The Shepherds Circle

What does it actually take to become a stronger influence in your church? It takes more than preaching a good sermon, giving people instructions, or simply holding the title of pastor. In this episode of The Shepherds Circle, Stan sits down with Caleb Howell and Lance Sudduth for a practical conversation about the kind of leadership that moves beyond the pulpit and into the everyday lives of the p...

Trust is one of the most valuable things a pastor or ministry leader can have; and one of the easiest things to lose. In this episode of The Shepherds Circle , Stan sits down with Caleb Howell and Lance Sudduth for a practical conversation about earning the trust to lead . In a culture where leadership failures, church hurt, and broken trust have left many people understandably cautious, how can p...

In this installment of Not Many Mighty , Stan sits down with Pastor CJ Keister of Friendship Church in Baxley, Georgia , for an honest conversation about calling, salvation, perseverance, and the realities of shepherding people. CJ grew up in church, attended Christian school, graduated from Bible college, and entered full-time ministry. From the outside, his path seemed clear. But in 2022—while a...

Not Many Mighty: Pastor Paul Dziadul In this installment of Not Many Mighty , Stan sits down with longtime friend and fellow pastor Paul Dziadul, lead pastor of Lake Wildwood Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia. Paul’s story is a powerful reminder that God often chooses the unlikely, the ordinary, and the imperfect to accomplish His purposes. From growing up as the ninth of ten children on a tobacco...

What happens when a runaway youth who feels entirely out of place among "pastor types" is unexpectedly called to ministry? In this edition of Not Many Mighty, Stan sits down with Pastor David Cromie of Edison Baptist Church in Edison, Georgia. David shares his remarkable journey from being a juvenile delinquent and a self-described "D-student" to truly surrendering his life to...

What happens when a man spends decades following his own carefully laid plans—only to finally ask, “God, what is Your agenda?” In this edition of Not Many Mighty , Stan sits down with his longtime friend and neighbor, Pastor George Riek of Orchard Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. George shares how God used a faithful Christian family to lead him to salvation at ten years old, guided him through...

How well do you really know what is happening beneath the surface of your church? Healthy shepherding requires more than preaching to people each week. It means listening carefully enough to understand how they are growing, where they are struggling, what concerns may be developing, and what needs exist within the surrounding community. In this episode of The Shepherds Circle, Stan is joined by Ca...

Few things drain a church leadership team faster than a meeting with no clear purpose, no agenda, and no end in sight. But when handled well, a meeting can do far more than fill a calendar—it can strengthen relationships, clarify priorities, encourage volunteers, and move ministry forward. In Season 3, Episode 17, Stan is joined at Howell Baptist Church in Lucedale, Mississippi by Caleb Howell, La...

What happens when believers slow down, listen carefully to Scripture, and give everyone around the circle an opportunity to share what they hear? In this special episode of The Shepherds Circle, Stan flies solo and welcomes Bill Slappy, Jacque, and Hank Fillingham for a conversation about Bible Listening Groups —a simple, highly reproducible discipleship model that is helping people engage with Go...

What happens when a room full of teenagers passionately worships... but struggles to connect their experiences back to Christ? In this episode of The Shepherds Circle , Stan is joined by Caleb Howell, Conner McLeod, and Lance Sudduth for an honest conversation about the spiritual landscape of today's generation. Sparked by Stan's recent experience speaking at youth camp, the discussion e...

Stan and Caleb sit down with 6:14 Communications & Creative Director Josh Givens for a candid conversation about artificial intelligence and its growing role in local church ministry. From sermon prep to social media graphics, this episode digs into where AI genuinely helps — and where it can quietly hurt — a church's witness. Josh unpacks a viral idea making the rounds in the design worl...

Not Many Mighty | Pastor Matt Rutland What happens when God takes a skeptical young man who walked away from church, spiraled into addiction, chased a music career, and transforms him into a faithful shepherd serving the same congregation for nearly a quarter century? In this episode of Not Many Mighty , Stan sits down with Pastor Matt Rutland , Senior Pastor of First Congregational Christian Chur...

Not Many Mighty | Pastor Jeff Abell: God Still Calls Ordinary People What does it look like to follow God's call when the path makes no sense? In this week's Not Many Mighty episode of The Shepherd's Circle , Stan sits down with Pastor Jeff Abell of Enigma Congregational Christian Church in Enigma, Georgia, to hear the remarkable story of how God transformed his life—and faithfully...

What does God's call to ministry really look like? In this episode of The Shepherd's Circle , Stan sits down with Lance Sudduth , senior pastor of Hurley Baptist Church in Mississippi, for an honest conversation about calling, perseverance, and the joy of investing in people. Lance shares how a teenager who barely grew up in church spent years running from God's call before finally...

Not Many Mighty | Pastor Jimmy Proulx: Holding On to the Call What keeps a pastor going when ministry gets hard? In this episode of Not Many Mighty , Stan sits down with Pastor Jimmy Proulx of Pleasant Hill Congregational Christian Church in Roberta, Georgia, to talk about the calling that has carried him through every season of ministry. Jimmy shares his testimony of coming to faith as a teenager...

How do pastors and church leaders guard the spiritual health and purity of the church in an increasingly challenging culture? On this episode of The Shepherds Circle , Stan is joined by Vic and Caleb for an honest conversation sparked by insights from Stan's current preaching series. Together, they explore the biblical responsibility of overseers to protect the flock, maintain the integrity o...

What should the primary goal of children’s ministry be? In this episode of The Shepherd’s Circle , Stan sits down with children’s ministry leader, author, and speaker Amber Pike of RenewANation to discuss why discipleship—not entertainment—must remain at the center of every kids ministry. Amber shares her journey from serving in children’s ministry at age 15 to now training church leaders and pare...

After a brief break for our Not Many Mighty series, Stan, Caleb, and Vic are back around the table for a candid conversation about one of the most revealing indicators of church health. How does your church feel about lost people? It's a simple question, but the answer may reveal more about a congregation than attendance numbers, budgets, buildings, or programs ever could. In this episode, th...

In this installment of Not Many Mighty , Stan sits down with longtime pastor, church planter, and Bible college president Dr. Bill Korver for a rich conversation about calling, perseverance, humble faithfulness, and the quiet fruit of a life spent serving Christ. From growing up in a blue-collar Christian home in Tulsa… to planting a church while working bi-vocational jobs… to eventually leading C...

In this episode of The Shepherd’s Circle , part of the Not Many Mighty series, Stan sits down with longtime Louisiana pastor Sam Burchard for a candid conversation about calling, ministry formation, and decades of faithful pastoral work. Rooted in 1 Corinthians 1, Not Many Mighty highlights the truth that God often calls the unlikely, the ordinary, and the overlooked to do His work—so that all glo...

In the debut episode of our Not Many Mighty segment, Stan sits down with longtime Louisiana pastor Sherman Soileau for an honest, encouraging conversation about ministry, perseverance, prayer, and the faithfulness of God across decades of shepherding people. Drawing from 1 Corinthians 1, Not Many Mighty highlights ordinary men whom God has used in extraordinary ways through humble, faithful servic...

Season 3, Episode 3 of The Shepherds Circle tackles a sobering but hopeful reality facing today’s church: pastoral burnout may be declining, but the need for healthy ministry relationships has never been greater. Drawing from new Barna research, Stan, Caleb, Vic, and Josh Hovel discuss the cultural shifts that followed COVID, why fewer pastors are considering leaving ministry, and how friendship,...

Is the era of the “cool church” coming to an end? In this week’s episode of The Shepherds Circle , we dive into a thought-provoking conversation sparked by insights from Karl Vaters—exploring the rise (and possible decline) of the attractional, mega-church model. Are bigger churches really reaching the unchurched… or just reshuffling believers? Are people still drawn to hype—or are they hungry for...

Season 3, Episode 1 — Shepherds Circle Podcast Welcome to Season 3 of The Shepherds Circle . We’re kicking things off fresh off the Shepherds Summit 2026 with a raw, honest, and deeply encouraging conversation among a room full of small church pastors and ministry leaders reflecting on what God did over the weekend—and what it means for life and ministry moving forward. Hosted by Stan Givens, Cale...

In the season finale, Stan, Vic and Josh chat about next weekend's Shepherds Summit and discuss what they love about the event.