DiscoverThe Shepherd-hearted Leader Podcast
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Do you have young adults in your life who you dream will flourish in a Godly way? So many critical life decisions are made in this season! In this episode, Pastor Nate Ruch has a conversation with Pastors Josiah and Micah Kennealy, the founders of Young Adults Today, a nonprofit ministry reaching young adults. Both are pastors, authors, podcasters and speakers. In this episode, they share about the primary needs of young adults which include resources, rallying points, and relationships. They offer insight on dating, debt, mentorship, how to cross the generational divide and the challenges of isolation and deception. Shepherd-hearted leaders can offer Christ, community, and connection within the local church.
1. FREE ebook “10 steps to starting a successful young adult ministry” https://www.youngadults.today/book/starting-a-successful-young-adult-ministry
Our website is www.youngadults.today and it has blogs, books, resources
2. youngadultstoday podcast on apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/youngadults-today/id1477787085
Rev. Mark Ritchie is an evangelist based out of the United Kingdom. Originally from Scotland, he is a speaker, podcaster, storyteller, comedian, gospel proclaimer, and passionate rescuer. In this episode, Pastor Nate has a conversation with Mark about his backstory, the gift of the evangelist, and his journey of carrying the cross across the United Kingdom. Mark shares five lessons from the cross: 1) tears will take you far, 2) choose wise people to speak into your life, 3) find the sacred in the scared, 4) let the cross do its work, and 5) never forget the Father sent you. The conversation concludes with a discussion about how “honor” is sometimes misused to manage egos. Humility is essential for every Shepherd-hearted Leader. Don’t miss this episode.
https://www.emmanuelcc.org/sermon/you-really-love-yourself-dont-you/
https://www.mark-ritchie.com/
https://a.co/d/du6l9bP
Pastors Nate and Jodi have a conversation about being a House of Prayer for All Nations. They start by sharing what has been on their hearts. Pastor Nate shares pivotal moments in his story that shaped his heart for all nations, his early years at Emmanuel, the community surrounding the church, and the heart of the ministry. He digs into Jesus’ picture of the church in Mark 11 and Isaiah 56 which includes all nations being welcomed into the church, not just the church praying for the nations. They talk about prayer, the benefits and challenges of being a House of Prayer for All Nations, and narratives outside the church which impact the conversation. The episode wraps up with advice for Shepherd-hearted leaders navigating this political season.
Every church, organization, and community experience different seasons. In this episode, Pastors Nate and Jodi have a conversation about approaching every season with optimism – it’s a reset. Nate uses the analogy of the Minnesota Vikings to explain the rhythm of seasons and the challenges organizations face such as teammate changes, prepping the current team, excepting limits, defining the win, and moving on from losses. Pastor Nate dives into his leadership thoughts about Emmanuel’s Team 62 and explains three keys to seeing the team win this season: 1) Dramatically increase Team Emmanuel 2) All Generations invest in the next Generation and 3) Pray in the Spirit. The conversation wraps up with heartfelt advice for Shepherd-hearted leaders who find themselves in an unexpected season.
Jodi Ruch has a conversation with Brad Dennis and Michael Bartel about searching for God’s missing kids. Brad is former military search and rescue specialist, pastor, and founder of Called 2 Rescue Ministries. Michael Bartel is a missionary and founder of F.R.E.E. International, an organization designed to search for missing and trafficked kids in the United States. In this episode, they share their faith background, how they started searching for missing kids, ministering with their families, the Big Search, the scope of the missing kids’ crisis in the US, and a pathway for church involvement. How do they find missing kids? They go out looking for them! This conversation will ignite your compassion for shepherding the most vulnerable in your community.
https://www.freeinternational.org/
https://www.c2rministries.org/
Dwight Denyes was the second lead pastor of Emmanuel. He considered himself a leader between leaders. He played a crucial role in the story of Emmanuel. Dwight is the oldest son of the founding Pastors of Emmanuel, Mark and Shirley Denyes. Before succeeding his father as lead pastor, Dwight was a successful real estate business owner and Bible teacher. In this episode, Dwight shares his personal faith story and how it impacted the way he led. He has a unique perspective on succession as he received the succession baton and later passed the leadership baton to Pastor Nate. This conversation is full of great insight, practical wisdom, and Emmanuel history!
Pastor Manny Melendez is a Kids Ministry veteran with over two decades of experience leading Kids Ministry. In this episode, you will get to know Manny as he shares his story of coming to Christ and his call to ministry. Jodi and Manny talk about the difference between ministry and childcare, discipling kids, and creating a kids culture. The conversation includes the importance and challenges of kids ministry as well as the opportunity to make an impact. Kids are sponges who absorb their environment, as Shepherd-hearted leaders, we can saturate them with Jesus! Manny served in Michigan and Colorado before moving to Minnesota. This summer he joined the Pastoral Team of Emmanuel as the Lead Kids Pastor overseeing EKids at all four locations.
Resources:
The Anxious Generation
https://www.christianparenting.org/
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/
Darin Poli is a strategic leader who is passionate about stewardship and generosity. As an ordained minister, with a wealth of ministry experience, he has been on staff at Emmanuel since 2019 and consults churches locally and nationally. On this episode, Jodi has a conversation with Darin about his ministry background, all-things Kingdom Builders, and stewardship. You will even hear about his favorite travel hack. Darin relays solid insights on growing generosity as well as advice on utilizing dashboards. This conversation is sure to inspire every Shepherd-hearted leader!
Resources:
https://kingdombuilders.emmanuelcc.org/
https://www.emmanuelfamilyofchurches.com/
Pastors Nate and Jodi have a conversation about equipping potential leaders. In this episode, they share scriptures, personal stories, examples from church, and work through many of the concepts for equipping potential leaders presented in Chapter Five of John Maxwell’s book “Developing the Leaders Around You.” It’s time to take off the training wheels, let go of the bike, and let potential leaders take the lead. Equipping energizes and multiplies the reach of the shepherd-hearted leader!
Resources:
https://store.maxwellleadership.com/Developing-the-Leaders-Around-You-Paperback_p_909.html
Pastor JonCarlos is an anointed worship leader, recognized both locally and nationally, song writer, credentialed minister, husband, father, and bike enthusiast. He has been the Lead Worship Pastor at Emmanuel since 2013. In this episode, Pastor Nate and Pastor Jon Carlos have a conversation about the dynamic relationship between the Lead Pastor and the Worship Pastor. The conversation starts with JonCarlos sharing his backstory and how he developed as a worship pastor. They talk about being under authority, the difference between being a song leader and a worship pastor, the dynamics of ministering together, overcoming conflict with trust, and the Levitical calling. The conversation wraps up with thoughts about being a house of prayer for all nations. Such an important and uplifting conversation for every shepherd-hearted leader.
Resources:
https://www.joncarlosandgabriella.com/
http://www.emmanuellive.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@EmmanuelLIVEofficial
worship@emmanuelcc.org
Pastors Nate and Jodi Ruch talk about the uncharted territory that churches face in current culture. Nate compares ministry to the 1800’s western expansion of civilization. As people moved westward, there were many challenges and shortages. Likewise, ministers are facing challenges: 1) People are influenced by other voices, 2) New generations don’t seek advice from parents/elders, and 3) Pastors are tired and realize people have multiple shepherds. There is hope! In the middle of the chaos, God has placed outposts to reach a broken world. In this episode, you will hear a portion of Nate’s message, “Pastoring in the Wild, Wild West” shared with the ministers of the Indiana District A/G. This is powerful message for every leader.
Resources:
Coddling of the American Mind
The Cancelling of the American Mind
Emmanuel Family of Churches
Full message Video link:
https://www.youtube.com/live/5IqG_lugbWk?si=Cvjk7_36-GPulyDa&t=3604
Pastor Phil Johnson is a credentialed minister with over 14 years of youth ministry experience. He served at Emmanuel for 11 years as Youth Pastor, Next Gen Director, and on the Executive team. Phil is recognized locally and nationally for his youth expertise. In this episode, Jodi and Phil have a conversation about shepherding the next generation. They talk about the challenges facing leaders, questions parents and youth are asking, and generational differences of ministry. The conversation wraps up with advice for parents and encouragement for shepherd hearted leaders.
Parent Cue: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/parent-cue/id433066482
https://feed.bible/
https://alpha.org/preview/alpha-youth-series/
In this episode, Pastor Jodi Ruch has a conversation with Rev. Joe Anderson. They discuss Joe's connection to Emmanuel, provide an overview of his ministry assignments, and talk about his journey to faith and how he met his wife. Joe candidly responds to questions about his book “The Tension of Redemption” and dives deeper into his story of overcoming addiction. There are powerful insights about perseverance and total surrender for every Shepherd-hearted leader. You will gain greater insight into Joe’s story and be encouraged to persevere in your own journey.
Pastors Nate and Jodi share the heart behind the recent sermon series, “So You Believe, Now What?” In this episode, they dive deeper into the key concepts covered in the series: following Jesus, principles for life, being synced up with Jesus, freedom, and the supernatural. They tackle tough questions, share personal experiences, and give powerful insights on discipleship. As Shepherd-hearted leaders, we must help others grow spiritually. You don’t want to miss this conversation!
Nate Ruch has a conversation with Wayne Northup, Founding Pastor of Saints Community Church in New Orleans. Wayne shares his journey of becoming a shepherd-hearted pastor. While visiting New Orleans, God gave Wayne an unusual burden for the city. He shares the process of moving to New Orleans and planting Saints Community Church. Wayne experienced years of success as a traveling evangelist. However, he unexpectedly encountered years of intense suffering as a church planter. He unpacks what he learned and how he gained a greater heart for the suffering people in his city. This is an insightful episode of how God will give us what we need to know Him and to accomplish the assignment He has for us.
Pastor Jodi has a conversation with Susie Larson, best-selling author, speaker, and host of the popular radio show Susie Larson Live. Susie is a shepherd-hearted leader. In this podcast, Susie shares what the Lord has put in her heart, how she manages the many aspects of ministry, her heart behind her latest book Waking Up to the Goodness of God, and insights for aspiring leaders. This is a heartfelt conversation with many nuggets of wisdom for every believer. Don’t miss this episode!
More resources:
https://www.susielarson.com/susielarsonlive
https://awtozer.com/
Pastors Nate and Jodi reflect on their 30 years of marriage. In this episode, they share five key takeaways for improving marriage: 1) Remember we are on the same team, 2) look in the mirror, 3) play the long game, 4) get physical, and 5) learn to forgive. They are transparent about the various seasons of their marriage and reflect on having their kids in sports. As Shepherd-hearted leaders, we need to take the time to care for our closest relationships, those in our home.
Pastor Nate has a conversation with New York Times best-selling author John Burke. They talk about life, ministry, his studies of NDEs (near death experiences), and what lead John to write the books “Imagine Heaven” and “Imagine the God of Heaven.” There are many key take aways for Shepherd-hearted leaders such as the importance of following the Spirit, having an evangelistic heart, and trusting God who takes away the fear of death. Burke encourages us to know that when God puts something in our heart, we can trust him as we step out in faith and do it.
Whether you like it or not, leading change is a necessary part of being a Shepherd-hearted leader. In this episode, Pastors Nate and Jodi have a conversation about being a change agent. From coaching little league football to leading in ministry, we can move chaos into functionality. It takes discernment, pacing, and understanding the people you’re leading. Some people want change and others don’t, you need to understand the resistance and follow the Spirit’s leading. You don’t want to miss this conversation!
Have you ever thought what it looks like to hand off your role to a successor? Shepherd-hearted leaders prepare others to lead. In this episode, Pastors Nate and Jodi have a conversation about Nate’s studies on succession. He unpacks scripture, gives insights for picking mentors, and shares how to position yourself to be prepared. Individuals can make the most of their opportunities while preparing for their future. Some people are meant to be the receiver of the baton, while others are meant to start something. Take a broader view of your life and grow as a leader so you are ready for the future God has for you.
FutureReadyLead.com
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