ABOUT THE EPISODE

“God’s call upon our lives doesn’t change. Our context may change, but our call never does.” Meet Eugene Cho, former Senior Pastor of Quest Church and President/CEO of Bread of the World.  In this episode, Eugene shares insights about God’s calling for your life, defining your life’s values,  and practical ways to monitor your health as a church leader. He encourages us to embodied leadership. To show up. When we feel like we have people on every side of the aisle hijacking the message of Jesus… Eugene reminds us how to place Jesus at the center of it all.

Welcome to Episode 051 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan. 

INSIGHTS FROM EUGENE

A Call to Be Faithful:

• How am I faithful to that which God called me to do?
• God’s call upon our lives doesn’t change. Our context may change, but our call never does. 
• I’m not looking for absolute clarity on the 10 year plan. I’m regularly asking myself what are my values that ground me, that guide my trajectory and my conversations. That guide my ministry and philosophy. 

Defining Values: 

• What values anchor your identity? 
• What are the spaces that you really want to go deep in? 
• Which values define the framework in which you make your decisions? 
• Values are what you live into every single day. They will become more formed and transformed as you do life, mission, and ministry together. 

Clarity on Our Calling: 

• Breathe. We are living in such spaces and places of anxiety right now. 
• Encourage you to experience peace. What does wellness and flourishing look like for you? Let’s make decisions from a place of peace instead of anxiety. 
• We are never bound to one place. I don’t worship my local church. I don’t worship my city. I love my city. I love my church. Ultimately, my allegiance and loyalty is to God. What’s my value? Faithfulness to Jesus and the Kingdom of God. 
• Community. Have these conversations with your spouse, friends, and local confidants. 
• Stewardship. Pray that God would transition you in a time of health and flourishing so that you can transition well. 
• Realistically, we will probably go through a handful of transitions during our time. We need to talk about… what does it mean to transition well? We must transition in an honorable way. In a way that brings glory and witness to Jesus. 

Work/life Balance: 

• I’ve looked at work as meaning, as identity, as purpose. I didn’t realize how much of my identity and worth was woven into the things I did as a Senior Pastor. 
• Prioritizing and being really present in the moments that you say you are resting, taking a Sabbath. How faithful are you to these practices? 
• How I monitor how I’m doing (Eugene’s reflections):
• Am I walking with my wife? Physically walking. 
• How much am I getting outdoors? Learn what gives life to you. What truly gives you joy? Then ask, am I doing those things? 
• My relationship with my children. Find intentional time to connect. 
• Worship - am I part of a larger local church community? 
• On the topic of Sabbath. We’re living in a very different time. Intensity, distraction, and busyness are on a different scale. So old models of “vacation” and “time away” are no longer sufficient. We need to advocate for our leaders. 
• We should be looking at leadership as a marathon. What you do at mile thirteen, will impact you at mile twenty two. This is not a 400 meter sprint. It’s physically, emotionally, spiritually, impossible. Invest in the marathon of discipleship and leadership. 

EPISODE LINKS

Visit Bread for the World

Eugene’s latest book: Thou Shalt Not Be a Jerk: A Christian's Guide to Engaging Politics

Are you heading into a season of transition? You don’t have to do it alone. Check out The Ascent Leader’s transitions cohorts at: https://theascentleader.org/cohorts/ 



WHO IS EUGENE CHO?

Rev. Eugene Cho is President/CEO of Bread for the World, a collective Christian voice including individuals, churches, non-profits, and other partners, who work together to urge our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and around the world by changing the policies and programs that allow hunger to persist. Eugene’s passions involve leadership, justice, the intersection of faith and public life, and the pursuit of God’s Kingdom here on this earth. He travels throughout the world to encourage churches, non-profits, pastors, leaders, missionaries, and justice workers. Before coming to Bread for the World in 2020, Eugene founded and for 18 years served as senior pastor of Quest Church, an urban, multi-cultural and multi-generational church in Seattle, Washington. Eugene is also the founder and visionary of One Day’s Wages (ODW) — a grassroots movement of people, stories, and actions to alleviate extreme global poverty. The vision of ODW is to create a collaborative movement that promotes awareness, invites simple giving (one day’s wages), and supports sustainable relief through partnerships, especially with small organizations in developing regions. Eugene and Minhee have been married for nearly 25 years and have three children. Together, they live in Seattle, Washington and will be making a move to the Washington, DC area.

Twitter: @eugenecho

Instagram: @EugeneCho

SPONSORS

Thanks to our sponsors: CDF Capital and Food For The Hungry.

Hear directly from our friend, Jordan Gustafson, Director of Organizational Partnerships, at Food for the Hungry. Jordan personally walks us through how the goal at FH is to combine your church's desire to grow disciples, with their heart for the poor, by partnering with Food for the Hungry for the opportunity to do so with a global mission and outreach experience. Learn more at fh.org/churches.  

CDF Capital is hosting the 2022 Executive Pastors Summit taking place May 24th and 25th in Manchester, NH. Check out Xpsummit.org for more information.