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.
Jordan Francis is the Co-Founder of RLTK, an organization that exists solely to equip leaders to better engage Gen Z. His honesty and insight into the barriers that exist in many ministries is so helpful.
Jon Sanders is the Founder of the Small Town Big Church Network, an incredible ministry to support and encourage leaders in small towns and rural contexts.
Chad has led hundreds of churches through coaching and consulting processes over the years and is our newest addition to the 95Network team. Listen in for a great conversation!
Our Enemy wants to keep leaders discouraged not just to limit our effectiveness today. But ultimately to keep us from effectively engaging the next generation.
Today, we discuss approval addiction, leading “surrendered,” negative thinking, and what remains of your passion for the next generation. Take a listen!
Today on the podcast, we discuss the 4 warning signs a ministry leader is becoming stalled. I hope this is a simple check-in for you to be honest about your own health.
We were honored to have Shawn Lovejoy join us for Episode 45 of the podcast for some straight-shootin’ leadership wisdom.
Today on the podcast, Austin interviews Dale about his own story, walking through the ministry stress that led to his open heart surgery and how he got to the place he told his friend Tony, ‘I thought I’d be there by now.’
On Episode 43, we’re joined by Danny Davis, author of Rural Church Turnaround and Pastor of Life Point Church in Odessa, MO.
On Episode 42, we chat about a recent VisionDay, Andy Stanley’s recent announcement, the story of Gideon, and 3 things that cause any leader to struggle with leading their church forward.
On Episode 41, we connect with Joe Thompson, Lead Pastor of Smithfield Christian Church. We love his genuine heart for leaders and his passion for ministry.
On Episode 40, we connect with Ryan Wakefield, founder of Church Marketing University, for some practical takeaways to lead your church forward.
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.
