The collision between leadership expectations and spiritual formation is a pressing concern that requires careful examination. As we delve into this episode, Dr. Jeffery D. Skinner elucidates the phenomenon wherein expectations solidify more rapidly than leaders can foster spiritual growth within their communities. This discord often leads to heightened pressure as leaders transition from an emphasis on vision to a focus on the complexities of interpersonal dynamics. Dr. Skinner advocates for a deliberate slowing down, urging leaders to prioritize discernment and...
The collision between leadership expectations and spiritual formation is a pressing concern that requires careful examination. As we delve into this episode, Dr. Jeffery D. Skinner elucidates the phenomenon wherein expectations solidify more rapidly than leaders can foster spiritual growth within their communities. This discord often leads to heightened pressure as leaders transition from an emphasis on vision to a focus on the complexities of interpersonal dynamics. Dr. Skinner advocates for a deliberate slowing down, urging leaders to prioritize discernment and shared responsibility over immediacy. Through this discourse, we aim to illuminate the significance of healthy leadership that is anchored in faithful formation, thereby equipping pastors, church planters, and ministry leaders to navigate the arduous terrain of growth and change with clarity and intention.
When-Expecatons-Collide-with-Formation
Dr. Skinner, here are clean, ready-to-publish show notes built directly from your transcript and outline. The tone stays pastoral, clear, and grounded in formation rather than hype.
––––––––––––––
SHOW NOTES
––––––––––––––
Episode Title
Navigating Leadership in Church Planting
The Dynamics of Expectations and Formation
Episode Summary
In this episode, Dr. Jeffery D. Skinner explores what happens when leadership expectations outpace spiritual formation. Church planters often move from vision-driven energy into people-centered complexity faster than they expect. Expectations harden. Systems form. Pressure increases.
Dr. Skinner names this collision honestly. He invites leaders to slow down, clarify formation, and resist urgency. Healthy leadership requires discernment, shared ownership, and faithfulness over speed. Formation does not remove pressure, but it does reshape how leaders carry it.
This episode speaks directly to pastors, planters, and ministry leaders navigating growth, resistance, and the quiet cost of change.
––––––––––––––
KEY TAKEAWAYS
––––––––––––––
• Expectations harden faster than formation
• Leadership pressure shifts from vision to people
• Discernment requires time, conversation, and restraint
• Systems quickly reinforce what leaders reward
• Apostolic leadership disrupts comfort for faithfulness
• Formation redistributes responsibility and ownership
• Healthy leaders protect margin and resist urgency
• Change creates real grief and loss for some followers
• Naming shifts clearly builds trust and reduces anxiety
• Faithfulness to formation sustains leaders long-term
––––––––––––––
CHAPTERS
––––––––––––––
00:00 Introduction to Expectations and Formation
03:17 Navigating Leadership Pressures
05:14 The Role of Apostolic Leadership
08:07 Formation vs. Expectations
11:25 The Cost of Leadership Change
14:17 Conclusion and Future Insights
––––––––––––––
SOUND BITES
––––––––––––––
“Expectations collide with formation.”
“Healthy leaders name formation clearly.”
“Formation invites others to grow up.”
––––––––––––––
AUTHORS & LEADERS MENTIONED
––––––––––––––
Brian Zahnd
Author and pastor known for emphasizing Christ-centered discipleship, nonviolence, and spiritual formation.
Recommended works:
• Postcards from Babylon
• Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God
Website:
https://brianzahnd.com
Alan Hirsch
Missional thinker and leadership strategist focused on apostolic leadership and movement-based church structures.
Recommended works:
• The Forgotten Ways
• 5Q
• The Permanent Revolution
Website:
https://www.alanhirsch.org
––––––––––––––
WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR
––––––––––––––
• Church planters navigating early momentum and growing pains
• Pastors leading change in established systems
• Leaders feeling pressure to move faster than formation allows
• Teams learning how to share responsibility without losing clarity
Shawna Songer Gaines
• Lead pastor at Trevecca Community Church in Nashville, TN, with 15+ years in congregational ministry.
• Author of The Pastor as Midwife: Life-Giving Leadership for the Healing of the Church (2026), a leadership book that uses the metaphor of midwifery to shape pastoral care and transformation.
• Co-author of A Seat at the Table: A Generation Reimagining Its Place in the Church and Kings and Presidents: Politics in the Kingdom of God.
• She has written the Breathe Bible study series and speaks regularly at church and leadership events.
Podcast Interview – Shawna Songer Gaines
• De-Centered Leadership Insights from Pastor as Midwife on Discipleship Conversations — Shawna talks about how midwifery shapes a service-centered leadership model, empowering communities and reshaping expectations for pastors.
Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/De-Centered-Leadership-Insights-from-Pastor-as-Midwife-A-Conversation-with-Dr-Shawna-Songer-Gaines?si=… (available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other major platforms)
All Things Discipleship – with Tim & Shawna Gaines
• Conversations about discipleship, pastoral formation, and everyday faith.
Find it on Apple Podcasts or your podcast app.
Author page and book info:
https://www.ivpress.com/shawna-songer-gaines
––––––––––––––
FINAL WORD
––––––––––––––
Formation always costs something.
But it gives something better in return.
Leaders who stay faithful to formation do not just build churches.
They shape people who can carry the mission long after the adrenaline fades.
In the context of church planting, Dr. Jeffrey D. Skinner offers an astute examination of the often tumultuous intersection where leadership expectations collide with the nuanced process of spiritual formation. He articulates the notion that as church leaders transition from the initial excitement of a new vision to the intricate realities of community dynamics, there is a palpable shift in the source of leadership pressure. Initially propelled by a visionary impetus, this pressure increasingly emanates from the congregation, whose expectations may solidify faster than the formation of healthy systems can accommodate. Dr. Skinner encourages leaders to embrace a measured approach, advocating for a deliberate pace that prioritizes discernment and shared responsibility. By fostering an environment where formation is prioritized over speed, leaders can mitigate the anxiety that arises from unmet expectations and cultivate a culture of trust and collaboration within their communities. This episode serves as a clarion call for pastors and ministry leaders to remain faithful to their formative journeys, understanding that while the cost of change may evoke grief, the rewards are invaluable in shaping resilient, mission-oriented congregations.
Takeaways:
- Expectations often solidify at a pace that far exceeds that of formation, creating significant tension.
- The transition from a vision-driven approach to a people-centered focus can evoke unanticipated pressures.
- Healthy leadership necessitates a commitment to discernment, requiring time and meaningful dialogue among leaders.
- Apostolic leadership is characterized by its ability to disrupt comfort and prioritize faithfulness over maintaining the status quo.
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- Missional Church Planting
- Leadership Development
- Dynamic Church Planting International
- Alan Hirsch
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
