John Mark Comer on Dealing With Your Shadow Side, Relinquishing Control and Leading a Church in Spiritual Formation
Subscribe on: spotify | apple | google
In this episode Jason and John Mark discuss a wide range of fascinating topics, starting with the churches response to COVID and how you lead a congregation when we can no longer gather together on a Sunday morning. Comer discusses with hope the growth God can bring about in His people through this season of limitation and change.
The conversation dives into the topic of spiritual formation and what it means to labour over the transformation of people into the image and likeness of Christ. This forms the pastoral imagination which shapes John Mark’s ministry — a passion that was forged through the fire of disappointment, failure after success, and burnout. John Mark shares on how a crisis of ministry success brought him face to face with His shadow side — habitual patterns of sin ingrained in him from his family of origin and upbringing that revealed his own need for a deeper work of spiritual formation as a leader.
On a deeply practical note John Mark discusses the value of a rule of life and the importance of cultivating deep, personal relationships with other people who know you, love you and walk with you. He also shares wisdom on how to lead well in seasons of uncertainty when the illusion of control is stripped away by adverse circumstances. The episode ends by John Mark giving the listeners his top book recommendations, sharing future writing projects that are dear to his heart, and providing a life-giving word to the weary leader.
John Mark Comer
John Mark Comer lives, works, and writes in the urban core of Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Tammy, and their three children, Jude, Moses, and Sunday. He is the pastor for teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church. A church built around the very simple idea of practicing the way of Jesus, together, in Portland. As for education, John Mark holds a master’s degree in biblical and theological studies from Western Seminary and is the author of Garden City, Loveology, God Has a Name and The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry. You are welcome to follow more of John Mark’s teachings via the Bridgetown Church podcast or This Cultural Moment, a podcast he co-hosts with his friend Mark Sayers on following Jesus in the post Christian world.
Check out some of John Mark’s top book recommendations
“You’re transforming and always transforming. You’re never ‘there.’ It’s a theology of journey not destination.”
Episode Links
One of John Mark Comer’s gifts to the church is his willingness to create content that is theologically grounded but so accessible to the non-scholar. For more information about Comer’s resources, speaking engagements, newsletter, and discounts on his work, check out his website.
John Mark has also written a number of incredible books, a few of our team’s favourites are mentioned below.
The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry - In our fast paced world there is an increased longing for a slowed down spirituality. Scrambling to climb the ladder of success and achieve public notoriety may lead to the accolades of people, while leaving our internal world restless, fragmented and longing for a different kind of life. Too often, we treat the symptoms of spiritual sickness in our modern world instead of addressing the root cause. A growing chorus of commentators have highlighted hurry, or busyness, as a root of much evil and the great enemy of spiritual vibrancy. In this book Comer introduces us to the cure — The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry from our lives.
God Has a Name - How we think about God matters. We become like our vision of God, for better or worse. There exists in the human heart a perennial temptation to fashion God in our own image and likeness — to substitute God’s self-revelation with our own reflection, to disconnect from the real God and settle for intellectual idols of our own making. But what if the real God is better than we could ever ask for or imagine? This is the all important question that Comer invites us to consider. God Has A Name is a down-to-earth, theologically rich exposition of the most reflected upon verse in the canon of scripture — Exodus 34:6-8. The reader is invited to explore in detail God’s own self-disclosure of His character. The truth discovered has the power to both surprise us and forever change how we think about God.
Garden City - What does it mean to be human? What is our purpose on the planet? In Garden City we are invited to ask the perennial questions of life: Why am I here and what should I do with my life? Profound theology is blended with practical insight in this accessible book that speaks to us about our dignity and destiny as human beings and how we discover vocation and find meaning in the everyday grind of life.
John Mark is also the co-host of the podcast This Cultural Moment. In this podcast, Mark Sayers and John Mark Comer take the listener on a tour de force of cultural analysis and theological reflection. Global trends, fads and fashions are dissected. Biblical truth is brought to bear on the ills of our secular age. Christians are called to rediscover and embrace the ancient paths of spiritual transformation. And hope is offered. Hope that is grounded in the Messiah Jesus, the resurrected Lord of Creation, and the renewing presence of the Spirit who is at work making all things new.
“Leadership is about example and invitation, not coercion and control. ”
Youtube Links
We have also posted some of our favourite sections of this interview on our Youtube Channel - here is one of them:
If you enjoy hearing what John Mark has to say on the topic of Spiritual Formation, check out the keynote video of a session that he did at our one of our most recent events in Vancouver.
This episode was brought to you by…
Briercrest College and Seminary has been committed to raising up and developing Christians leaders for the last 85 years. With a goal to serve and bless the local church, Briercrest’s programs help the leaders of the future develop a biblical worldview, and hone the practical skills needed to succeed in the world of church leadership and nonprofit management. Every year hundreds of young adults choose Briercrest and experience an intentional discipleship community that helps them deepen their faith in such a formative time in their journey. If you know someone who could benefit from an education that focuses on spiritual formation, Biblical learning, and the practical skills needed to succeed as a leader, Briercrest is the place for them.
Coming Up Next
Pete Hughes
Pete Hughes is the founding pastor of Kings Cross Church (KXC) in London. Commissioned by the Bishop of London, Pete and Bee Hughes were sent out from St. Mary’s with a small group of leaders and a simple vision: to recklessly give themselves away to God, each other and the people of King’s Cross and beyond. Check out his newly released book “All Things New.”