Podcast Summary: "On Leadership, Assignment, and Brokenness"

With The Perrys featuring Dr. Crawford Loritts
Release Date: April 6, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode of With The Perrys, Preston and Jackie Hill Perry conduct an in-depth, engaging conversation with Dr. Crawford Loritts—a respected pastor, author, and leadership teacher—about the true nature of leadership, the dynamics of calling and assignment, embracing brokenness, and the unique challenges that come with leading in the modern, often individualistic, culture. The discussion is rich in wisdom, personal stories, and practical examples, making it a must-listen for anyone wrestling with their own leadership role, calling, or spiritual maturity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Organic Nature of Leadership Callings

(03:27 – 05:57)

• Dr. Loritts describes leadership as something that often emerges organically from character and calling, not merely from ambition or desire.

• Leadership gifts are best developed when focusing on character and godliness:

  "Your gifts are most developed when you focus on your character and your godliness. The anointing is on the person, not on the performance, not on the platform, it’s the individual."
  — Dr. Crawford Loritts (04:45)

• Warns against self-orchestrated opportunities, emphasizing authenticity and allowing God-given influence to develop in its own time.

2. The Role of Others in Leadership Development

(05:59 – 08:12)

• Loritts shares deep appreciation for the mentors and leaders who saw potential in him, often before he recognized it in himself.

• The danger of hyper-individualism is addressed, as is the importance of being an extension of others’ investment and trust:

  "The hyper individualism that's in our culture today is a little sickening... That creates an incubator for arrogance that's out of control."
  — Loritts (07:07)

• Pouring into the next generation is seen as both a responsibility and joy.

3. Markers and Models of Real Leadership

(11:27 – 16:09)

• Jackie asks how to discern genuine leaders—it's not about being "bossy" or gifted at communication.

• Loritts insists leadership is not more important than other gifts; spiritual leadership must be rooted in discipleship and character:

  “You can identify it, you can help develop it, but you're not going to produce it. God will produce the leadership.”
  — Loritts (12:30)

• Leadership is about driving for solutions and movement (“living in the verb”) and is fundamentally tied to assignment and conviction, not mere position or information.

4. Conviction & Assignment—the Why of Leadership

(14:13 – 16:09)

• Leadership always involves stewardship of a specific assignment. Clarity of purpose precedes courage:

  "Leadership in the Bible means nothing apart from assignment... Clarity precedes courage. You're courageous for something, you're leading for something."
  — Loritts (15:12)

• Leaders often feel and move with conviction—even when they can't fully articulate the 'why.'

5. Dangers of Misplaced Leadership and the Importance of Gifting

(17:13 – 20:53)

• The discussion turns to common pitfalls: promoting people to leadership who lack the gift or calling just because they are present or talented communicators.

• Willingness ≠ readiness:

  "The worst thing in the world is to give someone with a desire to do something, but they don't have the gifting to do it, a position."
  — Loritts (18:31)

• Sometimes, it's better to have a gap than place the wrong person in leadership; otherwise, you risk identity issues and organizational harm.

6. The Seasons of Leadership: Learning, Leveraging, Legacy

(23:10 – 30:22)

• Loritts introduces his framework from Leadership as an Identity: The three 20-year seasons of life:

  • 20–40: Learning (obsessed with self-actualization, collecting experience, learning resilience)
  • 40–60: Leveraging (fruitfulness, facing the temptation to equate identity with accomplishments, maintaining humility)
  • 60+: Legacy (letting go of platforms willingly, championing the next generation)

• Notable quote:

  "Wisdom is the product of an endurance ride... You can Google knowledge, but you can't Google wisdom."
  — Loritts (24:28)

• Effective leadership is about adapting with each season and learning to release power and responsibility to others.

7. Brokenness as a Leadership Essential

(30:27 – 37:01)

• Loritts explains the crucial distinction between woundedness and biblical brokenness.

• God uses “holy handicaps” to keep leaders dependent on Him, and desperation becomes “a delightful friend” (not despair):

  "You have to embrace the reality that you need holy handicaps to keep you dependent upon God... Desperation is a wonderful sense of God neediness."
  — Loritts (30:51 & 31:06)

• True brokenness is marked not by celebrating pain, but by testifying to God’s provision in that pain.

8. Embracing Weakness & Dependence

(38:40 – 45:59)

• Using Peter's story, the group discusses the tendency for leaders to hide vulnerability out of obligation to "be strong," and the necessity for true dependence on God rather than self-reliance.

• Transparency, dependence, and humility—rather than perfection—mark biblically faithful leadership.

• Loritts:

  "Never underestimate the power of humility and the courage to say I’m wrong and the power of your repentance."
  — (45:59)

• Apologies in leadership should lead to real repentance and change.

9. Endurance and Sacrifice

(50:29 – 53:40)

• Leadership is not just about rewards and accolades but is measured by sacrifice and perseverance.

  "People will give you awards for what you accomplish... but they only truly honor you for what you sacrifice."
  — Loritts (52:44)

• Biblical examples show faithful leaders endured much hardship.

10. Christlike vs. Worldly Leadership

(53:42 – 55:38)

• True leadership is modeled after Christ: service, sacrifice, faithfulness.
• Power should be used to remove obstacles and empower others, not for self-aggrandizement.

  "Your credibility to lead is in direct proportion to your ability to serve."
  — Loritts (55:24)

11. Failure as Formational

(55:38 – 57:13)

• Failure is inevitable and necessary for Christlike character; leaders must own their mistakes and protect others.

  "Failure is the opportunity for Christlike character to shine forth." — Loritts (56:34)

12. The Unique Qualities of Female Leadership & Marriage Dynamics

(57:13 – 61:55)

• Women bring intuition, a “how-to” sense, and complementarity in leadership.
• Successful marriages and leadership partnerships require humility, celebration of each other's strengths, communication, and mutual submission.

13. Rethinking "Followership" and Worldly Measures

(62:03 – 66:12)

• The proof of leadership is not always followership, especially in a biblical context—many godly leaders saw their followers vanish.

  "Proof of moral leadership is not necessarily visible fruitfulness."
  — Loritts (63:19)

• Leadership in the Bible is prophetic and incarnational—not formulaic:

  "A leader is the portrait of the desired destination at which all things need to arrive."
  — Loritts (64:38)

14. The Blessing of Inadequacy—Uncommon Communion

(67:46 – 70:11)

• When God gives an assignment, He leaves a gap to force leaders into deeper reliance (“uncommon communion”).

  "Your inadequacy is a good thing... as long as it fuels desperation for God." — Loritts (69:08)

• The leader is changed in the process as much as the assignment is accomplished.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Character and Anointing:
  "The anointing is on the person, not on the performance, not on the platform."
  — Dr. Crawford Loritts (04:45)

• On True Leadership:
  "Nobody’s ever produced a leader. You can identify it, you can help develop it, but you’re not going to produce it. God will produce the leadership."
  — Loritts (12:30)

• On Brokenness:
  "God does not do double billing. He does not exist to pad your resume, to sustain your brand or whatever. It’s all about him."
  — Loritts (31:00)

• On Sacrifice:
  "They only truly honor you for what you sacrifice. Sacrifice and leadership go together."
  — Loritts (52:44)

• On Servant Leadership:
  “Your credibility to lead is in direct proportion to your ability to serve... Your power is given to make sure you identify the banks of the river, what is true and what is right, and you protect them from the wolves.” — Loritts (55:24)

• On Leadership and Family:
  "He gives us family as a primary means of sanctification to make us holy. And conflict... can be a gift from God, depending on how you respond to it."
  — Loritts (49:23)

• On "Uncommon Communion":
  "There’s always a gap between what God calls you to do and so that you have to press into God to get the resources to translate into reality what he’s called you to be about. So on your way to doing something, you become something."
  — Loritts (68:38)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:27 – The organic emergence of leadership and focus on character
• 07:07 – The danger of hyper-individualism in leadership
• 11:27 – Defining the true metric and origin of leadership gifting
• 15:12 – Leadership as stewardship and the necessity of conviction
• 18:31 – Pitfalls of misplacing people in leadership roles
• 23:10 – The three seasons of leadership: learning, leveraging, legacy
• 30:27 – Brokenness, holy handicaps, and dependence on God
• 38:40 – The curse of self-reliance and the blessing of transparency
• 45:59 – The power and importance of apology and repentance in leadership
• 52:44 – Sacrifice and enduring hardship as the marks of true leadership
• 55:24 – Leadership as service and empowerment, not self-protection
• 63:19 – Visible fruit is not the measure of moral leadership
• 64:38 – Prophetic, incarnational leadership: a biblical portrait
• 68:38 – Embracing inadequacy as spiritual formation (“uncommon communion”)

Tone & Style Highlights

The conversation is warm, candid, and full of humor (especially between Preston and Jackie). Dr. Loritts delivers his insights with humility, gentle authority, and vivid storytelling. Throughout, the focus remains on Christ-centered, biblically-grounded principles, challenging the world’s common ideas of leadership, success, and strength.

For Listeners

This episode is an enriching resource for anyone navigating leadership in family, church, or public life—especially in seasons of pressure, inadequacy, or brokenness. It offers both practical advice and profound encouragement to embrace callings with humility, to persevere through difficulty, and to let God—not performance—define both your leadership and your legacy.