It’s Not A Career . . . It’s A Calling (w/ Steve McVey) – Episode 179
It’s your responsibility to make sure you are healthy in every arena of life. Leave it to chance and you will discover the consequences are often overwhelming.
Practical conversations for small and midsize church leaders.
Hosted by Dale Sellers, Executive Director of 95Network and former small church pastor, the 95Podcast addresses the real challenges pastors face every week—from church health, leadership clarity, to the everyday realities of leading without large staff or large budgets. These are straightforward conversations rooted in experience, not theory.
New episodes release every Tuesday wherever you listen to podcasts or delivered straight to your inbox.
It’s your responsibility to make sure you are healthy in every arena of life. Leave it to chance and you will discover the consequences are often overwhelming.
Although hearing the truth sometimes really hurts, not honestly evaluating your ministry effectiveness can lead to a ministry on life-support.
Hope is not a strategy. It’s so important to take seriously the responsibility of setting goals for how you would like to live the final quarter of life.
There is so much misunderstanding about how the pastors housing allowance works. Even most IRS agents aren’t clear on how it was originally designed to help pastors.
One of our most important desires should be to help people “know Jesus” and then to help “others to know Him” too. Far too many church leaders view discipleship as an “optional” ministry focus that gets buried in a long list of other priorities.
Church planters are taking the time to research a specific community to understand its cultural makeup before planting a specific model of church.
The pathway to finding God’s ultimate purpose for your life is often filled with a series of opportunities for faithfulness. Walking through the open door in front of you often leads to other open doors to be discovered.
Having a clear understanding of your mission, which describes “why” you exist as an organization, is a must for anyone to have long term success.
It’s been said that there are 7 keys moments in a person’s life that lead them to commit their lives to Jesus. . . You never know what stage a person is at that you share the Gospel with.
Finding the place of serving in your passion that intersects with meeting a real need will result in making a big difference in the world.
Karl Vaters has an international impact in the small church space through his books, conferences, podcasts and teaching materials. His passion for the small church as well as the small church leader is contagious.
“Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward.” by Vernon Law
Self-awareness protects leaders from self-deception. Honest feedback is a guardrail for character and culture.
Build discipleship around practice, not just information. People grow through doing, feedback, and repetition in relationships.
In this episode, Dale Sellers & Joseph Bennett interview trauma counselor Bridget Trammell about trauma, triggers, religious abuse, purity culture, and practical steps pastors can take to heal and lead healthier churches.
We usually have it backwards. . . Most of us rest from work. However, God’s desire for us is that we work from rest.
Fault leads to shame; responsibility leads to freedom. Responsibility shows you what you can actually change and release what you cannot control.
Discernment stays human. AI can help refine communication, brainstorm, or summarize—but leaders must verify and own what’s shared.
Connection starts with God first. If leaders are not connected to God, they will not lead people into meaningful connection.
Kids ministry deserves top-tier support. If the mission includes evangelism and disciple-making, the next generation should be resourced accordingly.
Most pastors aren’t refusing rest—they’re trapped by systems. Without a plan (and a bench), even a short break can feel impossible.
Preparation beats panic. Healthy leaders build a plan before the crisis—then execute calmly when disruption hits.
Equipping can’t be reduced to a weekly performance; it requires presence, relationship, modeling, and shared life.