403: The Feedback Loop: How Churches Can Build Trust and Develop Staff Through Effective Surveys

For this episode, we’re excited to bring you a conversation with Danny de Armas, senior associate pastor at First Baptist Orlando. Danny shares practical strategies on leadership development, effective communication, and selecting the right senior leaders to foster a flourishing workplace.

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In this episode:

Exponential Conference:

• Al thanks Danny and First Orlando for hosting the Exponential Conference, where the Best Christian Workplaces team, including Tara VanderSande and Robert Wachter, had a positive experience. (02:37)
• Danny shares the church's enthusiasm for hosting the conference, highlighting the benefits for their staff and the vibrant atmosphere created by young church planters. (03:02)

FOR Orlando Initiative:

• Danny describes the "FOR Orlando" initiative, inspired by the book What Are You For. The church dedicated a Sunday offering entirely to their ministry partners, raising nearly $900,000. (04:33)
• The initiative also engaged over 200 new givers and involved distributing funds to various ministry partners, which was a joyful and impactful experience for the church and the community. (05:36)

Employee Engagement and Uplifting Growth:

• Al and Danny discuss First Orlando's participation in the Best Christian Workplaces Employee Engagement Surveys since 2018, with a focus on uplifting growth as a key strength. (07:59)
• Danny reflects on the positive impact of the survey process, transparency in sharing results with staff, and the importance of investing in growth and development across the organization. (09:49)

Senior Leadership Team:

• Skills: Essential to have the right skills for the role, but this is considered a basic requirement. (20:38)
• People Skills: High people skills are crucial, including engagement, empathy, and warmth. (21:16)
• Conflict Resolution: Essential for the church environment; candidates are assessed on their ability to handle and resolve conflicts. (21:58)
• Personality Testing: Tools like Predictive Index and Working Genius are used to understand how team members can best function together. (23:07)
• 360-Degree Feedback: The leadership team, including the executive team, undergoes 360 reviews to model learning and vulnerability. (23:55)

Executive Team Dynamics:

• Two versions of the executive team exist: one with the senior pastor and one without. (24:11)
• The senior pastor avoids day-to-day minutiae but engages in significant, church-wide decisions. (24:22)
• The team maintains strong relational dynamics, leveraging the senior pastor’s relational strength. (24:36)

Healthy Communication and Trust

• Modeling Vulnerability: Danny shares that despite their efforts, communication remains challenging. He emphasizes transparency with the team, acknowledging difficulties and asking for their support. (27:32)

• Sequence of Communication: Danny discusses the importance of communicating in the correct order to avoid confusion and ensure everyone is informed appropriately. (29:05)

• Trust or Talk: Danny encourages staff to either trust leadership decisions or speak up if they believe the leadership might not have all the necessary information. This policy promotes open communication and reinforces trust within the organization. (29:45)

Diversity and Community Reflection

• Reflecting Community Diversity: Danny explains that their church's diversity is a reflection of the Orlando community's ethnic, age, and belief diversity. The church adapts to the diverse audience that attends, without having a fixed strategy for diversity. (33:55)

• Language-Specific Congregations: The church has developed Spanish and Portuguese congregations on the same campus, allowing children to integrate with English-speaking peers. This integration is essential for the children's success in the future. (35:22)

• Generational Diversity: The church also caters to generational diversity by offering a traditional service with music that appeals to seniors, showing the church’s commitment to serving different age groups. (37:10)

Personal Spiritual Practices and Leadership

• Board Responsibilities: Danny talks about his enriching experiences serving on boards like the ECFA and the North American Mission Board, highlighting the wisdom and responsibility involved. (38:36)

• Personal Spiritual Disciplines: Danny maintains the spiritual disciplines he learned as a teenager, such as daily Bible reading and prayer. He also incorporates more reading, listening to books, and music into his devotional practices. (40:26)

• Silence and Contemplation: Danny emphasizes the importance of solitude, silence, and contemplative prayer in his spiritual life, which helps him stay centered and attuned to God’s direction. (41:31)

• Engaging with the World: Danny reads the local newspaper alongside his Bible reading to understand different perspectives and connect with the world. This practice helps him relate to others and be more effective in his ministry. (42:17)

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