Podcast: LEADERSHIP

CNLP 817 | Grieving Your Ministry Wounds: Father Ronald Rolheiser and John Mark Comer on Getting Past Bitterness and Giving Your Life and Death Away

Father Ron Rolheiser has thought longer and harder about grief, aging, leadership, bitterness, and surrender than almost anyone alive. John Mark Comer joins me to co-interview him on what ministry actually costs, why so many leaders end up bitter, and what it looks like to give your life away before it’s taken from you. πŸ”—…

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CNLP 816 | The Brutal Reality of Pastoring: John Ortberg on Leadership Pain, the Introvert’s Ministry Dilemma, and Dealing With the Job You Didn’t Sign Up For

John Ortberg has spent decades leading churches, writing books, and teaching leaders. But every leader has parts of the job they’re not naturally good at. In this conversation, John opens up about pain in leadership, what it’s like to be an introvert in ministry, and how to handle the work you’d rather avoid. πŸ”— Show…

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CNLP 815 | The Death of Secularism: Matt Chandler on Why Pastors Shouldn’t Wear Capes and When the Church Is All Wood and No Fire

Matt Chandler doesn’t pull punches. The lead pastor of The Village Church joins Carey to talk about why wearing a cape doesn’t help anyone, the death of secularism, and why the church is all wood and no fire. Matt also opens up about the moment he almost quit, what Spurgeon taught him about suffering, and…

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Stillness Under Siege: Finding Rest Under Impossible Pressure

Free Resource: Craft a Rule of Life for Emotionally Healthy Leaders β†’ emotionallyhealthy.org/rule In 2004, I stood in front of a building we couldn't afford to renovate, a staff team with the wrong people in the wrong seats, and a list of problems that all traced back to my own failures as a leader. I…

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CNLP 814 | Networking Without the Awkward: Michael Bungay Stanier on Better 1:1s and Building a Path No One Else Is Walking

Networking feels fake because most people do it wrong. Michael Bungay Stanier has a better way. In this conversation, MBS breaks down how to connect without the cringe, the seven questions you need to ask to run 1:1s that actually matter, and build a career path nobody handed you. Plus: a deep dive into self-publishing…

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CNLP 813 | Church Trends Update: Your Congregation Is Being Discipled 49 Hours a Week (And Not By You), The Wrong Convo About AI, Women Leaving, and the Anti-Celebrity Pastor

Six months into 2026, four church trends deserve a closer look. Algorithms are discipling your congregation 49 hours a week. AI’s biggest threat isn’t promptsβ€”it’s disruption on a scale the church isn’t ready for. Women are still leaving, and now we know why. And a new kind of megachurch pastor is quietly emerging. Here’s what’s…

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CNLP 812 | Creativity Is the Church’s Lost Superpower: Al Gordon on How Stress and Algorithms Are Killing Your Imagination and How to Unlock Creativity in Your Team

Most leaders don’t think of themselves as creative. Al Gordon says that’s the lie keeping you stuck. Al, founder of Renaissance, lead pastor of SAINT in East London, talks about why creativity is the church’s lost superpower, how stress and algorithms are quietly killing your imagination, and what it actually takes to unlock creativity in…

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You Are Not God: Experience the Freedom of Stopping

Free Resource: Rule of Life for Emotionally Healthy Leaders β†’ emotionallyhealthy.org You were made for glorious work. But you were also made to stop. Most of us know how to produce, build, plan, and push through. What we struggle with is the hidden life. The stopping. The surrendering. The trusting when no one can see…

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CNLP 811 | The Myth of 10,000 Hours: David Epstein on How Creativity Actually Works and Why Constraints Set You Free

New York Times bestselling author David Epstein talks about why Malcolm Gladwell’s 10000-hour rule isn’t accurate, how he and Malcolm became friends, how creativity actually works (what you can learn from Dr. Seuss), and why constraints and limits set you free. πŸ”— Show Notes πŸ€– AI and the Future Church – NEW BOOK! πŸ—£οΈ Preaching…

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CNLP 810 | The End of Anxiety? Joshua Becker on Spiritual Minimalism and When Enough is Enough

Former pastor, minimalist, and New York Times bestselling author Joshua Becker returns to the podcast. He discusses why he left ministry to pursue a fresh calling, how minimalism can usher in an end to anxiety, when enough is enough, and how decluttering can be good for your soul. πŸ”— Show Notes πŸ€– AI and the…

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