Slingshot Group Podcast

As church and ministry leaders, if the metric of success we held most dear was the number of people in our seats, students in small groups, babies in the nursery, or people in small groups then we’ve probably all failed in the last several months. While the game has forever changed, our mission and calling remain the same. The pandemic of 2020 did not cause systemic discipleship issues within the church, it merely revealed them. This is the topic our co-hosts, David Miller, Keith Robinson, and Brian Taylor explore in the final episode of season 4 of the Slingshot podcast. Links for episode: 8 Ways to Measure Next Gen Ministry Success Beyond COVID-19 IMPROVLeadership™

How are churches and their leaders rethinking the future of “church”? That’s the question our cohosts explore following David Miller’s recent interview with author and leadership consultant, Will Mancini. Will’s new book, Future Church, provides a roadmap for churches to pivot from only adding attenders to multiplying disciples, and offers 7 transforming laws of real church growth so that we can faithfully and joyfully fulfill Jesus's Great Commission.   Will Mancini Future Church Book IMPROVLeadership Book

In this episode of the Slingshot Group Podcast, our co-hosts, David Miller, Vance Martin, and Brian Taylor, explore the idea of solving problems creatively. Currently, the Church is facing challenges we never foresaw coming and we don’t have a handbook to help us navigate them. Vance has a conversation with Kelvin Co,  a genius when it comes to creativity and problem solving. Kelvin has served in multiple churches and the marketplace as a creative communicator and problem solver for over two decades. Together, they talk through many of the problems we’re facing right now,  as well as new perspectives on bringing brilliant and effective solutions to the unique challenges of this current season.

In these shifting times, organizations need leaders who can adapt quickly to their team and culture. Investing in new staff members from the onset will help you avoid the most common mistakes people make when they begin a new role. Studies show that how someone navigates their first 90 days determines the value they bring to the team and organization in the long-term. Why is this window of time so critical for new hires to get onboarded and start well? In episode three of the Slingshot Group Podcast, our co-hosts explore the most common mistakes new hires make (and how to avoid them).   Launch – The First 90 Days The Top 5 Mistakes A White Paper Document

In the second episode of the 4th season our co-hosts, David Miller, Brian Taylor, and Keith Robinson dive into an important conversation about how leaders can talk about race, confront racism, and participate in racial reconciliation. David sits down for a moving, raw, and candid conversation with John Williams, who serves as the Director of Racial Reconciliation at Fellowship Church in Monrovia, CA. Fellowship is a Gospel Centered, multi-ethnic, intergenerational church where John lives out his calling to see cultures, races, and communities reconciled.   https://madeforfellowship.com/centerforracialreconciliation https://slingshotgroup.org/improvleadership/ https://www.amazon.com/Improv-Leadership-Lead-Every-Moment/dp/0310112958

In the season 4 opener of the Slingshot Group Podcast, our co-hosts, David Miller, Vance Martin, and Brian Taylor, unpack the importance of spiritual formation in the life of a leader. Is it possible to keep up with the demands of ministry while maintaining a vibrant relationship with God? That’s the question that Vance explores when he sits down for a compelling interview with Dr. Jan Johnson. Dr. Johnson is the author of twenty books, including When The Soul Listens, and more than a thousand magazine articles and Bible Studies. As a spiritual guide, her life’s work has been instrumental in helping Christians rediscover the joy of living as sons and daughters of God. https://janjohnson.org https://improv.slingshotgroup.org IMPROVLeadership Book

Kicking off season 4 with our hosts David, Brian, and Vance. Great ready for a great season. Links: https://slingshotgroup.org

In this episode of the Slingshot Group Podcast, David, Vance, and Keith talk about the personal challenges of being married while in vocational ministry. Today, overwhelming, pastors and faith leaders say that ministry has negatively affected their marriage and family. But, does marriage HAVE to become the enemy of ministry? Can one complement the other? Those are the questions David explores with our guest, Albert Tate. Albert serves as the founding pastor of Fellowship Church—one of the fastest-growing multiethnic churches in the United States.   Links for episode: Alberttate.com Albert Tate Podcast IMPROVLeadership

Our new book, Improv Leadership: How to Lead Well in Every Moment, releases June 9th! To celebrate, we are launching a mini-season we’re we talk with leaders about each of the 5 competencies of Improv Leadership. Hannah Ellenwood join the conversation to talk about Going North. Going North is Using indirect influence to redirect a person’s thinking or perspective.  Hannah is the Communications Director at The Rooted Network. 10-week curriculum is designed to empower individuals to establish healthy rhythms of discipleship and live out God’s design in the two spheres in which we spend most of our time—work and family. Using the same framework of risk experiences, 7 Rhythms, individual devotionals and group discussion, Life In Rhythm will move your groups from Rooted into deeper relationship with God and others. A bit more about Improv Leadership: Anyone can read a few books and apply the lessons, but great leaders can bring out the best in any person, in any situation. "There's no script for effective leadership," say authors Stan Endicott and David Miller. "But you don't need one." You can learn to improvise. Improvisational leaders understand the key principles of connecting, coaching, and communicating and use these ideas to build strong teams. In Improv Leadership, Endicott and Miller offer a toolbox of five leadership competencies that can help every person motivate teams to greater commitment, more passion, and better performance. Story Mining--uncovering a person's story and letting it shape the way you lead them Precision Praising--crafting praise to inspire, motivate, and even course- correct your team Metaphor Cementing--using concrete illustrations to "cement" an idea in someone's mind Lobbing Forward--challenging people to look beyond today to what might be in the future Going North--using indirect influence to redirect a person's perspective Improv Leadership applies these skills to initiate powerful conversations, create memorable moments, and craft personal coaching strategies that help people grow. Highly flexible and easily adapted to different contexts, the proven ideas in this book stimulate leadership growth with "evergreen" principles that can be successfully introduced into any situation. Links for episode: Improv Leadership Book: https://improvleadershipbook.com/ Rooted Network: https://www.experiencerooted.com/

Our new book, Improv Leadership: How to Lead Well in Every Moment, releases June 9th! To celebrate, we are launching a mini-season we’re we talk with leaders about each of the 5 competencies of Improv Leadership. In this episode David talks with Will Mancini about Lobbing Forward. Lobbing Forward is creatively Challenging your team to look beyond the day-to-day grind of their jobs and into the future. Will is a church consultant and ministry entrepreneur. He’s started multiple orgs and authored multiple books. His newest being Future Church. A bit more about Improv Leadership: Anyone can read a few books and apply the lessons, but great leaders can bring out the best in any person, in any situation. "There's no script for effective leadership," say authors Stan Endicott and David Miller. "But you don't need one." You can learn to improvise. Improvisational leaders understand the key principles of connecting, coaching, and communicating and use these ideas to build strong teams. In Improv Leadership, Endicott and Miller offer a toolbox of five leadership competencies that can help every person motivate teams to greater commitment, more passion, and better performance. Story Mining--uncovering a person's story and letting it shape the way you lead them Precision Praising--crafting praise to inspire, motivate, and even course- correct your team Metaphor Cementing--using concrete illustrations to "cement" an idea in someone's mind Lobbing Forward--challenging people to look beyond today to what might be in the future Going North--using indirect influence to redirect a person's perspective Improv Leadership applies these skills to initiate powerful conversations, create memorable moments, and craft personal coaching strategies that help people grow. Highly flexible and easily adapted to different contexts, the proven ideas in this book stimulate leadership growth with "evergreen" principles that can be successfully introduced into any situation.  Links for episode: Improv Leadership Book: https://improvleadershipbook.com/ Willmancini.com

Our new book, Improv Leadership: How to Lead Well in Every Moment, releases June 9th! To celebrate, we are launching a mini-season we’re we talk with leaders about each of the 5 competencies of Improv Leadership. Jared Wilkins joins David in a conversation around Metaphor Cementing. Metaphor Cementing is using concrete illustrations or metaphors to strengthen teachable points of view. Jared is the Lead Pastor at Parkcrest Christian Church in Long Beach, CA. A bit more about Improv Leadership: Anyone can read a few books and apply the lessons, but great leaders can bring out the best in any person, in any situation. "There's no script for effective leadership," say authors Stan Endicott and David Miller. "But you don't need one." You can learn to improvise. Improvisational leaders understand the key principles of connecting, coaching, and communicating and use these ideas to build strong teams. In Improv Leadership, Endicott and Miller offer a toolbox of five leadership competencies that can help every person motivate teams to greater commitment, more passion, and better performance. Story Mining--uncovering a person's story and letting it shape the way you lead them Precision Praising--crafting praise to inspire, motivate, and even course- correct your team Metaphor Cementing--using concrete illustrations to "cement" an idea in someone's mind Lobbing Forward--challenging people to look beyond today to what might be in the future Going North--using indirect influence to redirect a person's perspective Improv Leadership applies these skills to initiate powerful conversations, create memorable moments, and craft personal coaching strategies that help people grow. Highly flexible and easily adapted to different contexts, the proven ideas in this book stimulate leadership growth with "evergreen" principles that can be successfully introduced into any situation. Links for episode: Improv Leadership Book: https://improvleadershipbook.com/ Instagram: @jaredcwilkins parkcrest.org

Our new book, Improv Leadership: How to Lead Well in Every Moment, releases June 9th! To celebrate, we are launching a mini-season we’re we talk with leaders about each of the 5 competencies of Improv Leadership. In this episode, David is joined by Michael Neale about a competency we call Precision Praising. Precision Praising is carefully crafting praise to inspire and course-correct your team.  Michael Neale is a Dove Award-Winning songwriter, National Best-Selling author and veteran worship leader. In addition to that impressive list he is currently serving as the lead worship pastor for Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, TX.  A bit more about Improv Leadership: Anyone can read a few books and apply the lessons, but great leaders can bring out the best in any person, in any situation. "There's no script for effective leadership," say authors Stan Endicott and David Miller. "But you don't need one." You can learn to improvise. Improvisational leaders understand the key principles of connecting, coaching, and communicating and use these ideas to build strong teams. In Improv Leadership, Endicott and Miller offer a toolbox of five leadership competencies that can help every person motivate teams to greater commitment, more passion, and better performance. Story Mining--uncovering a person's story and letting it shape the way you lead them Precision Praising--crafting praise to inspire, motivate, and even course- correct your team Metaphor Cementing--using concrete illustrations to "cement" an idea in someone's mind Lobbing Forward--challenging people to look beyond today to what might be in the future Going North--using indirect influence to redirect a person's perspective Improv Leadership applies these skills to initiate powerful conversations, create memorable moments, and craft personal coaching strategies that help people grow. Highly flexible and easily adapted to different contexts, the proven ideas in this book stimulate leadership growth with "evergreen" principles that can be successfully introduced into any situation. Links for episode: Improv Leadership Book: https://improvleadershipbook.com/ michaelneale.com prestonwood.org

Our new book, Improv Leadership: How to Lead Well in Every Moment, releases June 9th! To celebrate, we are launching a mini-season we’re we talk with leaders about each of the 5 competencies of Improv Leadership. In this episode, David Miller talks with Miguel De La Mora about the Improv Leadership competency - Story Mining. Story Mining is thoughtfully uncovering a person’s story and allowing it to shape the way you lead. Miguel is the Executive Director and Teaching Pastor at Grace Church Reno. He speaks at conferences and camps around the country. A bit more about Improv Leadership: Anyone can read a few books and apply the lessons, but great leaders can bring out the best in any person, in any situation. "There's no script for effective leadership," say authors Stan Endicott and David Miller. "But you don't need one." You can learn to improvise. Improvisational leaders understand the key principles of connecting, coaching, and communicating and use these ideas to build strong teams. In Improv Leadership, Endicott and Miller offer a toolbox of five leadership competencies that can help every person motivate teams to greater commitment, more passion, and better performance. Story Mining--uncovering a person's story and letting it shape the way you lead them Precision Praising--crafting praise to inspire, motivate, and even course- correct your team Metaphor Cementing--using concrete illustrations to "cement" an idea in someone's mind Lobbing Forward--challenging people to look beyond today to what might be in the future Going North--using indirect influence to redirect a person's perspective Improv Leadership applies these skills to initiate powerful conversations, create memorable moments, and craft personal coaching strategies that help people grow. Highly flexible and easily adapted to different contexts, the proven ideas in this book stimulate leadership growth with "evergreen" principles that can be successfully introduced into any situation. Links for episode: Improv Leadership Book: https://improvleadershipbook.com/ migueldelamora.com gracechurchreno.org

Over the past 13 years, Slingshot Group has helped hundreds of thriving churches and nonprofits retain and recruit remarkable leaders for their organizations. Our team is often asked by executive leaders how they can better identify, attract, develop, and keep the best people on their teams. In this episode, our cohosts, Vance Martin, David Miller, and Keith Robinson share the five areas of concern that every current and potential staff member considers when weighing an opportunity. Links for episode: RESOURCES FOR STAFFING THE CHURCH AND NONPROFITS EBOOKS and WHITE PAPERS: https://slingshotgroup.org/ebooks-and-white-papers/ VIDEOS AND E-COURSES: https://slingshotgroup.org/videos/

Over the past week, the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has disrupted our lives in countless ways. In the absence of physical gatherings, how can churches care for their congregations and communities, as well as their staff? In thisepisode, our cohosts, Vance, David and Keith discuss how church leaders are navigating these uncharted waters and guiding their teams through these uncertain times with digital-first strategies. While this crisis has presented us with innumerable challenges, the call of leadership demands that we run toward the pain we see in our world today. Never have the ears and eyes of our world been more attuned to hear the good news of the gospel. Links for episode: How Churches and Their Leaders Can Respond To COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Slingshot Group White Paper: 5 Reasons You Should Hire A Communications Director

In this episode, David sits down with author and pastor, Jerrett Stevens, to explore the theme of prayer. In his new book, Praying Through, Jarrett shares a refreshing and inviting perspective on prayer—one that uncomplicates the topic and argues for simplicity. As a pastor for more than 20 years, Jarrett’s insights are deeply grounded in his own experience of learning to be with God in every season of ministry. Jarrett Stevens is the author of several other books including Four Small Words, The Deity Formerly Known As God, and Creative Matters. He was previously a Teaching Pastor at Willow Creek Church in Chicago, as well as pastoring at North Point Church in Atlanta.  He and his wife Jeanne, co-pastor a thriving, diverse church they planted in Chicago called Soul City. Links for episode: https://jarrettstevens.com https://soulcitychurch.com

How the Best Churches are Reaching People Beyond the Weekend Season 3 Episode 1 In this episode, our cohosts, Vance and Keith sit down with two Creative Arts and Communications Pastors to discuss how their roles play a crucial part in accomplishing the mission of the local church. Cathi Workman, Communications Pastor at Mariners Church in Irvine, and Phil Bowdle, Creative Arts Pastor at Westridge in Atlanta, share from their experiences leading teams of digital missionaries in remarkable churches that are strategic about reaching people beyond the weekend. The future belongs to the churches and organizations that understand the role that creative communication will play in aligning their vision and amplifying their message.  Links for episode:  Slingshot Communications Lab  Slingshot Group White Paper: 5 Reasons You Should Hire A Communications Director  Philbowdle.com  Mariners Church   Slingshot Group Podcast

Kicking off season 3 with our hosts David, Keith, and Vance. Great ready for a great season. Links: https://slingshotgroup.org  

Join our co-hosts, Vance, David, and Keith as they dialogue about David's recent interview with Carlos Whittaker on the subject of Mental Health and Leadership. Carlos shares from his own personal struggle with depression, how he found hope, and pathways for healing. Links: https://carloswhittaker.com

Churches are some of the most creative places to work. Whether it's songs, sermons, discipleship content, or visual art church leaders who create original content need to consider, "Who owns it?" This is the question we pose to our guest and expert on the subject of intelluctual property, Brock Shinen. Brock is the founder of the Law Office of Brock Shinen, Inc., a boutique law firm emphasizing business and intellectual properties matters. He is an Amazon #1 Bestselling author and seasoned attorney with more than a decade of experience as a consultant to churches, nonprofits, and businesses. Through the work of his agency, Digital Transformation, Brock trains organizations on effective use of social media, decision-making skills, and technology. Links: https://www.brockshinen.com