliance in Northern Ireland and she is the guest on this episode of the podcast.
As she reflects on her story, she talks about early church experiences and the sense that there should be ‘something more’ (a recurring theme in her story). As a young person she had a remarkable experience of the Lord and a sense that he had taken hold of her life. Student years carried their questions about the Christian faith but there were wise mentors who helped as came through this. She talks about life in Bangladesh, where she met her husband and learned how to introduce Jesus into a quite different culture. A diagnosis of autism for their son meant that the family moved to Northern Ireland where part of Donna’s energy has gone into working in the area of disability theology.
Donna talks about some of the resources she has been involved in producing with EA and answers the traditional podcast question of what she would say to her 20-year-old self.
If you would like to know more about the mission resources that Donna mentioned for churches, you can contact her at d.jennings@eauk.org. To learn more about the Evangelical Alliance and its work across the UK, visit their website.
The next guest on the podcast (after Easter) will be David ‘Monty’ Montgomery, Regional Secretary of IFES Europe.
The guest on this episode of the podcast is Kees Postma. Kees is a Dutchman living in the northern part of his home country (Friesland) where he is involved in a church plant. He also helps oversee the church planting work of ECM (European Christian Mission) in Holland, Belgium and Germany.
Kees is also an author. His first book, The Retreat, is an unusual combination of humour and spiritual wisdom that tells the story of a fictional group of Dutch pastors who travel to the southern coast of Ireland (Kees used to work in Ireland) for a spiritual retreat.
In our conversation we talk about the book as well as taking about Kees’ own story and we get a preview of his next book which should appear this year.
You can pick up a copy of The Retreat here.
At the end of our conversation, in answer to the question of what he would say to his 20-year-old self, Kees, refers to a song by singer-songwriter (and author) Andrew Peterson. The song includes these words:
You don’t have to work so hard
You can rest easy
You don’t have to prove yourself
You’re already mine
You don’t have to hide your heart
I already love you
I hold it in mine
So you can rest easy
You might like to take a few minutes to listen to the rest of the song.
In the final episode of 2022 I’m speaking to Sir George Hamilton, former Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). George served in this role for five years, retiring in 2019 – this after a police career spanning thirty-four years.
Among the things we talk about are ambition and following God’s will. At times we can limit our understanding of calling to the world of pastors and missionaries: but what does it mean to someone progressing in a career outside of the church? The conversation also talks about the formation of values: how might a Christian’s personal values impact a secular organisation? And what really matters, even when someone reaches the pinnacle of their profession.
I hope you enjoy listening to this episode of the podcast: if you do, why not leave a review on Apple or Spotify?
Thanks for visiting the page, and may you have a wonderful Christmas.
Andrew Roycroft is the pastor of Portadown Baptist Church. Previously he has served churches in Newtownards, Armagh and Millisle, as well as spending time with Baptist Missions in Peru. In our conversation we cover the contours of his leadership journey, reflecting on some of the sometimes painful lessons learned along the way. Andrew is also … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Andrew Roycroft →
For the past four years Andy Hickford has been Senior Minister at Upton Vale Baptist Church in Torquay. He is currently on sabbatical ahead of moving into a new phase of ministry with Jubilee Leadership – a new ministry with a focus on helping leaders have the opportunity for rest, release and restoration. Previously Andy … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Andy Hickford →
The guest on this episode of the podcast is Gavin Calver. Gavin is CEO of the Evangelical Alliance, a network of over 3000 churches and organisations across the UK. Previously he was the National Director of Youth for Christ and he has served as chair of Spring Harvest. He has authored several books, including ‘Unleashed: … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Gavin Calver →
The guest on this episode of the podcast is Gavin Calver. Gavin is CEO of the Evangelical Alliance, a network of over 3000 churches and organisations across the UK. Previously he was the National Director of Youth for Christ and he has served as chair of Spring Harvest. He has authored several books, including ‘Unleashed: … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Gavin Calver →
Manoj Raithatha is pastor of Pinner Baptist Church in London and chair of the board of the Evangelical Alliance. He has recently published an updated version of his autobiography, ‘Filthy Rich: How the Property Crash Saved My Life‘ which tells the story of how God transformed the life of an Asian property dealer whose reputation … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Manoj Raithatha →
Manoj Raithatha is pastor of Pinner Baptist Church in London and chair of the board of the Evangelical Alliance. He has recently published an updated version of his autobiography, ‘Filthy Rich: How the Property Crash Saved My Life‘ which tells the story of how God transformed the life of an Asian property dealer whose reputation … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Manoj Raithatha →
Last week, in the context of the Keswick at Portstewart Convention, I chatted with two of the speakers – David Scott and Gilbert Lennox – about their leadership journeys. David leads the ministry of Inshes Church of Scotland, while Gilbert (who has been on the podcast previously) is known for his teaching ministry in Glenabbey … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Gilbert Lennox and David Scott (Keswick Portstewart) →
This episode of the podcast is a bit different. We have a guest interviewer, Gemma Brown, and she’s talking to me (her dad) about my new book, ‘The Crucible of Leadership’ which has been officially launched this week. As well as talking about some of the processes and ideas behind the book, we even have … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Book Launch Edition →
Patrick Regan is CEO of the charity, Kintsugi Hope, a charity that exists ‘to make a difference to people’s well-being’. Previously he founded and led a youth charity called XLP. He’s written six books – including his most recent one, ‘Bouncing Forwards‘ which looks at the subject of resilience, and he has travelled to over … Continue reading The Leadership JOurney Podcast: Patrick Regan →
Gary Burnett is the author of ‘Paul Distilled‘, an accessible introduction to the theology of Paul. He has previously written The Gospel According to the Blues. In our conversation we chat about Gary’s own story as well as discussing some of the themes from his book. You can check out ‘Paul in Ten’, a series … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Gary Burnett on ‘Paul Distilled’ →
This week’s guest on the podcast is the author, Sharon Garlough Brown, well-known for her ‘Sensible Shoes’ and ‘Shades of Light’ series of books. Sharon will be visiting Northern Ireland towards the end of the month, leading several retreats, including a morning for people involved in leadership and ministry. In our conversation Sharon talks about … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Sharon Garlough Brown →
This week’s guest on the podcast is fellow new author Richard Venable. Richard and I connected via our publisher, Instant Apostle. Richard has written Worship Leading Essentials, a thoughtful and extremely practical book that explores a range of areas related to leading corporate worship. Join us as we chat about Richard’s own story and about … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Richard Venable on ‘Worship Leading Essentials’ →
Nicki Copeland is an author, editor and speaker: she leads the team at Instant Apostle, a Christian publishing house that is celebrating its tenth anniversary. In our conversation Nicki talks about her interest in books and her journey to being a writer as she discovered how God had created and gifted her. We talk about … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Nicki Copeland →
This week my guest is Hwa Yung who joins me via Zoom from Malaysia. Hwa Yung has served as a minister and a bishop in the Methodist Church, and was principal of Malaysia Theological Seminary; since his retirement he has remained active, giving himself to working with the Malaysian Church, to writing, and to working … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Hwa Yung on ‘Leadership or Servanthood?’ →
This week’s guest on the podcast is Dr Debbie Hawker. Debbie is a clinical psychologist who works along with her husband, Dr David Hawker, to support mission partners and humanitarian workers. Their work includes providing assessments and reviews as well as retreats and training. The organisations she has worked with include Tearfund, Latin Links, Interserve … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Debbie Hawker on Resilience →
My first guest of the year is Ajith Fernando. Ajith was National Director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka for 35 years and since his retirement from the post has continued as a mentor to the organisation and young leaders. In our conversation we talk about his leadership journey, including the early influence of … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Ajith Fernando →
Tony Horsfall describes himself as a writer, a retreat leader, a mentor, and a friend. He is based in Yorkshire. Tony has had several decades of experience in Christian Ministry – as a church-planting missionary in Malaysia, a pastor in England, a missions trainer, and a retreat leader. He has been involved in membercare, and … Continue reading The Leadership JOurney Podcast: Tony Horsfall →
Simon Stuart is the Executive Director of A Rocha International, a family of Christian organisations involved in conservation projects around the world. Simon has worked in conservation for many years and in 2020 was awarded the prestigious Blue Planet Prize in recognition of his work. Simon has also been a personal friend of mine for … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Simon Stuart (A rocha) →
Ruth and her husband, Andrew, have been living in Buncrana, Donegal for the past 17 years where they have been involved in a range of ways with their local community and have recently facilitated the start of a new fellowship. Ruth is also the founder and editor of Vox magazine and has recently published, ‘Gloriously … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Ruth Garvey-Williams →
This week Tod Bolsinger returns to talk about his book ‘Canoeing the Mountains’ (he previously talked to us about his more recent book, Tempered Resilience). The title is a metaphor for the situation church leaders find themselves in when what lies ahead of them and their leadership looks very different from what they have been … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: ‘Canoeing the Mountains’ with Tod Bolsinger →
In this (shorter) episode of the podcast the guest is Tod Bolsinger from Fuller Seminary in California. Tod is the author of several books, including his most recent book, Tempered Resilience: How Leaders Are Formed in the Crucible of Change. It’s a follow on from Tod’s previous book, Canoeing the Mountains in which he discusses … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Tod Bolsinger on ‘Tempered Resilience’ →
This week’s guest on the podcast is David Cupples, minister of Enniskillen Presbyterian Church in County Fermanagh. David had been minister there for over 30 years, having arrived in the town in September 1987, just weeks before the community was devastated by a Remembrance Day bomb. In our conversation David talks about some of his … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: David Cupples →
This week’s guest on the podcast is Chris Green. Chris leads a church in North London and this month IVP has published his most recent book: The Gift. I’ve already written about the book, so you can get a quick idea of what the main ideas of the book are. In our conversation, Chris talks … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Chris Green on ‘The Gift’ →
This week’s podcast episode features another author interview. My guest is Dr. Justin Terry and the book is The Five Phases of Leadership, recently published by Langham (you can order a copy from their website). You can read a quick overview of the book on the blog and the podcast conversation will allow you to … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Justyn Terry on The Five Phases of Leadership →
This week Rick Hill returns to the podcast (you can listen to the story of his leadership journey here and here) to talk about his new book on discipleship. Rick has written out of a deep concern to see followers of Jesus put down deep roots that will enable them to persevere in the long … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast – Rick Hill on ‘Deep Roots of Resilient Disciples’ →
The guests on this episode of the podcast are Ray and Jani Ortlund and the interview was carried out in conjunction with the Keswick at Portstewart Convention where Ray has been delivering some online Bible teaching. If you’d like to watch the interview you can catch it on the Keswick at Portstewart Youtube channel. Ray … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Ray and Jani Ortlund →
Darran McCorriston is the minister of Ballyloughan Presbyterian Church in Ballymena, where he has served for fifteen years. Alongside his ministry in the church he chairs the committee for the Keswick at Portstewart Convention – an annual gathering on Northern Ireland’s north coast that is part of the family of the wider Keswick movement. In our … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Darran McCorriston →
This week Terry Virgo is back on the podcast and he’s talking about his new book, ‘God’s Treasured Possession: Walk in the Footsteps of Moses’, which has just recently been published by IVP. We start our conversation by asking ‘why Moses?’ and go on to talk about a number of the themes arising from the … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Terry Virgo on ‘God’s Treasured Possession’ →
This week’s guest on the podcast is Dawn McAvoy from the Evangelical Alliance in Northern Ireland. As well as he work generally with EA, Dawn leads the work of Both Live Matters a movement that has tackled the emotive issue of abortion with a commitment to advocate for both of the lives implicated in a … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Dawn McAvoy →
This week I am joined by Dr Reggie McNeal to talk about his book A Work of Heart. Reggie is a writer, and leadership coach who is passionate about God’s Kingdom. He is the author of some ten books, including Practicing Greatness and, his most recent book, Kingdom Collaborators. He is also the host of … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Reggie McNeal on ‘A Work of Heart’ →
This week’s guest on the podcast is Derek McKelvey. Derek is a retired Presbyterian minister who served congregations in Bangor, Ballygilbert, and Fisherwick, in the university area of Belfast. In addition to his congregational ministry, Derek is well-known for his prayer ministry course that operates under the auspices of the Kairos Trust. In our conversation … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Derek McKelvey →
Gareth McLean is Minister of Orangefield Presbyterian Church, a thriving congregation in East Belfast. He’s been there for almost three years, having moved from First Presbyterian Church in Ballymoney, in North Antrim. Gareth is also the cohost of a new podcast, Greenways podcast, which aims to share stories from followers of Jesus as they live … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Gareth MacLean →
Dr Dave Landrum is Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs at Open Doors UK and Ireland. Open Doors traces its origins back to 1955 and the visit by a young Dutch Christian to a Communist youth congress in Poland. So began the work of Brother Andrew and today Open Doors is a ministry that seeks … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Dave Landrum →
John Dickinson is the recently-retired minister of Carnmoney Presbyterian Church in Newtownabbey – a congregation he served for nineteen years. Previously John served in churches in various parts of Northern Ireland, including Seaview, in North Belfast. In our conversation John talks openly about the recent loss of his wife, Christine, just a few weeks after a … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: John Dickinson →
My guest this week is Arthur Boers. Arthur is Canadian and has pastored churches and taught in seminaries in both the United States and Canada. He has written a number of books, including Living into Focus: Choosing what Matters in an Age of Distraction, and The Way is Made by Walking: A Pilgrimage along the … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Arthur Boers on ‘Servants and Fools’ →
Ruth Valerio is Global Advocacy and Influencing Director for Tearfund. She has worked previously for the Evangelical Alliance and as Churches and Theology Director for Arocha. She is author of several books, including L is for Lifestyle, and Saying Yes to Life, originally published as the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent book for 2020. As you … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Ruth Valerio →
Rowland and Alli Clear live in Devon, where they lead ‘On Track Ministries’, a ministry that seeks to support people in Christian ministry. They are also associates with Living Leadership. Previously they have been involved in churches in Canterbury and Rayleigh, Essex. They describe themselves as ‘spiritual cartographers’. In our conversation they talk about their … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Rowland and Alli Clear →
The guest on this first episode of 2021 is Dr Steve Brady. Steve is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in Grand Cayman. Previously he has served churches in the UK, including in London and Bournemouth. He is also President of Moorlands College, where he was Principal for almost twenty years. He has written or … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Steve Brady →
This week’s guest on the podcast is James Lawrence. James works with the Church Pastoral Aid Society (CPAS), where he oversees work on developing leaders, including through the Arrow Leadership Programme, an 18-month programme for 25-40 year olds that aims to help participants ‘be led more by Jesus, lead more like Jesus, and lead more … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: James Lawrence →
This week’s guest on the podcast is Keith Getty. Keith, along with his wife Kristyn, is one of the leaders of the modern hymn movement. He’s probably best known as co-author of the well known hymn, In Christ Alone, which he wrote 20 years ago with Stuart Townend. In the podcast, Keith talks about the … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Keith Getty →
My guest this week is author and conference speaker, Paul Tripp. Paul has written many books, and his most recent book is Lead: 12 Gospel Principles for Leadership in the Church – that’s what we focus on in our conversation, though Paul also talks about some of his own leadership journey. The book outlines 12 … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Paul Tripp on ‘Lead’ →
Ian Paul is a theologian, writer, blogger and self-confessed chocoholic and is this week’s guest on the podcast. Ian has recently published a commentary on the Book of Revelation. In our conversation he talks about coming to faith as a young person, sensing a call to ordained ministry, serving in a growing church, and later … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Ian Paul →
This week’s guest is Terry Virgo. Terry is the founder of Newfrontiers, a family of churches that brings together some 2000 churches in some 75 nations. Terry is a Bible teacher and conference speaker, and has written several books, including his autobiography, No Well-Worn Paths. In our conversation Terry talks about his early experience as … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Terry Virgo →
The guest on this week’s podcast episode is Marcus Honeysett, executive director of Living Leadership, an organisation that aims to encourage the development of disciple-making leaders who have learned to live in the grace of God. Living Leadership’s website will give you more information about the organisation, including links to a podcast and other resources. … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast – Marcus Honeysett →
My guest on this week’s episode of the podcast is Dr David Hilborn, Principal of Moorlands College (a few weeks ago his colleague, Ian Coffey, was my guest). Prior to joining Moorlands, David was Principal of St John’s College in Nottingham, which followed a leadership role in St Mellitus College. He has also worked as … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: David Hilborn →
Andy Peck is the host of Premier Christian Radio’s weekly show, The Leadership File: since he took on the programme, he has conducted some 700 interviews with Christian leaders from various walks of life. He is also the author of a number of books, including ‘The Leadership Road less Travelled’. I was recently a guest … Continue reading The leadership Journey Podcast: Andy Peck →
My guest this week is the painter and sculptor, Ross Wilson. While artists may not fit everyone’s accepted definitions of leadership, they function as influencers and shapers of thought. Howard Gardner defined a leader as ‘someone who significantly affects the thoughts, feelings and/or behaviors of a significant number of individuals.‘ Ross Wilson’s work includes portraits … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast – Ross Wilson →
Ian Coffey is Vice Principal for strategy and leader of the leadership development programme at Moorlands College in Dorset. Ian has a wide range of leadership experience, including time spent as an evangelist and as a pastor, both in England and in France – just across the border from Geneva (he and I overlapped in … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Ian Coffey →
My guest on this week’s podcast is Simon Barrington. Simon is the founder of Forge Leadership Consultancy, having previously served in leadership roles with BT and Samaritan’s Purse. He is the author (with Rachel Luetchford) of Leading the Millennial Way. The book reports on a significant research project that surveyed some 500 millennial (born between … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Simon Barrington →
My guest today on the podcast is Dave Burke. Dave lives in Sunderland where he provides mental health first aid training (see his website for more on this). Previously Dave has helped lead several churches in various parts of England, including Leicester and his native Sunderland. In our conversation Dave traces the various stages of … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Dave Burke →
This week I am speaking with David Bruce, the current Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI). David is also secretary to the Council for Mission in Ireland with the PCI. We talk a little about how the Presbyterian Church is emerging from lockdown and what some of the lessons might be for the … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: David Bruce →
‘For reasons both ancient and new, the church today has an insatiable appetite for the study of church leadership. A vast avalanche of books, seminars, videos, and web sites has swept over the landscape in response to that appetite. Some of it is good and helpful, but overall much of it is very weak or … Continue reading The Leadership Journey Podcast: Understanding Christian Leadership, with Ian Parkinson →
My guest in the final part of this mini-series on the Church and Covid-19 is Gemma Brown. Gemma is Communications Officer for Tearfund Northern Ireland. In this episode of the podcast, she talks to me about Tearfund’s global response to Covid-19. Here are some useful links it you’d like to follow up what you hear … Continue reading The Church and Covid-19 – Gemma Brown →
Eddie Arthur has been involved in mission for some thirty-five years. This has included time spent as a Bible translator in Ivory Coast, and several years as the UK director for Wycliffe Bible Translators. Recently he has completed his PhD, in which he explored the extent to which the practice of mission agencies corresponds to … Continue reading The Church and Covid-19 – Eddie Arthur →
In today’s episode of the podcast I’m speaking with Bill Foye. Bill is pastor of Hope Church in Hillsborough. As we talk about ministry during the pandemic, Bill shares a couple of essential (in the truest sense of that word) questions for churches and leaders to ask themselves at a time when normal activities have … Continue reading The Church and Covid-19 – Bill Foye →
The guest on today’s episode of this series of podcasts, discussing ministry during the pandemic, is John Ervine. John is pastor of Cornerstone Church in Rathfriland. John led a church plant there 6 years ago (this month is their 6th anniversary) and the church has grown from small beginnings to be a gathering of some … Continue reading The Church and Covid-19 – John Ervine →
Ben Walker is minister of Saintfield Road Presbyterian Church in South Belfast. He joins me in this episode to talk about some of the ways he and the church have been adapting their ministry during the pandemic. There are some interesting ideas on preaching, plus, this challenging statement: Don’t just do something, sit there!
My guest on today’s episode of the podcast is Simon Genoe: Simon is rector of Magheralin and Dollingstown Parish Church, between Moira and Lurgan. Like my ancestors, he’s from County Monaghan and worked in Lisburn Cathedral before taking up his current post. As well as serving in parish ministry, Simon is one of the leaders … Continue reading The Church and Covid-19 – Simon Genoe →
This week continues the series of podcasts talking about ministry in the context of the pandemic. Today’s is Stevie Walls. Stevie is deputy head in a Belfast primary school and is an elder in Castlereagh Gospel Hall, on the edge of East Belfast. Remember that you can can catch up with previous episodes on this … Continue reading The Church and Covid-19 – Stevie Walls →
My guest on this episode of the podcast is Ken Clarke. Ken is a well known and highly respected leader who has served the Church in various roles for several decades. The focus of our conversation is a little different from other podcasts in this series that have focussed on what’s happening across a number … Continue reading The Church and Covid-19: Ken Clarke →
Today my guest on the podcast is Lesley-Ann Wilson. Lesley-Ann is minister of Ballycrochan Presbyterian Church in Bangor.
As well as having the same surname, we also trace our roots back to the same great-grandfather from Glaslough, County Monaghan.
In this conversation Lesley-Ann talks about the challenges of ‘technology fatigue’ and challenges leaders to leave space to discern where God is working and where they need to join his work.
It’s humbling that we have to put away our strategies and our agendas and take a clean sheet of paper and say, ‘OK, God, it’s over to you: what is it that we need to be doing in order to reach people with the good news of Jesus?’
God willing, you can look forward to two more episodes of the podcast next week. On Tuesday my guest will be Stevie Walls, an elder in Castlereagh Gospel Hall, and on Thursday it will be Simon Genoe, rector of the Church of Ireland parish of Magheralin and Dollingstown.
Remember that you can can catch up with previous episodes on this blog or by visiting the podcast on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify, where you can subscribe for future episodes.