Ron Edmondson

thoughts on leadership, church, and culture
November 5, 2020
1

RELP – Episode 9 – 4 Realities Every Senior Leader Sets for the Team

By | Church Planting, Church Revitalization, Leadership, Podcast | 7 Comments

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In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast, Ron and Nate discuss four realities every senior leader sets for the team.

One reason leadership can make a person feel isolated is the weight of responsibility on the one who serves as the senior leader in an organization. That has been even truer while leading during a pandemic. Whether in the business world, non-profits or in churches, there are some things which happen in any organization that senior leaders help determine – whether intentional or not. In each of these cases, inactivity also determines them just as much as activity.

The weight of this responsibility can be overwhelming at times, but it’s unavoidable to a point. It comes with the position.

All that said, the senior leader doesn’t have to do everything. Successful senior leaders are cognizant of their input in a few key areas and place intentional energy towards them, freeing the team to lead elsewhere.

I hope this episode helps you be a better leader.

Would you do me a favor? If you enjoyed listening to this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast where we discussed four realities every senior leader sets for the team, would you subscribe, share and leave a positive review about this podcast? We are enjoying doing this together, but it is especially encouraging when we know it is helping other church leaders. Thank you in advance for doing this. It is a great help.

Also, let me know leadership issues you would like us to cover on future episodes.

And be sure to check out all the great podcasts on the Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network.

October 30, 2020
1

RELP – Episode 8 – Two Actions of All Great Leaders

By | Church Planting, Church Revitalization, Leadership, Podcast | One Comment

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In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast, Ron and Nate discuss two actions of all great leaders.

There are two things all good (I’m even willing to say great) leaders do for their team. These are vital if you want to lead a healthy team. In fact, if you wanted to simplify what it takes to lead a team well, you could almost summarize it with these two words.

I have written about this subject dozens of times, but recently, I was sitting with a young leader on our team. He was frustrated with some of the results he was getting from the people he was trying to lead. The fact was he wanted to lead well. And, from my conversations with his team, they liked him personally. They simply were frustrated with his leadership. And the bottom line was because he was getting one of these two things wrong. With a little correction, he is going to be a great leader.

I hope this episode helps you be a better leader.

Would you do me a favor? If you enjoyed listening to this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast where we discussed two actions of all great leaders, would you subscribe, share and leave a positive review about this podcast? We are enjoying doing this together, but it is especially encouraging when we know it is helping other church leaders. Thank you in advance for doing this. It is a great help.

Also, let me know leadership issues you would like us to cover on future episodes.

And be sure to check out all the great podcasts on the Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network.

October 22, 2020
1

RELP – Episode 7 – Common Derailments in Leading Church Revitalization

By | Leadership, Podcast | No Comments

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In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast, Ron and Nate discuss common derailments in leading church revitalization.

I (Ron) have been working in and around church revitalization for close to 20 years. The first church where I served as pastor, after leaving the business world and entering vocational ministry, was a small, rural church that needed revitalization. Then, after starting two churches – one from our living room – we moved to help revitalize a large, established church. Most recently, I served as an interim in another church needing some revitalization. (This was my home church.) We have seen God do some incredible things along the way.

I am convinced most churches can be revived with intentionality.

Through these experiences, I have noticed some common derailments in leading church revitalization. When these are present it becomes very difficult, in my opinion, for the church to ever recover and grow again. Many of these are simply unknowns going into the process. Sometimes pastors miss them.

Nate and I discuss some of these in this episode. I hope it is helpful.

Would you do me a favor? It would be great if you would subscribe, share and leave a positive review about this podcast. We are enjoying doing this together, but it is especially encouraging when we know it is helping other church leaders. Thank you in advance for doing this. It is a great help.

Also, let me know leadership issues you would like us to cover on future episodes.

And be sure to check out all the great podcasts on the Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network.

October 14, 2020
3

RELP – Episode 6 – Attracting First Chair Leaders

By | Leadership, Podcast | No Comments

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In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast, Ron and Nate discuss attracting first chair leaders.

I have been in the senior leadership role for almost 30 years now. My goal was always to try to find the very best leaders I could find to add to our team. That meant sometimes adding people who could do my job as well as me – and many times better.

People have often asked me if I could ever sit in a second-chair leadership position again. Great question. I will share more about that in a future post/podcast, but the answer is definitely yes! But there are a few things which would have to be in place in order for me to be comfortable doing so.

Nate and I talk about some of those in this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast. Attracting first chair leaders requires a certain culture. The first chair leader plays a big role in making this possible. Join us for this important conversation.

And if you are a second chair leader, feel free to chime in with the comments on this post of what it takes for you to remain in your position. If you are a first chair leader, consider if you are creating the kind of environment that attracts first chair leaders.

Would you do me a favor? It would be great if you would subscribe, share and leave a positive review about this podcast. It will help get the word out about it. Thank you in advance for doing so.

And be sure to check out all the great podcasts on the Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network.

October 6, 2020
1

RELP – Episode 5 – Classic Mistakes New Leader Make

By | Leadership, Podcast | 2 Comments

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In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast, Ron and Nate discuss classic mistakes new leaders make when entering a leadership role.

I, Ron, have had the occasion to being many new leadership roles. I have led in the business world, government, nonprofits and the church. Plus, I have hired and coached hundreds of leaders. Along the way I have learned a few things – much of it by doing things the wrong way.

This is such an important topic for new leaders to consider. The way you begin a new leadership position often determines how well you do and how long you stay. The trust you earn, change you’re able to realize, and your own mental well-being is greatly determined by those initial days.

It is important to start well, therefore we must avoid these classic mistakes new leaders make. That’s what we will talk about on this issue.

Would you take time to write a review (a nice one preferred), share this podcast with others, and subscribe so you do not miss an episode? Launching anything new greatly depends on the support of people to get the word out about it. Thanks to those who have already done this.

In the coming months, we will open up to some of your individual leadership concerns and questions. If you have something you would like us to address, please leave a comment or send us a message. We want this to be a helpful resource for you in leadership.

This podcast is part of the Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network. We are excited to be a part of such a rich platform with so many other great podcasts. Check out all the great resources provided by Lifeway Leadership.

September 28, 2020
1

RELP – Episode 4 – Things I Try to Control as a Leader

By | Church Planting, Church Revitalization, Leadership, Podcast | 2 Comments

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In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast, Ron and Nate discuss the things that a leader should try to control.

Ron is blessed to have successfully led in the planting of two churches and leading in three revitalization efforts in established churches. Because of this experience, Ron is frequently asked what things he tries to control and which he releases to others.

Ron says, “I love that question, because I think its one all leaders need to ask themselves – frequently.”

You create a leadership lid in whatever areas you choose to control.

So, a leader shouldn’t try to control much. But there are things a leader should try to control.

Join in as Ron and Nate talk about those things.

A favor to ask:

Would you take time to write a review (a nice one preferred), share this podcast with others, and subscribe? Launching anything new greatly depends on the support of a few people. In this case, these are people who help get the word out about the podcast, therefore I appreciate you being one of those people.

This podcast is part of the Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network. We are excited to be a part of such a rich platform. Check out all the great resources provided by Lifeway Leadership.

September 22, 2020
0

RELP – Episode 3 – Why People Aren’t Leading Now

By | Leadership, Podcast | 2 Comments

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In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast, Ron and Nate discuss why people are not leading now.

In my experience, there are people sitting in every church who should and could be leading, but they simply are not. Why is that? What keeps them from leading? How do we find them and attract them to positions of leadership?

Working with dozens of pastors every year, a top need they experience is attracting new leaders. Therefore, recognizing this fact, attracting new leaders has been a key focus over the years on my blog. I have spoken about the issue at conferences and with church ministry teams. I do not believe it has to be as complicated as we sometimes make the issue. We can find the leaders we need for our churches.

Ron and Nate try to get practical and helpful in every podcast. If you need new leaders – and you likely do even if you are not aware of that yet – we hope this episode will give you some fresh ideas.

Would you take time to write a review (a nice one preferred), share this podcast with others, and subscribe so you do not miss an episode? Launching anything new greatly depends on the support of a few people who help get the word out about it. I appreciate you being one of those people.

This podcast is part of the Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network. We are excited to be a part of such a rich platform. Check out all the great resources provided by Lifeway Leadership.

September 22, 2020
2

RELP – Episode 2 – Where to Find New Leaders

By | Church Planting, Church Revitalization, Leadership, Podcast | No Comments

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In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast, Ron and Nate discuss where to find new leaders.

Finding leaders is critical to the success of any nonprofit organization. Therefore, the church should have the greatest volunteer pool among all organizations. Sadly, many churches overlook some of their best volunteers.

In both church planting and church revitalization, I discovered one secret to our success was going to be the quality of leaders we could attract. Many times in church planting we had to recruit people who never had experience leading in a ministry context. While I do not believe it is that much different from other contexts of leadership, it was often intimidating to them.

In the established church, we often had plenty of people in leadership positions. Many of them, however, had been in those positions for years. We need new leaders with new approaches to realize needed change.

Where do you find new leaders? Where are some places to look?

So, in this episode, Ron and Nate get practical about finding new volunteers – who do not simply do what they are told to do – they lead. For any church to grow, volunteers need to take leadership roles in the church.

I hope these podcasts are helpful. They really are an extension of years of blogging, but this puts a little more personal touch to this. I hope as you listen to Nate and me discuss practical leadership issues, you will feel the comfortable tone of a conversation between father and son. That is our desire.

Please take a minute to review, share, and subscribe to this podcast.

This podcast is a part of the Lifeway Leadership Network of podcasts. Check out the other great podcasts.

September 22, 2020
0

RELP – Episode 1 – Leading Difficult People

By | Leadership, Podcast | No Comments

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In this episode of The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast, Ron and Nate discuss leading difficult people. We are joining the Lifeway Leadership Podcast Network.

Why launch a podcast with a topic so grim?

Well, two options –

A. This is simply the first one we recorded and we weren’t thinking about the grimness. (We recorded 10 episodes before we launched.)

B. This is my current reality and one I have experienced throughout my ministry (and leadership) career. (And true for Nate as well.)

And both would probably be true. This podcast builds from the blog I’ve had for over 10 years addressing real issues in leadership – primarily in the ministry context. I try to provide applicable, helpful advice to sometimes weary leaders.

I have dealt with some really difficult people over the years. A few stand out to me more than others. In the business world and government world, there were people who I just knew I had to learn to contend with. They were key customers or crucial financial supporters.

What I did not realize was how these people are also in the church. Many times they are in church leadership. If I did not learn how to lead them well, I would never have been successful in church planting or church revitalization.

Thankfully, along the way, I have learned some hard lessons. If you have difficult people in your ministry context, I hope this will help.

Here’s to leading difficult people well.

If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review, share it, and subscribe. Thanks for helping me launch this podcast.

September 14, 2020
0

Welcome to The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast – Episode 0

By | Leadership, Podcast | 2 Comments

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Welcome to The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast, a podcast of practical, actionable tips from real-life stories in leadership and ministry.

The Ron Edmondson Leadership Podcast is a podcast featuring Ron Edmondson and his son, Nate Edmondson.

In each episode, Ron and Nate, both pastors, walk through a unique leadership challenge and discuss practical tips and counsel to address the situation. This real-life discussion provides immediately actionable steps for pastors and ministry leaders.

Here are just a few topics that they will tackle:

  • Leading Difficult People
  • Where to Find New Leaders
  • Why People Aren’t Leading Now
  • Things I Try to Control
  • New Leader Mistakes

If you are a Christian leader, this podcast is for you!