EPISODE · Jun 30, 2026 · 1H 1M
314. Why Good Leaders Sometimes Make Their Churches Worse, with JR Woodward
from Spiritual Life and Leadership · host Markus Watson
JR Woodward is the National Director of the V3 Movement, a faculty member in the Doctor of Global Leadership cohort at Fuller Theological Seminary, and the author of The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church. In this conversation, JR and Markus explore what it looks like to lead communities that bring the Kingdom of God to life in the places where we live.THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:What it means that Jesus's primary message was the kingdom of God, and how that shapes everything a church doesShalom as a holistic picture of human flourishing: restored relationships with God, others, creation, and ourselvesThe NEAR framework for understanding a neighborhood: Narrative, Ethics, Associations, RitualsThe four spaces of belonging and how Jesus inhabited all four: intimate (3–4), personal (5–12), social (20–50), public (70+)Why closed discipleship groups differ from open missional spaces, and why you can't build depth if the door is always openHow people often belong before they believe, and how behavior changes before beliefs doHow our desires are shaped by whoever we look up to, and how this creates rivalry and division in churchesHow conflict in a congregation can escalate until one person becomes the targetWhat Philippians 2 teaches about giving up honor and titles as a path to healthier leadershipHow love of image, institutional self-preservation, and ideology become corrupting forces in church lifeOscar Romero as a real-world example of the downward path of leadershipV3 Movement's interdenominational church planting trainingThe Doctor of Global Leadership cohort at Fuller SeminaryRELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS:The Scandal of Leadership, by JR WoodwardV3 MovementFuller Doctor of Global Leadership ProgramRELATED EPISODES:288. Leadership That Smells Like the Gospel, with Jason Jensen272. Beyond Church Revitalization, with Josh Hayden247. The Kingdom of God as Present RealitySend me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.
What this episode covers
JR Woodward is the National Director of the V3 Movement, a faculty member in the Doctor of Global Leadership cohort at Fuller Theological Seminary, and the author of The Scandal of Leadership: Unmasking the Powers of Domination in the Church. In this conversation, JR and Markus explore what it looks like to lead communities that bring the Kingdom of God to life in the places where we live. THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: What it means that Jesus's primary message was the kingdom of God, ...
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314. Why Good Leaders Sometimes Make Their Churches Worse, with JR Woodward
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