How to Lead When You Don’t Know the Ending, with Karen Georgia Thompson

Rooted & Rising: Flourishing Leadership in Tough Times – Standing in the Doorway of Becoming; A Conversation with Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson. Season 1, episode 9.What does it mean to lead faithfully in seasons of uncertainty, change, and sacred pause?In this grounded and reflective episode of Flourishing Leadership in Tough Times, host Deborah Owen sits down with Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson—General Minister and President of the United Church of Christ—to explore:✅ How leadership is a spiritual journey of becoming, not arriving✅ Why liminal spaces are fertile ground for transformation✅ Finding joy and rootedness as antidotes to fragmentation and despair✅ The role of kindness, clarity, and grace in leading divided communities✅ How God’s “bigness” holds us through the unpredictable and unfinishedWith pastoral wisdom and poetic vision, Dr. Thompson invites listeners to rethink leadership not as mastery, but as movement; an unfolding life with God through every threshold we face.Tune in now to rediscover the sacredness of the in-between, and how to flourish even when the path isn’t yet clear.Resources & Next Steps--Learn more about the United Church of Christ: www.ucc.org--Connect with Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson’s leadership: UCC Newsroom--Reflect on your own season of becoming: Where are you being invited to trust the process, not rush the outcome?====HERE ARE THE NEURO-BASED ENNEAGRAM BOOKS mentioned in the middle of the episode:The Lent books, "When Sorrow Speaks"The Advent books, "The Awaiting"====leadership, spiritual formation, liminal space, becoming, joy, grace, United Church of Christ, Karen Georgia Thompson, Deborah Owen, kindness, faith, clarity, tough times, resilience, Christian leadership, podcast Get full access to Rooted & Rising at debbieowen.substack.com/subscribe