Something I am so grateful for is the leadership experience I received growing up in the church. From a young age, I got involved in worship teams. I led small groups. I developed skills. I was put on stages I had no business being on. Church wasn't just a weekly service we attended. It was a leadership incubator.

L. Michelle Smith has written a new book called Call And Response: 10 Leadership Lessons From the Black Church. In it she discusses how the Black Church has historically developed high level business leaders. The book borrows from culture, neuroscience, and positive psychology to describe the power of the Black Church and why it has produced so many high level leaders .

Whether you've grown up in the Black Church or have never even visited, we all have something to learn here.

Because if the church stops developing leaders in favor of merely hiring out a professional, performative workforce, we could be in some trouble.

This is David Santistevan. You can reach me anytime at david@beyondsundayworship.com As always, thank you for listening.

Topics Covered:

Why the history of Call and Response in the Black Church matters to us today
Leadership development in the local church
Leadership lessons learned in the Black Church
What it's like being a successful Black women in corporate America
Why The Black Church is seen as inferior in both white and black spaces

Resources Mentioned:

Show Sponsor: Planning Center
Call And Response: 10 Leadership Lessons From The Black Church by L. Michelle Smith
The Black Church: This Is Our Story This Is Our Song by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Show Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by Planning Center, an all-in-one church management software made to help churches help people. You can organize your ministries and keep everyone on your team communicating and aligned around what's going on.

As a worship leader, good communication is key to building a strong worship team. You can cultivate relationships while ensuring everyone has what they need to successfully prep for your services.

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