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.
I have known Kirk Mackie for a few years, and every time I talk with him I feel refreshed. I hope you experience the same thing as you listen to this episode today.
Today, we have another unique episode for you as we chat with Mark Juba, Senior Associate at The Church Lawyers (Our lawyers and strategic partners here at 95Network). And we’re talking through legal issues churches should understand resulting from COVID-19. We’re talking through how to navigate if you’re asked for a religious exemption letter, whether churches should be concerned about upcoming regulations, and much more.
Today, we get to share a conversation that Dale actually had over on the Thinking Church podcast with Chris Bright, co-founder of Thinking Church, a UK-based organization passionate about helping churches think clearly about the future.
I’m so excited to share today’s episode with you. Jacob King is an incredible young man who has wisdom beyond his years. He is a first-year ministry student who has a huge heart for God and for the Church.
In true 95Network fashion, we are celebrating episode 95 of The 95 Podcast! We wanted to take this week to simply reflect on all God has done and how He has provided opportunities beyond what we could have imagined. He truly is so faithful!
You may already know this, but this man changed my (Dale’s) life… Bob Hamp is the Founder of Think Differently Academy and is a Marriage & Family Therapist.
Russ Lee is the mind behind Winter Jam, a lead member of NewSong, and before that was the lead singer for the group Truth. Dale and Russ have been good friends for years now and it was so much fun to have him on the show!
In our conversation before Dale left for Sabbatical, we spent the last portion talking about when leaders start to put the pressure on their own shoulders rather than giving it to the Lord. After that episode, we had a couple pastors reach out to learn a little bit more about that, and they were willing to allow us to share the conversation with you as well!
Dale is BACK from his 40-day Sabbatical. And he has quite the story to share with you. Let’s just say that the Sabbatical went nothing like he expected… 🙂
Today we get to share a special conversation with you. Darrell Stetler is a small-church pastor in Oklahoma City as well as the creator of New Start Discipleship, a family of tools to help pastors develop a culture of real discipleship in their ministry.
With Dale still out on Sabbatical, we’ve got another unique episode for you this week! For this one, we’re sharing conference audio from our popular Growth Engines one-day event, shared as part of the Ozark Christian College Preaching-Teaching Convention in February 2020. Today we’re sharing Session 4, led by Austin, on Effective Church Communications.
It’s kind of crazy, but this podcast has almost been around for 2 years! 84 episodes ago, we had a really great conversation with Tony Morgan, founder of The Unstuck Group, as we walk through 10 characteristics of unstuck churches. This was pre-pandemic and is a great conversation to ground us and remind us of our purpose and our direction.
Equipping can’t be reduced to a weekly performance; it requires presence, relationship, modeling, and shared life.
“If you got a pulse, he’s got a purpose for you.” Retirement isn’t the end of ministry; it’s a new season with fresh opportunities to serve, mentor, and impact the kingdom.
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.
Prayer is the engine, not the accessory. Easter effectiveness is not primarily about production, but about God’s presence.
Start with alignment, not content. Kevin begins sermon prep by praying, seeking God’s direction, and dealing with “known sin” to remove spiritual and emotional friction.
Less Is More—With Intentionality. Doing less with your whole heart is better than doing more and being worn out. Fewer tactics executed with great intentionality will be more effective than an overwhelming production.
Have the Conversation Before There’s a Problem. You can’t wait for something negative to happen before talking to volunteers. Schedule regular check-ins not just about their area of service but about their lives.
The personal God gets personal with us. Biblical counseling explores the active, desiring heart beneath behavior and connects it to Christ’s finished work and the Spirit’s present ministry.
America’s churches are over-inspired and under-trained. People hear great messages but don’t know how to actually do ministry. The solution is creating workshop environments where people learn by doing, not just listening.
With a possible 160,000 churches facing pastoral transitions in the next decade, there’s a critical shortage of developed leaders ready to step into these roles.
