HOPE Network Leadership Podcast: A Podcast for Church Leaders

What if the rituals we repeat—at home, in worship, and in community—are shaping us far more than we realize? In this conversation, longtime minister George Welty shares how encountering liturgy for the first time reshaped his understanding of spiritual practices. A surprising but brief experience as a consultant for an Episcopal church in transition provided him with a new perspective on how litur...

Whether in workplaces, churches, or families conflict can become a catalyst for healing and growth when approached with humility, courage, and learned communication skills. In this episode, communication expert and evangelist Amanda Box says that conflict isn’t the problem; our lack of skill, avoidance, and defensiveness are. She offers a hopeful, practical vision: with intentional training, vulne...

What if accountability isn’t a burden to resist, but a gift that helps us grow? In this conversation, Evertt Huffard helps us rethink what accountability really means in Christian leadership. Drawing from decades of experience as a missionary, professor, school administrator, and international consultant working with churches in more than 40 nations, Evertt explains why accountability often feels...

When political tension, cultural upheaval, and congregational expectations collide, how can church leaders remain grounded? In this conversation, professor, consultant, and preacher Carlus Gupton shares what it means to lead with clarity, calm, and conviction in an age of polarization. Drawing from years of coaching ministers and teaching on systems theory, Gupton unpacks why leaders can’t stay ah...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION What if the conflict in your church isn’t really about a person—but about the system everyone is part of? In this episode, Pat Bills and leadership coach Jon Mullican explore how anxiety moves through church systems, why certain patterns keep repeating, and what it takes for leaders to respond with clarity instead of reactivity. Jon draws from family systems theory to explain w...

Episode Description What happens when a lifetime of ministry, responsibility, and relentless pace collides with the limits of the human body? In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, HOPE Network president Grady King recounts the life altering health crisis that left him in a medically induced coma, fighting sepsis, kidney failure, and multiple organ shutdowns. Doctors called his remarka...

What does strategic leadership look like in a church context? In this episode, Chris Goldman, Lead Pastor for Northwest Church (Lynnwood, WA) shares how vision, collaboration, and long‑term thinking shape healthy congregations. Chris shares how his ministry journey, including his training in business and marketing, have influenced the way he approaches organizational strategy in the church. He unp...

Jay Jarboe, one of our HOPE Network partners and a gifted encourager, joins us to share his wisdom on what makes a good leader, the importance of team leadership, and the power of coaching for church leaders and leadership teams. In this conversation, from our unpublished archives, Jay reminds us that leadership is not about heroic individuals but about communities shaped by Christ, working togeth...

In today's episode, we’re diving into one of the most important topics for any thriving organization: building a diverse leadership team. For many churches, a lack of thriving may correspond to a lack of diverse voices in the leadership room. Having differing backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences isn’t just about representation. It’s about unlocking creativity, innovation, and resilience...

In today’s episode, we explore how churches can become communities that genuinely value and include all ages, especially children. Instead of building a child-centric church, Professor Shannon Rains argues for building awareness that pays attention to all voices: young and old, male and female, outgoing and introverted. The body of Christ is a place where every member ought to play an essential ro...

Jim Martin is an encourager to the core and an extraordinary mentor. In this episode we get a peak at what makes Jim the kind of person you just want to be with. He starts by sharing the important role three mentors played in his life as he moved from being a spiritually disconnected business student to becoming a minister. Jim understands the symbiotic nature of intergenerational connections betw...