Ep 015: Relevant vs Real - An Interview with Whitney George

Welcome to Episode 15 of the Joshua Gagnon Leadership Podcast! If you enjoy this podcast, please leave a review on iTunes of how it has impacted your leadership and ministry. Also, be sure to email the username you used to leave the review to info@activateconference.tv, and one lucky listener will win two tickets to this year’s Activate!Activate is happening on Wednesday, September 16 at Next Level Church in Somersworth, NH. We will be featuring amazing keynote speakers, powerful worship, and countless opportunities to connect with other churches in the New England area. Make sure you register your team while there’s still time at www.activateconference.tv. Today’s guest is one of our Activate speakers, Whitney George. Whit is the Executive Pastor at Church on the Move in Tulsa, OK, where he oversees the operations and ministries of the church. He is a talented visionary and creative, and has been used by God to help make Church on the Move what it is today. He and his wife, Heather, have five children and he loves Notre Dame football. Learn More About Whit:Church on the Move’s Website: http://www.churchonthemove.com/homeSeeds Conference Website: https://seeds.churchonthemove.com/homeSeeds Blog: https://seeds.churchonthemove.com/blogWhit’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/whitneygeorge 3 Takeaways For Leaders:Honor your younger leaders. Often times, when younger leaders push for change, older leaders will struggle with allowing the change and not completely support them. You have to be willing to back your younger leaders’ ideas like they were your own, and don’t throw them under the bus if their ideas fall through. Relevancy is not as important as what the church’s values are. Remember what your church is built upon, and don’t try and change it just for the sake of making it more attractive for younger people. Whit expressed that his ultimate desire for church is for it to allow life change, and the “relevant” tools we use, such as lights and haze, are just that--tools. As long as they are working towards the goal of furthering God’s Kingdom, then they will be utilized.Have extreme intentionality. Work hard, because you care. Everything you do has to have a reason behind it. Whit shared that he works hard because he is intentional with everything he does. Every worship set, graphic, and sermon series should be chosen with care and consideration. Always ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?”Quotes From This Episode:“People are naturally afraid of change.” - Whit George“Go slower than you think you need to...but don’t move until you have complete conviction.” - Whit George“Young people are smart enough to be able to smell the same package wrapped in a different wrapper.” - Whit George“You have to care about the people of your community as much or more so as the people you already have.” - Whit George“Lights and smoke have never made anything relevant. Relevant is about what it means in your life.” - Whit George“A lot of people are allowing a model to create change rather than culture.” - Josh Gagnon“We have to be okay with the reality that there are churches that won’t be like us that still work today.” - Josh Gagnon“The only thing that I care about is that what I’m working on works.” - Whit George“When we’re wowed, we have a tendency to say ‘how?’...If you flip that around and you have a bad experience, you don’t ask ‘how?’ you just ask ‘why?’” - Whit George