John Bushman served as a bishop for 6.5 years, as a member of many bishoprics, and currently serves as a Gospel Doctrine teacher. He has been a Seminaries and Institutes of Religion coordinator, Institute instructor, and is now a Seminary instructor. He has also taught EFY and FSY for 20 years. John loves hiking and going on adventures of most any kind.

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King Before Kingdom
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Transcript available with the video in the Zion Lab community

Highlights

John Bushman explores the necessity of a “faithful revival” centered on Jesus Christ rather than the institutional church. He argues that while the restored church is essential, members and leaders often mistake the “kingdom” for the “king,” leading to a checklist-based faith. The discussion focuses on transitioning from a culture of “legalism” to one of genuine “regeneration” through a relationship with the Savior.

00:04:04 – Importance of Collaboration in Leadership
00:05:39 – The Most Important Part of Sacrament Meeting
00:08:06 – The Concept of Revival in the Church
00:10:57 – Spiritual Sleep in the Church
00:12:16 – The Challenge of Routine in Worship
00:13:04 – The Importance of Understanding “Why”
00:14:28 – The Purpose of Church Services
00:19:00 – Faith vs. Knowledge in the Gospel
00:24:01 – The New Covenant vs. Old Covenant
00:27:25 – The Role of Jesus in Salvation
00:28:47 – The Shift Towards Jesus-Centered Worship
00:30:35 – The Importance of Personal Conversion Stories
00:32:51 – The Relationship Between Church and Christ
00:36:20 – The Role of Church Leaders in Focusing on Jesus
00:39:21 – The Concept of Legalism in Faith
00:44:50 – Moving Beyond Legalism to Grace

Key Insights

The “King” vs. the “Kingdom”: Bushman emphasizes that the church is the vehicle (the kingdom), but Jesus Christ is the destination (the king). A faithful revival occurs when the focus shifts from just belonging to the organization to surrendering to the Savior.
Conversion vs. Testimony: A testimony often focuses on the truth of facts (e.g., Joseph Smith was a prophet), whereas true conversion is the decision to stop doing things one’s own way and surrender life to Jesus.
The New Covenant of Faith: Bushman clarifies that “faith” in the New Testament is better understood as “trust” or “reliance,” similar to the trust one places in a surgeon. It is an internal change of heart rather than just an outward performance of commandments.
Avoiding “Spiritual Autopilot”: Routines, such as the sacrament or repetitive church meetings, can lead to a “spiritual sleep” where members go through the motions without emotional or spiritual connection to God.
Regeneration Over Prohibition: True change (regeneration) happens when a person no longer desires to do evil because their heart has been changed by grace, which is more effective than “prohibition” or simply following a list of “don’ts”.

Leadership Applications

Pattern Interrupts in Meetings: Leaders can revitalize routine ordinances by adding brief, 60-second “pattern interrupts”. For example, a bishop might briefly challenge the ward to think of one specific way to remember the Lord during the upcoming week just before the sacrament is administered.
Shifting the “Why” of Meetings: Leaders should evaluate if their meetings are designed to increase knowledge (factoids) or to facilitate a “worship service” that connects individuals with divinity.
Focusing on Redemption in Interviews: When working with members on repentance or baptism, John suggests focusing on the member’s commitment to follow Jesus for the rest of their lives rather than just confirming they believe the Church is true.

The award-winning Leading Saints Podcast is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit Leading Saints’ mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Find Leadership Tools, Courses, and Community for Latter-day Saint leaders in the Zion Lab community. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at LeadingSaints.org.

Past guests include Emily Belle Freeman, David Butler, Hank Smith, John Bytheway, Reyna and Elena Aburto, Liz Wiseman, Stephen M. R. Covey, Benjamin Hardy, Elder Alvin F. Meredith III, Julie Beck, Brad Wilcox, Jody Moore, Tony Overbay, John H. Groberg, Elaine Dalton, Tad R. Callister, Lynn G. Robbins, J. Devn Cornish, Bonnie Oscarson, Dennis B. Neuenschwander, Kirby Heyborne, Taysom Hill, Coaches Jennifer Rockwood and Brandon Doman, Anthony Sweat, John Hilton III, Barbara Morgan Gardner, Blair Hodges,