[S3EP24] How to Run a Staff Retreat That Actually Works: 4 Best Practices for Church Leaders

[S3EP29] Church Preschool: Ministry Opportunity or Missed Opportunity?

Preschool ministry is not just childcare. It may be one of the clearest relational bridges your church has to young families in the community. In this episode, Tim Stevens talks with Brandi Watterson about how churches can think more strategically about preschool ministry. Drawing from Brandi’s 17 years of experience owning and operating preschools, they unpack the opportunity churches have to start, strengthen, or realign early childhood programs connected to their ministry. They also discuss why many church preschools drift over time from mission to maintenance, how tension can build between the church and preschool sides, and why excellence, trust, and clear alignment matter if a preschool is going to serve families well. Additional topics include: church preschool early childhood ministry daycare ministry church leadership family ministry children’s ministry church operations ministry alignment community outreach preschool leadership staffing and structure church facilities mission drift building trust with families Timestamps 00:00 Introducing Brandi Watterson and preschool consulting at LeadingSmart 02:00 Brandi and Danny’s story in ministry 04:30 Starting a church and buying their first preschool 08:00 Taking over a struggling school and rebuilding trust 11:00 Expanding into multiple preschool models 13:30 Common challenges churches face with preschools 14:30 The tension between the preschool and the church 16:00 How churches lose sight of preschool as a ministry opportunity 18:00 Why preschool can become a relational bridge to families 20:00 Bringing excellence to church preschool programming 22:00 Practical ways pastors and ministry teams can connect with preschool families 24:00 Should your church run the preschool or partner with someone else? 26:00 Licensing, timelines, facilities, and startup realities 29:00 How LeadingSmart helps churches start, strengthen, or realign preschool ministry 31:00 Brandi’s leadership experience and Forbes Business Council work 33:00 Final thoughts for churches with preschool opportunities 📱 Follow us for more insights and resources Instagram: @timstevens Facebook: @timstevens 💻Visit LeadingSmart.com [http://leadingsmart.com/] Need help facilitating your next staff retreat or strategic offsite? https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk [https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk] Houston listeners — join the Houston Roundtable on June 4th (only 25 spots). https://www.leadingsmart.com/houston-roundtable [https://www.leadingsmart.com/houston-roundtable] Listen to Leading In Real Time Podcast Series https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ2wnxRYYqm_ThAiSPBwjH7vQH5i3H3aK Listen to the full 40 Lessons In 40 Years series https://www.leadingsmart.com/podcast [https://www.leadingsmart.com/podcast] Download The Simply Strategic Show  https://www.leadingsmart.com/books-2 [https://www.leadingsmart.com/books-2] 📩 Have questions or want to connect? https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk [https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk] 🔔 Subscribe to stay updated on future episodes Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leadingsmart-podcast/id1813933962 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leadingsmart-podcast/id1813933962] Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1IqLLXtvtZBEgRsM2gOXpO?s...

[S3EP28] 5 Signs of a Healthy Church Leadership Team

In this episode, Tim Stevens and Holly Tate talk about what makes a healthy church leadership team and why having the right people in the room matters. Drawing from Tim’s leadership team teaching and their work with churches, they unpack the characteristics leaders should look for when deciding who belongs at the senior leadership table. They also discuss why leadership team health is about more than titles and org charts, how to know whether someone can think beyond their own ministry area, and why senior leaders set the tone by the way they participate in meetings. Tim and Holly also talk through the tension between executive teams, senior leadership teams, subject matter experts, and the importance of clarity around decision rights. Additional topics include: church leadership healthy leadership teams church staffing and structure executive team dynamics senior leadership teams decision rights church org charts team alignment healthy conflict leadership team meetings mission commitment active participation adaptive leadership church staff culture senior pastor leadership Timestamps 00:00 Why healthy teams require the right people 05:30 Committed to the whole mission, not just one ministry area 09:45 Healthy conflict, respectful debate, and decision support 17:15 Adaptability, accountability, and leadership maturity 22:10 Empathy, listening, and team culture 28:30 Active participation and why senior leaders set the tone 34:15 Titles, org charts, and who should really be in the room 45:30 Random segment: favorite sandwiches 51:00 LeadingSmart’s first Executive Team Gathering 📱 Follow us for more insights and resources Instagram: @timstevens Facebook: @timstevens 💻Visit LeadingSmart.com [http://leadingsmart.com/] Need help facilitating your next staff retreat or strategic offsite? https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk [https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk] Houston listeners — join the Houston Roundtable on June 4th (only 25 spots). https://www.leadingsmart.com/houston-roundtable [https://www.leadingsmart.com/houston-roundtable] Listen to Leading In Real Time Podcast Series https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ2wnxRYYqm_ThAiSPBwjH7vQH5i3H3aK Listen to the full 40 Lessons In 40 Years series https://www.leadingsmart.com/podcast [https://www.leadingsmart.com/podcast] Download The Simply Strategic Show  https://www.leadingsmart.com/books-2 [https://www.leadingsmart.com/books-2] 📩 Have questions or want to connect? https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk [https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk] 🔔 Subscribe to stay updated on future episodes Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leadingsmart-podcast/id1813933962 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leadingsmart-podcast/id1813933962] Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1IqLLXtvtZBEgRsM2gOXpO?s...

[S3EP27] Are You Leading From Abundance or Scarcity?

In this episode, Tim Stevens and Holly Tate talk about the difference between leading from scarcity and leading from abundance. Drawing from Tim’s first three years leading LeadingSmart full-time, they unpack why leadership pressure can pull even healthy leaders toward comparison, defensiveness, competition, and fear. They also discuss why generosity is one of LeadingSmart’s core values, what it means to believe the best about other leaders and organizations, and how an open-handed posture can shape the way leaders make decisions, build relationships, and respond when they feel threatened. Additional topics include: church leadership scarcity mindset abundance mindset generous leadership kingdom-minded leadership competition in ministry leadership motives organizational values trust and reputation open-handed leadership church staff transitions leading through pressure Timestamps 00:00 Tim joins from Vancouver and reflects on year three of LeadingSmart 02:45 Why leadership pressure can pull people toward scarcity 05:45 The difference between competition and open-handed leadership 08:25 Why generosity is a core value at LeadingSmart 11:30 Playing the long game with relationships, reputation, and social capital 14:10 How fear of missing out can drive urgency and pressure 15:45 Why churches aren’t actually competing with each other 18:40 When healthy ambition turns into fear-based competition 21:30 Random segment: favorite or most meaningful gifts 📱 Follow us for more insights and resources Instagram: @timstevens Facebook: @timstevens 💻Visit LeadingSmart.com [http://leadingsmart.com/] Need help facilitating your next staff retreat or strategic offsite? https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk [https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk] Houston listeners — join the Houston Roundtable on June 4th (only 25 spots). https://www.leadingsmart.com/houston-roundtable [https://www.leadingsmart.com/houston-roundtable] Listen to Leading In Real Time Podcast Series https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ2wnxRYYqm_ThAiSPBwjH7vQH5i3H3aK Listen to the full 40 Lessons In 40 Years series https://www.leadingsmart.com/podcast [https://www.leadingsmart.com/podcast] Download The Simply Strategic Show  https://www.leadingsmart.com/books-2 [https://www.leadingsmart.com/books-2] 📩 Have questions or want to connect? https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk [https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk] 🔔 Subscribe to stay updated on future episodes Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leadingsmart-podcast/id1813933962 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leadingsmart-podcast/id1813933962] Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1IqLLXtvtZBEgRsM2gOXpO?s...

[S3EP26] Church Crisis Leadership: 4 Types of Crises and How Leaders Can Respond

In this episode, Tim Stevens and Holly Tate unpack the four types of crises churches commonly face: character, credibility, cash, and cultural. Drawing from Tim’s experience leading through crisis at Granger and Willow Creek, they discuss why crisis can feel like everything is on fire and how naming the type of crisis helps leaders focus on the right problem instead of spinning their wheels. They also talk about why communication matters when trust begins to erode, how credibility crises can form in the absence of clarity, why cash crises require courage and honesty, and how cultural crises can put pressure on church leaders in ways that feel impossible to navigate. Additional topics include: church crisis leadership church communication organizational trust leadership credibility church staffing and structure leading through change church health executive pastor leadership board and elder leadership Timestamps 00:00 Do the next right thing 01:15 Why churches need language for different types of crises 02:20 Tim reflects on leading through crisis at Granger and Willow Creek 05:20 Character crisis: when a leader’s failure creates public fallout 07:25 Credibility crisis: when trust in leadership begins to erode 10:20 When clarity lacks, negativity fills the void 13:35 Cash crisis: when the numbers tell a hard story 15:45 Cultural crisis: when outside events create pressure inside the church  17:00 How multiple crises can stack together 18:25 Why doing the next right thing is simple but not easy 20:00 How LeadingSmart helps churches navigate pivotal moments 20:50 Random segment: favorite travel brands 📱 Follow us for more insights and resources Instagram: @timstevens Facebook: @timstevens 💻Visit LeadingSmart.com [http://leadingsmart.com/] Need help facilitating your next staff retreat or strategic offsite? https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk [https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk] Houston listeners — join the Houston Roundtable on June 4th (only 25 spots). https://www.leadingsmart.com/houston-roundtable [https://www.leadingsmart.com/houston-roundtable] Listen to Leading In Real Time Podcast Series https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ2wnxRYYqm_ThAiSPBwjH7vQH5i3H3aK Listen to the full 40 Lessons In 40 Years series https://www.leadingsmart.com/podcast [https://www.leadingsmart.com/podcast] Download The Simply Strategic Show  https://www.leadingsmart.com/books-2 [https://www.leadingsmart.com/books-2] 📩 Have questions or want to connect? https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk [https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk] 🔔 Subscribe to stay updated on future episodes Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leadingsmart-podcast/id1813933962 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leadingsmart-podcast/id1813933962] Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1IqLLXtvtZBEgRsM2gOXpO?s...

[S3EP25] When Clarity Lacks, Negativity Fills the Void | Leadership Lessons for Church Teams

When clarity lacks, negativity fills the void. In this episode, Tim Stevens and Holly Tate discuss why communication and clarity are essential for healthy church teams. Drawing from real consulting conversations this week, they unpack how unclear expectations create assumptions, frustration, and tension inside organizations — especially during seasons of growth and change. They also reflect on one year of the LeadingSmart Podcast, sharing lessons they’ve learned about consistency, audience growth, practical leadership content, and why authentic conversations are resonating more than highly polished production. Additional topics include: * church leadership * staff culture * team communication * organizational health * leadership development * ministry growth Timestamps 00:00 Why clarity matters in church leadership 01:45 Real leadership lessons from this week’s consulting work 03:10 “When clarity lacks, negativity fills the void” 04:30 Why unclear expectations create team frustration 06:15 What happens when fast-growing churches lack structure 08:00 Reflecting on one year of the LeadingSmart Podcast 10:45 Why weekly podcasting started working for Tim & Holly 12:00 Lessons from Season 1, 2, and 3 13:30 Why practical leadership content is outperforming polished production 15:00 The real reason the podcast started growing 17:00 Why every audience responds differently to content 18:15 Consistency vs chasing trends 19:00 The importance of serving the right audience 20:00 Tim gets recognized at pickleball because of the podcast 21:00 Podcasts Tim & Holly are listening to right now 24:00 Final thoughts for church leaders 📱 Follow us for more insights and resources Instagram: @timstevens Facebook: @timstevens 💻Visit LeadingSmart.com [http://leadingsmart.com/] Need help facilitating your next staff retreat or strategic offsite? https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk [https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk] Houston listeners — join the Houston Roundtable on June 4th (only 25 spots). https://www.leadingsmart.com/houston-roundtable [https://www.leadingsmart.com/houston-roundtable] Listen to Leading In Real Time Podcast Series https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ2wnxRYYqm_ThAiSPBwjH7vQH5i3H3aK Listen to the full 40 Lessons In 40 Years series https://www.leadingsmart.com/podcast [https://www.leadingsmart.com/podcast] Download The Simply Strategic Show  https://www.leadingsmart.com/books-2 [https://www.leadingsmart.com/books-2] 📩 Have questions or want to connect? https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk [https://www.leadingsmart.com/lets-talk] 🔔 Subscribe to stay updated on future episodes Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leadingsmart-podcast/id1813933962 [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-leadingsmart-podcast/id1813933962] Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1IqLLXtvtZBEgRsM2gOXpO?s...