Playing Politics: Leading in an Election Year, part 1.

The Leader's Journey Podcast

On this episode of The Leader’s Journey Podcast, Trisha talks with Mac McCarthy and Nate Pyle about how the election year has affected their congregations and the ways they are navigating that social landscape within their churches. Listen to this first of several podcasts in 2024 as they discuss the unique ways they have each worked with the leadership in their churches in order to guide their congregations to focus on building bridges and communicating with grace.

Nate Pyle is a pastor, author, and coach. As a pastor, Nate has served as the pastor of Christ’s Community Church in Fishers, Indiana since 2008. During that time, Nate began learning and practicing skills related to adaptive leadership, congregational revitalization, family systems, emotional maturity, and spiritual formation. He has a passion to see the church become a learning community growing its capacity to navigate difference, hard conversations, and congregational change.

Mac McCarthy has been in Christian ministry for over 15 years. As a pastor, practitioner, and coach, he is passionate about equipping leaders by integrating missional theology, spiritual formation, family systems, and adaptive leadership to navigate congregational change. Having served in a variety of roles, Mac is currently the Lead Pastor at Crosspoint Community Church in the western suburbs of Milwaukee where has been since 2008. He received his B.A. from Bethel University, his M.Div from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and is ordained with the Christian & Missionary Alliance. Mac is also a CrossFit coach and enjoys helping people pursue holistic health.

Conversation Overview

• Political conversation in a Systems Context
• Getting Your Hands Dirty
• Political vs. Partisan
• Being a Minister of Reconciliation
• Conflating Religious Doctrine and Political Politics
• Anxiety and Emotional Maturity
• Capacity Building and Discipleship
• It Doesn't Always Work
• Core Conviction and Guiding Principles

Resources:

Nate Pyle on The Leader's Journey

4 Americas: The Stories and the Gospel - Nate Pyle SermonsMac McCarthy on The Leader's Journey

Luke Bretherton on Democracy and Christianity

Crosspoint Community Church

Christ Community Church