Transcript:

What Happened at the Leadership Team Retreat?

Benjamin Kreps:
Hey everyone, this is Ben Kreps. Welcome to the Mark Prater podcast where we aim to connect our global family of churches with our Executive Director. Hey, Mark, how are you doing?

Mark Prater:
I'm doing great. Ben, how are you?

Benjamin Kreps:
I'm doing good. So I saw last week on Twitter (by the way, your Twitter handle is @MarkKPrater like the website) you posted that you were at a retreat for the Leadership Team and asked for prayer. And so I wanted to connect with you and hear about what Leadership Team retreats are all about. I mean, what happens at a Leadership Team Retreat?

Mark Prater:
Well, let me start by giving you the typical day. What does a typical day look like at a Leadership Team Retreat?

Benjamin Kreps:
So we're assuming it involves drinking beer and complaining about Sovereign Grace. Is that pretty much like substance of it?

Mark Prater: 

That's about all we get accomplished. That's right. Haha. 

No, we get together three times a year. In fact, we talked about this in our last retreat: Should we continue to do three retreats a year? Is that too many? Should we go to two? And because we're spread out geographically, we find that those retreat times are just so important for us to build relationally, to talk, and have conversation that doesn't have to be hurried about big picture issues in Sovereign Grace. And we just found that (both on a relational level and a strategic level, if you can say it that way) the retreats are really helpful.

Benjamin Kreps: 

That's wonderful. So three times a year, for how long? Three days?

Mark Prater: 

We started Monday, about 11:00 AM, and ended on Thursday at about 11:00 AM. So it's a full schedule. 

Kind of a typical day during our retreat, we'll rent an Airbnb, so we'll just all stay in the same house. It's another chance just to be together. Just hang out together. We love that as well. We usually get started around 8:30 or 9:00. 

And we just begin by praying: Whether there's specific things we're praying for related to Sovereign Grace (typically we're praying for our pastors and churches and certain churches that are on our heart) and then we will meet and after prayer we'll just discuss items until about 4:30. We typically have lunch brought in. 

And about 4:30 we'll just take a break, just to clear our minds, do some exercise. Typically most of the guys go work out. And then we'll gather back together, usually about 6:00 and we'll go to dinner and we'll continue the meeting over dinner and we'll typically be meeting until 10:00. So it's a full day that has both, again, the relational and the strategic component to it.

Benjamin Kreps: 

That's great to hear that we have a fit, healthy Leadership Team. Everybody's working out. So what kinds of things did you talk about and cover and pray about over this past week?

Mark Prater: 

We had a really good retreat because we were able to take some time and just talk about big picture issues. So actually, the first session, I just take time to specifically encourage the Leadership Team. And then after that, we take some time to pray. 

And then this past retreat we just really answered the question: How do we move our family of churches forward in mission? What can we do as a Leadership Team? 

I asked each of the guys in the Leadership Team to answer that question and bring specific thoughts. And they had done a lot of work beforehand, and it was a really, really good conversation. 

Some of the ways that we answered that question were to refocus on church planting. We talked about how to focus not so much on the "how" of church planning, but the "why" of church planting. And because of the work that Ian McConnell did and the National Church Planting Group continues to do, we've got the "how" pretty much down now in terms of our process. What we really need to talk more about is why do we plant churches in more of an inspirational, vision casting way. 

We also talked about how do we make our pastors in our churches more aware of what's happening globally in Sovereign Grace. That alone, will stir us in mission. 

We talked about making evangelism more of a priority, and Mickey's leading us in some ways of doing that. So we just had a great conversation about that.

Benjamin Kreps:
That's wonderful. I know that Dave Taylor and I have been talking about possibly doing an Emerging Nations Team podcast to help assist in that, helping people to know what's going on globally.

Mark Prater:
Let me just encourage you to do that. Stop talking about it and do it actually. I've said that to the guys at the Leadership Team because the other thing that we talked about as a Leadership Team (especially we devoted to): the topic of how do we strengthen our influence and our leadership as a Leadership Team. 

So a couple of things we talked about: Beyond the Sovereign Grace website, we're going to have department websites. 

So church development: Mickey hopes to have that up by March 1st and the Pastors College website up by March 31st. It's going to have a bunch of new resources on it. And then beyond the podcast I'm doing and the Ordinary Pastor Podcast, I believe Jeff is going to start one fairly soon, which will be really, really good. So those are just some of the ways. 

So if you and Dave could do one on emerging nations, that would just add to the voices that will serve our pastors.

Benjamin Kreps:
Yeah. What we're aiming to do it. So look for that sometime soon when we can coordinate between Australia and Pennsylvania. We'll figure it out. 

So the important question you asked (just to end this conversation): You guys talked about why is it that we plant churches at Sovereign Grace? 

So give me the short answer: the elevator pitch. Why does Sovereign Grace plant churches? What was your conclusion as you talked about that at the retreat?

Mark Prater:
Our conclusion, which is really our heart, is to reach those who don't know Jesus Christ as their Savior with the good news of the gospel. That's ultimately why we plant churches: to see people born again through the preaching of the gospel, through local gospel outreach. 

And as you know, as you read through the New Testament, it happened through church planting. And really all of that should be for the glory of God. 

So it's not really about Sovereign Grace, in that sense. It really is about fulfilling the Great Commission that Christ has given us for the glory of God. And that's why we plant churches.

Benjamin Kreps:
Amen. Well, I think everybody watching this would also say amen to that and our shared mission together. So thank you Mark for leading our Leadership Team, for caring for them at that retreat. We are grateful for you. And to all our viewers, thanks for taking time to watch this podcast. God bless you. We'll see you next time. 

Transcript:

Benjamin Kreps:

Hey everyone, this is Ben Kreps. Welcome to the Mark Prater podcast where we aim to connect our global family of churches to our Executive Director. Hey Mark, that looks beautiful wherever you are right now. Now I understand you're in California because the Executive Director likes a cush job hanging out Cali, right? What are you doing?

Mark Prater:

It's January in Pennsylvania, so I thought I should be here.

Benjamin Kreps:

What are you doing there?

Mark Prater:

I'm in California because I'm spending time with this guy, Eric Turbedsky. And I think most of you know, Eric is our Director of Communications. That's a non-Leadership Team Director role. I don't get as much time with those guys as I do with the guys on the Leadership Team. So I try to get with them once or twice a year. Not to really tell them what to do. The way I kind of just lead is I'm not a micromanager. I want to get the right guys in the right position and then give them direction and let them do their thing. And Eric is doing that very, very well. And so I'm out here spending time mostly learning from him, rather than telling him what to do.

Benjamin Kreps:

How are you doing, Eric?

Eric Turbedsky:

Doing good. It's been a good week of taking Mark surfing... No. Mark's right. You're not a micromanager, but it is really encouraging to get a drop-in even in the middle of January from Mark and just spend time with my wife and spend time with our team and just care for us. It's really encouraging to spend time with Mark.

Benjamin Kreps:

That's wonderful. And, Mark, you said you're not a micromanager. So what is your leadership philosophy as you connect with Directors and Leadership Team members? 

Mark Prater:

First of all, just overall, I'm representing the Leadership Team in this. We just see ourselves as men who exist on a team to serve our pastors and our churches. I know that term "servant leadership" gets overused, but that's really our heart and our desire. So part of my reason for even being here with Eric is to serve, as he mentioned, he and Kirsi and his team while I'm here. And we want to do that consistently in the way that we lead overall. But in terms of just working with other leaders in Sovereign Grace, whether they've got a Director role that's not on the Leadership Team or they're on the Leadership Team, I really do just want to get the right guys in the right place, and just serve them. So I can be a servant leader to them, giving them what they need, to get what needs to be done to serve our churches and our pastors. And again, I think Eric's just doing a great job of that.

Eric Turbedsky:

Can I ask how often are you on a plane just visiting with a guy (and a couple) who serve in Sovereign Grace churches?

Mark Prater:

Probably, if you throw our pastors in there, so they're not necessarily on a Leadership Team, I'd say probably a couple of times a month.

Eric Turbedsky:

Wow.

Mark Prater:

Yeah, you're welcome.

Benjamin Kreps:

Wonderful. So we're still figuring out our polity a little bit, with the first-generation Leadership Team and guys moving on and off of that Leadership Team. What do you see for the future of the Leadership Team? How that's gonna play out going forward?

Mark Prater:

I'll give you my thoughts, and keep in mind that I work in concert with the Executive Committee. So on these thoughts that I'm going to give you, the Executive Committee would need to really approve and agree with it, because they have the authority to assemble and to determine who's on the Leadership Team and who might go off the Leadership Team. So I just want to recognize the authority of our Book of Church Order and the Council of Elders in particular, especially in this case through the Executive Committee. 

But we made a change a few years ago as most of the guys know where we've got Directors who have defined responsibility on the Leadership Team. And then we also have Directors who are not on the Leadership Team. So for instance: our decision a couple years ago for Bob to step off of the Leadership Team even though he remains the Director of Sovereign Grace Music. I think it was a really strategic decision because he's just flourishing in that role where he can focus on Sovereign Grace Music. 

So as I think about the future, I think that the Leadership Team will have Directors that will have a defined responsibility, like a Director of Theology role that Jeff has. But I think we're going to begin to add on guys who've got some defined responsibility, but they may not have a complete sort of department responsibility. And their role is to be a strategic thinker and a strategic leader, a strategist in that sense. I think that will help us move forward in mission: to get the right strategic leaders on our team as well. So I think that's probably our next step if the Executive Committee agrees with that.

Benjamin Kreps:

So how do you think about evaluating and identifying men to be part of that leadership going forward?

Benjamin Kreps:

You're asking, how would I identify who should be on the Leadership Team?

Benjamin Kreps:

That's right. So it probably has something to do with tithing directly to you? That's part of it?

Mark Prater:

Right, exactly. Of course. That's at the top of my list, obviously. No, I'm looking at guys as I get to know them, and the context of this plays out more relationally than anything else. But as I spend time around our pastors and I'm watching them lead their church or I'm watching them bring initiative and leadership within their region, there are just certain guys that seem to me to think strategically. And they bring a strategic pastoral leadership in a way that seems to stand out. And those are the guys I try to get to know a little bit more and spend time with to see if they could potentially serve on a leadership team.

Benjamin Kreps:
So in the past we were an apostolic movement. And now we are not. But we still believe in the function of apostle (small "a"). So does that function in your thinking as well as you're considering guys?

Mark Prater:
It does.You know, we're elder-led, so we're no longer an official apostolic movement, if you can say it that way. But we believe that the gift of apostolic ministry is so important to our future in the way that we both plant and care for and strengthen and build churches. 

And so they're guys that obviously have that gift and may or may not be on a leadership team. There are guys that I think they're on a leadership team now that have that gift. I think Mickey is one of those. But there are guys that may not ever serve on the leadership team that are functioning that way. Some of our regional leaders I think do that really well. Oh, Rick Gamosh comes to mind as a guy who I think has an apostolic gift.

Benjamin Kreps:
Wonderful. Well thanks for taking some time in sunny California to fill us in on what you're up to and your thoughts about the leadership team. And I think somebody just ran past and maybe you can go join them for a little jog.

Mark Prater:
Alright. Great, we'll do that.

Benjamin Kreps:
Thanks for taking time everyone to watch this podcast. Hope it was helpful. God bless you, and we'll see you next time.