Join a Cohort

The Unfair Advantage

With Mike Hickerson
& Andy Wood

Subscribe now on your favorite podcast app

The Unfair Advantage

Church planting is an extreme sport combining the best of entrepreneurship and church leadership. It calls for courage, tenacity, passion, and wisdom. When done right it’s one of the most rewarding endeavors on the planet. When done wrong it causes tremendous heartache and unnecessary pain. Church planters, we want to help you win early and finish strong. This podcast will help you avoid church planting land mines, grow as a leader, and discover practical tools to help you win in your local ministry context!

Subscribe Today

What Others Are Saying

No coincidence!
hiltrice
Read More
I had the pleasure of sitting next to this brother on the plane as I was travelling back home from a deployment. We talked and he told me about his ministry. Instantly I was intrigued, so I look forward to listening to the podcasts!
So helpful!
Kurt Duggleby
Read More
This is such a helpful resource for those in, coming up to, or coming out of leadership transition in ministry. Such a needed conversation. Feel like it's telling me my own story when I sit and listen, and it often talks me off a ledge and inspires me to keep moving forward.
Great Leadership
Drewstats
Read More
Sean is an incredible leader and has ministry relationships that he shares here that are valuable to anyone looking for the behind-the-scenes of high-powered, high-capacity leaders.
Convo with Brady
DETNNV
Read More
Great host and great content!
Previous
Next

About the Host

Mike Hickerson is the Lead Pastor of Mission Church in Ventura, CA. Mike describes himself as a church planter, lucky husband, outnumbered dad of three daughters, Oklahoma Sooner fan, coffee addict, and a struggling surfer.

Your Host

Mike Hickerson

Unfair Advantage

About the Host

Andy Wood is the Senior Pastor of Saddleback Church. Andy and his wife Stacie are answering God’s call to serve at Saddleback after over a decade of church planting. The Wood’s started South Bay Church in 2009 with two other families. South Bay Church officially changed their name to Echo.Church in January of 2018. Echo.Church has become one of the fastest growing churches in the most unchurched area of the United States and is now reaching over 2,300 people in regular attendance in three locations across Silicon Valley.

Andy’s passion is to create environments that engage the unchurched people of the Bay Area. Along with leading the church, Andy enjoys investing time in helping church planters and church leaders think more innovatively and strategically to reach people in the most unreached areas of North America. Andy and Stacie have three kids, Caedmon, Sammy, and Karis.

Your Host

Andy Wood

Unfair Advantage

The Top 10 Keys to a
Fully-Resourced Church Plant

So glad you’re here. I’m passionate about church planters and feel God’s favor in the call to serve you in your ministry. We’d love to connect with you. Go ahead and leave us your name and email address here so we can send you a free copy of our latest church planters resource: The Top 10 Keys to a Fully Resourced Church Plant. We can’t wait to help you go further, faster!

 

Recent Episodes

Mike Breaux and Gene Appel on Church Planting Before it Was Cool

“Back in that day, we didn’t have any church planting resources, any church planting organizations, books on church planting, nothing. So we just prayed.” On this episode we’re joined by Gene Appel, Senior Pastor of Eastside Christian Church, and Mike Breaux who serves on the teaching team of multiple churches throughout the country. Between them, these two ministry giants have over 60+ combined years of church planting wisdom, ministry experience, and encouragement for the next generation of leaders.
Read More

Andy Wood on Defining a Successful Church Plant and Leading a Team By Examining Character, Passion, and Shaping

What defines a successful church plant? Am I wired to lead? Do I have the right team in the right roles? On today’s episode of The Unfair Advantage, Andy Wood and Sean Morgan unpack both the qualitative and quantitative elements of a “successful” church plant.
Read More

Being Good at Home and Leading Well in Ministry Together with Andy & Stacie Wood

“Ministry and family is not an either/or. It’s both/and. But there’s certainly a priority. And if you get to the place where the family is not your priority, eventually you might have to make a choice.”
Read More

Slowing Down To Plant Well With Mike Hickerson

“Why would you waste your life right now, in the prime of your ministry, to go teach a couple hundred people at a movie theater in California?” Meet Mike Hickerson, Lead Pastor & Planter of Mission Church in Ventura, CA. In this episode, Mike shares he and his wife Jodi’s personal story as church planters and unpacks some great advice for planters that he wishes he had ten years ago.
Read More
View All

Take Your Leadership to New Heights

The Ascent equips you to lean into your God-given leadership potential.

Cohorts offer you the chance to go deeper with a small circle of peers and professional mentors so you can elevate your expertise and grow your confidence as a leader.

Learn more about upcoming cohorts by clicking below.

Find a Cohort
Join a Cohort
© 2023 The Ascent Leader. All Rights Reserved

Which Cohort are you interested in?

Transitions Leader Cohort
Church Planters Cohort
Executive Pastors Cohort

OUR PODCASTS

Leaders in Living Rooms
Craft & Character