While many of our podcast listeners are with church, parachurch and other Christian organizations, a healthy segment are Christian business owners or involved in Christian-owned businesses. If that’s where you are, you’re really going to enjoy today’s guest. 

Mike Sharrow is the new President and CEO of C12. The C12 Group is the largest network of Christian CEOs, business owners, and executives. By joining a local C12 Peer Advisory Group, thousands of business leaders across North America are improving their companies. They’re strengthening their marriages, their family relationships, and they’re pursuing true success in the eyes of God.

Mike has an extensive background in large companies, start-ups and the local church. He knows how a healthy, flourishing culture equates to organizational effectiveness. What he has to share is going to benefit you.

Find the full shownotes here  http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s3e4-mike-sharrow-c12

There's a new generation of leadership serving today's ministry organizations, churches and Christian-owned businesses. I'm talking about the men and women of the Millennial generation born between 1981 and 1997.

Who are these Millennials? What do they bring to the table and what could be their lasting imprint on God's Kingdom work in the world—including your church, organization, or business?

Our guest today is ready to speak directly to this question.

We have the pleasure of visiting with Bill Robinson, President Emeritus of Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. Author of two books: Leading People from the Middle: The Universal Mission of Mind and Heart and Incarnate Leadership. Today, Chairman of the Board of Princeton Theological Seminary.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s3e3-the-importance-of-millennials-in-your-organization-bill-robinson

One of the smartest, most effective ways to value and improve the health of your organizational culture is to think about your culture through the mind of an engineer.

Today, you’re going to hear from a Christian leader—an executive vice president and chief operating officer—who’s been trained as an engineer. Wait till you see what her analytic mind, her sense of teamwork, attention to detail, communication skills, desire to learn, and leadership skills…. can mean for your desire to increase the health of your organizational culture.

Today we have the pleasure of visiting with Deb Limb, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of CRISTA Ministries in the greater Seattle area. CRISTA has seven individual ministries and more than 1,200 employees.  The mission of CRISTA is to love God by serving people.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s3e2-how-to-avoi…orah-limb-crista/

As a leader, what’s one of the hardest things you face at work? What’s the one thing you put off, the thing you avoid, the thing you absolutely do not look forward to?  If your answer is “having difficult conversations,” then you’re really going to get a lot out of today's episode.

You may have also seen Sheila present at last year’s Global Leadership Summit. And if you missed her there, be sure to catch her at the Church Culture Conference, hosted by Willow Creek Community Church. On October 17-18, 2016, join us to sharpen your skills and network with top human resource professionals in the church world.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/encore-episode-give-receive-feedback-well-sheila-heen/

Embracing change in any environment is never easy. And yet, as church leaders who are inviting others into life-change, it’s critical that our lives are changing too.

Looking at the good and the bad in your workplace culture can reveal that God wants to grow and sanctify us – personally, as teams, as a culture, an organization, and as followers of Christ.

Here to talk with us about this today is Jeff Lockyer, Lead Pastor at Southridge Community Church in St. Catharines, Ontario. Southridge has such a healthy culture that they land in the top 1% of churches that have surveyed with the Best Christian Workplaces Institute. Let’s find out what they’ve done to embrace change and build a healthy culture.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2e27-jeff-lockyer-southridge-community-church. 

Few churches have made a long-term impact on New York City, like Redeemer Presbyterian Church under the leadership of Tim Keller. As Redeemer had begun to prepare for Tim Keller’s transition from Senior Pastor, they have embarked on a journey to improve the health of their organizational culture to better position them for the future. 

Today we have the pleasure of visiting with Brian Stanton, Chief Financial Officer, and Chris Dolan, co-chair of the culture team and also Director of Information Services. 

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2e33-chris-dolan-brian-stanton-redeemer-presbyterian-church. 

Over the last 5 years, Pantano Christian Church has experienced a 200% increase in employee engagement. Today, 9 out of every 10 staff love coming to work. That’s 90% employee engagement vs. 52% engagement for the typical Christian organization. 

Here to tell us how they did it is Glen Elliott, Lead Pastor of Pantano Christian Church in Tucson, Arizona.  Tune in to hear how their team has pulled together to create a catalytic force for good in the world. 

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2e32-glen-elliott-pantano-christian-church. 

How can an incoming leader rebuild trust after a longtime, well-loved lead pastor retires?

That’s the story of today’s guests. The two leaders you’re going to meet have shown a remarkable track record of achievement. They’ve worked together to move their church staff culture from critical condition to a flourishing workplace.

Joining us today are Shan Moyers, Lead Pastor, and Linden Kirby, Pastor of Operations at Rocky Mountain Christian Church. Rocky has two campuses in Longmont and Frederick, Colorado and 55 staff. Their mission is to know Jesus and love like him. Listen in to today's conversation to hear their inspiring story of culture transformation.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2e31-shan-moyers-linden-kirby-rocky-mountain-christian-church. 

What can a ministry's Senior Leader and Board Chair do to better their working relationship and thus increase the health of an organization’s culture?

"A well-functioning board is the single-most important variable for any ministry that wants to achieve its mission." So says Bob Andringa, who has made a career out of helping boards and executive leaders succeed simultaneously. Today, he’ll help us identify and optimize the best possible relationship between a board chair and the senior executive of a Christian ministry organization.

As Managing Partner of The Andringa Group and Network Life, Bob has worked with more than 300 faith-based organizations. He and his colleague Fred Laughlin are co-authors of the book, Good Governance for Nonprofits: Developing Principles and Policies for an Effective Board. Bob and his wife, Sue, make their home in the sunny community of Scottsdale, Arizona.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2e30-bob-andringa. 

Is your organization facing a major leadership change on the horizon? How can you create a healthy transition at the CEO level? And how might having a flourishing culture help in the process?

Today’s guest is Vince Burens, the new President and CEO of the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO), one of the most respected organizations involved in student ministry on university campuses.

Over this past year, we've had the privilege of watching Vince transition into becoming the CCO's third president in its 46-year history. It’s been inspiring to see the planned process and smooth transition, as well as to watch the CCO’s culture continue to maintain its flourishing status under his leadership.

What were some of the key steps that Vince, the outgoing president, the Board, and the organization took to help create the positive transition they have experienced so far?

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2e29-vince-burens-cco. 

You only have one chance to make a good first impression. And nowhere is that more true and relevant than in onboarding new employees.

Research has proven that an employee’s first impression of an organization has a significant impact on their future engagement and commitment to that organization. In addition, it’s important to the organization’s performance to get new hires up to speed in their job as soon as possible.

Our guest today knows this by heart. Today we have the pleasure of visiting with Cate Given, Vice President of Human Resource Services at Joni and Friends in Agoura Hills, California. Joni and Friends reaches out around the world to people and families affected by disability with the love of Christ and the practical help they need.

Listen in to this conversation to learn Joni and Friends' impressive step-by-step onboarding process.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e28-cate-given-joni-and-friends. 

Have you ever had a conflict with another person in your organization? Well of course; we all have.

But how can a leader effectively manage conflict? We have found it is  especially difficult in Christian organizations because people are so often afraid to face conflict directly. So today, let's talk about key ways to look at conflict.

To help us address this topic, we're talking with our very own Giselle Jenkins, BCWI's Human Resources Consulting Director. Giselle is a conflict coach and board member with Peacemaker Ministries, as well as a former Vice President for People Development with Prison Fellowship.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/encore-giselle-jenkins-bcwi. 

In this episode, Al has the great pleasure of talking with longtime friend, colleague and board and leadership consultant John Pearson. Join us for this fun and far-reaching conversation that covers everything from great leadership books, to board governance best practices, and even how to infuse fun (or as John likes to call it, "hoopla") into your workplace culture.

John's fingerprints are all over the founding of the Best Christian Workplaces Institute. Yet, he’s known for so much more than that. For 25 combined years, he led Christian Camping International/USA (now Christian Camp and Conference Association), the Willow Creek Association, and Christian Management Association (now Christian Leadership Alliance). Today, he’s a management and board governance consultant whose clients read like a who’s who of respected ministry organizations.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e26-john-pearson. 

Every once in a while, we run across a leader who has helped create such a remarkably flourishing culture, that we have to ask, “How did your people pull it off? How did you do it?” 

Our guest today is Paul MacDonald, Headmaster of Crossings Christian School in Oklahoma City. He’s worked incredibly hard to diagnose and improve the organizational health of the school he runs. As a result, the school you’re going to learn about was already in top 10th percentile of comparable organizations from the get-go on our BCWI Employee Engagement Survey. 

Crossings Christian School’s mission is to partner with parents and the church to develop students into Christ-centered servant leaders who are academically and spiritually prepared for college and life. 

In addition to his responsibilities at Crossings, Paul has also shared his experiences in a variety of leadership capacities, including service on the board and accreditation commission with the Association of Christian Schools International, also known as ACSI. 

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e25-paul-macdonald-crossings-christian-school. 

How can you transform a workplace culture from healthy to flourishing in the course of just one year—and experience organizational growth at the same time?

Today, we’ll hear some practical tips from a leader who’s had his hand on the culture levers at his church with over 100 staff. We have the pleasure of visiting with Jeff Abshire, Executive Pastor and Elder at Antioch Community Church in Waco, Texas. 

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e24-jeff-abshire-antioch-community-church. 

One of the top drivers of organizational success is the quality of your employees. But how do you attract and select outstanding talent that will be successful in your organization? Wouldn’t it be great if we could predict hiring success? 

Today we are going to address this very topic with Chad Carter, the chief human resources officer at The Gideons International. For the past five years, Chad has instituted a predictive hiring process that has significantly improved the quality of their new hires. In this episode, Chad shares both what to look for in your next hire, and how to go about the process. 

Chad has also written a helpful book called The Five Attributes: Essentials of Hiring For Christian Organizations. Let's get started on today's important conversation. 

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/encore-chad-carter-gideons-international. 

There is little question about the significant influence Willow Creek Community Church has had on leadership development in the Christian world. A key to Willow Creek’s healthy, flourishing culture has been developing outstanding talent. How do they do it? The answer just might benefit your organization.

Today, Tara VanderSande, Willows’ Staff Development Director, will give us the inside scoop on their leadership development strategies.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/encore-tara-vandersande-willow-creek-community-church. 

Jesus calls us to be all about love. But how do we practically live this out in our workplaces – in what we believe about others, how we treat others, who we hire, and so on?

In January 2014, Cherry Hills Community Church faced the reality of a weakened and toxic staff culture. How did they go from siloed teams, low trust and suspicion of motives among staff members to a “flourishing culture” in the top 10% of churches that have surveyed with BCWI? Here, to tell us about this remarkable transformation is Executive Pastor Rebekah Layton.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e22-rebekah-layton-cherry-hills-community-church. 

How can you make significant changes in your workplace culture? Action planning and follow up is one key element.

One action planning strategy is to designate individuals – called Engagement Champions – who can take ownership for your culture at the departmental level. This is where the rubber really meets the road if you’re serious about building a healthy, flourishing culture.

But not too serious, as today's podcast is not only informative but fun too. First, we're going to introduce the Engagement Champion concept and listen in as Sue Hood from Willow Creek Community Church explains their approach to it. Then we'll hear from Jenn Repaci at Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale as she introduces seven rules and tools to equip and empower Engagement Champions.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e21-jenn-repaci-calvary-chapel-fort-lauderdale. 

"It's great to work in your area of passion, but it can become toxic if you don't have some boundaries." These are the words of today's guest, Dave Ferguson, the Lead Pastor of Community Christian Church, with 10 locations across the Chicagoland area.

Often ministry staff are deeply passionate about their organization's mission, and they're willing to work so hard toward it that life can sometimes get out of balance. Tune in to this conversation to hear the innovative ways Dave and his leadership team are encouraging and even incentivizing healthy habits.

When Community's staff are able to flourish at home, their ministry outcomes have soared as well. The evidence? In 2016, they celebrated more baptisms than ever before.

Dave is the author of five books, including Finding Your Way back to God: Five Awakenings to Your New Life, and his most recent book, Staring Over: Your Life Beyond Regrets.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e20-dave-ferguson-community-christian-church. 

If you were a new leader in an organization, what would be an important first step to create a healthier culture? Today's guest started with creating core values to take his church's culture to the next level.

Join us for a conversation with Doug Sauder, the Lead Pastor of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale. Doug found himself in this role after a surprise transition and was faced with multiple challenges all at once, including a staff culture that was in a critical moment.

Listen in to see how one key initiative became the difference-maker that really improved Calvary’s staff culture.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e19-doug-sauder-calvary-chapel-fort-lauderdale. 

Transforming the workplace culture of a Christian ministry is a challenging proposition. Our guest today knows this for a fact, because he’s been a key part of transforming the employee culture of one of the largest, best known churches in the world.

Listen in on this conversation with Colby Burke, the director of human resources at Willow Creek Community Church.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e18-colby-burke-willow-creek-cc. 

Why does having a healthy staff culture matter? Is it really worth the effort? Does it ultimately impact your organization’s performance? Today’s guest has a fascinating response to this question.

Today we have the pleasure of visiting with Gary Schwammlein, who is President and CEO of the Willow Creek Association – known for helping Christians grow their leadership to maximize Kingdom impact through the popular annual Global Leadership Summit.

Last fall, Gary spoke at the Church Culture Conference in front of 200 ministry and human resources leaders. In his talk, “Why Culture Matters,” he outlined the direct connection between staff health and ministry outcomes. He’s going to tell us about that direct connection in today's episode.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e17-gary-schwammlein-willow-creek-association. 

How can you make sure your entire team is aligned around the same goals and working toward your mission and vision? And why is this important for your workplace culture?

Today we’re talking with Roland Warren, the President and CEO of Care Net, based in Lansdowne, Virginia, which provides services for more than 1,100 affiliated pregnancy centers across the country. In the past 4 years, Roland has found that clarifying goals, along with transparency, honesty and a little humor, goes a long way to create a flourishing culture.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e16-roland-warren-care-net. 

How does a church that has a very healthy staff culture go about making it even better? There is nothing normal about Eastview Christian Church other than it’s in . . . Normal, Illinois!

As a growing church with nearly 90 staff, Eastview reached a tipping point where they realized their human resources efforts needed to move from a committee to a strategic department within their staff. Here to tell us how they did it is Tyler Hari, Eastview's Executive Pastor of Ministry Operations.

Find the full show notes at http://blog.bcwinstitute.org/s2-e15-tyler-hari-eastview-christian-church.