When Pastors Become Dictators: Inside the Leadership Industrial Complex with Lance Ford


In the pursuit of becoming a great leader, Lance Ford found himself immersed in the fervor of the mid-90s Seeker church movement. However, his journey took an unexpected turn as he began to notice discrepancies between the teachings of Jesus and the prevailing leadership ethos. This realization led to his departure from the church he had founded, and a subsequent role at a prominent megachurch only solidified his conviction that a deeper issue permeated the church's leadership structures. What he discovered will challenge everything you thought you knew about leadership in the church.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to grow your church at any cost, then you are not alone! The relentless focus on numbers and programs may be leaving you feeling spiritually depleted, despite the outward appearance of success. If you're feeling like you have to put on a facade of perfection and always have all the answers, then you are not alone! The pursuit of a mega-church model may be causing you to neglect your own well-being and authenticity as a leader. If you're feeling like you're constantly comparing your church to others and never measuring up, then you are not alone! The endless cycle of competition and comparison in the pursuit of growth may be leading to burnout and a loss of true community within your congregation.
My special guest is Lance Ford.
Lance Ford, a well-established church leader and author, has made significant contributions to the faith community through his publications in recognized platforms like Christianity Today and Outreach magazine. With a distinguished career spanning over three decades, Lance has applied his expertise as a pastor and church planner to develop unique training systems utilized by network seminaries and leaders globally. Renowned for his insightful books, including "Unleader," "The Starfish and the Spirit," and "Missional Essentials," Lance has demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of the complexities within evangelical spaces. His latest work, "The Atlas Factor," critically examines the inherent pitfalls of traditional church leadership models, offering valuable insights and practical wisdom for church leaders and pastors aiming to establish healthier and more authentic leadership structures. Lance's extensive experience and authoritative perspective position him as a valuable resource for reshaping leadership dynamics within the faith community.
You're not wrong with those little red flags. When you go to the scripture again, you start seeing it. - Lance Ford
In this episode, you will be able to:
- Embrace authentic and servant-hearted leadership in your faith community.
- Explore the pitfalls of the mega-church model and its impact on leadership.
- Learn to shift the focus of leadership to Jesus for a more genuine approach.
- Understand the disillusionment with the leadership industrial complex and its effects.
- Implement healthier leadership structures for a more sustainable and impactful church.
Cultivating healthier leadership structures
Creating healthier leadership structures within the church is a salient issue across different denominations and sizes of churches. Institutions can draw on Jesus Christ's teachings for inspiration, fostering a balance of power that encourages servant-hearted leadership. By shifting leadership paradigms and prioritizing the fundamental teachings of Jesus Christ, churches can cultivate healthier communities that better serve their congregations and embody the true spirit of Christianity.
The resources mentioned in this episode are:
- Join the Difference Maker community by visiting www.patreon.com/aWorldofDifference to access exclusive interviews and engage in deeper conversations with difference makers like Lance Ford.
- Purchase a copy of Lance Ford's book, "The Atlas Factor," to gain insight into toxic leadership systems and find hope for healthier faith communities. The book is available for purchase on various online platforms and in bookstores.
- Connect with Lance Ford for coaching, consulting, and training on church leadership and systems by visiting www.theatlasfactor.com or emailing info@theatlasfactor.com.
- Consider engaging in self-care practices to support your mental and emotional well-being, especially if the conversation has brought up challenging experiences or emotions. Take time to breathe, engage your senses, and prioritize your own health and well-being.
- Explore the free trial option for the Difference Maker community to access exclusive interviews, polls, and engage in conversations that can help you make a difference in your own unique way.
The majority are good. Even some of the worst abusers that we could name today, you look back at their history, you talk to the witnesses that were around in the early days. They started out good. - Lance Ford
The key moments in this episode are:
00:00:02 - Introducing the Podcast and Guest
00:01:52 - Lance's Background and Book
00:04:10 - Aha Moment
00:11:08 - Root Causes of Leadership Issues
00:14:15 - Church as a Platform for Narcissism
00:16:38 - The Evolution of Leadership
00:23:17 - Abuse of Power in Churches
00:27:04 - Jesus' Approach to Power
00:29:32 - Impact of the System on Whistleblowers
00:30:21 - The Atlas Factor
00:33:33 - The Importance of the Atlas Vertebra
00:35:06 - Paul's Teachings on Leadership
00:36:57 - Challenging Traditional Leadership Models
00:39:55 - Overcoming Cognitive Dissonance
00:46:03 - A Call to Action and Finding Support
00:49:19 - Importance of Metaphor and Theology
00:50:05 - Lance's Approach and Authenticity
00:51:46 - Recognizing Red Flags
00:52:47 - Lance's Empathy and Straightforwardness
00:55:21 - Self-Care and Encouragement
Timestamped summary of this episode:
00:00:02 - Introducing the Podcast and Guest
Lori introduces the podcast and the guest, Lance Ford. She highlights his background as a pastor, church planter, and author, and emphasizes his new book, "The Atlas Factor."
00:01:52 - Lance's Background and Book
Lance shares his background as a pastor and network director, and his journey of questioning leadership in the church. He discusses his previous book, "Unleader," and how it led to the writing of "The Atlas Factor."
00:04:10 - Aha Moment
Lori asks Lance about his moment of realization regarding the leadership culture in the church. Lance shares his experience of being on staff at a large church and witnessing questionable behavior from influential leaders, leading to his realization of the epidemic.
00:11:08 - Root Causes of Leadership Issues
Lori and Lance discuss the potential causes of the toxic leadership culture in the church. They touch on the attraction of power and influence in faith-based organizations and the potential draw for individuals with narcissistic tendencies.
00:14:15 - Church as a Platform for Narcissism
The conversation delves into the allure of the church as a platform for individuals with narcissistic tendencies to fulfill their desire for power and control. They explore the dynamics that enable and perpetuate such behavior within church leadership.
00:16:38 - The Evolution of Leadership
Lance discusses his surprise at the newness of the concept of leadership, as evidenced by its absence in older dictionaries. He highlights the industrial revolution's impact on the development of modern leadership theories.
00:23:17 - Abuse of Power in Churches
Lori and Lance discuss the specific impact of the industrial revolution on church leadership and the resulting burnout culture. They emphasize the need to address systemic issues rather than just symptoms.
00:27:04 - Jesus' Approach to Power
Lance delves into Jesus' teachings on power and leadership, emphasizing the contrast between worldly power dynamics and the servant leadership model promoted by Jesus.
00:29:32 - Impact of the System on Whistleblowers
The conversation explores the detrimental effects of the current leadership system on whistleblowers and women, highlighting the toxic masculinity and patriarchal structures within the church.
00:30:21 - The Atlas Factor
Lance introduces the concept of the Atlas factor as a metaphor for the burden placed on church leaders to carry the weight of the world. He explores the idea of decentralized leadership and the need to shift the focus onto Jesus as the true head of the church.
00:33:33 - The Importance of the Atlas Vertebra
Lance Ford discusses the significance of the atlas vertebra, its role in connecting the brain to the body, and how misalignment can affect overall health.
00:35:06 - Paul's Teachings on Leadership
Paul's writings in Ephesians are discussed, emphasizing the importance of the body of Christ and the misuse of titles such as "head pastor" in modern leadership models.
00:36:57 - Challenging Traditional Leadership Models
Lance encourages readers to re-examine their understanding of leadership by reading the Bible with fresh eyes and questioning the prevailing church growth and leadership models.
00:39:55 - Overcoming Cognitive Dissonance
The conversation delves into the challenges of navigating cognitive dissonance within the church, addressing the disconnect between what should be happening and what actually occurs in many church settings.
00:46:03 - A Call to Action and Finding Support
Lance offers support to those who have experienced abuse within the church, providing hope and practical resources for individuals and communities seeking positive change. He also shares his contact information for further assistance.
00:49:19 - Importance of Metaphor and Theology
Lance Ford discusses the significance of the metaphor of the Atlas factor and theological implications. He emphasizes the need for people to know they are not alone in dealing with toxic faith environments.
00:50:05 - Lance's Approach and Authenticity
Lori praises Lance's research synthesis and caring nature. She highlights his ability to give language to issues and communicate in a caring and loving manner. Lance's authenticity in addressing hard truths is also commended.
00:51:46 - Recognizing Red Flags
Lori emphasizes the importance of recognizing red flags in toxic faith environments. She encourages listeners to pick up Lance's book, "The Atlas Factor," to gain insight into unhealthy church dynamics and toxic leadership.
00:52:47 - Lance's Empathy and Straightforwardness
Lori appreciates Lance's empathy towards marginalized individuals and his ability to synthesize information. She commends his straightforward yet caring approach in addressing toxic faith environments and interactions with people.
00:55:21 - Self-Care and Encouragement
Lori encourages listeners to engage in self-care and mindfulness after listening to the podcast. She affirms the value and worth of the audience, urging them to take care of themselves as they continue making a difference in the world.
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Keep making a difference wherever you are!
Lori Adams-Brown, Host & Executive Producer
A World of Difference Podcast
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Welcome to the a World of Difference
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podcast. I'm Lori Adams Brown, and this is
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10% off your first month today. Today on
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the podcast, we have a man who is truly
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trying to make a difference in faith
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communities in ways that are both
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difficult to navigate with a lot of
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obstacles, but he brings a lot of
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research, experience and wisdom to the
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conversation. So happy to bring onto the
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show today Lance Ford, an author of
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multiple books, but he's releasing a new
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book called the Atlas Factor, and today
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we're going to talk about this book as
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it's being released. But I just wanted to
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give you a little information about Lance
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and why he's qualified to write a book
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like this. With over three decades of
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experience as a pastor and a church
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planner, Lance has been a coach and
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consultant who has designed unique
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training systems that's currently being
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used by network seminaries and leaders
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throughout the world. But he's also
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written, you may have read some of his
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articles in Christianity Today and
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Outreach magazine relevant and others, as
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well as he co founded the centralized
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conference. His books, if you've read
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them, ones he's written in the past, are
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unleader, the Starfish and the Spirit,
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which is the first of his books that I
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read back in the day, missional
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essentials, the missional quest next door
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as it is in heaven and others. But this
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book is really important because he's
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addressing some issues in the faith
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community and especially evangelical
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spaces. And around this metaphor of the
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Atlas factor, we're going to unpack that
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together a little bit. But it's about
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shifting leadership onto the shoulders of
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Jesus and off of what we often consider a
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senior pastor, head pastor, especially at
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some of these very large churches, but
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even small churches. So I got to meet
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Lance back in Chicago when we were both
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speaking at a conference, the Restore
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conference up in Chicago in October. And I
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walked into the speaker room and he's the
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first person I met in there. And we really
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connected because of some similar spaces
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and experiences and really happy to have
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him on the show today. If you've not read
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any of his books in the past, you are
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really in for some insightful
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conversation. Because he's a big
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researcher, he reads widely, digs deep,
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and some of the things he shared at the
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Restore conference are things I still
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really have kind of mold over in my own
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mind. I know a lot of us have as to the
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things he was telling us about there and
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really have enjoyed getting an advanced
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copy of his book. My husband Jason and I
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have both been reading it, and it's so
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insightful. So happy to introduce you if
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you've not yet heard of him or allow you
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to hear this man you've been following for
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a while and reading his work. So welcome
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to the world of Difference podcast today.
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Lance Ford. Hi, Lance. I'm so excited that
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we're going to have this conversation
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today. Welcome to the podcast and thank
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you for writing this book. I know that
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you've written things in the past, but
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this is a particular book I'm very excited
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about. So thanks for showing up today.
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Well, I appreciate you having me, Laura.
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I've been looking forward to having this
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conversation. Me too. It was so great to
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meet you in person in Chicago a few months
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back in the speaker room and just to know
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some common experiences that we've had and
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some ways we're both trying to make a
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difference in faith spaces that have
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really formed us and that we care about
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getting better and doing better. And so as
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you are launching this book into the
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world, I wanted to start with just tell us
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a little bit about your background and how
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that led to this book coming forth. And as
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we say in the author community, just
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giving birth, even though you're a man, it
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feels like a new experience for you. Yeah,
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it does feel like well, I was present.
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Yeah, I was present for all three of our
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children's births. We used, and this goes
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way back because it's more commonplace now
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in the states than it was then. But 30
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something years ago, when we had all our
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three kids, we used midwives. And it was
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like a new idea, even though it's been
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going around for thousands of years. So
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everybody's like, what? You're not going
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to hospital? So I did see that, but I've
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never been one to say, we're pregnant or
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we're having a baby, because I saw what
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happened. Like, no, we're not pregnant.
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But it does feel that way with a book. So,
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yeah, I was a pastor for 20 something
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years. Kind of went that route that so
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many people do as far as was a youth
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pastor, then an associate pastor, college
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type pastor, and then end up being a
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senior guy, planted a church, and we
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planted several churches out of it. And
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this is back in the mid 90s when we
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planted a church in the northwest suburbs
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of St. Louis. And that was during a time,
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Lori, when it was the height of, I don't
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know if you're too young to remember this,
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and of course, you were living abroad, so
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I don't know how much it was affecting
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you, but it was the Seeker movement, the
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Seeker church movement. And so that in the
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mid 90s was the big rage, and I got caught
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up in that. And that was about the time
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when what I called the leadership
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industrial complex was really starting to
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hit its stride. And so everything in the
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church was starting to become for pastors.
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They didn't call themselves pastors
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anymore. They called themselves leaders.
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And it was all about leadership stuff. And
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so I drank that knew my. There was this
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new little company where you could
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actually order books on this new thing
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called the Internet, and this little
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company called Amazon that sold books.
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That's all they sold, was mean. I got to
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know my Amazon driver by name real well
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because he was showing up two or three
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times a week, bringing me leadership
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books. And so, like so many of my pastor,
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we were. We were reading everything on
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leadership. We're loading van loads up of
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our staff and team to drive to Willow
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Creek, Chicago, a couple times a, and so
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after several years of that along the way,
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it just became really evident to me that
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there were a lot of things that I was
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reading and that I was seeing, and that
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was seeing behind the scenes from pastors
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that I was getting to know and rub
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shoulders with. It was like, there's a lot
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of this stuff that's not adding up it
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doesn't sync well with what Jesus said,
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and it doesn't sync well with what I'm
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seeing in the epistles. And it is kind of
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excused under the mantra of leadership.
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And then I was feeling the weight of it,
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too, of being this great leader and trying
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to live up to all that. So over several
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years, it finally got to the point where I
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just couldn't take it anymore and really
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stepped out of my position at the church
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that we had planted and ended up stepping
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into a leadership position of running a
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couple of networks. And one of the
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networks was a church planting network
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that took me back to the Dallas Fort Worth
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area where I had grown up and on staff at
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a very large megachurch that also had a
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large church planting consortium that I
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ended up being the director of. And that
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really thrust me into the who's who of
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well known pastors. And then I really got
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to see how the sausage was made. So that's
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what really kind of started me on my
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journey of saying, we have to really have
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a go at these systems that we have in the
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church. I wrote my first book in 2012 on
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it. It was a book called Unleader. I don't
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feign or say I was a voice crying in the
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wilderness. I was one of a few voices, but
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there wasn't a lot of people saying
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anything or questioning it, especially
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with published books at that point. When
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my first book was published in 2012, but
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then in 2014 was when Mark Driscoll went
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down, then by 2018, hyples. And then it's
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just been like dominoes ever since then.
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Right? And as we're recording this and
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we're in the midst of one, that's all in
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the scenes right now with Mike Bickle and
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ihoP, and you have to wonder who's on
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deck. Somebody right now is scurrying and
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will be exposed in weeks or months. It's
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going to happen. It keeps happening. So,
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anyway, that's kind of the nickel tour of
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what's brought me to this point of this
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next book. Yeah, it can be pretty
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disorienting for a lot of people who have
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seen from within, but maybe not exactly
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behind the curtain in ways that you have.
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When leaders like this, which, as you
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mentioned, are in this particular
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evangelical community here in the United
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States where we're recording, it does seem
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like a constant situation. But for those
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who are involved in, for example, maybe a
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megachurch right now, or they consider
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themselves a white evangelical in the
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United States, or they're in maybe Brazil,
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and they go to the big christian
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conference where one of these authors is
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coming to speak or in know where they
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don't see necessarily behind the curtain
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in ways that you have, it can be
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disorienting to hear these kinds of
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things. And so when it first happened for
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you, my question is, what was your moment
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of. Aha. Like, I'm not crazy. This is what
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it really is. Yeah. I think it was a
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combination of being on staff at this
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church. Let me first off say it's not just
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megachurches and you know that it can be a
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church of 50 people, and you've got this
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little dictator that's got his little f.
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It can be anywhere. It's just that in the
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mega situations, there's more resource and
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more power to wield. Right. And there's
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more influence. And the bad thing about
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that is when these leaders that have these
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huge platforms, they are having a huge
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influence and multiplying who they are in
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all these other young leaders, young
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pastors, young church planters. So I think
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for me, it was when I then really was on
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staff at this large church, and then my
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role caused me to do a lot of travel. It
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caused me to be literally shoulder to
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shoulder. I mean, you could start dropping
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names here. And I would probably say yes,
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was with that guy, spent a lot of time
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with that individual and just seeing
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grossness and just excuse and attitudes
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that were just so out of bounds and so
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anti Jesus that it spun your head. So that
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was probably when it all came together for
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me, and it just kind of punctuated that.
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This is an epidemic. Yeah, you probably
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get this question a lot because I do. A
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lot from people who are trying to
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understand this, which is trying to
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understand the unimaginable and something
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that can't fully be understood in some
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ways. It's one of those, like chicken or
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the egg questions that you probably get a
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lot. Like, was this leadership culture?
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What formed some of these, what we would
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often think of as people on the. Whatever
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spectrum of narcissism, as these leaders
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who can't be questioned, who it feels more
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like a cult. So is it that the leadership
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culture created this? Were they like this
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already? Is that who's surfacing to the
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top and then they're giving them skills?
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What is your perspective on all that? Yes,
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probably a little bit of all of it. I
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think that if someone has a. If they're,
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like, on the spectrum for a narcissist,
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if. If they move towards these type of
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positions, then it's like gas on the fire
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on the inside of them. And I haven't done
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any heavy studies. Maybe you have. I
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haven't done any heavy studies on. I've
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seen a few statistics, but I can't pull
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any of them up, or I can't recall any in
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particular right now. But I do know that
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from what I have seen in the little
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research on that particular, that I've
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seen that the church or faith based
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organizations, they do draw narcissists
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into leadership. There is something about
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a person that even may have a little bit
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of narcissistic tendencies in them that
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they are drawn to opportunity to have
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power. And the church is a great place for
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that. Right. I mean, it's a great place.
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If you have that and you want to be seen
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as an expert or you want to be known as a
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person who is in charge and be in charge,
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you've got a pretty good shot at getting a
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chance at living that out in the church
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somewhere to one degree or another. Yeah.
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If you like to hear yourself talk and you
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want a captive audience that can't
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interrupt you and can't question you, and
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you can talk for 30 minutes on a stage
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with a door. Great place to live out your
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rock star dreams. Exactly. So, yes, I know
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we've seen one or two of those along the
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way, but as you were doing research for
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this book, and I don't like spoiling
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people's books, so don't feel like you
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have to do that, because I do want people
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to buy your book. And by the way, go buy
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his book. Is there anything, as you were
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researching it, that sort of surprised you
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or you didn't expect or that kind of stood
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out to you in any way as you were
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researching? Yeah, and I don't know if
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we've mentioned the title of the book, but
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I sure want to mention it's the Atlas
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factor, and the subtitle is shifting
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leadership onto the shoulders of Jesus.
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So, I tell you one thing, Lori that really
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surprised me was one day during the
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research for it several years ago, I was
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just thinking about the word leadership,
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and I thought, well, so I have this Oxford
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dictionary that's a giant. It weighs about
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30 pounds, literally, and it's a 1955
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version of the Oxford Universal
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Dictionary. And one of the things that
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scholars or researchers like about that
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particular dictionary is it goes into the
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evolution of a word. So it can tell you,
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well, here's what this word meant in 1910.
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Here's what it meant in 1845. Here's what
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it meant in 1320. So it's very
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comprehensive. So it's just assumed that
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everybody knows what leadership is. So I
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thought, well, should we be assuming this?
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I want to go look in the Oxford
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dictionary. So I pulled it out, and I
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started looking for leadership. Now, I'm
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not saying the word leader or lead. I was
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looking for the word leadership, and I
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couldn't find it. And I was like, am I
373
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missing some pages? Did some pages fall
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out of my old 1955 Oxford dictionary here,
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or what's going on? And sure enough, it
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was not defined. I finally found the word
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one time as part of around an eight or
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nine word definition for the word lead or
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leader. I can't remember which one, but I
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was amazed. I was like, the word
381
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leadership is not even defined in this go
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to dictionary. Well, then come to find out
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in the 1915 Noah Webster dictionary, it
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wasn't in there at all. So I was shocked
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that, well, wait, this word, which we
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hear, it's $87 billion industry, by the
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way, that's more than media. That's more
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than the media industry today is people
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spend on books and media of leadership
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training, $87 billion a year. But what,
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50, you know, 70 years ago, it wasn't even
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in the go to dictionary. So the thing that
393
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surprised me was how new leadership is
394
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now. A lot of people immediately jump and
395
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wait. Leadership's been around. The
396
00:19:31,614 --> 00:19:34,034
Chinese were studying leadership. Plato
397
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talked about leadership, sure, but not in
398
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the form that we talk about it today, not
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as management. And really, that is the
400
00:19:42,694 --> 00:19:45,910
thing is, most leadership today is
401
00:19:45,910 --> 00:19:48,794
management. And it's management theory.
402
00:19:48,794 --> 00:19:51,114
And management theory really was created
403
00:19:51,114 --> 00:19:54,710
in the early 19 hundreds for the
404
00:19:54,710 --> 00:19:59,626
leadership or for the industrial complex.
405
00:19:59,626 --> 00:20:04,442
And so you had the technology, you had
406
00:20:04,442 --> 00:20:07,774
cars being created, assembly lines, all
407
00:20:07,774 --> 00:20:13,194
this other mechanistic things. When the
408
00:20:13,194 --> 00:20:15,762
industry exploded and they needed to run
409
00:20:15,762 --> 00:20:17,426
these factories, they needed to operate
410
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them. So a guy named Frederick Winslow
411
00:20:19,326 --> 00:20:22,434
Taylor from Bethlehem Steele is really the
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one that scholars would say he was the
413
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father of modern day leadership. He wrote
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a book called the Scientific Practices of
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leadership, and this basically divided the
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workers from management. That's when you
417
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got the separation of white collar and
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blue collar, and he systematized it. And
419
00:20:43,114 --> 00:20:46,378
then that started being imported straight
420
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into the corporate America. I'm doing all
421
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this research on the term leadership. And
422
00:20:54,126 --> 00:20:57,322
so I started looking to see the history of
423
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books on the term leadership. And there
424
00:21:01,806 --> 00:21:03,806
were barely just a handful of books, even
425
00:21:03,806 --> 00:21:06,466
in the 1930s, with the word leadership in
426
00:21:06,466 --> 00:21:09,214
the title, it started gaining some
427
00:21:09,214 --> 00:21:12,098
traction in the. You started seeing a lot
428
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of books on leadership. So then I thought,
429
00:21:14,034 --> 00:21:16,502
well, let me find Christian. What's the
430
00:21:16,502 --> 00:21:19,126
history of christian books on leadership?
431
00:21:19,126 --> 00:21:21,560
And then I was really blown away, Lori,
432
00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:26,022
because prior to the 1960s, you can't find
433
00:21:26,022 --> 00:21:28,730
any books with the term leadership in the
434
00:21:28,730 --> 00:21:33,594
title, and probably at best around ten to
435
00:21:33,594 --> 00:21:37,062
twelve in the 1960s that even had the term
436
00:21:37,062 --> 00:21:40,922
leadership in a Christian titled book. And
437
00:21:40,922 --> 00:21:45,182
so that really took me down a wormhole of
438
00:21:45,182 --> 00:21:47,406
saying, okay, this is really a new thing
439
00:21:47,406 --> 00:21:50,206
in the church. And I was thinking one day,
440
00:21:50,206 --> 00:21:52,978
I thought 40, 50 years ago, if you were in
441
00:21:52,978 --> 00:21:56,126
a coffee shop and there were some local
442
00:21:56,126 --> 00:21:58,050
pastors sitting around a table sharing
443
00:21:58,050 --> 00:22:02,926
together from a few different churches, I
444
00:22:02,926 --> 00:22:05,426
can't prove this with empirical data, but
445
00:22:05,426 --> 00:22:07,314
I just know because I'm an old guy and I
446
00:22:07,314 --> 00:22:09,926
was around back then, you wouldn't even
447
00:22:09,926 --> 00:22:11,734
have heard the word leadership mentioned
448
00:22:11,734 --> 00:22:13,974
around that table. No one would have said
449
00:22:13,974 --> 00:22:15,634
they wouldn't have called theirselves
450
00:22:15,634 --> 00:22:18,154
leaders. None of the local community would
451
00:22:18,154 --> 00:22:19,338
looked at them and called them leaders.
452
00:22:19,338 --> 00:22:21,766
They would have called them pastors,
453
00:22:21,766 --> 00:22:23,338
ministers, probably ministers, which is
454
00:22:23,338 --> 00:22:27,786
the word servant. So leadership as we know
455
00:22:27,786 --> 00:22:33,338
it today, in particular, as is management,
456
00:22:33,338 --> 00:22:35,680
it's a new thing. It really is a new
457
00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:40,926
thing. It is a new thing. And I think some
458
00:22:40,926 --> 00:22:43,522
of the conversations that are being had
459
00:22:43,522 --> 00:22:47,502
around this because there's a lot of
460
00:22:47,502 --> 00:22:50,094
deconstruction, disentangling that whole
461
00:22:50,094 --> 00:22:52,034
conversation that's happening both in just
462
00:22:52,034 --> 00:22:55,486
your average church member or people
463
00:22:55,486 --> 00:22:57,694
sitting in the pew or I guess stadium
464
00:22:57,694 --> 00:22:59,654
seating, whatever it may be, as well as
465
00:22:59,654 --> 00:23:01,942
the academic theologian scholar side.
466
00:23:01,942 --> 00:23:03,714
Right. So it's happening in a lot of
467
00:23:03,714 --> 00:23:05,814
spaces. But I think as this conversation
468
00:23:05,814 --> 00:23:08,566
is happening, I do often hear, and you may
469
00:23:08,566 --> 00:23:10,806
hear this, too, people will say, well,
470
00:23:10,806 --> 00:23:13,894
abuses of power have been since
471
00:23:13,894 --> 00:23:14,986
Constantine, like this has been going on
472
00:23:14,986 --> 00:23:16,780
for a while, which we study in church
473
00:23:16,780 --> 00:23:20,302
history. And I agree, abuse of power has
474
00:23:20,302 --> 00:23:22,094
always been something that the church has
475
00:23:22,094 --> 00:23:25,678
had to wrestle with. But there is
476
00:23:25,678 --> 00:23:27,786
something very specific about the
477
00:23:27,786 --> 00:23:29,422
industrial revolution. There is something
478
00:23:29,422 --> 00:23:33,882
very specific about treating church
479
00:23:33,882 --> 00:23:36,158
volunteers or staff as cogs in a wheel of
480
00:23:36,158 --> 00:23:38,114
a factory to produce, like you used the
481
00:23:38,114 --> 00:23:42,286
word fiefdom earlier, that, mixed with
482
00:23:42,286 --> 00:23:45,042
religion, has a whole other type of abuse
483
00:23:45,042 --> 00:23:48,086
of power and burnout culture. It's not
484
00:23:48,086 --> 00:23:50,374
that southern baptist churches forever and
485
00:23:50,374 --> 00:23:52,486
ever haven't had women volunteering to
486
00:23:52,486 --> 00:23:54,086
make casseroles. Yes, that's been going
487
00:23:54,086 --> 00:23:56,966
on. But there is something extra happening
488
00:23:56,966 --> 00:24:01,274
now when a church Christmas service is
489
00:24:01,274 --> 00:24:04,582
like literally having people burn out
490
00:24:04,582 --> 00:24:06,122
immensely in ways that they can't be
491
00:24:06,122 --> 00:24:09,014
available to their families or even find
492
00:24:09,014 --> 00:24:10,714
Christmas triggering in the aftermath of
493
00:24:10,714 --> 00:24:13,118
being on staff at a church. And so, yeah,
494
00:24:13,118 --> 00:24:14,846
explain a little bit about that particular
495
00:24:14,846 --> 00:24:16,880
part of the burnout culture that you've
496
00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:20,026
seen. Well, it ends up putting such a
497
00:24:20,026 --> 00:24:23,678
heavy burden upon, like you said,
498
00:24:23,678 --> 00:24:25,346
volunteers, staff members, and they don't
499
00:24:25,346 --> 00:24:30,738
have a say in it. So nowhere do you find
500
00:24:30,738 --> 00:24:33,522
any construct in the New Testament that
501
00:24:33,522 --> 00:24:37,574
gives permission or even intimates that
502
00:24:37,574 --> 00:24:39,878
one person makes the decisions for
503
00:24:39,878 --> 00:24:42,674
everybody else. You just don't see it. And
504
00:24:42,674 --> 00:24:44,646
Jesus was working to nip this in the bud
505
00:24:44,646 --> 00:24:48,034
with his own disciples because they had
506
00:24:48,034 --> 00:24:53,310
grown up in two iterations of heavy power.
507
00:24:53,310 --> 00:24:57,066
They'd grown up under roman power. I mean,
508
00:24:57,066 --> 00:24:59,954
they were subjugated to it every day under
509
00:24:59,954 --> 00:25:02,686
roman oppression. And so they could see
510
00:25:02,686 --> 00:25:05,918
the symbols, they could see the soldiers
511
00:25:05,918 --> 00:25:08,830
in the streets all the time, right? So, I
512
00:25:08,830 --> 00:25:13,346
mean, they're under this power base then,
513
00:25:13,346 --> 00:25:15,134
the place that they should have some
514
00:25:15,134 --> 00:25:21,118
refuge or some sanctity under the israeli
515
00:25:21,118 --> 00:25:23,486
religion at the time, they're under this
516
00:25:23,486 --> 00:25:26,546
heavy handed priesthood that wields power
517
00:25:26,546 --> 00:25:29,534
and is full of corruption and is a
518
00:25:29,534 --> 00:25:31,078
constant threat to anybody that stepped
519
00:25:31,078 --> 00:25:32,866
out of the bounds. Then you also had the
520
00:25:32,866 --> 00:25:34,406
scribes and the Pharisees that are always
521
00:25:34,406 --> 00:25:36,854
trying to keep everybody in order as they
522
00:25:36,854 --> 00:25:43,002
saw it. So these guys, their whole concept
523
00:25:43,002 --> 00:25:47,514
of any type of government is power and
524
00:25:47,514 --> 00:25:51,566
okay, and threat and strong arming. And so
525
00:25:51,566 --> 00:25:54,990
when you see James and John's mom go to
526
00:25:54,990 --> 00:25:57,866
Jesus and say, hey, once you set your
527
00:25:57,866 --> 00:26:00,990
kingdom up, can my boys know some really
528
00:26:00,990 --> 00:26:06,834
good positions? Secretary of the Navy or
529
00:26:06,834 --> 00:26:08,706
be the speaker of the house or whatever?
530
00:26:08,706 --> 00:26:12,754
And the other disciples get mad, but they
531
00:26:12,754 --> 00:26:16,342
were jockeying for position, know, they
532
00:26:16,342 --> 00:26:18,982
were arguing about who was the best among
533
00:26:18,982 --> 00:26:21,970
them. And so Jesus finally, and Jesus is
534
00:26:21,970 --> 00:26:24,242
literally talking to them about his
535
00:26:24,242 --> 00:26:27,746
crucifixion, and they're worried, know
536
00:26:27,746 --> 00:26:30,054
who's going to get the best? Get the
537
00:26:30,054 --> 00:26:33,546
corner office. And Jesus at one point sets
538
00:26:33,546 --> 00:26:36,934
them down and says, hey, the Gentiles
539
00:26:36,934 --> 00:26:39,030
exercise dominion over one another. They
540
00:26:39,030 --> 00:26:41,946
exercise lordship over one another. And
541
00:26:41,946 --> 00:26:44,314
the word gentiles there, I mean, that's a
542
00:26:44,314 --> 00:26:46,634
metaphor. If it had been in one of the Old
543
00:26:46,634 --> 00:26:48,718
Testament prophets saying this, it would
544
00:26:48,718 --> 00:26:51,114
have said the Babylonians or said, the
545
00:26:51,114 --> 00:26:53,838
Egyptians do this. So gentiles a metaphor
546
00:26:53,838 --> 00:26:56,386
for the world system. And so Jesus saying,
547
00:26:56,386 --> 00:26:58,926
hey, I know you've seen it that way.
548
00:26:58,926 --> 00:27:00,866
That's what's filled your head and filled
549
00:27:00,866 --> 00:27:03,266
your imagination. And now you think, I'm
550
00:27:03,266 --> 00:27:05,106
going to start something like that. And
551
00:27:05,106 --> 00:27:06,886
then he emphatically says, it will not be
552
00:27:06,886 --> 00:27:10,806
this way among you. He forbids them. And
553
00:27:10,806 --> 00:27:13,846
then this is where he says, you don't get
554
00:27:13,846 --> 00:27:17,534
it. My kingdom is completely different, is
555
00:27:17,534 --> 00:27:20,666
antithical to that. The first will be
556
00:27:20,666 --> 00:27:23,786
last, which was what he was saying, in
557
00:27:23,786 --> 00:27:27,930
fact, in Matthew 20, right before he says,
558
00:27:27,930 --> 00:27:33,298
that is where we get the parable of the
559
00:27:33,298 --> 00:27:36,474
vine dresser and the one that owns this
560
00:27:36,474 --> 00:27:39,934
vineyard that calls these workers and pays
561
00:27:39,934 --> 00:27:41,598
one at the end of the day, the same that
562
00:27:41,598 --> 00:27:43,822
he paid the one in the morning, basically
563
00:27:43,822 --> 00:27:46,594
saying, equality here, he's saying, the
564
00:27:46,594 --> 00:27:48,194
first will be last and the last will be
565
00:27:48,194 --> 00:27:50,420
first. In other words, I'm flattening this
566
00:27:50,420 --> 00:27:53,826
thing. And he says, the greatest will be
567
00:27:53,826 --> 00:27:56,694
the servant. And then he punctuates it by
568
00:27:56,694 --> 00:27:59,350
saying, the son of man comes as one who
569
00:27:59,350 --> 00:28:02,006
serves. You guys have got it all wrong.
570
00:28:02,006 --> 00:28:05,538
This is not about power. This is about
571
00:28:05,538 --> 00:28:10,346
letting go of power. And so Jesus had to
572
00:28:10,346 --> 00:28:12,362
deal with this with the disciples from the
573
00:28:12,362 --> 00:28:16,682
very beginning. And the question we need
574
00:28:16,682 --> 00:28:20,202
to be asking ourselves is, why is it so
575
00:28:20,202 --> 00:28:24,430
very, so much among us today? And it's not
576
00:28:24,430 --> 00:28:27,306
enough for us just to deal with the
577
00:28:27,306 --> 00:28:29,562
symptoms. We have to point out the
578
00:28:29,562 --> 00:28:31,630
symptoms. We have to talk about the
579
00:28:31,630 --> 00:28:33,774
symptoms, but at some point, we have to be
580
00:28:33,774 --> 00:28:36,130
talking about the system, because the
581
00:28:36,130 --> 00:28:37,966
system is what's creating all these
582
00:28:37,966 --> 00:28:41,122
symptoms of abuse that we have and just
583
00:28:41,122 --> 00:28:44,114
doing the same thing over and over again
584
00:28:44,114 --> 00:28:46,846
or doing it better. The famous Einstein
585
00:28:46,846 --> 00:28:48,606
quote. Right? What's that? That's the
586
00:28:48,606 --> 00:28:51,594
definition of insanity. But Edwards
587
00:28:51,594 --> 00:28:54,834
Dimming said 50 years ago, every system is
588
00:28:54,834 --> 00:28:56,294
perfectly designed to create the results
589
00:28:56,294 --> 00:28:59,882
it gets. And so it shouldn't surprise us
590
00:28:59,882 --> 00:29:03,078
that we see this continual leadership
591
00:29:03,078 --> 00:29:04,966
abuse, because we have a system that
592
00:29:04,966 --> 00:29:07,370
protects the abusers and empowers the
593
00:29:07,370 --> 00:29:12,422
abusers, and it's all in the name of
594
00:29:12,422 --> 00:29:14,074
leadership, and it's all in the name of
595
00:29:14,074 --> 00:29:16,366
management. And in those systems that
596
00:29:16,366 --> 00:29:18,734
gives these leaders immunity or gives them
597
00:29:18,734 --> 00:29:20,222
the right, they feel like they have the
598
00:29:20,222 --> 00:29:23,554
right to exercise this form of power, and
599
00:29:23,554 --> 00:29:30,846
they don't. Absolutely, yes. And it
600
00:29:30,846 --> 00:29:35,678
crushes these whistleblowers. It crushes
601
00:29:35,678 --> 00:29:39,640
women in particular, because the system
602
00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:42,630
is. There are so many good men in the
603
00:29:42,630 --> 00:29:44,806
world, but unfortunately, some of the men
604
00:29:44,806 --> 00:29:48,338
that made this system had a level of toxic
605
00:29:48,338 --> 00:29:50,106
masculinity involved in it. Systems made
606
00:29:50,106 --> 00:29:52,246
by men for men. But even men are being
607
00:29:52,246 --> 00:29:55,370
crushed in it, men who are speaking up.
608
00:29:55,370 --> 00:29:58,394
But because of the way social hierarchy is
609
00:29:58,394 --> 00:30:01,446
in this system, especially christian
610
00:30:01,446 --> 00:30:03,054
patriarchy, is embedded in all of it. And
611
00:30:03,054 --> 00:30:06,526
so, as we look at the system, you have
612
00:30:06,526 --> 00:30:07,902
this book that you've written, right,
613
00:30:07,902 --> 00:30:10,298
about the atlas factors. Tell us, without
614
00:30:10,298 --> 00:30:12,978
ruining too much of the book, why atlas?
615
00:30:12,978 --> 00:30:15,186
What is the Atlas factor? And how can it
616
00:30:15,186 --> 00:30:18,900
help us overcome these obstacles? Yeah,
617
00:30:18,900 --> 00:30:25,314
well, it's a metaphor. And I had, in fact,
618
00:30:25,314 --> 00:30:27,382
a book that came out about three years
619
00:30:27,382 --> 00:30:29,174
ago, called the starfish in the spirit,
620
00:30:29,174 --> 00:30:32,150
which is really about decentralized
621
00:30:32,150 --> 00:30:36,040
leadership. I had put a metaphor in there
622
00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:39,514
about atlas, as we know immediately. You
623
00:30:39,514 --> 00:30:43,462
think about the picture of this hulking
624
00:30:43,462 --> 00:30:46,778
lone figure that's trying to hold up the
625
00:30:46,778 --> 00:30:48,966
world, right? Which was, he had been
626
00:30:48,966 --> 00:30:50,698
cursed by Zeus to hold up the weight of
627
00:30:50,698 --> 00:30:53,726
the world over his shoulders. And so I'd
628
00:30:53,726 --> 00:30:56,606
use that metaphor in this other book about
629
00:30:56,606 --> 00:30:59,086
what it's like to try to be a pastor, to
630
00:30:59,086 --> 00:31:01,470
be this solo, heroic pastor and
631
00:31:01,470 --> 00:31:03,246
everything. And I experienced this.
632
00:31:03,246 --> 00:31:07,358
Everybody expects you to be, to give 45 to
633
00:31:07,358 --> 00:31:12,734
50 fantastic talks a year. Who do you
634
00:31:12,734 --> 00:31:14,998
think you are? I mean, come on. Nobody's
635
00:31:14,998 --> 00:31:16,934
that good. So you're supposed to be the
636
00:31:16,934 --> 00:31:19,078
top theologian, the top speaker, the face
637
00:31:19,078 --> 00:31:23,602
of the church, the fundraiser, the
638
00:31:23,602 --> 00:31:27,222
marriage expert, the family expert, right?
639
00:31:27,222 --> 00:31:31,146
All this stuff. Who do you think you are,
640
00:31:31,146 --> 00:31:33,866
and who does everybody else think can live
641
00:31:33,866 --> 00:31:35,786
up to that? No one can live up to that. No
642
00:31:35,786 --> 00:31:39,340
one was ever called or formulated. You see
643
00:31:39,340 --> 00:31:42,698
no picture of that whatsoever in the New
644
00:31:42,698 --> 00:31:47,262
Testament. You can't come up with it. The
645
00:31:47,262 --> 00:31:51,514
thing is, even these pastors, so many
646
00:31:51,514 --> 00:31:53,390
pastors, they're being victimized by the
647
00:31:53,390 --> 00:31:54,866
system, too, because they're expected to
648
00:31:54,866 --> 00:31:56,946
be atlas. So I kind of had that in my mind
649
00:31:56,946 --> 00:31:59,682
for a long time. And one day, I had made a
650
00:31:59,682 --> 00:32:05,338
post on social media somewhere about
651
00:32:05,338 --> 00:32:07,522
leadership in the church being
652
00:32:07,522 --> 00:32:09,126
problematic. And I said something along
653
00:32:09,126 --> 00:32:14,194
the lines of, it's problematic because it
654
00:32:14,194 --> 00:32:17,250
disjoints the body of Christ from her true
655
00:32:17,250 --> 00:32:22,986
head. Jesus and I had a buddy that shared
656
00:32:22,986 --> 00:32:27,606
that post. I made his chiropractor,
657
00:32:27,606 --> 00:32:30,654
commented on it, and it came back to me.
658
00:32:30,654 --> 00:32:33,626
It popped up in my feed where he had
659
00:32:33,626 --> 00:32:37,982
commented on it. He said, oh, yeah, that's
660
00:32:37,982 --> 00:32:41,454
like supplexation with the c one and the c
661
00:32:41,454 --> 00:32:47,006
two vertebra, the atlas vertebra and the
662
00:32:47,006 --> 00:32:49,794
axis vertebra. Well, it triggered me. I
663
00:32:49,794 --> 00:32:53,620
was like, whoa. Because he said atlas. And
664
00:32:53,620 --> 00:32:59,602
so I started looking this up and this term
665
00:32:59,602 --> 00:33:01,906
subluxation. In fact, this particular
666
00:33:01,906 --> 00:33:03,926
chiropractor, a guy named Eddie Weller out
667
00:33:03,926 --> 00:33:06,294
of St. Louis, had written a little book
668
00:33:06,294 --> 00:33:09,274
called it just makes sense. And I ordered
669
00:33:09,274 --> 00:33:12,314
that book, and I was fascinated. I ended
670
00:33:12,314 --> 00:33:14,694
up reading four more books on
671
00:33:14,694 --> 00:33:17,834
chiropractic, Lori So there you go. That's
672
00:33:17,834 --> 00:33:21,694
how this wormholes will open up. So the
673
00:33:21,694 --> 00:33:24,602
deal is, there's a very limited group of
674
00:33:24,602 --> 00:33:27,274
chiropractors that practice what they call
675
00:33:27,274 --> 00:33:31,566
upper cervical care. So they only focus on
676
00:33:31,566 --> 00:33:33,842
the top two vertebra, the c one and the c
677
00:33:33,842 --> 00:33:37,220
two. Once again, the atlas and the axis.
678
00:33:37,220 --> 00:33:40,942
And the atlas vertebra is the first
679
00:33:40,942 --> 00:33:42,674
vertebra, and it doesn't look like the
680
00:33:42,674 --> 00:33:46,626
others. It's more that concave where it
681
00:33:46,626 --> 00:33:49,286
holds the brain stem. It's what gives your
682
00:33:49,286 --> 00:33:52,562
head the swivel and all that. But its
683
00:33:52,562 --> 00:33:55,286
importance is that if anything below it,
684
00:33:55,286 --> 00:33:57,454
if there's a disconnection or a
685
00:33:57,454 --> 00:34:03,286
disjointedness, a disalignment, then it
686
00:34:03,286 --> 00:34:06,186
shuts off the information that the brain
687
00:34:06,186 --> 00:34:08,794
is trying to send down into the body. And
688
00:34:08,794 --> 00:34:11,260
so he made this statement in his book. In
689
00:34:11,260 --> 00:34:14,602
fact, he said, we that practice upper
690
00:34:14,602 --> 00:34:18,542
cervical care, we don't snap, crackle, and
691
00:34:18,542 --> 00:34:20,558
pop all the other vertebra. When you come
692
00:34:20,558 --> 00:34:23,102
to see us, we just focus on these two
693
00:34:23,102 --> 00:34:25,342
because we believe if we get that
694
00:34:25,342 --> 00:34:27,106
connection right, get that alignment
695
00:34:27,106 --> 00:34:29,122
right, everything else will come into
696
00:34:29,122 --> 00:34:31,826
place. And then he named many maladies
697
00:34:31,826 --> 00:34:33,826
that he had seen in his own practice. I
698
00:34:33,826 --> 00:34:36,614
mean, everything from high blood pressure,
699
00:34:36,614 --> 00:34:38,966
believe it or not, some, in fact, my buddy
700
00:34:38,966 --> 00:34:41,414
that he was, his chiropractor has a rare
701
00:34:41,414 --> 00:34:46,742
form of cancer, and his t counts and
702
00:34:46,742 --> 00:34:50,634
everything have totally changed through
703
00:34:50,634 --> 00:34:53,162
the chiropractic work. It's just amazing
704
00:34:53,162 --> 00:34:55,414
what happens. And so he made this
705
00:34:55,414 --> 00:34:58,620
statement. He said, the brain is in the
706
00:34:58,620 --> 00:35:02,654
body. It just needs no interruption. Well,
707
00:35:02,654 --> 00:35:05,294
you start taking what Paul had to say
708
00:35:05,294 --> 00:35:07,802
about the head and the body. Just read
709
00:35:07,802 --> 00:35:10,080
Ephesians. Read Ephesians four in
710
00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:12,426
particular, where Paul talks about the
711
00:35:12,426 --> 00:35:14,146
gifts that the Lord has poured out into
712
00:35:14,146 --> 00:35:16,702
the apostle, prophet, shepherd, and
713
00:35:16,702 --> 00:35:19,138
teacher. Which is not a leadership text,
714
00:35:19,138 --> 00:35:22,274
by the way. It's a body text. So he's not
715
00:35:22,274 --> 00:35:24,482
talking about professional ministry. He's
716
00:35:24,482 --> 00:35:26,946
talking about the body of Christ. You may
717
00:35:26,946 --> 00:35:29,366
be a second grade elementary teacher. You
718
00:35:29,366 --> 00:35:31,446
may be a plumber. You may be a doctor. You
719
00:35:31,446 --> 00:35:35,314
may be a lawyer. You've been gifted. The
720
00:35:35,314 --> 00:35:37,994
Lord has these gifts poured out into his
721
00:35:37,994 --> 00:35:40,874
body. But the problem is, when men try to
722
00:35:40,874 --> 00:35:44,282
act like Atlas, when they try to take the
723
00:35:44,282 --> 00:35:46,970
place of Jesus, some of them even call
724
00:35:46,970 --> 00:35:51,622
themselves the head pastor. You're taking
725
00:35:51,622 --> 00:35:52,738
Jesus'place. There's nowhere in the
726
00:35:52,738 --> 00:35:54,570
scripture where any man's called head
727
00:35:54,570 --> 00:35:56,894
pastor. Jesus is the head pastor. There's
728
00:35:56,894 --> 00:35:58,622
no place in the scripture where anyone's
729
00:35:58,622 --> 00:36:01,214
called senior pastor. There's one place
730
00:36:01,214 --> 00:36:03,026
where Peter says, the chief shepherd. And
731
00:36:03,026 --> 00:36:06,002
guess who it is? Jesus. That position's
732
00:36:06,002 --> 00:36:09,554
already taken. Guys, don't even fill out
733
00:36:09,554 --> 00:36:12,146
the application. We don't have the opening
734
00:36:12,146 --> 00:36:15,874
right now, okay? We never will. So we just
735
00:36:15,874 --> 00:36:19,282
come up with all this stuff that is so
736
00:36:19,282 --> 00:36:21,106
distant from the scripture, and it's
737
00:36:21,106 --> 00:36:22,694
antithical to the things that Jesus and
738
00:36:22,694 --> 00:36:25,894
the apostles had to say. But we formulated
739
00:36:25,894 --> 00:36:30,070
it, and we've amalgamated it through
740
00:36:30,070 --> 00:36:32,998
cognitive dissonance with our ideas about
741
00:36:32,998 --> 00:36:34,826
leadership, and we believe it to be true,
742
00:36:34,826 --> 00:36:38,022
and we just accept it ad nausea without
743
00:36:38,022 --> 00:36:40,702
investigating it and being good bereans
744
00:36:40,702 --> 00:36:43,406
and really taking a good look at it. And
745
00:36:43,406 --> 00:36:47,834
once again, it's the system. I'm sorry, I
746
00:36:47,834 --> 00:36:51,978
ranted right there. Oh, I love a good
747
00:36:51,978 --> 00:36:54,106
rant. This was the funnest part of
748
00:36:54,106 --> 00:36:55,426
podcasting, is hearing a good rant once in
749
00:36:55,426 --> 00:37:00,882
a while. Yeah, no, I'm with you here as a
750
00:37:00,882 --> 00:37:02,914
family who's done a lot of chiropractic.
751
00:37:02,914 --> 00:37:06,174
All five of us and my family have
752
00:37:06,174 --> 00:37:07,622
benefited from chiropractors. In fact, I
753
00:37:07,622 --> 00:37:09,574
think as a baby, the first place I was
754
00:37:09,574 --> 00:37:12,006
ever taken to was a chiropractor, even
755
00:37:12,006 --> 00:37:16,040
from my family of origin. And we do
756
00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:19,154
understand the brain and how it does
757
00:37:19,154 --> 00:37:21,526
impact the entire nervous system. Having
758
00:37:21,526 --> 00:37:23,274
walked through a lot of therapy over the
759
00:37:23,274 --> 00:37:25,034
last couple of years from my own toxic
760
00:37:25,034 --> 00:37:28,742
work environment in Omega church,
761
00:37:28,742 --> 00:37:30,822
understanding the way our nervous systems
762
00:37:30,822 --> 00:37:34,250
react to different things. And it's
763
00:37:34,250 --> 00:37:36,606
chiropractic, it's amazing how it can help
764
00:37:36,606 --> 00:37:38,586
so many things. But I think that in
765
00:37:38,586 --> 00:37:40,826
addition to that, just having, being a
766
00:37:40,826 --> 00:37:44,366
woman who worked as a woman pastor as
767
00:37:44,366 --> 00:37:45,954
well, and having gone to seminary, the
768
00:37:45,954 --> 00:37:48,146
word study I did many years ago on kefale,
769
00:37:48,146 --> 00:37:49,694
the word that's translated head into
770
00:37:49,694 --> 00:37:54,180
English in a lot of the versions, we
771
00:37:54,180 --> 00:37:56,546
understand that word head in English in
772
00:37:56,546 --> 00:37:58,886
the United States in 2024 to mean certain
773
00:37:58,886 --> 00:38:00,434
things that it may not have necessarily
774
00:38:00,434 --> 00:38:03,202
meant, even in the original, ancient
775
00:38:03,202 --> 00:38:04,966
context. It could mean source, like head
776
00:38:04,966 --> 00:38:07,846
of a river. And when it's seen in that
777
00:38:07,846 --> 00:38:11,478
way, God is a source for us. It is where
778
00:38:11,478 --> 00:38:14,474
things are. We want that source to have a
779
00:38:14,474 --> 00:38:16,586
beautiful flow without any inhibition, in
780
00:38:16,586 --> 00:38:19,050
the way that a chiropractor would want
781
00:38:19,050 --> 00:38:20,698
everything signaling from the brain all
782
00:38:20,698 --> 00:38:22,810
the way down to the toes to have a very
783
00:38:22,810 --> 00:38:25,934
straight path without any inhibitions. And
784
00:38:25,934 --> 00:38:29,614
so, like you said, understanding that word
785
00:38:29,614 --> 00:38:31,934
in ways we might use it in business in the
786
00:38:31,934 --> 00:38:34,754
United States, and English is not what it
787
00:38:34,754 --> 00:38:38,820
was ever intended for to be in the church.
788
00:38:38,820 --> 00:38:42,930
So we're putting our current language and
789
00:38:42,930 --> 00:38:45,970
culture mix in with post industrial
790
00:38:45,970 --> 00:38:48,534
evolution understanding of that word in
791
00:38:48,534 --> 00:38:50,214
ways that it wasn't intended. That's why
792
00:38:50,214 --> 00:38:52,834
not only is language important here, but
793
00:38:52,834 --> 00:38:55,206
cultural exegesis is important. But I
794
00:38:55,206 --> 00:38:57,554
think that the average church goer, I'm
795
00:38:57,554 --> 00:39:01,146
thinking of white evangelical attendant
796
00:39:01,146 --> 00:39:04,122
that may listen to this podcast, or
797
00:39:04,122 --> 00:39:05,814
somebody, maybe in a megachurch in
798
00:39:05,814 --> 00:39:07,850
Singapore, who's been heavily influenced
799
00:39:07,850 --> 00:39:11,002
by maybe the teachings of Joel Olstein or
800
00:39:11,002 --> 00:39:12,858
different authors who have sold lots and
801
00:39:12,858 --> 00:39:14,986
lots of copies of their books in this
802
00:39:14,986 --> 00:39:17,006
evangelical industrial complex. Listening
803
00:39:17,006 --> 00:39:19,546
to this may cause a lot of cognitive
804
00:39:19,546 --> 00:39:22,094
dissonance, where one thing is being said
805
00:39:22,094 --> 00:39:23,998
here and portrayed here, and it's
806
00:39:23,998 --> 00:39:26,266
beautiful. And look at the beautiful
807
00:39:26,266 --> 00:39:28,640
Christmas pageants that happen and all
808
00:39:28,640 --> 00:39:31,314
these, that what we often hear, and you've
809
00:39:31,314 --> 00:39:33,422
probably heard this, too, is look at the
810
00:39:33,422 --> 00:39:36,402
fruit. And so as you answer some of those
811
00:39:36,402 --> 00:39:38,902
questions that people might have, why is
812
00:39:38,902 --> 00:39:41,046
there such a disconnect between what
813
00:39:41,046 --> 00:39:42,706
should be happening and what looks like
814
00:39:42,706 --> 00:39:44,838
it's happening and what's actually
815
00:39:44,838 --> 00:39:46,854
happening? And how can people see those
816
00:39:46,854 --> 00:39:49,100
red flags when they're not meant to be
817
00:39:49,100 --> 00:39:54,220
seen? Yeah, well, that's a big, good
818
00:39:54,220 --> 00:39:58,358
question. But first of all, I think you
819
00:39:58,358 --> 00:40:00,540
described it really good there, Lori is
820
00:40:00,540 --> 00:40:04,350
that for the most part, it's all that
821
00:40:04,350 --> 00:40:07,182
anyone has ever experienced or known or
822
00:40:07,182 --> 00:40:11,018
seen. So when you grow up in this or even,
823
00:40:11,018 --> 00:40:13,966
let's say, you become a Christian at 25 or
824
00:40:13,966 --> 00:40:16,206
30, you're immediately put into this, and
825
00:40:16,206 --> 00:40:19,682
that's all you ever see. And I know as a
826
00:40:19,682 --> 00:40:22,258
young leader, as a young pastor, even when
827
00:40:22,258 --> 00:40:24,046
I would have these little red flags
828
00:40:24,046 --> 00:40:26,034
popping up in me, and I bet you experience
829
00:40:26,034 --> 00:40:28,286
this, too. You and Jason probably
830
00:40:28,286 --> 00:40:30,406
experienced this, too, you shove them down
831
00:40:30,406 --> 00:40:32,726
and push them down, because everybody does
832
00:40:32,726 --> 00:40:35,094
it this way and everybody's saying it, and
833
00:40:35,094 --> 00:40:36,886
all the ones that are writing the books
834
00:40:36,886 --> 00:40:39,500
and doing all the talking. So it must be
835
00:40:39,500 --> 00:40:42,522
me. I'm probably the one that's wrong on
836
00:40:42,522 --> 00:40:45,514
here. Okay? So my first thing would say
837
00:40:45,514 --> 00:40:47,642
is, no, you're not wrong with those little
838
00:40:47,642 --> 00:40:52,902
red flags. And when you go to the
839
00:40:52,902 --> 00:40:55,838
scripture again, you start seeing it. And
840
00:40:55,838 --> 00:40:57,726
one of the hardest things for us to do is
841
00:40:57,726 --> 00:41:00,826
to pick the Bible up and read it like
842
00:41:00,826 --> 00:41:02,846
we've never read it before. And that's one
843
00:41:02,846 --> 00:41:04,734
of the things I challenge people to do. I
844
00:41:04,734 --> 00:41:06,938
say, look, even get a translation that
845
00:41:06,938 --> 00:41:09,026
you're not used to. Pick it and read
846
00:41:09,026 --> 00:41:10,850
through the New Testament three or four
847
00:41:10,850 --> 00:41:14,098
times and see what you see. But look at it
848
00:41:14,098 --> 00:41:16,558
without overlaying, which is called
849
00:41:16,558 --> 00:41:19,094
isegesis, right. Rather than exegesis,
850
00:41:19,094 --> 00:41:22,022
rather than really going to the source,
851
00:41:22,022 --> 00:41:24,674
put all your tradition and your experience
852
00:41:24,674 --> 00:41:26,854
aside and try to read it like you're
853
00:41:26,854 --> 00:41:29,660
seeing it for the first time. Then compare
854
00:41:29,660 --> 00:41:33,738
that with what you see every day or every
855
00:41:33,738 --> 00:41:36,154
week in the church that you're a part of
856
00:41:36,154 --> 00:41:39,130
and see if they look alike. And
857
00:41:39,130 --> 00:41:40,894
unfortunately, a lot of times, they don't
858
00:41:40,894 --> 00:41:45,402
look much alike. So going back to the
859
00:41:45,402 --> 00:41:48,814
source is vital. And important. But I
860
00:41:48,814 --> 00:41:50,894
think that one of the big reasons that we
861
00:41:50,894 --> 00:41:53,554
have this also another factor that comes
862
00:41:53,554 --> 00:42:00,066
into play is that we've had about 50 years
863
00:42:00,066 --> 00:42:03,714
of church growth industry in the church
864
00:42:03,714 --> 00:42:05,954
and the church growth movement really?
865
00:42:05,954 --> 00:42:07,686
Well, it's really about 60 years. But then
866
00:42:07,686 --> 00:42:11,222
it started gaining traction publicly in
867
00:42:11,222 --> 00:42:14,754
around 1969, around 1970 with the church
868
00:42:14,754 --> 00:42:17,526
growth movement. And then that evolved, as
869
00:42:17,526 --> 00:42:20,090
I mentioned earlier, the Seeker church
870
00:42:20,090 --> 00:42:24,202
movement. And then the leadership complex
871
00:42:24,202 --> 00:42:27,082
started coming into play into it. So the
872
00:42:27,082 --> 00:42:32,046
thing is that really the prevailing. I'm
873
00:42:32,046 --> 00:42:35,102
doing a generalization here, but it's a
874
00:42:35,102 --> 00:42:38,702
strong majority. Is that the prevailing
875
00:42:38,702 --> 00:42:41,774
model of church and leader you see today?
876
00:42:41,774 --> 00:42:44,170
They grew up in this. Now, they were
877
00:42:44,170 --> 00:42:46,514
trained in all this. They went to seminary
878
00:42:46,514 --> 00:42:49,022
with no other model than this. All the
879
00:42:49,022 --> 00:42:50,546
leadership stuff and the conferences that
880
00:42:50,546 --> 00:42:53,602
they went to, it all comes out of this.
881
00:42:53,602 --> 00:42:57,042
And so there's really not been hardly
882
00:42:57,042 --> 00:42:59,062
anybody that's practiced. I'll tell you
883
00:42:59,062 --> 00:43:02,374
about the only notable christian group
884
00:43:02,374 --> 00:43:04,646
that has practiced something other than
885
00:43:04,646 --> 00:43:06,166
this. And I'm saying notable. So I'm not
886
00:43:06,166 --> 00:43:08,074
saying that they're the only ones, but the
887
00:43:08,074 --> 00:43:10,810
most notable would be the Quakers or the
888
00:43:10,810 --> 00:43:16,726
Friends churches. They operate in a
889
00:43:16,726 --> 00:43:19,814
flattened leadership. They operate as
890
00:43:19,814 --> 00:43:22,430
siblings, as brothers and sisters with
891
00:43:22,430 --> 00:43:27,150
equality. The term servant leadership came
892
00:43:27,150 --> 00:43:31,726
from a guy named Robert Greenleaf. He was
893
00:43:31,726 --> 00:43:36,130
a Quaker. Okay? So that was a big part of
894
00:43:36,130 --> 00:43:39,794
his background that helped him look at
895
00:43:39,794 --> 00:43:42,514
what leadership should be and formulate it
896
00:43:42,514 --> 00:43:44,970
from more what we would see in a New
897
00:43:44,970 --> 00:43:48,066
Testament way because of what he
898
00:43:48,066 --> 00:43:50,950
experienced among, in his form of
899
00:43:50,950 --> 00:43:53,762
Christianity. But when you are
900
00:43:53,762 --> 00:43:56,274
indoctrinated over and over and over by a
901
00:43:56,274 --> 00:43:59,830
false doctrine, then you look like the
902
00:43:59,830 --> 00:44:01,658
crazy one. If you're the one that's
903
00:44:01,658 --> 00:44:03,910
speaking against it, and that's that old
904
00:44:03,910 --> 00:44:05,706
adage, the day will come when those who
905
00:44:05,706 --> 00:44:07,958
are mad will think you're mad because
906
00:44:07,958 --> 00:44:11,286
you're not mad like them. The old british
907
00:44:11,286 --> 00:44:13,706
term mad, meaning crazy. And that's kind
908
00:44:13,706 --> 00:44:15,966
of what happens today. Now, I would say
909
00:44:15,966 --> 00:44:17,326
that there's been more of a breakthrough
910
00:44:17,326 --> 00:44:19,950
the last few years with the fall of all
911
00:44:19,950 --> 00:44:22,554
these notable leaders. I can talk more
912
00:44:22,554 --> 00:44:25,134
openly about it. I get more invitations to
913
00:44:25,134 --> 00:44:27,486
talk and teach and train and consult and
914
00:44:27,486 --> 00:44:29,746
coach on it, because finally we're getting
915
00:44:29,746 --> 00:44:32,450
to a place where a few people are going,
916
00:44:32,450 --> 00:44:33,838
maybe something is wrong with the way
917
00:44:33,838 --> 00:44:36,966
we're doing leadership. It's like, well,
918
00:44:36,966 --> 00:44:40,582
do you think, you think there might be. So
919
00:44:40,582 --> 00:44:42,646
there are starting to be more cracks to
920
00:44:42,646 --> 00:44:45,974
have the conversation now, thankfully, and
921
00:44:45,974 --> 00:44:48,646
with some wonderful books like Chuck
922
00:44:48,646 --> 00:44:50,746
DeGrot's work on narcissism in the church
923
00:44:50,746 --> 00:44:54,134
or you think about Scott and Laura
924
00:44:54,134 --> 00:44:58,342
Behringer and Tove and these things, the
925
00:44:58,342 --> 00:45:01,214
conversation is more open today than it
926
00:45:01,214 --> 00:45:06,366
was even ten years ago. It is. Absolutely,
927
00:45:06,366 --> 00:45:09,774
it is. We have a lot more understanding
928
00:45:09,774 --> 00:45:14,498
now and more people. I thank you. Social
929
00:45:14,498 --> 00:45:16,866
media, as terrible as it is, especially x,
930
00:45:16,866 --> 00:45:19,374
which has been a space for the hashtag
931
00:45:19,374 --> 00:45:22,130
church, two movement and spaces where
932
00:45:22,130 --> 00:45:24,180
especially women were not being listened
933
00:45:24,180 --> 00:45:26,630
to, where their voice can be heard by
934
00:45:26,630 --> 00:45:29,686
some, at least. But there's so much work
935
00:45:29,686 --> 00:45:35,622
to be done. So as we kind of sort of land
936
00:45:35,622 --> 00:45:38,230
this a little bit for people, is there
937
00:45:38,230 --> 00:45:41,238
anything else that you're hoping people
938
00:45:41,238 --> 00:45:43,906
will get out of your book or anything we
939
00:45:43,906 --> 00:45:45,382
haven't addressed that you think is really
940
00:45:45,382 --> 00:45:47,094
important for people to understand in this
941
00:45:47,094 --> 00:45:50,446
whole conversation before we kind to wrap
942
00:45:50,446 --> 00:45:52,190
it up. And also, at the end of your
943
00:45:52,190 --> 00:45:54,174
answer, I'd love for you to give people
944
00:45:54,174 --> 00:45:56,526
how they can find you, and we'll link your
945
00:45:56,526 --> 00:45:58,506
book and everything, the Atlas factor. But
946
00:45:58,506 --> 00:45:59,854
what's the last thing you want to leave
947
00:45:59,854 --> 00:46:01,566
people with? Is either a call to action or
948
00:46:01,566 --> 00:46:02,730
something you want them to understand, and
949
00:46:02,730 --> 00:46:05,186
then how can they find you? Yeah, well,
950
00:46:05,186 --> 00:46:07,794
the first thing I would say is just know
951
00:46:07,794 --> 00:46:12,546
that you're not crazy, that you're not off
952
00:46:12,546 --> 00:46:16,994
on what you're feeling. And if you are a
953
00:46:16,994 --> 00:46:22,054
church member that has suffered under some
954
00:46:22,054 --> 00:46:25,686
form of abuse, whether it be sexual abuse
955
00:46:25,686 --> 00:46:28,854
by one in power, whether it be power
956
00:46:28,854 --> 00:46:32,566
abuse, bullying, it seems like that
957
00:46:32,566 --> 00:46:35,802
there's narcissism in the leadership
958
00:46:35,802 --> 00:46:37,978
system or the leaders that you're among,
959
00:46:37,978 --> 00:46:41,050
if you're a staff member, if you're a
960
00:46:41,050 --> 00:46:43,750
volunteer. When I wrote the Atlas Factor,
961
00:46:43,750 --> 00:46:46,554
I was thinking about you, and I was
962
00:46:46,554 --> 00:46:49,326
writing this for you. First of all, to let
963
00:46:49,326 --> 00:46:51,086
you know that you're not crazy. Second of
964
00:46:51,086 --> 00:46:54,478
all, to give you some language to apply to
965
00:46:54,478 --> 00:46:57,514
it that maybe you've not been able to
966
00:46:57,514 --> 00:46:59,026
formulate in words what you're feeling,
967
00:46:59,026 --> 00:47:00,850
what you're seeing, and then give you some
968
00:47:00,850 --> 00:47:04,786
theology to back it up and to walk it out.
969
00:47:04,786 --> 00:47:10,786
And then the book gets really. I have very
970
00:47:10,786 --> 00:47:13,990
practical applications in there as far as
971
00:47:13,990 --> 00:47:17,480
systems that can be adapted for churches
972
00:47:17,480 --> 00:47:20,026
that really do want to change. And I would
973
00:47:20,026 --> 00:47:24,266
say this. I think the majority of pastors
974
00:47:24,266 --> 00:47:28,714
out there are good people that want to do
975
00:47:28,714 --> 00:47:31,302
it right, but I think that their
976
00:47:31,302 --> 00:47:33,534
imaginations have been held captive by
977
00:47:33,534 --> 00:47:35,086
these systems, and they just don't know
978
00:47:35,086 --> 00:47:38,126
how to think outside those boxes. So I
979
00:47:38,126 --> 00:47:42,126
think that the majority are good. Even
980
00:47:42,126 --> 00:47:43,694
some of the worst abusers that we could
981
00:47:43,694 --> 00:47:45,662
name today, you look back at their
982
00:47:45,662 --> 00:47:47,294
history, you talk to the witnesses that
983
00:47:47,294 --> 00:47:48,802
were around in the early days. They
984
00:47:48,802 --> 00:47:50,798
started out good. They started out good
985
00:47:50,798 --> 00:47:52,866
hearted. I mean, if you listen to some of
986
00:47:52,866 --> 00:47:55,910
the quotes or go back to the Mars Hill
987
00:47:55,910 --> 00:47:59,798
podcast, you'll hear Mark Driscoll saying
988
00:47:59,798 --> 00:48:04,182
things 20 years ago that then in his last
989
00:48:04,182 --> 00:48:07,606
years, he was saying the very opposite.
990
00:48:07,606 --> 00:48:10,786
And that's one of the things about this
991
00:48:10,786 --> 00:48:12,826
addiction to power can really change you.
992
00:48:12,826 --> 00:48:14,794
And I mean David, that happened to David.
993
00:48:14,794 --> 00:48:17,146
So David was a man after God's own heart
994
00:48:17,146 --> 00:48:19,418
and he abused his power. So that means any
995
00:48:19,418 --> 00:48:23,054
of us could do it. That's why no man is
996
00:48:23,054 --> 00:48:25,530
made to be king. It was never God's
997
00:48:25,530 --> 00:48:27,840
intention. So anyway, the book offers
998
00:48:27,840 --> 00:48:31,854
hope. We have a website,
999
00:48:31,854 --> 00:48:33,970
theatlasfactor.com. I can be reached
1000
00:48:33,970 --> 00:48:38,306
directly email info@theatlasfactor.com
1001
00:48:38,306 --> 00:48:39,746
theatlasfactor.com we do coaching
1002
00:48:39,746 --> 00:48:43,006
consulting We do all that kind of stuff
1003
00:48:43,006 --> 00:48:44,894
But hopefully the book can be some help to
1004
00:48:44,894 --> 00:48:50,630
get you started Thank you so much for
1005
00:48:50,630 --> 00:48:53,240
researching for pouring your heart and
1006
00:48:53,240 --> 00:48:56,054
time and soul into this book It's not an
1007
00:48:56,054 --> 00:48:58,666
easy book to put out there because it
1008
00:48:58,666 --> 00:49:01,286
requires you to dig deep into some things
1009
00:49:01,286 --> 00:49:04,540
that aren't easy to say And nobody wants
1010
00:49:04,540 --> 00:49:10,086
to be the person who shines a light on
1011
00:49:10,086 --> 00:49:12,166
toxic systems But you've not only done
1012
00:49:12,166 --> 00:49:14,380
that you've helped to see the terrible and
1013
00:49:14,380 --> 00:49:16,366
the beautiful and that there can beauty
1014
00:49:16,366 --> 00:49:18,446
beauty from the ashes But it takes work
1015
00:49:18,446 --> 00:49:20,586
and it takes opening our eyes So thank you
1016
00:49:20,586 --> 00:49:22,686
for opening our eyes Thank you for digging
1017
00:49:22,686 --> 00:49:25,066
into not only the research but theology,
1018
00:49:25,066 --> 00:49:26,894
theology helping us with the metaphor of
1019
00:49:26,894 --> 00:49:29,842
the Atlas factor and just framing it in
1020
00:49:29,842 --> 00:49:32,126
way way where people can know they're not
1021
00:49:32,126 --> 00:49:34,626
crazy they're not alone and we can link
1022
00:49:34,626 --> 00:49:36,066
arms and do this together And thank you
1023
00:49:36,066 --> 00:49:39,206
for not only writing the book but offering
1024
00:49:39,206 --> 00:49:42,658
to be available to coach and walk
1025
00:49:42,658 --> 00:49:43,958
alongside churches that want to get better
1026
00:49:43,958 --> 00:49:46,038
Thank you for this I'm sure it's going to
1027
00:49:46,038 --> 00:49:48,466
a a difference I've enjoyed getting
1028
00:49:48,466 --> 00:49:49,974
advanced advanced copy of it My husband
1029
00:49:49,974 --> 00:49:53,546
has also been in your pre release group
1030
00:49:53,546 --> 00:49:55,194
reading it and telling me about it too as
1031
00:49:55,194 --> 00:49:58,266
he's read it It's really good So I do hope
1032
00:49:58,266 --> 00:49:59,946
listeners will a a copy of it and that
1033
00:49:59,946 --> 00:50:01,226
you'll get some people that reach out to
1034
00:50:01,226 --> 00:50:03,226
you from this Thanks for this conversation
1035
00:50:03,226 --> 00:50:06,314
today Lance and just for being who you are
1036
00:50:06,314 --> 00:50:08,702
I appreciate the work you are doing Lori
1037
00:50:08,702 --> 00:50:11,406
It's hard brave work I appreciate it and
1038
00:50:11,406 --> 00:50:14,718
thanks for having me You're welcome I'm
1039
00:50:14,718 --> 00:50:16,746
going to have you stick around for our
1040
00:50:16,746 --> 00:50:18,210
difference maker community and ask you
1041
00:50:18,210 --> 00:50:20,594
another question But for today just thanks
1042
00:50:20,594 --> 00:50:22,786
for being on the show and hope the release
1043
00:50:22,786 --> 00:50:24,594
of your book goes really well Lots of
1044
00:50:24,594 --> 00:50:29,430
people read it Thanks One of the things I
1045
00:50:29,430 --> 00:50:32,454
appreciate about Lance is not only is he
1046
00:50:32,454 --> 00:50:35,702
man man who's researching and synthesizing
1047
00:50:35,702 --> 00:50:38,374
his own experience of anecdotal
1048
00:50:38,374 --> 00:50:41,340
information of in in the spaces he's
1049
00:50:41,340 --> 00:50:44,618
writing about and meeting lots of people
1050
00:50:44,618 --> 00:50:46,346
in in the conversations he's having where
1051
00:50:46,346 --> 00:50:48,838
he's trying to move the needle forward a
1052
00:50:48,838 --> 00:50:50,874
healthier healthier type of faith
1053
00:50:50,874 --> 00:50:53,326
community in these evangelical spaces here
1054
00:50:53,326 --> 00:50:57,326
in the US or just the church here in the
1055
00:50:57,326 --> 00:51:00,206
west and really globally his work is
1056
00:51:00,206 --> 00:51:02,302
global But since he's based in the He's
1057
00:51:02,302 --> 00:51:03,838
you know seeing a lot of patterns here a a
1058
00:51:03,838 --> 00:51:05,338
lot of us are seeing But one of the things
1059
00:51:05,338 --> 00:51:08,306
I really appreciate about Lance is he's
1060
00:51:08,306 --> 00:51:10,194
able to synthesize a lot of that research
1061
00:51:10,194 --> 00:51:13,074
and information and put it into words that
1062
00:51:13,074 --> 00:51:15,570
help us understand it to give language to
1063
00:51:15,570 --> 00:51:18,470
it And he also is a person who deeply
1064
00:51:18,470 --> 00:51:23,174
cares and listens to those who are on the
1065
00:51:23,174 --> 00:51:25,746
margins who have been oppressed by some of
1066
00:51:25,746 --> 00:51:28,186
these systems that he's been part part of
1067
00:51:28,186 --> 00:51:30,666
and that he's giving language to it in way
1068
00:51:30,666 --> 00:51:35,034
way that can help really set people free
1069
00:51:35,034 --> 00:51:38,426
When our souls are held captive by toxic
1070
00:51:38,426 --> 00:51:40,774
environments or leaders creating empires
1071
00:51:40,774 --> 00:51:43,742
and fiefdoms as he mentioned that is not
1072
00:51:43,742 --> 00:51:46,202
space space where our souls are safe It's
1073
00:51:46,202 --> 00:51:48,190
not psychologically safe It's not
1074
00:51:48,190 --> 00:51:51,326
spiritually safe And if you're listening
1075
00:51:51,326 --> 00:51:52,782
to this and you're in space space like
1076
00:51:52,782 --> 00:51:55,534
that today I hope that it has given you
1077
00:51:55,534 --> 00:51:57,406
some information you needed to hear some
1078
00:51:57,406 --> 00:52:00,494
hard truths Our brains are not wired to
1079
00:52:00,494 --> 00:52:01,966
handle cognitive dissonance very well So
1080
00:52:01,966 --> 00:52:03,726
if you're seeing these beautiful in in
1081
00:52:03,726 --> 00:52:05,186
your faith environment and you're also
1082
00:52:05,186 --> 00:52:07,718
seeing these really terrible things it can
1083
00:52:07,718 --> 00:52:10,600
a a lot of havoc on your brain your body
1084
00:52:10,600 --> 00:52:15,526
your system It's not place place that's
1085
00:52:15,526 --> 00:52:17,158
healthy And so hopefully he's helped you
1086
00:52:17,158 --> 00:52:20,166
see some of those red flags Really I
1087
00:52:20,166 --> 00:52:21,606
absolutely urge you to pick up his book
1088
00:52:21,606 --> 00:52:24,890
the Atlas Factor It'll help give insight
1089
00:52:24,890 --> 00:52:28,620
into maybe why things haven't seemed right
1090
00:52:28,620 --> 00:52:30,826
And also I really appreciate the fact that
1091
00:52:30,826 --> 00:52:32,598
he not only synthesizes this information
1092
00:52:32,598 --> 00:52:34,446
but he's just real real straight shooter
1093
00:52:34,446 --> 00:52:37,214
Not in harsh harsh way but in way way
1094
00:52:37,214 --> 00:52:39,134
that's really caring and in in my
1095
00:52:39,134 --> 00:52:41,758
experience with him both in this interview
1096
00:52:41,758 --> 00:52:43,566
and in the speaker room and just
1097
00:52:43,566 --> 00:52:45,166
interacting with him at the conference in
1098
00:52:45,166 --> 00:52:46,914
Chicago which a real real delight to get
1099
00:52:46,914 --> 00:52:50,366
to know him So happy to introduce this
1100
00:52:50,366 --> 00:52:52,114
difference maker to you If you've not
1101
00:52:52,114 --> 00:52:54,834
known him before and hopefully you'll go
1102
00:52:54,834 --> 00:52:57,586
to his website order his book read it and
1103
00:52:57,586 --> 00:53:00,018
let us know because I would love to hear
1104
00:53:00,018 --> 00:53:02,134
how you're interacting with it And once
1105
00:53:02,134 --> 00:53:03,746
again he hangs out with us in the
1106
00:53:03,746 --> 00:53:05,606
difference maker community and we go a
1107
00:53:05,606 --> 00:53:07,366
little bit deeper about his experience
1108
00:53:07,366 --> 00:53:09,910
behind the scenes a a person who has been
1109
00:53:09,910 --> 00:53:12,150
consultant consultant in some of these
1110
00:53:12,150 --> 00:53:15,706
church environments who can speak into
1111
00:53:15,706 --> 00:53:17,306
what it looks like behind the scenes and
1112
00:53:17,306 --> 00:53:21,082
what the reality of that is and why a hard
1113
00:53:21,082 --> 00:53:23,866
hard call isn't easy but is necessary for
1114
00:53:23,866 --> 00:53:26,106
us to move forward in healthy healthy way
1115
00:53:26,106 --> 00:53:27,786
So if you're in that space or you know
1116
00:53:27,786 --> 00:53:29,226
someone who's in that space who could
1117
00:53:29,226 --> 00:53:30,526
really benefit from the conversation we
1118
00:53:30,526 --> 00:53:32,094
have with him and the difference maker
1119
00:53:32,094 --> 00:53:33,774
community please let them know about it
1120
00:53:33,774 --> 00:53:35,438
Once again you can join our difference
1121
00:53:35,438 --> 00:53:39,154
maker community for as little as 5 a month
1122
00:53:39,154 --> 00:53:41,058
which is less than the amount of money I
1123
00:53:41,058 --> 00:53:43,746
spent on my local coffee shop getting my
1124
00:53:43,746 --> 00:53:45,346
coffee this morning because unfortunately
1125
00:53:45,346 --> 00:53:49,718
I broke our coffee maker But yes So join
1126
00:53:49,718 --> 00:53:51,446
us in the difference maker community You
1127
00:53:51,446 --> 00:53:56,614
can go to ww patreon.com a a world of
1128
00:53:56,614 --> 00:53:59,166
difference and in in on this conversation
1129
00:53:59,166 --> 00:54:00,806
with Lance That's exclusive for our
1130
00:54:00,806 --> 00:54:02,902
difference maker community and all the
1131
00:54:02,902 --> 00:54:03,994
previous conversations that are available
1132
00:54:03,994 --> 00:54:08,854
to you there that are just categorized in
1133
00:54:08,854 --> 00:54:10,058
different sections now because there's so
1134
00:54:10,058 --> 00:54:12,526
many of them So when you join in you get
1135
00:54:12,526 --> 00:54:14,894
access to all these different exclusive
1136
00:54:14,894 --> 00:54:17,630
interviews and you can also vote in polls
1137
00:54:17,630 --> 00:54:20,622
where we want to hear from you Your voice
1138
00:54:20,622 --> 00:54:22,858
matters and your perspective matters
1139
00:54:22,858 --> 00:54:24,654
Obviously that's the point of this podcast
1140
00:54:24,654 --> 00:54:26,798
and we love it when difference makers
1141
00:54:26,798 --> 00:54:28,498
speak into what you want to hear Are there
1142
00:54:28,498 --> 00:54:30,334
guests that you want us to bring on Are
1143
00:54:30,334 --> 00:54:32,254
there topics you want us to cover So we a
1144
00:54:32,254 --> 00:54:35,186
a poll going on until I think February 25
1145
00:54:35,186 --> 00:54:36,994
where you can join difference maker and
1146
00:54:36,994 --> 00:54:40,374
speak into that Let us know You can also
1147
00:54:40,374 --> 00:54:42,694
do a free trial for a week to see if you
1148
00:54:42,694 --> 00:54:45,606
like it and then join if you want to But
1149
00:54:45,606 --> 00:54:47,894
I'd love to have you there in in this
1150
00:54:47,894 --> 00:54:49,670
conversation with Lance because it's a
1151
00:54:49,670 --> 00:54:52,166
very special one And all other other ones
1152
00:54:52,166 --> 00:54:53,658
I love them all It's hard to choose like
1153
00:54:53,658 --> 00:54:55,626
what's your favorite child I don't know I
1154
00:54:55,626 --> 00:54:57,366
love all our exclusive in in the
1155
00:54:57,366 --> 00:54:58,986
difference maker community and I love it
1156
00:54:58,986 --> 00:55:01,834
when new people join It makes me happy to
1157
00:55:01,834 --> 00:55:04,078
have new perspectives in in and you can dm
1158
00:55:04,078 --> 00:55:07,486
me on the platform you can comment you can
1159
00:55:07,486 --> 00:55:10,526
give us your two cent worth to help us a a
1160
00:55:10,526 --> 00:55:11,758
difference together bring your differences
1161
00:55:11,758 --> 00:55:13,374
around the table So pull up chair chair
1162
00:55:13,374 --> 00:55:15,054
with us in the difference maker community
1163
00:55:15,054 --> 00:55:16,258
would love to have you join us there where
1164
00:55:16,258 --> 00:55:19,950
we go a little bit deeper And I know that
1165
00:55:19,950 --> 00:55:21,234
this conversation can bring up a lot of
1166
00:55:21,234 --> 00:55:25,154
things for people And so if it has for you
1167
00:55:25,154 --> 00:55:28,854
just a a deep breath maybe several deep
1168
00:55:28,854 --> 00:55:31,958
breaths Look around and engage your senses
1169
00:55:31,958 --> 00:55:33,846
in way way that helps you be mindful and
1170
00:55:33,846 --> 00:55:36,390
care for your brain and your body Because
1171
00:55:36,390 --> 00:55:38,918
you matter and you are loved And I know
1172
00:55:38,918 --> 00:55:41,094
many of you are spreading love all around
1173
00:55:41,094 --> 00:55:43,290
the world by caring so deeply for people
1174
00:55:43,290 --> 00:55:45,818
and working hard for people And I just
1175
00:55:45,818 --> 00:55:47,626
want you to know that you matter today and
1176
00:55:47,626 --> 00:55:49,866
you are worth taking care of And when you
1177
00:55:49,866 --> 00:55:52,730
take care of yourself a a person who's a
1178
00:55:52,730 --> 00:55:54,190
difference maker you're taking care of
1179
00:55:54,190 --> 00:55:57,242
others too So please do that for yourself
1180
00:55:57,242 --> 00:56:00,686
You deserve to be healthy and you deserve
1181
00:56:00,686 --> 00:56:03,758
space to just be And I just want you to
1182
00:56:03,758 --> 00:56:05,646
know that you cared cared for today as you
1183
00:56:05,646 --> 00:56:07,346
listen to this podcast because it can
1184
00:56:07,346 --> 00:56:09,746
bring up some things for people So do take
1185
00:56:09,746 --> 00:56:11,950
care of yourself because you matter and
1186
00:56:11,950 --> 00:56:13,906
you're loved And as all of you around the
1187
00:56:13,906 --> 00:56:17,090
world are doing so many incredible
1188
00:56:17,090 --> 00:56:19,478
inspiring spectacular amazing outstanding
1189
00:56:19,478 --> 00:56:21,814
things or you're just loving the people
1190
00:56:21,814 --> 00:56:23,926
right where you are in your own home which
1191
00:56:23,926 --> 00:56:28,390
is also and and spectacular and amazing
1192
00:56:28,390 --> 00:56:30,870
Thank you for the work that each of you do
1193
00:56:30,870 --> 00:56:35,734
and for just being yourself spreading your
1194
00:56:35,734 --> 00:56:36,918
differences around the world in ways that
1195
00:56:36,918 --> 00:56:39,014
make our world a better place just by
1196
00:56:39,014 --> 00:56:42,330
being you Keep a a difference wherever you