PhD - Professional Practice Portfolio - Chris Folwell
Self-Assessment
Step 1: Overview of the Artifact.
Research has shown that the average person spends nearly 90,000 hours working, or one-third of their lives. For those of us leading in a ministry context, we will exceed that average. I can make the strong assumption that when we accepted the call to Pastor or lead within the local church, that moment felt spiritual and was most likely confirmed by those who love and pray for us. After working at a large church for 17 years and having been hired to help many other large churches, I now have evidence that what often begins as a spiritual conviction does not always remain a spiritual conviction. I believe deeply in the purpose of the local church, and my passion and love for the church only deepens with time. For this reason, I have chosen an artifact that focuses on ensuring that as churches grow and decide to adopt leadership principles, they remain anchored in their mission and select leadership methods that complement that mission. The current purpose statement associated with my artifact is, “To help churches cultivate executive leadership that is deeply rooted in the Gospel and shaped by a biblical vision of the church.”
Step 2: Synthesis of Insights from Milestone Assignments.
Several insights are becoming apparent as I review my Milestone assignments and the feedback I received. During Milestone 1, I realized that the artifact that I have chosen was born in pain and difficulty. The artifact was not originally born out of a desire to help churches. It came about when I realized that my leadership and the leadership of those near me had drifted. While working on Milestone 1, I utilized these comments from Eugene Peterson, “The culture thinks organizationally, functionally; the gospel thinks relationally, personally.”(1) Though I used these comments for Milestone 1, I feel these comments from Eugene Peterson are becoming an anchoring insight regarding my artifact. To help churches develop executive leadership rooted in the Gospel, we must defend the relational and personal aspects of leading a church. This may seem simple, but it is often lost as a church becomes very large; the focus becomes much more organizational and functional.
While working on Milestone 2, I realized for the first time how much the postmodern movement within the church impacted the shaping of my artifact. I believe the church where I was employed at the time was utilizing an organizational approach to a situation that required a much more personal approach. For that reason, Milestone 2 brought me back to a resource I had not visited in years: Everybody Matters. Though this book is a business book, not written for churches, I can remember reading this comment in 2015 and it being catalytic for the shaping of my artifact, “Treat each employee the way you would like your kids to be treated where they work.” (2) I recall the moment I read that sentence. I immediately felt the business writing this book was doing a better job than we were as a church! I realized I would not want my kids to work for the church where I was employed. This created a great conflict for me.
I enjoyed working on Milestone 3. This Milestone allowed me to include several resources I’ve created to help churches “cultivate executive leadership that is deeply rooted in the Gospel and shaped by a biblical vision of the church.” During this Milestone, I introduced a presentation I created called the Leadership Accessibility Theory. I made this presentation to help a Pastor I was working with understand how to engage his congregation as it grows. In this portfolio, I will also add to the Milestone 3 portion two other processes I have created. A process for hiring pastoral staff and a process to help a church analyze which potential Executive Pastor candidate would be a good fit for them.
Milestone 4 helped me see that if I’m unaware of the threat of the Familiarity Heuristic, several concepts I had discovered through the previous Milestones could be lost. These comments from Wynand de Kock were particularly impactful while describing this heuristic: “Relying on previous behaviors that were successful in similar situations, especially in unfamiliar or stressful environments.” (3) While learning about this heuristic, I reflected on Mike Foster’s book, The Seven Primal Questions. While reading The Seven Primal Questions, I discovered that my Primal Question is, “Am I successful?” Mike Foster lists my “core fear” as “being seen as incompetent or underachieving.” (4) Milestone 4 was significant for me; it helped me see how I’m wired, and my experience could limit me if I don’t expand my perspectives.
I can often struggle with self-doubt. Milestone 5 helped push me to share and gather stakeholder feedback. Reviewing the feedback from others who have experienced me working to live out my artifact, I found it overwhelmingly positive. The stakeholder feedback helped me find the courage to believe I can continue to make a lasting impact.
Step 3: Unique Aspects of the Artifact.
The uniqueness of my artifact is expressed through my relational approach to addressing it and the measurables implemented. If Eugene Peterson were still alive and I had a chance to meet him, I might challenge his comments, which I mentioned earlier in this paper. I would propose a challenge to Eugene: “I believe a church can have strong organizational and functional elements and not forsake its relational and personal qualities.” This is what makes my artifact unique. I work to “help churches cultivate executive leadership that is deeply rooted in the Gospel and shaped by a biblical vision of the church.” As I’m doing this work, I choose to engage in conversations with senior-level staff that are personal and spiritual. I’m not there to simply provide an analysis, I must be connected and walking in unity with the senior-level staff of a church I am supporting. Once these relationships are developed, we can address specific changes that need to be implemented. I have experienced several church consultants or coaches who do not place a high value on relationships, and this is why I believe this aspect of my approach to my artifact is unique.
The other unique aspect of my artifact is that I’m not only placing value on relationships and the need for executive leadership rooted in the Gospel, but I’m also providing targeted solutions for how the church I’m supporting can take the following steps. These steps may address human resources-related issues, hiring needs, organizational chart adjustments, creating and working towards top priorities, etc.
Step 4: Context of the Artifact’s Development.
I benefit from the development of my artifact as I lead my business, Love + Lead, LLC. Each week, when conversing with Pastors and leaders, I have intentionally included topics that pertain to my artifact. The contexts where I’m experiencing the most development of my artifact are: hosting a monthly Executive Leadership Roundtable, working with PromiseLand Church in San Marcos, Texas, and the annual events I host with my friend Wayne Francis. (5)
As I lead the Love + Lead Table (roundtable) each month, I am forced to produce content that will help us cultivate gospel-centered leadership. Working with PromiseLand church for the last three years has allowed me to experience implementing measurable ways to ensure that I’m helping to develop “executive leadership that is deeply rooted in the Gospel and shaped by a biblical vision of the church.” Wayne Francis and I host events twice yearly, focusing on men aged 35 - retirement. I have found that when hosting these events, I can have profound conversations with men looking to live the life God has called them to. Our discussion often leans towards leadership, which allows me to insert questions regarding my artifact.
Step 5: Real-World Significance and Broader Relevance.
As I processed the best approach to sharing my current perspective on my artifact’s real-world significance and broader relevance, I engaged Robin Steele. Robin leads PromiseLand church, which I have worked with for the last three years. I explained to Robin my artifact in depth. The benefit of speaking with Robin is that his church represents an approach to leadership that I believe is “rooted in the Gospel and shaped by a biblical vision of the church.” It was also advantageous for me to speak with Robin because we work together. I asked Robin specific questions regarding his church and leadership style that I felt could help clarify the reach and value of my artifact.
Question 1: How has clear, Christ-centered executive leadership blessed PromiseLand? Robin Steele replies, “Christ-centered executive leadership has allowed PromiseLand to flourish. When everyone was reporting to me as the Senior Pastor, we were bogged down, and I couldn't truly evaluate where each ministry was. Now, we have an incredible team of executives who can pour individually into their teams. This allows our team to get immediate feedback, encouragement, and accountability.” (6)
Question 2: What threats can a church face when implementing leadership principles? Particularly, the threats the church's staff or Executive team could face. Robin Steele replies, “Staff can feel disconnected from the Senior Pastor. I must continually find ways to reconnect with people who do not report to me. I want them to be around me and get the culture-vibes straight from me when possible. It can feel too corporate when it becomes out of balance (meaning it is about numbers and KPIs instead of vine, branches, and fruit). If someone gets elevated to the executive team and is not ready, it can be difficult to equip or move them.” (7)
Robin’s answers helped me see the real-world significance and broader relevance of my artifact. I do realize that I will need to expand my perspective. While I continue to work with Robin, I must add other Pastoral voices to this conversation.
Step 6: Personal Growth and Motivation.
Since beginning this PhD program, the need for personal growth has become more apparent. I know that if I don’t grow in my understanding of how to reach more churches, I will have knowledge and passion but will be very limited in my reach. It is this shortcoming that is the most intimidating to me. I have never seen myself as good at pitching an idea to someone. I also wrestle with social anxiety when I find myself in an environment where I don’t know several of the people. To help many churches “cultivate executive leadership that is deeply rooted in the Gospel and shaped by a biblical vision of the church,” I will need to pitch the need for this, and I will need to become more comfortable in unfamiliar situations; this will require much personal growth. I have made two connections with leaders who have expressed commitment to help me grow: Alan Briggs, founder of Stay Forth, and Dan Reiland, former Executive Pastor of 12Stone Church.
My motivation to pursue this PhD is rooted in my love for the church. I spent seventeen years working for a local church. I then began a business, wanting to help and support the local chruch. Pursuing this degree is allowing me to clarify the work that God is calling me to now and in the future. The opportunity to learn from Wynand de Kock and all of the other Professors that are associated with this course is better equipping me to help churches “cultivate executive leadership that is deeply rooted in the Gospel and shaped by a biblical vision of the church.” Every paper I write and all of the research I will continue to gather is paving the way for me to support local pastors and ensure the churches God has called them to can grow and reach their full potential.
If I were to remove the impact the church has had on my life and my family, I can’t imagine where we would be today. We need more strong churches that are equipped with executive leadership that is rooted in the Gospel. I am committed that by participating in this PhD program that God will use all the knowledge I gain to spend my life supporting the local church.
Bibliography:
1 Marva Dawn and Eugene Peterson. "The Jesus Way of Leading." In The Unnecessary Pastor -Rediscover the Call, 191. Grand Rapids, MI: William Eerdmans.
2 Chapman, Bob, and Rajendra Sisodia. Everybody Matters: The extraordinary power of caring for your people like family. London: Portfolio Penguin, 2016.
3 Kock, Wynand de. “Module 4: Unveiling Assumptions and Biases.” Milestone 4. https://eastern.brightspace.com/d2l/le/content/114071/viewContent/2753997/View.
4 Foster, Mike. The Seven Primal Questions: Take Control Of The Hidden Forces That Drive You. Primal Question Resources, 2023.
5 https://weloveandlead.com/events
6 Steele, Robin. Personal, April 23, 2025.
7 Steele, Robin.
Milestone 1
The Artifact Description submitted at the beginning of this PhD class described the work of my business, Love + Lead, LLC. In the Artifact Description, I mentioned this regarding Love + Lead; “If I had to summarize the priority of all three pillars of Love + Lead, I would use two words: Spiritual Leadership. We should choose a life where we incorporate Christ into our work, leadership, and personal choices. I have found this to be a barrier for many leaders. We are much better at inviting Christ into matters that feel profoundly personal but struggle with issues that feel primarily professional.”
I can trace the catalyst for this Artifact to late November 2015. I had been employed at a church for fourteen years. The church was in crisis, and stress levels were high. During this time, we were in the Koinonia semester of Openseminary. What I was learning during this semester and what I was experiencing in my work created a personal and professional chasm for me. I often think of the resources I used to complete my exam question during that semester as a catalyst, for instance, these comments from Eugene Peterson, “The culture thinks organizationally, functionally; the gospel thinks relationally, personally.” (1) During this crisis, the solutions that were being proposed felt heavily organizational and functional, and relationship and personal connection were being lost. I recall one instance where I was in the room when we needed to release an employee from staff. Harsh language was used. I remember looking at the employee and knowing they were suffering. Still, knowing our focus had shifted from the personal to the organizational.
Professor Wynand’s comments regarding the Trinity, the unity They operate in, and the intent of evil to destroy unity amongst us as believers was also crucial for me. I recall reading a resource that stated, “One proposed analogy is the chemical formula, H2O. Just as this compound can assume three forms- ice, water, or steam- so also the one God is three persons.” (2) Learning about the unity of the Trinity and its example of how we should engage Koinonia also felt like a catalyst for my artifact. While learning this from Professor, I was experiencing many relational situations with others on staff that felt very opposite to what I was learning, several of the organization choices were creating more division and less unity. As a result, the teachings and readings during the Koinonia semester became a catalyst for me.
When describing the purpose of my artifact at this point in the PhD process, I would state that it is to help churches engage in executive leadership that is deeply anchored in the Gospel and the biblical view of the church. I look forward to unpacking this as I move forward.
Bibliography:
1 Marva Dawn and Eugene Peterson. "The Jesus Way of Leading." In The Unnecessary Pastor -Rediscover the Call, 191. Grand Rapids, MI: William Eerdmans.
2 Grenz, Stanley. "Analogies of the Trinity." In A Theology For The Community Of God. Broadman and Holdman Publishers, 1994.
Milestone 2
Rob Bell was the pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan, from 1999 until 2011. During this time, Rob Bell became the face of the postmodern movement within the American evangelical church. Many of my friends began to push back at nearly every aspect of the church. I wasn’t sure how to respond. I felt open to these conversations but struggled with the cynicism and lack of kindness often associated with strong postmodern views. Though 2011 is earlier than the 2015 catalytic moment mentioned during my first milestone assignment, I now realize the importance of this cultural context regarding my artifact. In the Artifact Description, I mentioned this: “If I had to summarize the priority of all three pillars of Love + Lead, I would use two words: Spiritual Leadership. We should choose a life where we incorporate Christ into our work, leadership, and personal choices. I have found this to be a barrier for many leaders. We are much better at inviting Christ into matters that feel profoundly personal but struggle with issues that feel primarily professional.” During our first milestone assignment, I communicated my purpose statement: “To help churches engage in executive leadership that is deeply anchored in the Gospel and the biblical view of the church.” What I sensed amongst my friends during the postmodern movement of the church was a love to talk about the church more than a love for the church, maybe like a husband who loves to talk about his spouse publicly but shows no real love or affection privately. The chaos of the postmodern movement felt as though it lacked leadership. The church where I was on staff was unprepared for young people’s strong, deeply personal views. Witnessing this, I believe, fed the beginning of my passion for the need for Christ-centered executive leadership within the church. While the postmodern movement was on the rise, we also saw the popularity of business constructs within larger churches. Willow Creek Community Church’s Leadership Summit was becoming extremely popular, while younger people were wrestling with the most essential elements of what makes a church a church. During a time when young people needed pastoral leadership, we wanted to give them business leadership.
What if we could have excellent and dynamic executive leadership within the church that does not lose its pastoral convictions? What if we could lead within a large church and develop the necessary systems but maintain the understanding that those systems are spiritual, too, because each system we build is to serve God’s people better?
While working on this paper, I was reminded of a resource I read during my 2015 catalyst moment. The book was titled Everybody Matters. One of the reasons this book created conflict for me is that it was a business book. Still, the principles discussed in this book seemed more pastoral than the leadership principles being executed amongst the church staff I was participating in. I should be clear: I was on this church’s Executive Team and take ownership of how I contributed to this behavior. I must capture a few key elements from the Everybody Matters book in the second milestone assignment:
“Our friend Roy Spence, author and CEO of The Purpose Institute, believes every workplace should be like a family:
Create a business family: Not every company is a family business, but every company can be a business family, with unconditional love, forgiveness, and nurturing.
Treat each employee the way you would like your kids to be treated where they work.
Build a home, not a just a business: Start by building a home that you as a leader and your team members would want to come home to every day
Be a coach: As a parent or a leader, follow the proven role models for exceptional coaching that result in highly productive, responsible, trustworthy, loyal, and caring children/employees.
Be patient with those who don’t “get it”: People may have been abused by other leaders. Give them time and space to heal.
Let them grow and then let them go: Let people grow beyond your team if that is what is best for them, just like great parents do with their children. Empower them to become great parents to others.
Be authentically human: Break bread together, celebrate together, talk it over together, and mourn together. Be proudly “unprofessional.” (1)
Though these practices from Everybody Matters are incredibly insightful, I do see gaps in this approach as well. Any church that doesn’t demonstrate professional boundaries when approaching work-related relationships will struggle, even if it implements great insights from Everybody Matters. We see clearly in the scripture that Christ can fellowship and rebuke his disciples when needed. Our workplaces should grow to manage these tensions more effectively.
Helping churches engage in executive leadership that is deeply anchored in the Gospel and the biblical view of the church does not seem like it should be an original thought, but based on my experience, it is. I have been experimenting with these spiritual leadership principles at the Love + Lead Table I began in 2019. Since 2019, I have met with 12 - 15 Christian leaders on the second Monday of each month. The registrants are usually fifty percent ministry leaders and fifty percent business leaders. Since 2019, I have also been directing a local non-profit. I have been utilizing this time at the non-profit to implement different ways of caring for employees and staff. I have also observed the leaders I report to and how they treat me. I look forward to continuing to engage in this incredible process.
Bibliography:
1 Chapman, Bob, and Rajendra Sisodia. Everybody Matters: The extraordinary power of caring for your people like family. London: Portfolio Penguin, 2016.
Milestone 3
As I begin Milestone 3, I want to clarify my purpose statement. Previously, I stated, “To help churches engage in executive leadership that is deeply anchored in the Gospel and the biblical view of the church.” Expanding on my purpose statement’s “deeply anchored” aspect would be wise. “To help churches engage in executive leadership that follows the leadership example of Christ, the biblical view of the church, and other principles gained from contemporary resources.” I hope this clarifies my purpose statement better.
Avado Learning, the award-winning online educational provider, released this statement following a study: “According to various studies of sensory learning styles, roughly 65 percent of the population are visual learners, 30 percent are auditory learners, and 5 percent are kinaesthetic learners.” (1) I have always been a visual learner and have best communicated aspects of my artifact visually. I have attached examples of presentations I have used while applying my artifact in real-life situations while working with churches. The form of my artifact must be visual, but it also needs to be communicated relationally. To be visual but not connect personally with the specific church leader I’m speaking to would cause my proposal to lose its value. A resource that impacted my view of relationships and trust is Steven Covey’s The Speed of Trust. This excerpt is crucial to my artifact’s visual and relationship form: “There's a common thread that runs through those very few organizations who are just busting out on top all the time. They're meeting and exceeding their goals. They're realizing their visions and aspirations.
They're always over and above their expectations. ... And yet this group of robust, energized, enthusiastic, continually successful organizations, they seem to have a secret. And frankly, we have studied it, we have gone to school, we have consulted, we've done everything we can to try and find that formula that says, "We'll be one of these in this very small, select group that seems to achieve perpetual success."
The secret, the clue, the common thread is simply how you treat folks.
It's how you treat your fellow man, and how you treat your team members and how you treat your customers, your regulators, your general public, your audiences, your communities. How you value the worth of an individual, how you bring the human factor into real importance and not just a statement you make in your annual report.” (2)
When I present aspects of my artifact, whether through the Love + Lead Table (a monthly Leadership Roundtable) or a church staff coaching opportunity, I have had to learn to apply my artifact’s visual and relational form via Zoom.
The Leadership Accessibility Theory I have attached has helped me identify areas where a Senior Pastor could need to adjust his leadership style. It is common for a Senior Pastor to want to remain a “Swiss Army Knife” when it is time for him to become a “Specialist.” I’ve also attached materials that provide a visual example of how I help a Senior Pastor fill crucial staff roles. My process is relational, and I deeply value emphasizing the spiritual context of the situation.
I have not found any barriers to building relationships using this tool. I commit to being on-site with churches I work with closely twice yearly. Being in person allows me to present the form and structure of my artifact and emphasize the value of my work’s visual and relationship aspects.
Over the last several years, two churches have added the most to my artifacts’ material and networking aspects. Both churches, Daybreak Church (3) in Carlsbad, California, and 12Stone Church (4) in Lawrenceville, Georgia, have shown that you can grow a thriving church while maintaining a high value of executive leadership.
Bibliography:
1 “Avado.” Sensory Learning Styles . Accessed March 29, 2025. https://www.avadolearning.com/blog/the-7-different-learning-styles-and-what-they-mean/.
2 Covey, Stephen M. R., and Rebecca R. Merrill. The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That Changes Everything. New York: Free Press, and imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2018.
Milestone 4
While learning about the Familiarity Heuristic, it became clear that I have engaged in behavior that aligns with its description: “Relying on previous behaviors that were successful in similar situations, especially in unfamiliar or stressful environments.” (1) The current purpose statement of my artifact is, “To help churches engage in executive leadership that is deeply anchored in the Gospel and the biblical view of the church.”
I’m also considering removing the word “executive” from my purpose statement. Not all churches use the term “executive” when addressing their leadership team. I will continue to process how I can make my purpose statement more inclusive.
The church where I worked for seventeen years experienced much success. I have realized that several methods that worked well in one environment do not translate to other environments, particularly environments with different views on leadership or a different theological stance. I recall one conversation with Pastor John Carter from Abundant Life Church (2) in Syracuse, NY. I was discussing with him ways we had worked with significant donors at the church where I was employed. Pastor Carter asked me, “Chris, do you believe that is the best approach?” I quickly moved from thinking I was sharing something interesting to realizing I was sharing something familiar. The example provided regarding Pastor Carter represents how the familiarity heuristic caused what felt like a moment of failure in making an important connection with a leader I deeply respect.
We see a theological example of the threat of the familiarity heuristic when Peter challenged Jesus not to go to the cross. In Matthew 16:21, Jesus explains how he will suffer “many things,” referring to his crucifixion. Peter replies, “Never, Lord”, “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus replies to Peter, stating that Peter had become a “stumbling block” (3) to him. I’m convinced that Peter became a stumbling block to his leader because he allowed himself to become too comfortable being in the company of his leader and forgot the deep value of the mission at hand.
I also identified with the Cognitive Bias when learning about potential biases I may face in my professional work. Specifically, the Dunning-Kruger effect can lead to “overconfidence in one’s abilities or knowledge.” (4) The way I connected with this bias might seem a bit odd. Mike Foster’s book, The Seven Primal Questions, recently impacted me. After taking the evaluation the book provided, I realized my Primal Question is, Am I Successful? After studying his research, I found that my personality type fears failure more than anything. Mike Foster lists my “core fear” as “being seen as incompetent or underachieving.” (5) I oppose this core fear by choosing to be overconfident in my abilities; this can sometimes lead to hardship in my work.
When I consider how the Familiarity Heuristic and Cognitive Bias could impact my artifact, one word comes to mind: pride. The combination of allowing my familiarity to assist in my decision-making and being overconfident in my skills seems to be a recipe for disaster when trying to “Help churches engage in executive leadership that is deeply anchored in the Gospel and the biblical view of the church.”
The strategy I have most overlooked is the Research Breadth strategy, which is described as “Did you limit your research to sources that confirmed your initial ideas, or did you actively seek out challenging perspectives?” (6) I feel confident that I am using many of the resources that have been a great help to me. Still, it would be helpful to include other voices and resources, unlike the environments where many of my thoughts and perspectives have been shaped. Many of my views were shaped in a large, charismatic, non-denominational environment. In the future, I may have opportunities to support churches unlike those I have known the longest. If I don’t expand my research, I could be limited in my reach. I know ministers who lead in environments different from those I have known. I should intentionally include those ministers and the resources they might recommend. I will attach to this Milestone a method of gathering feedback that author Gordon Macdonald once suggested to me. By utilizing an approach like the Clearness Committee, I can ensure that all crucial voices are heard when proposing a vital change or an essential next step.
Bibliography:
1 Kock, Wynand de. “Module 4: Unveiling Assumptions and Biases.” Milestone 4. https://eastern.brightspace.com/d2l/le/content/114071/viewContent/2753997/View.
2 https://abundantlife.church/
3 New International Version. Colorado Springs, Col. International Bible Society, 1984.
4 Kock, Wynand de. “Module 4: Unveiling Assumptions and Biases.”
5 Foster, Mike. The Seven Primal Questions: Take Control Of The Hidden Forces That Drive You. Primal Question Resources, 2023.
6 Kock, Wynand de. “Module 4: Unveiling Assumptions and Biases.”
Milestone 5
The business I started in 2019 provided meaningful feedback regarding my artifact. My company, Love and Lead Publishing, LLC, began with the intent of offering learning opportunities, both online and in person. One of the primary goals of these learning opportunities is to support the theme of the artifact I have created, “To help churches engage in executive leadership that is deeply anchored in the Gospel and the biblical view of the church.” In this Milestone 5 assignment, I will share feedback provided to me as I’ve worked to align my work with my artifact.
Robin Steele, the Senior Pastor of PromiseLand Church in San Marcos, Texas, used this language when describing how my artifact is impacting him and his church: “Chris has worked with me over the past 2 years as we transition our church staff to the next level of leadership. Most notably, we have created executive-level leadership for our staff and shored up areas of communication, meetings, and annual goals. Chris respects our culture and has found ways to develop our team within our context of ministry. He has mentored me one-on-one as a senior pastor and invited several of our team members to his own leadership round table.” (1) I recall an example of being on-site at PromiseLand church. After a training I provided, a staff member walked up to me and asked specific questions regarding the teaching I had provided. As he spoke, I began to understand that he could fill the staff position of Executive Pastor. Three years later, this specific staff member is thriving as Executive Pastor. The example aligns with my artifact because this staff member is thriving within his executive role, and the church is growing and experiencing multiplication, as we see in the scripture.
One of the greatest joys of working with PromiseLand Church has been my mentoring relationship with Emilio Malacara. Since we began working together, he has grown to oversee many departments of the church and begin a School of Ministry.
Regarding my work at PromiseLand, I will attach a screenshot of the dashboard I use to track progress in specific growth areas.
Lee Wilson, the Director of the Shepherds Network, made these comments once I had completed one year of working with them: “During our time together, Chris has been integral in creating Executive-level leadership for our Sr Pastor and leadership team, significantly improving our communication, meetings, strategies and our goal-setting processes. His deep respect for our leadership and church culture, and his ability to skillfully navigate within the unique context of our ministry, is truly refreshing.” (2) The Shepherds Network is a network that exists to provide support to Pastors in the northeast of the United States. An example of how my time working with the Shepherds Network reflects my artifact is when I recommended to the founding Pastor of the Shepherds Network what a more effective leadership team structure would be. My recommendation was accepted, and it allowed us to expand our work to in-person and online events. These events are attended by Pastors who are committed to building the church.
I have not experienced a situation when my artifact did not benefit the given stakeholder. Recently, I received feedback from someone who has grown a significant business doing the type of work my artifact represents. The business owner told me I’m not confident enough in my work. I need to grow in courage when it comes to having conversations with Pastors who may desperately need the help that I know I can provide through the work of my artifact.
Bibliography:
1 Steele, Robin. “Churches.” Love + Lead. Accessed April 12, 2025. https://weloveandlead.com/churches.
2 Wilson, Lee. “Churches.” Love + Lead. Accessed April 12, 2025. https://weloveandlead.com/churches.
