Rusty George Podcast

There are so many great articles and podcasts out there about how to create a healthy staff culture.This is not one of them.This week, Rusty reflects on how he broke his staff culture, and what it took to repair it.

Paul Hicks joins Rusty on the podcast this week. He is a part of Search Ministries based in Texas, along with another Leading Simple guest, Bruce Matthews.When we think about evangelism, our minds can immediately go to planning some big event with a lot of people. But in Rusty's conversation with Paul, he breaks down a process to share your faith that is centered on one person, one day at a time.If you’ve ever wondered how to get more confident in sharing the gospel with people who may not believe in God, or you are curious about what it means to make disciples, then you’ll enjoy hearing Paul's insights.

Mark and Michelle McKinney are co-pastors, parents, and the first dynamic duo on Leading Simple. Rusty sits down with the two of them to talk about the ups and downs of being a part of a church community. Michelle shared her experiences as a pastor, a pastor’s wife, and with her children. Mark also gave some advice to husbands about what it can look like to support their partner through difficulty. Plus, if you are considering adoption, the McKinneys walk you through some things you should think about before starting the process.  Special thanks to our sponsor this month, Leadr.

For the 200th episode, Rusty’s daughters join him to talk about what it’s really like to be a pastor’s kid. Their perspective isn’t just helpful for pastors who are parents, but for anyone raising a child in this generation. Special thanks to Leadr for sponsoring this episode and to our listeners!

Holly Tate from Leadr joins Rusty for this week's episode to tackle some of the tough questions people may be having around their careers. Employees may be wondering how to discern the next best step in their career. Employers may be questioning how to help their teams feel supported and fulfilled in their roles. Across the board, people want to know how to develop as a leader. Holly breaks down 5 simple tools that you can utilize to help develop leaders in your organization.

This week's guest is author and leadership expert Brian Dodd. Rusty and Brian take this episode to make leadership simple. Take a listen as they discuss how to look at life through a lens of leadership and the best way to see growth in your leadership. Brian also shares the top 3 lessons from his new book, 2021: The Year in Leadership.

For this week's episode, Pastor Rusty George is at Real Life Church to celebrate Easter. You can listen here or watch here

This week, Rusty is joined by Al Lopus, the founder, and CEO of the Best Christian Workplaces Institute, on the podcast today. Rusty and Al sit down to talk about workplace health as well as Al's brand new book, Road to Flourishing: Eight Keys to Boost Employee Engagement and Well-Being. You can find it anywhere you buy books on April 19th, 2022.

In this episode of Leading Simple, Rusty sits down with Richmond Wandera as he shares his story of growing up in Uganda. At only eight years old, he and his family encountered devastating loss and poverty. Despite that, it paved the way for him to experience the incredible love of Jesus through one 15 year old girl's babysitting money. Special thanks to our sponsor, Compassion International. If you want more information about how to sponsor a child, go to compassion.org/rusty.

Rusty sits down with Kevin Queen, the lead pastor of Crosspoint Church as they talk about developing as a leader and getting creative in crisis. Kevin shares his experiences leading through a leadership transition, changing church culture, and a tornado.

Is it possible to prove the resurrection? Rusty sits down with J Warner Wallace for this week’s episode. They discuss about the impact that Christ had on history, science, and the modern world. Rusty also also had the chance to get his insight on how to talk to the next generation about why Christ matters.

Matt Allman joins Rusty on the podcast today. If you’re a pastor who’s ever wondered how to promote Easter, then this episode is for you. Rusty and Matt get the chance to talk about Easter. They also dig into how the COVID-19 pandemic affected Matt as a pastor and church planter so he could serve his people better. Matt also gives us the inside look at the two times of year you could be missing out on to help grow your church.

Rusty shares a story of a mistake he made while leading and the lessons he learned from it to be a better leader today.

Our guest on the podcast this week is Mitchel Lee. He's a speaker and the lead pastor of Grace Community Church. He is also the author of Even If: Trusting God When Life Disappoints, Overwhelms, or Just Doesn't Make Sense, a book that is particularly relevant in the world we're living in today.  Mitchel joins Rusty to share his experience leading a multi-ethnic church. They also chat about his new book and what it means to have an "even if" kind of faith.

I've got a short bonus episode today to kick off this new month. This Lent season, I'd like to invite you to go on a 40 day journey to Easter with me and Real Life Church.If you want to learn more about what this 40 days devotional journey to Easter will look like, then take a listen and register here. 

Many of us will come to a crossroads about our careers. So, how do you decide to leave a job you love for the unknown? We're seeing people wrestling with this question a lot more in the past few years as they take a look at their priorities, goals, and dreams. Clay Scroggins faced this himself as he made the decision to leave the role he loved to pursue his passion. Clay is a speaker, author, and leadership expert who knows firsthand what it takes to leave a job you love. He left an incredible role at North Point Church to follow his dream of entrepreneurship. Clay sits down with Rusty to talk about the whys and hows of his journey, as well as some advice if you’ve found yourself in a similar situation.

Have you ever wondered how to put together a talk, message, or speech that would compel people towards action? How to tell a story that inspires people and connects them? Then you’ll really enjoy today’s episode with Steve Ryan Carter.  Steve is an expert communicator who was the former lead teaching pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in Chicago. No matter what kind of group you’re speaking in front of, you’ll be able to learn something new and applicable from this episode. Steve shares about how he got started in ministry. We also talk about the lessons he’s learned from the different churches he’s been a part of over his years of speaking and teaching. 

From following a legend to sitting down with one, it was an absolute honor to have Dr. LeRoy Lawson on Leading Simple. He is revered as one of the godfathers of the church and known for his wisdom and integrity. We sat down to talk through his life in ministry. There are lessons in his story for everyone, no matter what stage of life you may be in. Maybe you’re facing your first foray into a leadership position. Or you’re making a transition from one industry to another, looking to reinvent yourself. Perhaps you are even navigating a significant loss. No matter what stage of life you are in, take a listen to hear Dr. Lawson's incredible insights in this episode.

Nate Ross has faced the unique challenges of leading an organization after his father retired from the role. Take a listen as Rusty and Nate sit down to talk about what that process was like. Nate shares some of the lessons he learned along the way, including transitioning well into a new role and overcoming some of the insecurities that can arise when following in your predecessor’s footsteps.

Eric Geiger joins Rusty on the podcast to share his insights. Eric is the Senior Pastor at Mariners Church in Irvine, California. He's also authored several books, including Simple Church (co-written with Thom Rainer). Rusty and Eric talk about what it was like for him to take over for Kenton Beshore, a pastoral legend, and how he led Mariners through the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, they discuss the research that prompted him to write Simple Church and the one thing Eric hopes to change about how the Church does discipleship.