<p>Kurt Francom, the executive director of Leading Saints, shares his thoughts on the challenges and responsibilities of leading a nonprofit organization within the Latter-day Saint community. He reflects on the need for support, the complexities of church culture, and the importance of individual leadership in building the Kingdom of God.<br /> <!-- Leave this comment to create a SPACE --><br /> <!-- GENERIC LINK to Zion Lab and "Watch the Video" IMAGE --><a href="https://app.leadingsaints.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-258841" src="https://files.leadingsaints.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/04134941/Watch-the-Video1-e1754337003739.png" alt="Watch the Video" width="300" height="100" /> <!-- "Share in Zion Lab" IMAGE --><img decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-259139" src="https://files.leadingsaints.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/06112457/Share-in-the-ZL-Community-e1757188256510.png" alt="Share Your Thoughts in the Zion Lab Community" width="300" height="100" /></a><br /> <!-- Leave this comment to create a SPACE --><br /> <a href="https://app.leadingsaints.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch the video and share your thoughts in the Zion Lab community</a></p> <h2>Links</h2> <p><a href="https://leadingsaints.org/im-not-the-gatekeeper-im-the-welcoming-committee-an-interview-with-kurt-brown/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“I’m Not the Gatekeeper, I’m the Welcoming Committee” | An Interview with Kurt Brown</a><br /> <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/being-an-advocate-for-those-you-lead-an-interview-with-rob-ferrell-rebroadcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Being an Advocate for Those You Lead | An Interview with Robert Ferrell</a><br /> <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/rallying-the-ward-around-sacrament-meeting-a-how-i-lead-interview-with-ryan-webb/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rallying the Ward Around Sacrament Meeting | A How I Lead Interview with Ryan Webb</a><br /> <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/getting-the-youth-to-do-hard-things-a-how-i-lead-interview-with-tanner-pursley/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Getting the Youth to Do Hard Things | A How I Lead Interview with Tanner Pursley</a><br /> <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/young-men-can-do-hard-things-a-how-i-lead-interview-with-skylar-haws/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Young Men Can Do Hard Things | A How I Lead Interview with Skylar Haws</a><br /> <a href="http://leadingsaints.org/zion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zion Lab: LeadingSaints.org/Zion</a><br /> <!-- GENERIC LINK to Zion Lab --><a href="https://leadingsaints.org/zion" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Transcript available with the video in the Zion Lab community</a></p> <h2>Highlights</h2> <p>Funding Challenges: Kurt discusses the difficulties of securing funding for Leading Saints, emphasizing the need for both small and large donations to sustain the organization’s mission.</p> <p>Cultural Issues in the Church: He highlights the complexities of church culture, including the struggles of church leaders and members with faith crises, LGBT issues, and the need for a supportive community.</p> <p>The Role of Individual Leadership: Kurt stresses that effective leadership is crucial for fostering a positive church culture, which can help individuals navigate their faith journeys and challenges.</p> <p>Transformational Experiences: He believes that rather than providing formal training, Leading Saints focuses on creating transformational experiences that empower individuals to lead and make a difference in their communities.</p> <p>Call to Action: Kurt invites listeners to engage with Leading Saints through initiatives like Zion Lab and becoming Zion Builders, emphasizing the collective effort needed to build Zion.</p> <h3>Leadership Applications</h3> <p>Encouraging Community Support: Latter-day Saint leaders can foster a culture of support by actively seeking and encouraging contributions from their communities, similar to how fans rally around a sports team.</p> <p>Promoting Individual Initiative: Leaders should empower members to take initiative in their callings and personal faith journeys, recognizing that everyone can contribute to building the Kingdom of God, regardless of their formal position.</p> <p>Creating Transformational Opportunities: Leaders can focus on providing experiences that inspire and uplift their congregations, rather than relying solely on traditional training methods, to cultivate a more engaged and resilient community.</p> <p>00:01:08 &#8211; The Journey of Leading Saints<br /> 00:02:25 &#8211; The Role of an Executive Director<br /> 00:04:14 &#8211; The Need for Funding<br /> 00:05:57 &#8211; Articulating the Problem in Church Leadership<br /> 00:07:34 &#8211; The Complexity of Church Culture<br /> 00:09:11 &#8211; The Importance of Individual Action<br /> 00:10:51 &#8211; The Law of Consecration<br /> 00:12:19 &#8211; Building Zion and Community<br /> 00:14:10 &#8211; Connection to BYU Football<br /> 00:16:20 &#8211; Community Support for Leaders<br /> 00:17:01 &#8211; The Call for Support and Funding<br /> 00:19:14 &#8211; The Role of Leading Saints in Cultural Issues<br /> 00:21:23 &#8211; Transformational Experiences and Leadership<br /> 00:23:12 &#8211; Call to Action: Join the Zion Lab<br /> 00:25:00 &#8211; Becoming a Zion Builder<br /> 00:26:25 &#8211; Sponsoring Others and Seeking Larger Donors<br /> 00:29:11 &#8211; The Impact of Positive Culture in the Church<br /> <!-- SPACE --><br /> <iframe style="width: 100%; height: 180px;" src="https://ask.swellai.com/a/01kbkrc0yj4kh4x1bfdpjydjs3" width="100%" height="180" frameborder="0" scrolling="yes" seamless="true"></iframe><br /> <!-- END OF PAGE LINKS TO POPULAR CONTENT --></p> <p><em><strong>The award-winning Leading Saints Podcast </strong></em>is one of the top independent Latter-day Saints podcasts as part of nonprofit <em>Leading Saints&#8217;</em> mission to help Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. Find Leadership Tools, Courses, and Community for Latter-day Saint leaders in the <a href="https://app.leadingsaints.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zion Lab community</a>. Learn more and listen to any of the past episodes for free at <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/">LeadingSaints.org</a>.</p> <p><em><strong>Past guests include</strong></em> <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/girls-camp-grace-and-the-bishops-office-an-interview-with-emily-belle-freeman/">Emily Belle Freeman</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/putting-jesus-at-the-center-of-your-ward-an-interview-with-david-butler/">David Butler</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/the-art-of-teaching-an-interview-with-hank-smith/">Hank Smith</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/how-i-lead-as-bishop-an-interview-with-john-bytheway/">John Bytheway</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/connecting-the-general-with-the-individual-an-interview-with-reyna-and-elena-aburto/">Reyna and Elena Aburto</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/what-to-do-when-the-bishop-is-an-accidental-diminisher-an-interview-with-liz-wiseman/">Liz Wiseman</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/leading-with-trust-an-interview-with-stephen-m-r-covey/">Stephen M. R. Covey</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/the-science-of-scaling-your-ward-an-interview-with-benjamin-hardy/">Benjamin Hardy</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/how-i-lead-as-president-of-byu-idaho-an-interview-with-elder-alvin-f-meredith-iii/">Elder Alvin F. Meredith III</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/how-i-lead-as-general-relief-society-president-an-interview-with-julie-beck/">Julie Beck</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/the-grace-of-jesus-christ-in-leadership-an-interview-with-brad-wilcox/">Brad Wilcox</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/mental-health-youth-an-interview-with-jody-moore/">Jody Moore</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/unhealthy-ways-we-seek-validation-as-leaders-an-interview-with-tony-overbay/">Tony Overbay</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/how-i-lead-as-a-seventy-an-interview-with-elder-john-h-groberg/">John H. Groberg</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/teach-them-their-identity-an-interview-with-elaine-dalton/">Elaine Dalton</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/a-case-for-the-book-of-mormon-an-interview-with-tad-r-callister/">Tad R. Callister</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/leading-people-to-do-and-be-like-jesus-christ-an-interview-with-lynn-g-robbins/">Lynn G. Robbins</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/principles-of-leadership-an-interview-with-j-devn-cornish/">J. Devn Cornish</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/he-will-magnify-your-efforts-an-interview-with-bonnie-oscarson/">Bonnie Oscarson</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/building-the-church-in-eastern-europe-an-interview-with-dennis-b-neuenschwander/">Dennis B. Neuenschwander</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/the-best-five-years-an-interview-with-kirby-heyborne/">Kirby Heyborne</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/nfl-leadership-at-church-an-interview-with-taysom-hill/">Taysom Hill</a>, Coaches <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/how-i-lead-as-byu-womens-soccer-coach-an-interview-with-jennifer-rockwood/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jennifer Rockwood</a> and <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/from-byu-quarterback-to-stake-president-an-interview-with-brandon-doman/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brandon Doman</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/church-doctrine-policy-leadership-an-interview-with-anthony-sweat/">Anthony Sweat</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/bearded-bishops-rated-r-movies-the-honor-code-an-interview-with-john-hilton-iii/">John Hilton III</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/women-priesthood-church-leadership-an-interview-with-barbara-morgan-gardner/">Barbara Morgan Gardner</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/liberals-doctrine-apologetics-at-church-an-interview-with-blair-hodges/">Blair Hodges</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/disrupting-your-calling-whitney-johnson-rebroadcast/">Whitney Johnson</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/what-every-leader-should-consider-about-community-in-their-ward-ryan-gottfredson-rebroadcast/">Ryan Gottfredson</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/being-an-essentialism-bishop-greg-mckeown-rebroadcast/">Greg McKeown</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/why-god-calls-some-as-relief-society-presidents-and-others-as-cancer-survivors-an-interview-with-ganel-lyn-condie/">Ganel-Lyn Condie</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/the-doctrine-related-to-being-single-or-married-an-interview-with-michael-goodman/">Michael Goodman</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/women-in-council-meetings-an-interview-with-wendy-ulrich/">Wendy Ulrich</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/listen-learn-and-love-lgbt-latter-day-saints-an-interview-with-richard-ostler/">Richard Ostler</a>, and many more in over 800 episodes.</p> <p><em><strong>Discover podcasts, articles, virtual conferences, and live events related to callings</strong></em> such as the <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/bishop/">bishopric</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/reliefsociety/">Relief Society</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/eldersquorum/">elders quorum</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/category/primary-presidencies/">Primary</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/category/youth-leadership/">youth leadership</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/category/stakeleadership/">stake leadership</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/category/ward-mission-leader/">ward mission</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/tag/ward-council/">ward council</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/tag/young-adults/">young adults</a>, <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/category/ministering/">ministering</a>, and <a href="https://leadingsaints.org/category/teaching/">teaching</a>.</p>