S02:E07: 23 Questions with Pastor Grant Ethridge

Liberty Leadership Institute Workshop Podcast hosted by Jeffrey Ganthner.

This time, Pastor Grant Ethridge accepts the 23 Question Challenge. Dr. Grant Ethridge is the Senior Pastor of Liberty Live Church in Hampton Roads, Virginia. He holds seven academic degrees, including a Doctor of Ministry and a Doctor of Divinity. Pastor Grant became Senior Pastor at Liberty in 2006. Since that time, the church has baptized over 11,049 people and has been recognized in the Top 100 Fastest Growing / Largest Churches in the U.S. In this episode, he shares some of the highlights of his career, relates with great transparency some of his leadership failures, and shares how God’s faithfulness help him overcome and find victory.

Jeffrey W. Ganthner, DSL, AIA has 30 years of professional experience launching and leading organizations filled with architects, engineers, construction, and technology professionals. In addition to his architectural and engineering degrees and professional licenses, he has a doctorate from Regent University in Strategic Leadership and currently serves as a professor at Regent University teaching classes in leadership, organizational design, development, and optimization.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Hello, and welcome to the Liberty Leadership Institute Podcast, a marketplace ministry of Liberty Live Church. My name is Jeff Ganther, and I serve as the director of this relevant and timely ministry as we look for ways that we can serve God in the marketplace. In this podcast, we'll be doing the 23 Question Challenge with our special guest, Senior Pastor Grant Etheridge of Liberty Live Church in Hampton, Virginia. Yes, that is my church. As always, please follow us and give us an awesome review on your preferred podcast platform. This helps us to get the word out. Let's open with prayer. Lord, I pray that you will use this podcast for your glory and that we develop a closer walk with you as we strive to thrive and leave a legacy with our businesses, family, church, and community. Thank you, Lord Jesus. Amen. Well, let's begin. Pastor Grant, thank you so much for coming in today.

SPEAKER_00 0:59

Well, thank you, Jeff. I appreciate the opportunity and uh excited about uh this. We're gonna have fun.

SPEAKER_01 1:05

We are. All right, 23 Question Challenge. Question number one. Why are you willing to talk with us today?

SPEAKER_00 1:12

Well, because you asked me and uh because I like you and uh appreciate and respect what you're doing. I believe that uh what you're doing is important, and so hopefully something we say will be uh of an encouragement to other leaders and uh to other business people. Okay, and the Bible says to always be ready to give an answer or reason for the hope that's within you.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

Oh, I love that. I love that. Very good.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Where are you from and tell us about your family? Well, uh I am from Georgia, Go Dogs. And uh spent 20 years there, uh met my wife there. Um I only have one sibling, have an older brother who is uh 11 years older than me. So it was just my mom and dad, and and uh then they have my brother, and then 11 years later, hello, you know, uh saved the best to last, right? You know, I was a little surprised. So um, you know, Tammy and I, uh we've been married 41 years. Wow. And uh we've been blessed with four children and their spouses, and now 12 grandchildren. We have a son in heaven and two grandsons in heaven. So uh God's been good to us.

SPEAKER_01 2:22

Praise God. Yes, he has been good. Well, tell us about your education.

SPEAKER_00 2:27

Well, um, I was not a good student um in public school. Um, you know, my my favorite uh time was recess, and next to that lunch. And so uh I was not a good student at all. Uh I barely uh made it through. But um uh when I went to college, uh started out as a political science major, running from God, and um and then uh God, I made the mistake of going to a college that required chapel. I had to go to chapel twice a week, and so uh God convicted me and uh brought me back to my calling. So I got an associate's degree in religion, got a bachelor's degree in theology, and then I've ended up with uh three master's degrees, uh, and I'm working on my third doctorate. That's awesome. That's awesome. What role does faith play in you as a leader? Well, without faith, it's impossible to please God. So um, faith is foundational, uh, it feeds everything that we do, um, and faith is the victory that overcomes the world. So um uh everything is centered around our faith in Christ.

SPEAKER_01 3:36

Amen. Amen. Do you have a purpose, a vision, a mission statement? And if so, what is it?

SPEAKER_00 3:42

Okay. Well, uh, let me start by saying I have a life verse, um, Philippians 1.6. And then to when Tammy and I married, uh we have a family verse, and that's Jeremiah 29, 11. And then as a church, we have a prayer promise, which is Ephesians 3, 20, and 21. So those are scriptures that really have guided us uh through the years. And then um, I I really feel that I am called by God to reach people who are far from God and uh take them on a spiritual journey to know God, find community, serve others, and leave a legacy. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

Praise God for that. Well, tell us about some of the successes you've had in life.

SPEAKER_00 4:25

Well, I would say Jesus, but I had nothing to do with that. Uh I didn't find him, he found me. And so um uh that's just understood. The greatest thing, obviously, in my life is Christ, and it's only by his grace. I I would say that my number one success was Miss Tammy uh getting to marry her. And then um, you know, I uh John said I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth, and so we've uh by God's grace raised four children uh who love him, who are all serving in the local church and doing what God's called them to do. And so uh that that would be my greatest success. Um and now twelve grandchildren, you know, I'm G Daddy, and so uh uh I I want to see that they love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and I want to nurture them, Ephesians says. I I want to empower them, I want to bless them. You know, the blessing in the Bible is so important. And so uh I just want to bless my children and grandchildren to do what God's called them to do. That's my greatest success.

SPEAKER_01 5:28

That's awesome. Well, tell us about some of your failures.

SPEAKER_00 5:31

Well, Jeff, you don't have time for that. Uh the the the uh the 30-minute uh time slot will not allow for all the failures uh because there have been a lot more of those than successes, and they've been more important because you learn more from your failures. Uh but when I look back at my life as a whole, number one failure was 10th grade. Um I chose to uh be employed on second shift. So I went to school from 8 to 3, went to work at 4 to midnight, and um made more money in the 10th grade than my dad. Um and that was 10th, 11th, and 12th grade. And I had to work on Sundays, which means for those three years I was out of church, I was away from God's people, not under the preaching of the word, uh running with the wrong crowd, and it was the worst mistake of my life. Um I would say uh next would be uh after we married, 1990. Um I went to a uh church growth conference in in uh Texas, and I went there to uh learn how to uh grow a church. And I was a good pastor growing a church, but I was a sorry husband. And the leader of that conference uh took the first session and said, I want to talk to you about being a good husband and a good father, and I was really disappointed. And God convicted me and showed me that Tammy was basically a single mom, that I was busy growing a church, I was busy helping other families with their marriage, but I didn't help her do anything. And so I was convicted, and at the end of that session, I I was bawling, I was crying like a baby, and I didn't have a cell phone, so I had to go and and use the phone there at the church, and I called my wife and I I begged her to forgive me for being a sorry husband, and I told her, um, when when uh I get home, you're gonna have a new man. And she'll tell you that was the turning point in our marriage. And uh so um, you know, tenth grade, getting out of church uh in the 90s, early married with small children, just not being a good husband or helping my wife at all. Uh those those are huge failures that I learned from. Um, I would say as a leader, making promises you can't keep. Big one. Big one. Uh, because you want to say yes to everybody. And so um I've promised things over the years that I I could not deliver. Uh, for example, a staff member one time uh asked me to uh not tell the church he was talking to another church and preparing to move somewhere. Well, my members found out about it, and then they all came to me and they said, Hey, is he leaving or not? Well, I hadn't made a promise to him. I wasn't saying anything.

SPEAKER_02 8:10

Right.

SPEAKER_00 8:11

And I was foolish. I stayed committed and loyal to him. He left me and they were still with me, and they're mad. So you make promises, you know, that you you don't need to make. Um, you know, I would also say uh, don't ever beg anyone back. Anytime I've ever begged a staff member or a church member not to leave, they ended up leaving. And so when somebody comes to me and says, hey, it, you know, God's leading me to do something, I bless them, I send them out the right way, and likewise don't ever let them out of your circle of love. Because some of those staff members come back, some of those church members come back. And so those are just a few of the uh failures that I've learned from over the years.

SPEAKER_01 8:56

There's some good ones. He've already given us some defining moments. How about another defining moment in your life?

SPEAKER_00 9:02

Um, well, certainly at eight, uh, when I was saved in vacation Bible school, and that's when it became personal to me. Uh, 11, uh, when we were having uh revival, uh at night, we had revival services. I felt called to preach. Um, so those were defining moments, obviously. Um, you know, I I would say, you know, just looking back on those, those two, obviously I've talked about marriage and having children. Um, but I I I would just say the first Sunday I was given the opportunity to preach at my home church. What's a defining moment. It wasn't a great sermon, but uh, but the Holy Spirit was there and God moved, and we had a lot of decisions in the altar. Well, word got out in that small town. So it led to another church in town asking me to come preach a revival. I said, I can't preach a revival. I said, only have one sermon. And uh they said, we'll work on some more. And so they finally called back and said, Are you coming? And I said, no. And they said, You work on the sermons, God's in it. I went, and Jeff, I wish I could tell you we had a lot of decisions. We didn't even have a child to decide to go to the bathroom that week in that revival. I mean, it was dead. But on Tuesday night, a church came to hear me and they said, We we need a student pastor. And it and we met afterwards in a little Sunday school classroom, and so from that first sermon that led to my first revival, I went to my first church, and that's where I met Miss Tammy. Oh, that's awesome. So those were defining moments.

SPEAKER_01 10:37

Those are great. Those are great. All right, as a leader, what are the most important decisions that you make?

SPEAKER_00 10:44

Well, uh the most important decision that I I made was to say yes to anything that God asked. Um we put no restrictions or limitations on where we would go or what we would do. And so I I think that was the most important decision. Once you say yes, you put your yes on the table, I'll do anything. I mean, I literally prayed that. God, I'll do anything that you want me to do. Uh, from that moment on, he started opening doors. And from that moment on, he began to move. And um, so the most important decision is a willingness to say yes to whatever God asks you to do. That's awesome. Praise God.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

How do you demonstrate leadership skills in your family, the church organization, and the community as a whole?

SPEAKER_00 11:34

Well, um I would say I started out like Moses and I felt like you had to do everything. Uh but as uh years have uh passed and I've grown as a leader, um, it's become team leadership. So, you know, Miss Tammy and I, we're a team. You you hardly see one without the other, and certainly, you know, she's here every service and we're ministering together, and people would much rather her pray uh for them than me, you know. I mean, she just has God on her, and so we're a team at home. We're always in agreement when we make a decision. Um, likewise, I would say uh at the church, I have a great group of leaders around me, and um and we work together as a team, and uh I value them, respect them, we make decisions together, uh, we collaborate together. Um I depend on them. Um and and I feel like we're stronger because of it, because they bring different gifts to the table that I don't have. Um and then in the community, I would say with other pastors um that uh we we've built a coalition or a team that we um we call each other when something happens in the community or in the country. We pray for one another. And so uh it's not just about our church or our ministry, but it's about the kingdom. And ultimately um it's gonna take all of us working together to reach people for Christ.

SPEAKER_01 12:59

Amen. Who has had a tremendous impact on you as a leader and why?

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Well, certainly parents. I had parents who loved God and were faithful in church, and I never one Sunday got up and asked, What are we gonna do today? I mean, you knew what you were gonna do. Um I would say my grandfather uh and grandparents, uh my grandfather, I never remember a day that he didn't talk about the Lord to somebody else. And I never remember a day that I didn't see him read his Bible. And so um we worked on the farm. I stayed there for him uh with him on the farm when my parents worked in town. And so um, you know, just teaching moments all throughout the day. Uh he was always pouring into me. And so he he he probably had the most profound influence both spiritually and work ethic. I mean, the man did not rest. He didn't believe in uh football, sports, or anything else. It was work, you know, working God. That was it. And so um he had a huge influence on my life. Um, and then just mentors. Um, I had a mentor in preaching, I had a mentor in church growth. Uh, I've had models, really two models. Uh one model probably through the 80s and 90s, and then uh another model from 2000 on uh or late 2000 on that has uh served me well. You you need more than one mentor. No, no one mentor can give you everything that you need because you're you're weak. You know, I am in every in so many areas. I need different mentors who can help me in different areas, and so um God's blessed me with that. Very good. How do you stay inspired? How do you stay inspired? I would say you got to keep your cup full. Um, you know, you you're always giving out in ministry, and so you can't give out what you don't have. And so, you know, for me, uh the mornings start early and I spend time with the Lord. And I really learned that from Tammy. My my parents, I never remember them getting up and reading their Bible in the morning. If they did read the Bible, it would be late at night. Uh, but Tammy had a walk with God where she constantly got up early, even before the kids got up. She used to spend her hour in prayer and Bible reading with God. And so um, you know, it it starts there. Um, I would say that um outside of prayer and and Bible reading, spend your time well um, you know, driving. I'm always listening to, I'm either making phone calls or I'm listening to something. And so you've got to constantly being uh poured into and filling your cup up so that when you do get up to minister, you minister out of the overflow. And and so I'm constantly listening to uh preaching or podcast or um just trying to fill my cup. And and um uh I I think that you're a better leader, you're certainly a better communicator and preacher, you know, when when your cup is full.

SPEAKER_01 16:03

Very good. Related a little bit, but how do you learn? I mean, you obviously mentioned some podcasts and some other things that you're doing, you're making the best use of your time, but how do you how do you learn?

SPEAKER_00 16:17

Um, uh two ways. Uh one is by reading. Um I I was a poor reader and in school, and so when I did uh work on my first doctorate in the 90s, um I just could not read all those books. And so uh true story, I sent off for some um self-help kit, you know, it was cassette takes back in that day. And and it said, this is how you learn to read fast. Well, it wasn't anything but um uh Eastern religion. And it was all about uh getting in touch with the center of the universe and feeling the energy come from your toe up to your head and your brain. And I realized what it was, and I rejected it in Jesus' name, packed it up in a box, and set it back. So I called my mentor uh and and asked him, I said, uh, tell me how am I gonna read these books? He said, Well, have you prayed about it? And I said, Well, of course I prayed about it. He said, No, I'm asking, have you really prayed about it? And I said, No, I really hadn't. And he said, Then ask God. And said, He'll he'll give you what you need. And Jeff, I can tell you, God answered that prayer. I got to where I could look at a page and just, I mean, as fast as you could look down it almost, I could read. And then that uh doctoral work, I I read all those books. I became uh an avid reader, and so you asked me how I learned. Number one is through reading. And if you're not a good reader, like I wasn't, you know, growing up in school, just pray and ask God, He'll help you read. Um, I I think another is um, you know, they say education is the best uh or experience is the best teacher. Well, it's not evaluated experience is the best teacher. So I think evaluating experiences in life, what went right, you know, what went wrong, what could you do better? I think those are the two ways that I learned reading and evaluated experience.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

Experiential learning is awesome. How do you plan your day, your week, month, year?

SPEAKER_00 18:20

Um, well, I'm a I'm a list guy. So um I have the to-do list every morning. You know, I get up and make coffee, I get on my knees and pray, I read my Bible, and then I make my list for the day. And sometimes while I'm reading my Bible, you know how it is, God will bring things to your mind. So I'm I'm putting it on the list. So there's the to-do list, but then there's the must-do list. And so I either I put a star by what I'm, you know, I must do this today. Uh, or sometimes you've got to make another list. Um, but I I really focus on, okay, if I can do these two or three things today that I must do, then it'll be a productive day. It'll be a good day. And and so I I I work hard at list because you can't remember everything you need to do. Uh, I'd say the a practical thing is this. Um my wife and my assistant, all of our calendars are in sync. And so uh I know what my wife's doing, she knows what my schedule is, my assistant knows what our schedules are, and and so hopefully nothing falls through the cracks. Now I'm sure it does, but but I I'm just saying with the technology that we have, um it's really easy. The last thing I do at night before I pray and and and go to sleep is I look at tomorrow and see what's what's coming up. First thing I'm gonna do in the in the morning, I'm gonna get up and pray and I'm gonna look at that calendar and say what's the to-do list today. And so, you know, I I I rely heavily upon those things.

SPEAKER_01 19:54

Very good. Do you set aside time to think?

SPEAKER_00 19:58

Yes, if you don't, you you you you know, obviously there are gonna be interruptions and and you're just busy, you know, with with all the things that you have to do. So uh my best thinking time is early morning. Um, and then I would say I schedule throughout the year uh some downtime to just whether it's vacation, um, you know, I'm still old school. I I I read a lot of books digital, but I I like to mark up a book. And so I will pack uh carry on of books to go on vacation. That's my goal is to read X number of books and different subjects and and and that's good thinking time. Tammy and I use that. We we just talk about our life and our family and ministry and what's on the bucket list and what are we dreaming about and and what's left that we want to do. And so yeah, uh you you've got to plan it. I think you you plan it, you know, um early morning every day, so some some times away. But then there are times, you know, a lot of our staff meetings are just logistical. You know, you're just trying to get through what you need to for Easter or Christmas or and and so I would say not just logistics, sometimes you just need to plan a staff meeting and it's just dream. Just think. Um so yes, if you don't plan it, it won't happen.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

Pivot a little bit off of you for a second. How do you measure potential in others?

SPEAKER_00 21:27

Great question. Um you know, potential in others. I I look for several things. Um I I would say you're talking about measuring it. You know, I measure it by um what are the three things you're best at? If you tell me the three things that you're really good at, then I can give I can give you direction of what you need to do with your life. And a lot of that has to do with spiritual gifting. A lot of that has to do with how God's wired you. If I'm measuring potential in somebody, I want to know what they're good at. You know, you tell me that. And ask ask the people that know you the best. Name me two or three things that you think I'm really good at. And then that'll help you find direction for your life and how you ought to be using your gifts and talents. That's how I would measure it. Another thing that I would look for is there's a book called The Ideal Team Player. I'm sure you've read it. And it talks about smart. You look for people who just have common sense. Some people are, you know, have book sense, but they don't have common sense. You look for hunger, people that just go get it done, you know, they have self-motivation. You don't have to tell them what to do. They just they just find it. And then humble. You know, that uh they can work well with people because it's not all about them. And and so you look for that. And I would measure if if I had to find three things to measure it by, I would do that. I would say, are are they do they have common sense? Uh do they have hunger to be a good worker and just go go get it done? And then number three, are they humble enough to work with others and it doesn't always have to be about them? That's how I measure it.

SPEAKER_01 23:15

A little related, but I'm gonna ask you this slightly different. How do you identify other leaders? You mentioned humility, where it's one of the things.

SPEAKER_00 23:23

Yeah, uh this is not original to me, but uh, but I've used it through the years. You you look for people that have uh positive value, they just light up the room. You know, the leader's not always the one with the title. The leader's uh the people uh the the one that the people are following. And so if you look in a room and everybody's gathered around that person, they're a leader. You know, so I look for that positive value. They just light up the room when when you know they walk in. Some people light up the room when they walk out. That's not the one you're looking for, okay? Uh so positive value. I would say potential value. Uh all of us are diamonds in the rough and and raw, and and somebody took a risk on you, somebody took a risk on me. So you look for people that, yeah, that they're raw, but I'm gonna take a risk on them. Yes, they have baggage. We all have baggage. We all have a past, we all have issues in our lives. Um, you know, uh we all grew up a dysfunctional, we just didn't know it. It just wasn't a term back then, you know. So you look for potential value, not what they are, but what they can be uh by God's grace. I would say production value. I just want somebody that has a work ethic, somebody that, like my grandfather taught me, they just work hard and they enjoy what they do. And then uh a personal value, you just enjoy being around them. Some people you just love. You you know, your spirit bears witness with their spirit. You know, you you just you just say, man, I we've got a kindred spirit. I like being around him. So, you know, those are uh things that I look for and and looking for staff or recruiting, even volunteers.

SPEAKER_01 24:59

Very good. What is the biggest challenge that you've had to overcome?

SPEAKER_00 25:05

Um, that's easy. Myself. Uh pride. You know, I think that's the number one thing that everybody struggles with. Um I I would say uh beyond that, poverty. You know, we grew up poor and I didn't know it. Uh we had what money couldn't buy. We had love and we had faith, but we didn't have money. Uh I didn't pay off my school debt um until uh all four of our children were born and and going to school. Um so I I think about um the public school. You know, I went to a public school and and I didn't get a good education, you know, in math or science or or English. I wasn't prepared to go to college. Jab, I barely made high enough on the SAT to be able to go to college on probation. Uh so to think that I have seven degrees and I'm working on number eight, it's just the grace of God. Uh so a lot of that that I had to overcome, which means I had a lot of insecurity. And we all do. Um, but I I think I struggle with a lot of insecurity that, you know, um I I didn't go to the school they went to, or I didn't have the education they had, or I didn't have the money they had. Um, and and therefore um I had to overcome all of that and and finally come to a place I've got everything I need in Jesus. And I just need to be who he made me to be. When I when I finally got to a place that I don't have to be some other preacher, I don't have to be some other pastor, just be who God made you to be and and work on that, just the gifts he's given you. So um, you know, come overcoming that insecurity and and getting to the place that that you're at peace with who God made you and and your background, and you know, can I get rid of this Georgia accent? Absolutely. I don't want to. But you know why? Because I I remember where I came from, and I think that's a that's a good thing. You just gotta remember where you came from, and it and it'll help you stay humble where you are.

SPEAKER_01 27:15

That's right. Okay, what challenges are you facing today as a leader?

SPEAKER_00 27:23

What challenges today? I would say uh margin, I would say capacity, uh trying to balance everything that you want to do. Um you know, you cannot do everything that you want to do. Right. Um and you're not supposed to. Uh for example, everybody talks about you need to reach your potential, you need to reach your potential. Yeah, but you also have to balance that with the responsibilities. You know, Paul said, I wish you were like me. I would you know, he was single. You know what? He could reach a lot of potential that a married guy can't, because he's got the responsibility of a wife, he's got the responsibility of children. And so just um balancing responsibility, potential, capacity, margin, I think that that's a huge one for me that I struggle with.

SPEAKER_01 28:16

What are you doing to continue to develop as a leader?

SPEAKER_00 28:20

Well, um, I go to round tables, I go to um uh conferences uh with other pastors, uh peers, uh, those who um pastor similar churches as far as um uh size or demographics and and try to learn, you know, learn from others who are out there. Um I've done monthly mentoring uh with people who are ahead of me and and can help me navigate you know the road ahead. Um I I would say uh certainly uh working on another graduate degree, you know, challenges you um mentally uh and and academically. So uh I just want to keep my mind sharp and and and my heart pure, and and I think that all those things, you know, are helping me to be a better leader.

SPEAKER_01 29:15

Amen. How do you guard your heart as a leader?

SPEAKER_00 29:21

Well, um, someone gave me this uh uh years ago. If you give all the praise to Jesus, when somebody gives you a compliment, because you know, it's real easy after you've preached a sermon and somebody's been touched by the Holy Spirit, they're gonna come out and thank you. Well immediately, you know, I I I give all of that praise to Jesus. Well, praise Jesus, you know. Um, when you give him all the praise for the compliments, you can also give him all the criticism and the complaints. And um, if not, you take it personally. So I think that being able to do those two things constantly, uh, and then asking God, okay, what do I learn from this criticism? And and what do I learn from this complaint? Uh, because sometimes there's truth there and there are things you need to learn. Um, but not taking it personally, but just taking it to the Lord and asking him, if you give him all the um compliments, you can give him all the criticism and learn from it. You know, stay on your knees. I I deliberately get on my knees every day to start my day, because one day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. And I I want that to be what I've done every day of my life. Um, at least after I came to know him and I said yes to him. Um, just being dependent on the Holy Spirit, you know, we we we can't do this in our own strength. So I'm like Solomon, you know. I I often say, God, I'm like a little child. I I uh this work is too large and too great for for me to lead it, and and so I need wisdom. So all of those things.

SPEAKER_01 30:59

Excellent. Two more questions. Okay. From a leadership perspective, what are you thinking about today?

SPEAKER_00 31:07

What am I thinking about today? I'm thinking about the next decade, I'm thinking about the next generation, I'm thinking about um the kingdom. Um we we have a uh tool that we use here. So all my staff is familiar with it. Uh we have a vision frame where we look at 10 years, we break that down to three years, we break it down to one year, and then we break it down to 90 days. During COVID, we expanded it to 120 days. Uh but you know, we know, okay, where we're going as far as the the big horizon, 10 years, and then what do you have to hit in three years? And of that three years, what's the real one-year focus? And then that breaks it down to okay, so if I'm gonna hit that in these 90 days, what's most important now? And we live. I mean, we religiously live by that vision frame because it keeps you on target. Amen.

SPEAKER_01 32:09

Final question What do you like to ask other leaders?

SPEAKER_00 32:13

That's a great question. Um I I would ask them who their mentors were, um, their models, who they learned from. Uh I I would ask them their dream, their vision. I think uh one that we leave out um is their systems, their processes. Because I I I like dreaming, but I'm not good at processes, and that's why I need Pastor Scott, you know, my executive pastor, uh, and and the other team members around me. Um I would say values, you know, what are your values? Uh what's your culture? Um I would say, uh, you know, what do you know that I need to know? Who do you know that I need to know? Um those are just a few questions that are certainly good ones to ask. And and I think that uh, like I said, one thing leads to another. You know, I think that ultimately uh God works through people and God brings people into your life. And um, you know, so what do you know that that I need to know? Who do you know that I need to know uh to to be able to develop as a leader and to be able to accomplish the things that God's laid on your heart and given you a dream for? So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 33:33

Well, thank you, Pastor Grant. You have survived the 23 Question Challenge.

SPEAKER_00 33:38

Well, thank you. I I appreciate the opportunity. And I know that uh you did ask me to come earlier, so I'm I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner. But you had a great lineup. I've listened to uh several of those along the way, and listening to uh then you started off with um Joe, Joe Shari, and uh then you have Pastor Dolphin and uh Pastor Scott and several others along the way, and so I appreciate you giving us the opportunity and Iron Sharmers and Iron, so I hope we can benefit um leaders out there and that we learn from one another.

SPEAKER_01 34:11

On that we will win. Thank you very much. God bless.