Championing People & Cultivating Culture

by | Jun 1, 2022 | Archive

On this episode, the tables are turned, and Janie Mehaffey puts Greg Nettle in the hot seat. Janie is the VP of Culture and Team Development at Stadia. She is a champion of people, advocate for clarity, and celebrator of God’s work through starting thriving, growing, multiplying churches for the next generation. Janie invites Greg to share his story and the two discuss how Stadia cultivates culture and champions people!

:Insight from Our Guest, Janie

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1. Upside Down Leadership

  • Leading like Jesus goes against the traditional western organizational chart with leaders at the top and people below. 
  • Jesus lead from the bottom, by serving and empowering.
  • “How can I best servce those who are above me and how can I best empower them? How can I best encourage them to be creative? To innovate, to make sure they know what’s going on financially in the organization to make sure they understand the vision values mission of the organization.” Greg Nettle
  • “It also helps us multiply our impact. If we are being empowered and released to make decisions and to have the information, the tools and resources we need, then we’re able to give that to the people we serve. And ultimately at the end of the day, it helps us be able to serve the planters and partners that we serve all the better. So the multiplying effect is the way we want to scale.” Janie Mehaffey

2. Set the DNA of your church

  • Start with your own life and self awareness of where you’re at.
  • Allow Jesus to develop and change you to build his kingdom

3. Build God’s Kingdom, not your kingdom

  • Building God’s kingdom will far surpass anything a single pastor or church could ever do.
  • “This is about the bride of Christ. This is about our team. This is about people, it’s not about Greg nettle or who knows him or what kind of platform I have.” Greg Nettle
  • “At that time church planting wasn’t being measured as an impact in the kingdom, and itmakes me even more grateful for where we are now because your shift in heart has resulted in hundreds of multiplying churches. And it’s what all churches need to be doing now is multiplying. It’s fascinating to see God’s work in your heart. And I think in a lot of leaders, hearts, as they stop building their own kingdoms.” Janie Mehaffey

4. Champion all people

  • “As we truly think about including every child in our vision and in our church planting work, we’re embarking on a journey of Kingdom diversity. We want to be an organization that champions all people from every cultural background, every ethnic background but that’s required some hard work and some internal looking of where have we not been a champion and where have we served in ways that have created barriers.” Greg Nettle
  • Open the table for different points of view, grow as a team providing truth and grace when mistakes are made.

5. Uphold a strong culture by protecting it and living it out

  • “The first and the most significant is the way is constantly keep the vision in front of us.” Janie Mehaffey
  • “They are not just something that’s hung on the wall or written down somewhere, these are the values that guide us. And so, you know, the vision, for every child to have a church. Well, how do we accomplish that? Well, we help you start new churches that are thriving, growing, multiplying from the next generation. And then our, our values, you know are relationships and urgency and impact and children and celebration.” Greg Nettle
  • “We repeat them, every gathering we’re together. We celebrate them. We give values, awards, people to champion and model” Janie Mehaffey

6. Story determines language and language defines culture

  • Story is context
  • Language matters, empower and champion people with it. Use male and female pronouns when referring to church planters.
  • Language can build or burden culture. Proverbs 18:21 says it this way, “the tongue can bring death or life”

    *Transcripts are created through automated processes and may contain errors

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    More About: Janie Mehaffey

    Champion of People. Advocate for Clarity. Celebrator of God’s work through starting thriving, growing, multiplying churches for the next generation. Janie serves the Stadia team to create a relationship-focused, high impact culture that moves us all toward a world where Every Child Has a Church. With over 30 years of experience, Janie has served as Communications Director of Traders Point Christian Church in Indianapolis and as a Communications Strategist with Fishhook, an innovative creative services company that consults with churches of all sizes across the country. She has worked with church planting teams in Manchester, CT, and Miami, FL, and a wide-spectrum of non-profit organizations, including Exponential Network, the American Diabetes Association and Kappa Delta Sorority. She and her husband, Matt, live in Pittsburgh, PA, with their two sons, who are originally from Taiwan.