Author name: Emily Heaton

Lance Witt

“High trust makes high performance possible. It’s a soft skill, but it’s foundational to building healthy teams, especially in ministry where trust is an even higher currency.” Meet Lance Witt, founder of REPLENISH ministries. In today’s episode, Lance shares insights on balancing health and high performance within ministry leadership. He also explains the importance of avoiding burnout, setting strategic priorities, and how church leaders can create space to think and focus on what truly matters. Lance shares his journey from workaholism to a more balanced approach and explores how leaders can effectively combine hard work with healthy rhythms.

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Zac Stephens

“Vulnerability with those closest to you can provide clarity and healing in ways you don’t expect.” Meet Zac Stephens, lead pastor of Faith Promise Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. In today’s episode, Zac shares his unique journey from growing up as a pastor’s kid to stepping into the role of lead pastor, highlighting the integrity of his parents and how they prepared him for ministry rather than shielding him from its challenges. Zac talks about the weight of leadership that comes with senior roles and the unexpected personal responsibility that hit him during his first 90 days as lead pastor. In addition, Zac shares practical insights into the mental strategies he’s adopted and how the support system around him played a crucial role in his transformation.

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Lenny Barber

Don’t underestimate the power of a two-year-old church. Today’s conversation with Lenny Barber, Pastor and planter of The House Church in Ferguson, MO, reminds us of the importance of pastors’ spiritual health and purity of motives in planting. Discover how Pastor Lenny continues to build up a church with multicultural intentionality to welcome people into a space that reflects the diversity of their city.

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Ben Pilgreen

In this episode of Leaders in Living Rooms, host Sean Morgan sits down with Ben Pilgreen, the lead pastor of Epic Church in San Francisco, to explore the nuances of leadership in different church seasons. From the early days of church planting to the current challenges of leading an established congregation, Ben shares his journey, insights, and the evolution of his leadership style. He also touches on the personal transitions happening in his life as his children grow older, paralleling the shifts in his leadership role at the church.

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David Hibiske

“We’re not after control…we’re after a common goal.” In today’s episode, David Hibiske guides us through eight steps of aligning your ministry after you’ve launched. It’s one thing to be busy, and it can be an entirely different thing to be effective. We’re reminded in today’s episode that we’re not after busyness, but we’re after traction in our mission. Listen in for a ton of practical questions to ask each step of the way and helpful tools to get your ministry in alignment after you’ve launched.

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Sean Morgan

The Information Age has created something unique for our times: young leaders now have access to more information than ever before. However, this abundance and opportunity for education have led to what can be termed “great miseducation.” Young leaders are highly informed but not fully formed, often lacking the wisdom, character, and learned experience essential for effective leadership. The need for genuine relationships has never been greater, and this open door presents a significant opportunity for the right people to step forward. But who are these right people?

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Kenton & Laurie Beshore

Kenton and Laurie Beshore share their invaluable insights on maintaining a healthy balance between ministry and family life. Laurie highlights the “wear and tear” that ministry can have on marriages and families and offers practical tips during the differentiation stage of your kids’ lives. Discover what questions Laurie would ask a young leader after her 40 years in ministry.

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Brian Tome

Today, we welcome Brian Tome, senior pastor of Crossroads Church, for an engaging discussion on the crucial topic of leadership development within the church. Don’t miss insights into the biblical basis for leadership development, practical steps for nurturing future leaders, and the long-term benefits of investing in the next generation. Brian Tome shares his unique perspective on why leadership development is not only vital but also a biblical mandate.

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Sean Morgan

Can you imagine if just one of the rowers decided to stop rowing and take a breather, or worse, dip their oar in the water while they rested? Any leader of a high-performing organization (and I hope you believe your church should be high-performing!) deserves to have a team that is fully aligned.

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Jenni Catron

Clarity, trust, and connection. These are the building blocks of a healthy team culture. Meet Jenni Catron, a leadership coach, author, and speaker passionate about cultivating healthy leaders to lead thriving organizations. In today’s episode, you’ll learn about striking a balance between shouldering the responsibility, but not all the weight, of course-correcting a culture toward healthy.

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Tim Celek

“Assignments change, but your calling doesn’t.” Meet Tim Celek, Senior Director of Post-Launch Services at Stadia. In today’s episode, guest host, Sean Morgan, leads a conversation with Tim to help us understand the nuances of calling and evangelism in the church today. You’ll hear what Tim has noticed trending in church planters within the last five years, and how to instill an evangelism mindset in the core of your church.

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Daniel Im

“Church growth isn’t what’s propelling us forward—it’s the Great Commission.” Meet Daniel Im, pastor, Bible teacher, writer, and podcast host with a passion for the local church. In this episode, Sean and Daniel explore the delicate balance between pastoral care and visionary leadership, emphasizing the importance of maintaining both to avoid becoming stagnant. Daniel shares his insights on the evolving dynamics of discipleship and evangelism, arguing for a reliance on the Holy Spirit’s work in sparking interest in the things of God.

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Katie Fisher

Getting to the finish line on making a decision can be exhausting and the wave that washes over us once resolve and resolution are reached is just peaceful enough to tempt us into believing that the hard work is done. In reality, we’ve simply finished the swim portion in the triathlon of leadership

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