Kingdompreneurs - Rev. Elliott Johnson | Faithly Stories

The way the world is wired today, it seems to be grounded in despair, especially in a secular space. So what I try to bring is a spirit of encouragement into that space, right, that could reflect God's three theological virtue that those virtues are, charitable love. Grounded in faith allows you to crowd your faith to inspire and encourage hope. Welcome to Faithly Stories, the podcast that brings you inspiring tales from conversations with church leaders as they navigate the peaks and valleys of their faith journeys through their ministry work and everyday life brought to you by Faithly, an online community committed to empowering church leaders. Learn more at faithly.co. Get ready to be uplifted and inspired on the Faithly Stories podcast. Welcome to the Faithly's podcast. I am sitting here with Reverend Elliott Johnson. Hello, my friend. Hello, my friend. How are you? I'm good. You know, you're not just another guest. No, we're friends. True day. And God has preordained this relationship over the last two and a half plus years that has gone from running into each other at a meeting in New York. I think it was at the Marriott Marquis or something to now. Literally a friendship that's blossomed. Somebody I look up to somebody that checks on me once a week. And your background is extensive. You've worked in everything from commerce and business. You've worked with government leaders. You've worked in the faith space. It's amazing to me. It's so many of the things I want to be involved in and that I want to emulate. Tell the audience these ministers that are watching pastors, leaders, some in the government space, some in the NGO space, a little bit of your background. Well, I'm really, I just thought I was trying to keep up with you. However, you know, let's just start from the beginning. I'm from the south side of Chicago. Okay. Right. Refer to myself as a poor colored boy. Okay. The south side of Chicago. Okay. And I had an opportunity to go out east to school. I went to Howard University. Yes, sir. Howard Business School. And where I was able to get my undergraduate and graduate degree in marketing and management and international business. I took back then and this is the 70s. I took the Civil Service Examination. Okay. And I was qualified to work in the public sector, public government. Right. So I had to stay in Washington, DC. I could have went to Philadelphia or go home to Chicago. So obviously I went home to Chicago. I had an opportunity to be a city manager and advisor to four mayors in Chicago. One of the more popular mayors or was late Richard daily senior. Okay. The man they called the boss. Okay. And they called him the boss for a reason. I won't go into that. At least not not on this point. No, the counterpart. Yes. That's right. You know what I'm saying. And then his predecessor, Michael Blandick, the first woman mayor of Chicago, Jane Byrne, and then the first African American mayor, which is a man by the name of Harold Washington, who ought to become an mentor to me and encouraged me to go into the private sector. I thought I was wasting my gifts as he called them in the public sector because he would do edits for city commissioners, aldermen, city department heads. Sure. And they wouldn't follow them. And I would meet with them individually. And next thing you know, this thing in Mayor Washington's praise. So he said, you're an influencer. And so there's a big movement right now to bring African Americans in to the consumer product industry and put them on the C-suite track. Okay. And I have a good friend who is the CEO of a consumer company. I was like, well, which company is that, sir? He said, Phil Amores. I said, well, I don't smoke. He said, well, Elliot, didn't that bring you into smoke? It's putting smokers. They're bringing you to for senior management. I was like, okay. And I said, well, I have to. He was like, yeah, here's your pink slip. A closed door. But I got it. I got it. I got it. And so, but at that time, there was a ban on advertising and a secret industry. So the, for the Morse Corporation bought two companies, Kraft Foods and the Miller Brewing Corporation. So they brought me in and they placed me with the Miller Brewing Corporation. I didn't drink. So I don't drink. I don't smoke. God, what do we have to, I do eat though. I'm good. Kraft Foods. I mean, food. So nonetheless, got on the board, got on a fast track, wanted to become a senior executive vice president sales and marketing. And was part of the group that introduced a low calorie beer segment to America. You may have heard of it. You may not. It's called light beer. Okay. Then was fortunate enough to also introduce another beer into the marketplace called Miller, genuine draft, draft beer in a bottle as well as it gets. Then there was a brewery. It was 10 miles up in the mountains. And it heard about me. And they were trying to meet that quota. And so they recruited me. And the man, the banana was so big, it has bent the stick. So I just had to grab it. Right. It was the chorus brewery. Okay. Came on board the brewery. We'd already created a low calorie beer segment in America. So the best way for the brewery is to really substantiate itself as a national brewery. Instead of being a bootlegged all the time, everybody heard about chorus beer being laid, created chorus light. Wow. Now, you know, they got strong national presence. And then it was a brewery. It was in bankruptcy. That brewery was called the G-Hileman Stroll breweries. They owned the Lone Star brewery in Texas, the Rainier in Wienhardt breweries out west. Carling brewery they were known for two national brands. Adam, you may have heard of me a minute ago. One was called Mickey's malt liquor. And it was called Coke 45. Okay. So Mickey's in Coke were their two largest single selling brands. Right. For the brewery. And the breweries in bankruptcy. And it wasn't in bankruptcy. Anything that brewery did. It was man with a violin band, Australian magnet. The beer called Poster's Lager. Oh. Right. Being here in Australia. Well, he brought the Hileman brewery. It was evaluated at that time for what it meant. He offered a beer. Okay. So it rusts clearly on it. Then I'm buy it. He used the assets of the brewery to pay off his debt in Australia, which ran the brewery in the bankruptcy. Okay. So then they said, okay, then they brought me and turned this around. I'm like, boy, okay, turn around. So nonetheless, what we wound up doing, we took a look at the Mickey's and the Colt brand. And so we decided to make some radical changes with the brand's persona. Mickey's would kill like a little wide mouth bottle. People have seen it with a top. They call it grenade bottles. And then with the Colt brand, what we decided to do is Billy Dee Williams was their spokesperson. I was going to say that earlier. I was going to say cool. Billy. Okay. But the challenge was and that Billy Dee's persona was attracting a lot of women. Because you notice his commercials are in bars, whatever allowances, tuxedo, and a lot of women around will women don't drink beer. Right. I don't think a lot of beer. Right. And so what we decided to do because it was a phenomenon that was emerging called hip hop. Yes. Right. Early 90s. Uh, late 80s, more early 90s going into that period. Right. And so what I decided to do was a part, we parted ways of building. And then we identified two emerging artists in the hip hop culture. I said the hip hop culture was attracting everyone. It wasn't just black, it was just white, it was everybody. Right. But it was really being promoted by African American artists. Right. And so we targeted two two-pock and biggie. Oh, I've heard of those guys. Yeah. You know, I never had either. They didn't have any influence on my life at all. I mean, who would have one today, right? And so nonetheless, we gave them equity in the brand. And we asked them since this thing was emerging, can the brand be in your videos and in your music not being consumed, but by just being part of the culture, right? And then we had to make a change with one of the packages. And that one package was the court bottle. So cold had six pack cans, six pack bottles, 16 out of cans and quartz did about 600 million. I decided let's take a gamble. Let's add some more ounces to the court bottle. We added eight more ounces, which turned it into a 40 ounce. A 40 ounce. Right. So I mean, there are a lot of things about your accolades. I mean, we talk about presidential awards and all the rest, but you created the 40 ounce. Well, Mr. Sal was a part of the deal. Okay. All right. Nonetheless, took a gamble within less than two years that 40 ounce did over a billion dollars a year just by itself. Sure. Needless to say, it brought the brewery out of bankruptcy. And then there's an office of the brewery. We constantly decided to sell all the assets of the brewery. And we put the brewery on the market and was able to get $3.5 billion. I was an officer. So I got a little piece of that cheese. Okay. Big slice it. Okay. Okay. Right. And I'm 43 now. I'm 43 years old. This is 1996. I'm like, okay, God, what steps are now ordered because I'm never believed in retirement. I always believe in being repurposed. Yes. Right. So now God was my purpose for the Lord. Can we can we can we talk about that for a second? Absolutely. The idea that one door closes and then God's got another door. And it's about reframing your thought process in that moment as saying, is God repurposing me? Is God using me for something? Can you speak to people that feel like I just had a door closed in my life? And I thought that was it. I thought that was the end. And yet, no, it just might be a new beginning. Right. So my father always taught me that the kingdom of God was building a bunches and not scarcity. Yes. And in the kingdom, there are doors. There are rooms. The kingdom is about space. The kingdom. So what God does is he wants you to serve well in one space. He leads you to another space. Okay. In the kingdom to serve and be of service. So that next space that was laid into was was I believe you're not. I became a state elected official. Okay. I don't know if you used me what you should be. He's the East Coast Towship government. Uh-huh. One of the oldest governments in America. Sure. Right. So I became a state of Illinois Towship elected official in Cook County. I became the president of Board of Education for a very large school district in Southern Cook County. I had an opportunity to become the chairman of the board of Howard University's business school that I had an opportunity to be the chairman of the board of the YMCA for the Midwest Region, the chairman of the board of the United Way for the Midwest Region. And then I had an opportunity to be an advisor to the Clinton administration, the Democratic leadership that had an opportunity to be an advisor to the Obama administration for foreign trade, now my international business. So I mean it goes to play. And then I had an opportunity to be an advisor to the Biden Harris administration for faith and community partnerships. And as you alluded, he did Biden did award me the lifetime. Just this past December. This is past December. Lifetime President Stephen awards. So praise God for that. So you've navigated all these spaces. You know, most identifiable when I run, you know, when I speak to you and I text you, I call you Reverend EJ. And there are a lot of pastors, ministers that might be watching that think, well, my role or my anointing is somehow contained into I'm a pastor period. Instead of I'm a pastor, comma, I'm also in commerce. I'm also working in government. I'm also working in the nonprofit space. The truth is, no matter we could, we could run through the amount of areas you're currently involved in as a senior advisor on the board of what would you say to the guy that feels like or the lady that feels like I am only this and yet God has more for them. So that's a real good question, Adam. And when you, when I, they call me Reverend Johnson, the Rev. EJ. Rev. EJ? Because I did go to seminary, didn't I? Sure. And I went to the seminary. And I went to the seminary, what I would call latent life. And some folks say it was right on time. And it was I was 60 years old at that time. And you know, it was clear to me that my purpose for why God had given me the opportunity to serve and be of service and all those other spaces was to prepare me to have that theological experience in seminary. But more importantly, and I used this language and you we talked about this the other day, to become a kingdom manure. Yes. Not an entrepreneur, right. But a kingdom manure, kingdom and worship. Dunarama 18, all this is God's. Yes. None of this is our. Yes. So God had already determined and ordained our purpose, what we've been created. And then he created this to serve and serve into it. Yes. And so I believe that he, it's a lot of folks that are in ministry went to the seminary first early on. Okay. Then maybe he came by vocation on doing all these other things. Sure. You know, the pay in this that particular vocation isn't you know, very fruitful. Sure. But it'll provide. So I think he did that and so that I could sit with people and say that, you know, one of the blessings of having a theological education, whether it be through seminary, divinity school, Bible college, however it is, right. You're equipped and prepared is really to be able to go back into the secular space, right. And do good works. Sure. Right. So but for me, I didn't realize I was doing the good works early on until later on. Sure. And then it wasn't until later on God led and it was like you, right. And to my space to serve and be a service alongside. So I would, I would, I would recommend or suggest or ask people to put prayer and ponderance behind really understanding we're all kingdom panoas. You don't have to go to seminary for that. We're all that, right. And it's based on your faith, right. And and Jeremiah one five, like I said, guide already, be determined, you know, what our purpose was to serve and be a service to glorify him. And his, in his space, yes, which is doing around the anything. So how does your faith show up in those spaces? I know for me, people ask when when they find out that I sat on mayor de Blasio's clergy advisory counselor, now mayor Adams, and they say, well, but you know, policy doesn't seem to be an alignment with your faith. And yet I feel like my job is to bring my faith with me, but not necessarily have to preach a sermon all the time. Right. How does your faith show up when you're working with, because you're so currently working with not just CEOs in business and in government and, and then of course, in the Christian space as well, obviously, you know, senior advisor, Bishop Claude Alexander was a dear friend of mine, somebody that I admire and look up to. How does your faith show up in a secular place that might seem to be adversarial to what your faith would want to express, but yet you've got to show God off in a way that is palatable to that group of people. I would say it shows up in one word or two words, three words, spirit of encouragement. Okay. Right. The way the world is wired today, it seems to be grounded in despair. Yes. Right. That's in a secular space. Yes. So what I try to bring is a spirit of encouragement. Yes. Into that space. Yes. Right. They could reflect God's three theological virtues at them. Those virtues are charitable love. God's a charitable loving, giving God. Yes. Grounded in faith allows you to ground your faith to do to inspire and encourage hope. And so that's what I try to bring into every situation and every opportunity I can with people like, no, people I don't know, you know, and prepare myself with people I will know. Okay. You know, and you married hope. Lady hope. So for those of you that don't know, his wife's name is lady hope. And she is fantastic. We've both married way up. I'd text my wife too this morning. Let her know. I'm married way up. But that's interesting because, you know, I've never thought of specifically the role you have in my life. But in a very accelerated way in two and a half years, I tell guys all the time, I say, you know, you need a Paul, you need a Timothy, the Barnabas. And for all of your accolades and our age difference and all that, you could have almost come in and forced a Paulian, you know, I'm here to mentor you. And I've never felt that from you. I've always felt like a come along side you. I want to be a Barnabas. Right. What does that mean to another leader? Like, I want to come along side you and be a Barnabas. I heard somebody once say that Barnabas might be the most important person outside of Jesus in the New Testament. Because if we don't have Barnabas, we don't have Paul. We don't have Timothy. Like he's the guy that sticks his neck on the line. Correct. When they're like, hey, I'm not messing with Paul. Paul was killing people. And now you want to bring them to the church leaders. This might be some covert operation to knock us all up. And Barnabas is like, I know you can't trust him, but you could trust me. And he sticks his neck. When I think about Reverend Elliott Johnson, man, and I'm getting this in real time right now, I'm thinking, man, Reverend Elliott Johnson, there's a Barnabas man. This is a kind of guy that has been willing to stick his neck on the line for me or encourage me. Your weekly text that I get is always a voice of encouragement so that no matter what I'm facing, I walk away far more encouraged after having read it. What does it mean for you that your Barnabas is so many? Well, it means everything to me. Once again, I entered into what I would call this sacred space a little bit later in life. Sure. As opposed to you, you entered into it a whole lot earlier. Right. Right. So when I say, I'm trying to keep up with you. I mean that literally. And so, and he used the word mentor. And I like to want to twist that around and call it something of Proverbs 27, 17 iron sharpening. Yes. Yeah. So coming alongside, but being there to be able to sharpen your iron so you can sharpen my iron because it was very clear to me. And I shared this with you last night that when you came to Chicago. Yes. And you were quote unquote, as my wife called you an outsider. I mean, you weren't part of my inner circle. Sure. She had never heard of you. I didn't even let her know you were coming. And then you came and then she said, well, who is that? And I said, and I told her real quickly. And she's like, okay. And then like your wife, my wife is like, let me take this brother out and take him out. He's interactive. Yeah. Yeah. You know, because I had some very high profile clients in there and you weren't necessarily that. But she knew me. She knew that God had encouraged me and inspired me. Right. To invite you to come alongside me. Right. In my sacred space. Yes. Okay. And it was all secular people there. And I wanted to see how you handled yourself because I got a plan. And so needed us to say afterwards and you know, she knew everybody else there. So we're sitting in the box and she was like, Adam Durso. So I understand why you invited him. I said, well, tell me why I invited him is this because he's a leader. This week carries himself. And now he's a leader, but he's like, you're he leaves leaders. And I was like, yeah, that was the spirit that came over me with my discernment and that meant that I needed to serve and be a service alongside him. Right. And he could help me feel more comfortable in the sacred spaces of revenue and jobs. Every time I say that, I said, I had to always go downstairs and in my case and take a look at my two seminary degrees. That's my name. Even though my father was really a chance and this was my son, but no, that's me. And so anyway, and you did that for me. And then she told me she said, you have to take care of him. I said, I know. So for me, take, so so God has given me this whole assignment, anointment appointment of being a steward. Yes. Of the resources. Yes. That are within the abundance of the kingdom. Yes. The reservoir. I can't access it though until God brings up calls and a purpose. And that calls and purposes called Adam Dursal. Thank you, man. I always felt that 100%. You know, as we, as we sit here, the background doesn't look like New York City, but we're in New York. We're in New York City. We're on Long Beach, Long Island. We just hosted 70 plus pastors for a retreat, a safe space to encourage, to equip, to empower. And this is not your first time being here. Now, back at this point, you know, you're part of the host committee. You're welcoming guys. You're seeing some of the alumni. You're making sure you're getting over to the new guys that, you know, haven't been there. What in reflection on the last 70 hours that we just had, I'm sorry, the last 30 hours that we just had with 70 plus leaders, what would you say your takeaways were? Well, boy, my takeaways were one way to continue to affirm my purpose as a leader because I was amongst leaders who were looking to be nourished, right? By this experience, 30 for 30 is an experience, right? One clear about it, we can be transparent the first two times because the first two two were in one marketplace in Atlanta. I missed here some things were going on. I missed Austin some things were going on and it was so funny. My wife was saying, you're not going to miss this next one because I told you to take care of them. I don't plan on missing a deal about thanks for the reminder, right? And so that meant now I need to understand coming there and being a part of the experience, a member of the experience. I just let God be God with me and it was very clear that this is a catalytic moment. Okay, there are a lot of young men in that room that were looking and meeting, right? For something to inspire them and encourage them, right? So the speakers were all that. The food was all that jumping jowlakers, right? And then you know the ambience of the scenery, yes, long beach, yes, right? That was never really a big fan of New York City. I got to be straight up. Okay. Yeah, you know, I call New York little Chicago. Oh, that's hurt. That's hurtful. But now I've got to flip the switch. Okay. Hey, gosh, Chicago, a little New York now because being here and being with you and being here, and I've been here with you that first time, right? And then this time, and then there's another time we were together here. We had movement day. We had the Mary up marching. You know, yeah, yeah, my, my, oh, just my, just God, my discernment bill rings with a different kind of ring now, right? And so it's clear that, you know, it's easy to really like being here in New York. We're in Long Beach, but to me it's the same thing. Yeah. Yeah. And so, yeah, so this whole 30 for 30 experience, telling moment, right? I think that 30 for 30 is not a brand. 30 for 30 is an opportunity. 30 for 30 is a spirit of encouragement. Yeah. 30 for 30 is 30 hours. The God has already ordained and planned. Yes. And planted seeds and everyone's there. Sure. Right? And it's on us now to how do we sow those seeds? So as leaders, leading leaders, yes, you know, we now have that ordained, anointed, appointed responsibility as being to be kingdom and doors. I've got to, I'm going to tell you, Rev, you know, you're not the kind of guy that comes in the room, although you have all of the accolades to do so and put your weight around. I seen it. I've seen how you move in the space and you come alongside guys and you're encouraging guys and to have that not only in the midst of a 30 for 30, which 70 plus leaders out here on Long Beach and watch you minister and sit you at different spots at different tables to encourage guys and sharpen guys and edify guys, which is absolutely amazing. I am personally indebted because of the role you play in my life because of what you've done for me, how you've spoken into my life, how you've encouraged me over and over again, how you've been willing to stick your neck on the line like a Barnabas or open up doors into certain opportunities for me. And so I just want to say publicly, thank you, thank you for being on the journey with leading leaders collective and 30 for 30 and helping us lead leaders and the rollout of what God is about you because we are on the precipice of something that's going to be great and going to be global and is going to sweep in a way that is going to allow God's kingdom to be expanded in the earth as it is in heaven. Amen. My friend, I am thankful for you. Thank you so much Adam. This has been Faithless Stories podcast. I am so excited saying to my good friend Reverend Elliott Johnson, I hope you were blessed by this and I hope you continue to follow us on Faithfully. All the social channels God bless you. Bye. Thank you for tuning in to the Faithless Stories podcast. We pray this episode gave you the encouragement you needed to continue on your journey. 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