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1. What have you found most challenging as a church leader?

Leading people. Everyone has their brokenness, personalities, wants and needs. Trying to meet all those while also pushing forward to grow is hard.

2. How did you become a church leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

I've always served in church, we lived in the UK for 4 years and were leading a high school group in our church and our youth pastor challenged us to consider moving into vocational ministry. We prayed, asked friends we trusted, prayed a lot more, then moved back to Aus to start training and found a youth pastor job on the Gold Coast.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

Bit of change this year with my family leaving before I do and afternoon/evening is different with kids sports, but usually: Make lunches, get fam out the door, breakfast, quiet time, get to church, emails, meetings, sermon prep, leading, coffee (every day is different). Nights depends on kids and church meetings, devotions with kids. Usually ends in watching the news and some relaxing TV.

4. What's one book apart from the Bible that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

There have been a lot, but 7 Practices of Effective Ministry is one that we get new staff and Elders to go through, just so practical at setting a framework for ministry that gets people on the same page with our structures.

5. What's the most recent significant leadership lesson you've learned?

Humility... it's an ongoing one. Dealing with staff and church conflict has been a constant reminder that God is in control and He is fighting for us, I don't need to strive. It's a blessing and a lesson at the same time.

6. How do you develop a healthy leadership pipeline in a church?

Keep identifying and investing into leaders. Encouraging people to serve and equipping them to succeed and then giving them more responsibility and opportunity. We have some training courses and regular meetings, mentoring is important too, so getting everyone to see themselves as a mentor and needing to be a mentee.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a church leader so far?

I got to know a couple who were parents of a boy my son plays footy with. We started discussing life and our conversation turned to faith. They started attending church services now and then, their kids to our Friday night kids programs. One day, she comes forward for prayer and makes a commitment to Jesus, a month later she's baptised! I wish it was a regular story, but it was a gift to see God working in her life and we're praying for her husband.

What's one question you'd love to ask other leaders in our audience to generate discussion about leadership? Eg. 'How do you do difficult conversations well?', or 'What's one tip for leading a remote online team?'

How do you go about stepping down a well loved leader who isn't a good fit in their ministry space, but doesn't want to leave!