Blab, podcasting, EQ, and dialogue. It’s a seemingly random collection of words and topics, but somehow they all came up during a discussion about none other than: leadership.
DJ Chuang, a strategy consultant for churches and ministries, spoke with Pastor Eddie Park of EvFree Fullerton Church in a podcast released online on February 8 for NexGen Pastors’ Fellowship, a network of Asian American pastors. The two’s conversations focused mostly on three main topics: podcasting; an application called ‘Blab’; and being an empty-nester parent. But the conversation was rather free-flowing and also dabbled into other topics as both Chuang and Park shared their passions for leadership and new ways to engage people.
Some aspects to developing leadership involve internal factors, such as emotional intelligence and self-awareness.
“I thought you just have to be super confident,” said Park regarding leadership. “I thought I needed another degree, get more Bible knowledge. But ... the game-changer was the EQ -- the emotional intelligence -- how to empathize with people.”
“Another factor is the ‘PQ’: the measure and quotient of your self-awareness,” Park added. “This was revolutionary to my leadership experience.”
“What’s ironic is that there are great pastors who don’t have self-awareness,” Chuang said. “And the unaddressed issues come out sideways, resulting in a lot of collateral damage, such as broken relationships or scandals.”
On the more technological side, Chuang added that using digital platforms such as podcasts and ‘Blab’ could be useful tools for leadership.
Podcasts give the content creators creative freedom, and allows people to present themselves in an authentic way, Chuang said. With the rise of smartphones and the introduction of internet-friendly cars, Chuang said that podcasts have increasing potential for influence and greater consumption in the future.
‘Blab’ is another platform that pastors and Christian leaders could use to communicate on a broader scale, Chuang added. It’s a video chat platform that allows up to four people to converse together through their smartphones, while simultaneously livestreaming their video conversation and having a recording of it available for more than 24 hours.
A platform like Blab is significant because an unlimited amount of people could listen to a conversation, rather than a monologue, according to Chuang.
“Christianity, historically, has been good with monologue -- preaching and teaching,” Chuang explained. “But the next generation knows the value of conversation.”
This podcast is the fourth one published by NexGen Pastors’ Fellowship, and has introduced guests such as Gary Lindblad, dean of the business school at Biola University; David Kinnaman, president of the Barna Group; and Mike Erre, former lead pastor of EvFree Fullerton Church and teaching pastor at Rockharbor Church.
