Not just the form of ministry, but the fire in it (w/ Jesse Bradley)
The Courageous Pastors Podcast
Release Date: 12/16/2021
S2E6: Jeff Kapusta: Encouragement for Church Planters & The Courageous Pastors Gathering 2024
The Courageous Pastors Podcast
Shawn catches up with old friend Jeff Kapusta, Senior Pastor of Lifepoint Church in Wilmington, N.C. They talk church planting, leadership, and the upcoming Courageous Pastors Gathering being hosted at Lifepoint this February 2024.
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S2E5: Greg Surratt | The Need for Rest (Living Well & Finishing Strong)
The Courageous Pastors Podcast
Join Greg and Shawn at The Courageous Pastors Gathering 2024 this February! To register: visit Use promo code "PODCAST" for a special rate! In this episode, Shawn is joined by Greg Surratt, founding Pastor of Seacoast Church and co-founder of ARC (Association of Related Churches). Shawn and Greg discuss Greg's journey in ministry and his new book, "The Endurance Factor," which emphasizes the importance of maintaining well-being and finishing strong in ministry. --------------------------
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S2E4: Rodney Gage | Achieving the Double Win (Success at Work AND at Home)
The Courageous Pastors Podcast
In this episode, Shawn welcomes his friend Rodney Gage, Pastor, author, and co-founder of Rethink Life Church, to discuss the heart behind his bestselling book, "The Double Win: How to Win at Work and at Home." Rodney emphasizes the common struggle of work-life balance and challenges the cultural myth that success requires sacrificing one aspect of life for another. They delve into the importance of vision, values, and humility in building trust and fostering togetherness within families. Discover practical insights for achieving the double win in both your career and personal life. ---- ...
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S2E3: Harold Melton | Social Justice: The Right Response & Making an Impact
The Courageous Pastors Podcast
In this episode, Shawn Lovejoy sits down with Harold Melton, former Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. Having spent years working within the court system, Harold brings a unique perspective on the concept of justice, and defines it in three simple words: "the right response." He emphasizes the importance of personal involvement and mentorship in healing unhealed trauma, shedding light on the practical steps we can all take to contribute to positive change. Register for - Use code "PODCAST" for a discount exclusive to our podcast listeners!
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S2E2: Vance Roush, Overflow | Generosity in the Digital Age
The Courageous Pastors Podcast
Did you know, in the next decade, that most people will be holding their wealth in non-cash assets instead of their checking & savings accounts? This shift is crucial for the local church to understand, especially when it comes to giving encouragement. As times change, we must adapt our approach to align with the evolving financial realities of our congregation. Vance Roush is the Founder/CEO of Overflow, whose mission is to inspire your church with a faster, simpler and more accessible way to give. He dives into the changing landscape of wealth and its impact on the local church.
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S2E1: Chris Bell | What Kind of Culture Are You Setting?
The Courageous Pastors Podcast
This week Shawn steps back to the mic to interview one of his first coaching clients ever, Chris Bell. Shawn and Chris talk about growing in healthy ways. Growth doesn’t always equal health. Bad things, like weeds, can grow quickly. Rather than focusing just on the growth, we need to look at the soil — the culture. Every church and organization already has a culture. This leads us to questions such as: * Is the culture we have a culture we actually want? * Have we created this culture, or did it just “happen” by accident? * Are there things in our culture we need to...
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Your marriage can tell a story bigger than you (Jeremy & Corrie Isaacs)
The Courageous Pastors Podcast
In this episode, JC interviews his very best friend (and his wife’s bestie, as well), Jeremy and Corrie Isaacs. Jeremy and Corrie share a unique burden to minister marriages. They come from two different backgrounds. Jeremy’s parents had a solid marriage, but he never saw them “live out” the conflict— nor was he taught how to manage it. Corrie was raised by a single mom— with no marriage example to follow (her mother was married four times). However, she saw incredible marriages before her at church… and realized Jesus could restore everything. The two of them believe that God...
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Don't underestimate where you are now (w/ Kyle Jackson)
The Courageous Pastors Podcast
Kyle Jackson brings a unique perspective to the Courageous Pastors Podcast. Usually, with speak senior leaders, but Kyle brings his experience as a campus pastor and let us know things like: How to support the vision of the leader you’re following, as well as How to lead well when you’re not in charge He’s actually be on staff with his wife, too, for 13 of the 15 years he’s been in ministry. His wife is a worship leader where he serves. Kyle is the son of an evangelist. He walked away from church from 18-25, but reconnected when he attended a mobile church— in a high...
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How to lead like a boss when you’re not the lead guy (w/ Kevin Lloyd)
The Courageous Pastors Podcast
In this episode, Kevin and JC discuss Kevin’s journey from “his call” to pastoring to serving as an executive pastor— and how he knew he didn’t want to be the “lead guy” at the church but wanted to serve as the XP. It’s a good word. Most staff members are not going to serve as the senior pastor. Most will be the number 2, number 3, or something else. Kevin and JC talk about several important factors: ⭐️ the importance of execution— of getting things done. Specifically, the discuss vision and trust, and identify how to know when you move forward without...
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What we’ve learned from 24 leaders of various ages and different races all serving in scattered places
The Courageous Pastors Podcast
In this talk we divide the content from the past 23 talks into 7 “buckets,” that is, 7 repeating themes we saw. #1 = Be you (not a knock-off of some other leader). #2 = Take care of you. You can’t pour from an empty cup, serve from dry well, run on an empty tank… you get the idea. #3 = Race relations are tough— and are worth the work. And they’re tough. And they’re worth the work. And tough. And worth it. And they are part of bringing the presence of the Kingdom. #4 = The pandemic happened. Regardless of where you stand politically or medically or on any other issue, culture...
info_outlineJesse Bradley is a former soccer player turned pastor…
During his college days at Dartmouth, he took a introductory to world religions class, reading all the originally religious texts as part of the course requirements.
“The professor tried to undermine the Bible,” he recalls, “but Scripture is powerful.”
Jesse didn’t enroll in the class to seek Christianity, but the Christ sought him through that class.
A believer in the course offered him a steady stream of solid answer for each of this questions. Throughout the year, he continued reading. And asking. And growing.
In the end, he was a Christian.
If Covid taught us anything, it showed us that external success always comes up empty— especially when the success is removed. In fact, we might not even realize the issue until the external props are gone…
Jesse reminds us that this season gives us a chance to go back and re-write the script of our lives, to refocus on the things that matter, to go back to the reasons we got into ministry in the first place.
Jesse recently found himself on Good Morning America (GMA, link below), sharing his personal story of a near-death experience, as well as how faith reignited his passion for life after he lost his soccer career.
The road to GMA was through a series of secure podcasts, forums in which he shared his struggles— and subsequent joy— to secular audiences.
“God always opens doors,” he says, “particularly when we go to where the people He wants to reach are.”
He’s also learned the importance of working as a “city of THE church” rather than working as separate churches. As such, he partners with “Saturate the Sound,” a cohort of ministries who have aligned to reach the area he lives in Washington.
They’ve rejected competition and isolation and chosen partnership. The result is a city-wide vision that’s featured him exchanging pulpits with a Korean pastor (translator included!) and other opportunities to achieve more together.
It’s easy to fall in love with “running the ministry” and counting the “results” of the work than falling in love with the Christ over the ministry and the people in the ministry.
Again, Covid offers us a chance to reset, to refocus, to start-over…
Reject the mere “form” of ministry and catch the “fire,” Jesus reminds us…
And, as Shawn adds, “Jesus wasn’t teaching a different text than the Pharisees. He taught the same text, but He put LIFE in it…”
That’s a good word…
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Links for this show
Grace Community Church = https://www.graceinauburn.com/
Jesse’s website = JesseBradley.org
Social Media links =
https://twitter.com/jessejbradley
https://www.instagram.com/jessejbradley/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-bradley-4952488a/
Jesse shares his story on GMA, for Faith Friday = https//youtu.be/8OkDTx2tbqw
Free Teams Crash Course = www.TeamsCrashCourse.com