Jo Saxton: Nigerian Londoner In America, Teaching Leadership
Jo Saxton is a Nigerian Londoner, a Brit living in the United States- Minneapolis, Minnesota to be more specific.
Jo is a wife, mother, and also has a dog, who she often calls her family’s therapist.
Outside of family life Jo is the chair of the board of 3Dmovements, a non-profit organization that seeks to change the world by putting discipleship and mission back into the hands of ordinary people.
Her passions are the church and being planted firmly in it. For Jo, the church is the best and healthiest powerful agent for positive change- more specifically, the hands and feet of Jesus in the communities of the world. Her passions also extend to speaking, teaching, writing and talking about leadership, and her podcast Lead Stories.
In addition to all these things Jo is a lover of Starbucks, the gym, her people, music, food, books, Target- she really loves Target.
Seele Magazine: What's it like living in America compared to the UK, and are there any differences or challenges that you see in church life in these two countries?
Jo Saxton: Its been said that the US and the UK are two cultures divided by the same language – and there are very different places! Its still hard to compare because I’ lived in these two countries in very different life stages. I grew up in the UK, studied in the UK, came of age in the UK – I had no US experience of that stage. Likewise I became a mum/ mom! in the US, not the UK.
But when it comes to church life I would say that the UK is more established as a post Christian culture, in its tone and outlook. I think its had to reckon with the realities that if you build something amazing – it doesn’t automatically mean any one will come – the church in the UK has had to explore what it looks like to engage in mission in fresh and diverse and creative ways.
In contrast I would say whilst there are very clear post Christian cultural spaces in the US (and they’re getting bigger), there still seems to be large areas of the country where Christianity and the assumptions of Christendom are the cultural norm. It’s too simplistic to call that expression of faith as shallow or fake, but it does invite us to think of how we contextualize our mission.
I would say that the need for discipleship and mission, the way Jesus did it is needed in both countries more than ever!
“Well its clear leaders are human – we don’t have it all together at all- lets get praying and keep praying...
”
SM: Why is leadership empowerment and missional outreach important for women and church leaders?
JS: From the very beginning men and women were created to know God in covenant relationship and represent Him in the world, making Him known in our words, our ways and our actions. And we see at the end of the gospels Jesus commissioned us all – men and women to play our part in the renewal of all things and taking the gospel to all peoples. It’s a huge task for every generation. If we are to be faithful to our call – everybody has a part to play. So its imperative that everyone- men and women are equipped to respond to the call of God on their lives.
SM: What are some challenges that you see in leadership trainees and how important is it that communities pray for their spiritual leaders?
JS: INVESTMENT – emerging leaders need the investment of leaders – men and women who have gone ahead of them, sharing and modeling what they’ve learned along the way.
They need an ENVIRONMENT where they can develop their leadership skills, where they can succeed and fail, learn and grow.
As for prayer – well we all need it! I wonder whether the Bible notes that we should pray for our leaders, not just because of the realm of their influence and responsibility, but also the assumption that leaders have it all together?
Well its clear leaders are human – we don’t have it all together at all- lets get praying and keep praying!
SM: You're the Chair of the Board for 3DM. What's great about 3DM and can anyone from anywhere in the world benefit from it's resources and mission?
JS: 3DM’s vision is to put discipleship and mission back into the hands of everyday people. So we work with church leaders, ministry leaders, and Christians in business to explore what it means to build disciple-making cultures wherever they are based. Our understanding of the way Jesus did discipleship is that it produced missional leaders, who changed the world around them – and kept on making disciples.
It’s exciting to explore what that means for us today. What could happen if we equipped every member of our church communities to live and lead like Jesus did – to make disciples and live on mission in God’s Power? What would happen to extreme poverty and unethical business, to racism and systemic inequality of all kinds, to broken lives and communities? Would we too see the world changed!
Want to know more? To find out more about 3DM and see what we do:
3dmovements.com 3dmeurope.com – and we’ll get you connected to wherever you need
Some of our resources missional discipleship: 3dmpublishing.com
SM: How are you able to balance being a wife, mother, speaker, author, leadership coach, host the Lead Stories podcast, and your role in 3DM?
JS: The simple truth is I don’t! I apply the phrase “it takes a village to raise a child” to family life, but to every part of my life. It takes a village to live and sustain being a leader. I’m part of a community of people, I ask for help with the big things and small things. I don’t do it all - I work in teams with EVERYTHING and I love it.
In addition – I don’t do everything all at once. Different opportunities ebb and flow. There are times I don’t speak and teach, times I don’t write. There’s a lot I say no to. That’s a word we all need to be able to use!
It’s easy in leadership to think it all depends on us all the time, but it doesn’t. There are lots of great speakers and writers and leaders out there – it doesn’t have to be me. Success for me is found in being faithful to the relationships he’s given me and faithful to what God is asking me to do. The key for me is reviewing regularly. How are my significant relationships – my marriage, my family, friends – am I investing well? What did God ask me to do in this chapter of my life – and am I doing it, and training up other people so that it doesn’t all depend on me?
So in the end for me it’s not a question of balance, but paying attention to healthy rhythms for family life, and being aware of the season we are in and what that means in practical terms. Also there’s just accepting that hard work and sacrifice is part of the deal. That’s not about being a leader – that’s just life!
Alongside that – a lot of prayer, planning, relying on grace, laughing a lot and learning – always learning!
Twitter @josaxton
Instagram @josaxton
Facebook Jo Saxton
Pinterest: Jo Saxton
Website: josaxton.com
Podcast: Lead Stories: Tales on Leadership and Life – Jo Saxton and Steph O’Brien available on iTunes, Google Play and wherever you get your podcasts Leadstoriesmedia.com
Includes an online leadership community