36. The Vulnerable Pastor, with Mandy Smith

Mandy Smith, Lead Pastor of University Christian Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, has written a wonderful book titled, The Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry, in which she shares about the ways our humanity and our weakness are actually a source of strength in our ministries.   Too often, we think we have to fit a particular ministry stereotype in order to experience success in our ministries. Mandy Smith exposes that stereotype for what it is, and gives us permission to be who we are so that God can work through our true selves—not the false selves we want the world to see. THIS EPISODE’S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:Mandy Smith is the Lead Pastor of University Christian Church in Cincinnati and the author of The Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry.Mandy shares the story of her call to ministry.Mandy felt like she needed to include a lot of her story in her book because the idea of a vulnerable pastor had to be embodied in a real person.The way Mandy Smith uses the word “vulnerability” is not limited to the way Brene Brown uses it. For Mandy, vulnerability is about the experience of being human.Mandy shares about the way she experienced weakness early in her ministry. In the midst of that, she heard God say, “In your weakness, I am strong.”Mandy and Markus reflect on Enneagram types that may have a harder time with vulnerability.We can help people in our ministries live out healthy vulnerability by modeling it for them.Mandy Smith writes for both Missio Alliance and Christianity Today.RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKSMandy Smith: Twitter: @uccmandyUniversity Christian Church: Website: http://www.universitychristianchurch.net/Books mentioned: The Vulnerable Pastor by Mandy SmithA Little Manual for Knowing by Esther Lightcap MeekInstructions to leave a review of Spiritual Life and Leadership:Click HERE.Click on the link that says, "Listen on Apple Podcasts."In the window that opens, click the button that says, "Open Link."  This will open iTunes.To the right of the Spiritual Life and Leadership logo, click "Ratings and Reviews."Under the heading, "Customer Reviews," click on the button that says, "Write a Review."Select the number of stars and write your review.Click submit.I'd be so grateful if you did this.  Thank you!— Links to Amazon are affiliate links.  If you make a purchase through any of these links, I’ll receive a small commission–which will help pay for the Spiritual Life and Leadership podcast!Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking!Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM.