Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!

Is it possible to lead a congregation without being consumed by anxiety and stress? How can we as ministry leaders manage the pressures and expectations we carry while maintaining a sense of peace and lightness?

In this episode, Alan Fadling, author of A Non-Anxious Life, unpacks how ministry leaders can navigate anxiety by creating a supportive network of friends and mentors, understanding God’s joyful nature, and how these realities can transform our personal life and pastoral leadership.


THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• Alan Fadling advises not bringing personal anxiety into a congregation but sharing it with friends, mentors, therapists, and spiritual directors.
• Alan Fadling highlights that his experience with managing anxiety has been supported by people outside his immediate church community.
• Referencing Lewis Smedes' Shame and Grace, Markus Watson illustrates how acceptance from others can help people feel less anxious and more acceptable.
• Discussing his book about anxiety with a church small group, Alan Fadling emphasizes the value of having outside perspectives to reassure one's concerns.
• Understanding God's joyful nature can lead to personal transformation and fuller acceptance of grace.
• Markus Watson relates a story about providing comfort rather than judgment, illustrating how fear and anxiety are addressed in a supportive manner.
• Categorizing anxiety as a sin is unhelpful, Fadling emphasizes, especially from a pastoral perspective.
• Referencing Eugene Peterson's interpretation from Philippians 4, Alan Fadling focuses on replacing anxiety with peace through prayer.
• We should recognize God's presence in anxious moments through prayer and reflection rather than avoid anxiety.
• Inspired by Dallas Willard, Fadling shares a personal practice of using scripture to find peace amidst anxiety.
• Psalms of Lament can help engage with and express anxiety while relying on God's support.
• Journaling with honesty, as practiced by Alan Fadling, serves as a personal dialogue with God and reinforces that God cares and one is not alone.
• Fadling’s early ministry concerns included whether congregants liked him, stemming from personal insecurity.
• Discussing a "recognition deficit," Alan Fadling notes the mistake of seeking validation from congregations instead of from God.

RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:

• Alan Fadling:
  • Unhurriedliving.com
  • Unhurried Living Podcast
• Books mentioned:
  • A Non-Anxious Life, by Alan Fadling
  • The Wounded Healer, by Henri Nouwen
  • Shame and Grace, by Lewis Smedes
  • Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, by Lewis Smedes
• Related Episodes:
  • The Healing Power of Pilgrimage, with Jon Huckins
  • Saudade, Leadership, and Nurturing the Inner Life, with Jeff Crosby

Did you know Spiritual Life and Leadership has been named the #1 Spiritual Leadership Podcast by the Feedspot Podcasters Database? Check it out HERE!

Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!

Markus Watson and Tod Bolsinger discuss the importance of framing for church leaders, particularly in the context of political polarization. Drawing on a quote from Andrew Hanauer, they explore how providing a Biblical framework to congregants can shape their understanding of the world and mitigate the influence of external, often divisive, narratives. Through practical advice and insightful examples, they illustrate how asking the right questions can lead to transformative perspectives grounded in faith.

Tod Bolsinger and Markus Watson discuss this quote from Andrew Hanauer in Ep 226, Tackling Toxic Polarization in Your Church:

"If you don't help your congregants have a framework for understanding the world around them, they will get that framework from somewhere else."


THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:

• Ministry leaders can frame questions to help congregants see the world through the eyes of Jesus.
• Leaders should encourage their congregants to develop a biblical framework for understanding the world.
• Leaders should prompt curiosity through questions instead of giving lectures.
• Leaders can use personal stories to help congregants empathize and rethink their preconceived notions.
• Congregants will find alternative, potentially harmful frameworks if leaders do not provide a biblical one.

Did you know Spiritual Life and Leadership has been named the #1 Spiritual Leadership Podcast by the Feedspot Podcasters Database? Check it out HERE!