Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Louie Giglio, J.D. Greear, Steven Furtick, Jentezen Franklin, and Mike Linch are elite Christian leaders who need little or no introduction to anyone. Have you ever wondered what allows this level of leaders to lead their churches, organizations, teams, and congregations with such excellence? Have you ever wondered what makes them so unique? I know I have.
This past week as part of an upcoming resource being filmed for INJOY Stewardship Solutions, I had the privilege of interviewing Jill Mutimer. If you are not familiar with Jill, you should be. Jill is one of the principals of Strategic Consulting Group (SCG). The principals of SCG have a combined three decades experience at one of the country’s largest financial institutions, and the focus of that experience was in financing faith-based organizations. This focused experience has given Jill and her co-workers a unique understanding of ministry funding plans and how they are perceived by the financial market place. So much so, the following are just some of their past and current clients:
- Andy Stanley and North Point Ministries
- Craig Groeschel and Life.Church
- Louie Giglio and Passion City Church
- J. D. Greear and The Summit Church
- Steven Furtick and Elevation Church
- Jentezen Franklin and Free Chapel
- Mike Linch and NorthStar Church
- For a more expanded list of her clients, click HERE.
While our conversation focused on the restructuring and refinancing of church debt, I was not going to miss the opportunity to glean the wisdom from someone who has worked with this level of leadership.
I asked her, “What have you learned about these leaders? What makes them unique?.. What it’s like working with leaders at that level?” I found her answer insightful and actually quite comforting.
The following are 8 Things That Make Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Louie Giglio, J. D. Greear, Steven Furtick, Jentezen Franklin and Mike Linch Such Elite Leaders. All quotes are from Jill.
- These Elite Leaders Are Visionaries – “They’re visionary.”
- These Elite Leaders Are Culture Builders – “They create a very strong infrastructure around them in terms of culture”
- These Elite Leaders Surround Themselves With Elite Talent And Personnel – “in terms of talent and personnel.”
- These Elite Leaders Delegate Certain Things To People They Trust – “They value being able to delegate certain things to people they trust.”
- These Elite Leaders Are Humble – “The biggest thing I would say I have taken away… the leaders I have found tend to be honest about what they don’t know.”
- These Elite Leaders Are Self-Aware – “They know what they know but they also say, ‘Hey, I’m not an expert in how banks underwrite churches.'”
- These Elite Leaders Are Team Builders – “They’re willing to find the perfect person to help fill that need.”
- These Elite Leaders Want The Best For Their Ministries – “Ego aside, these folks just want the best for their ministry and realize they’re not the builder that’s going to build the church. They’re not the architect that’s going to design it and they’re not the financiers who are going to work with the banks because they’re not the person with that unique talent.”
I used the word “comforting” earlier when describing Jill’s answer. This is because I assumed these men were great visionaries and team builders. What I was extremely impressed with was their high humility and self-awareness.
You could make the argument their level of humility and self-awareness equals their level of vision and team building. This was a new learning for me.
The Top 100 Leadership Quotes From 2020 is my latest ebook. The wisdom contained in these pages from top business leaders, pastors, coaches, and superlative thinkers sustained countless leaders in the most turbulent year anyone can remember. If you want to be the best leader you can possibly be, click HERE or on the image provided to download this FREE resource. The lessons learned from last year, if applied, will sustain you for years to come.