Steve Smith on Coming to the End of Himself, Leading Revitalization, & Caring for Your Soul – Episode 75
Steve Smith is the founder of Church Equippers and has a long history of pastoral leadership and coaching.
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.
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Steve Smith is the founder of Church Equippers and has a long history of pastoral leadership and coaching.
Kaleb is the Director of Student Ministry at NewSpring Church, and a young leader with an incredible perspective and pulse for the times we’re living in.
Carl & Kalani Culley have a long history of ministry and are the pioneers of Lacamas Creek Church in Camas, WA, pastoring there for the last 25 years.
Rich Birch is one of the leading voices in church leadership today focusing on highlighting practical solutions to support leaders in impacting their communities.
Mary Ann Sibley is the founder of MatterSpark, an organization all about helping churches build leaders to build healthy volunteer teams.
Today’s episode is a masterclass from Jason Hamrock for church leaders on Google and SEO.
Amy Anderson is the Director of Consulting at The Unstuck Group, and someone we greatly respect.
Steve McVey is the Executive Director of the Dirt Roads Network, which exists to transform rural America by planting and revitalizing life-giving churches in small towns and communities.
A soul-care episode: Bill Gaultiere is a Psychologist and pastor/mentor to pastors. He writes and speaks to thousands of people every week through Soul Shepherding.
Pat Linnell is the Founder of Grace Bomb, which exists to equip churches through free resources that help their congregations grow in daily obedience to the Great Commission by loving their neighbors in unique and intentional ways.
In my book Stalled, I share about something called “the sweet spot.” This illustration came from Brad during a planning retreat I was hosting with a church staff I was on a few years ago. So I wanted to ask him to come share about it on the podcast, and offer you encouragement.
Craig Rees is the Lead Pastor of Central Wesleyan Church in Holland, MI and CEO of Water’s Edge.
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.
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.