The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! Too often we place too much emphasis on things that can be seen and parts that can be platformed. But when was the last time you actually stopped to consider that each one of us are uniquely gifted for a part to play and a purpose to fulfill? Let's talk about why the different parts of the body matter, and how you and I can lead ourselves and others...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! By now, you've probably heard about the outpouring at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. In this episode we talk with Pastor Nathan Smith , an Executive Pastor at The Refuge Church in Kannapolis, North Carolina, about his history with Asbury and his recent trip to experience the revival first hand. We know you'll love the sincerity and hum...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! Sometimes God asks us questions that He already knows the answer to, and those moments can lead to some pretty massive revelations. Like the day when God asked me this seemingly simple question: "What's the difference between an army and an end-time army?" No, it isn't a riddle, and, yes, the answer is important. Extremely important....

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! If you're a leader like me, you can relate to the first chapter of Jeremiah. God - yeah, THE GOD - tells Jeremiah that He's appointed him as a prophet to the nations, and reassures Jeremiah that he's been known since he was in his mother's womb. That's a pretty strong endorsement, right? And yet, Jeremiah pushes back. He's t...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! Do I wish I could have interviewed John Mark Comer for this episode? In my best Minnesotian accent: "You betcha!" But instead, we'll just settle for a John Mark quote along with some of the insights I've gained by reading and listening to quite a bit of his stuff. (And we'll work toward an interview someday down the road!!) Here&...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! If you could boil an entire year down to just one word, what would that word be? For me, in 2023, that word would be PROCLAIM . But as we'll discover in the episode, there are a few things that we need to do first in order to ensure that we have something to say when we're given the opportunity to say something.  Sure, that last sentence was a...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! As I learned while trying to drill holes into brick walls, a job that can be done gets frustrating fast when you try to do it with the wrong tools. But the moment I used the right drill bit and the right screws turned into a one-on-one  conversation with the Father about how He made the right tools for the job, and about how frustrating the Great Commiss...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! There are oils for everything! There is an oil to keep you from getting bitten by mosquitoes, and an oil to help you sleep.  Would you believe me if I told you that there's even an oil to help you get through this year's midterm elections? ("What???? Why didn't you tell me sooner??!!??") In Matthew 25, Jesus told a story about 10...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! One day, Evan DiDio decided to try an experiment with thumbnails on YouTube, and that one decision changed the trajectory of his life. Not only his but the millions who have seen the videos that he's helped publish on YouTube, including the witches who joined his church live stream simply because they saw a title and a thumbnail that made them curio...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! Back in 2005, U2 introduced the world to the catchy tune, "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For." On this episode of The Reluctant Leader Podcast with Paul Jenkins, Paul explains how U2 got it wrong, and why we need to embrace the truth that we always find what we're looking for. Grab a Bible or Bible app, find Proverbs 11:...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! No matter how big or how small your church, business, or organization is, you've got something in common with all the other leaders in all the other places: you need more money and people. In short, you need more resources so you can do more of what you're called to do. This may surprise you, but that's not a new problem. In fact, even Jes...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! There are some stories in the Bible that never make it into the Sunday School teaching cycle, and on this episode of the podcast, Paul tackles one of them. Apparently, if you whittle some stripes into some sticks, you can grow a pretty impressive herd of animals that will set you up for future success! Since none of us really want a large flock of animal...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! Community is one of those words that gets thrown around in the church, but most of us only have a surface level understanding of what it means in real life. Enter Doug Bursch , a witty, humble pastor from the Seattle area, who provides listeners of the podcast a MASTERCLASS on Biblical community. In a way that is authentic and relatable, Doug shares abou...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! Dallas Willard once wrote: " Business is an amazingly effective means of delivering God’s love to the world by loving, serving, and providing for one another. God loves the world (John 3:16), and because he does, he has arranged the enterprise and organization of business as a primary moving force to demonstrate this love throughout human history. &...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! For our TENTH EPISODE, we're coming at you from quarantine!! What happens when you spend a long weekend in quarantine with The B99 because you both tested positive for COVID? Obviously, you find a new show to binge, and we found "The Rookie" on ABC which was surprisingly entertaining. But more importantly, you find yourself thinking about...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! Pastor Alan DiDio leads a small church in a small place that’s making a huge impact all around the world, and we're thrilled to welcome him back for a conversation about Gideon, another person from a small place that made a huge impact. Not only is Gideon often misrepresented as fearful, but he also points us to some timely lessons about how present...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! Sometimes we all find ourselves in what Antoine Lassiter calls "the messy middle." It's that place where we find ourselves caught between what we know God can do and what we still haven't seen God actually do. Too many times, we rush out of that place and miss the power that comes from answering the Biblical call to lament.  Antoine a...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! On June 2, 2017, Tiffany's life was turned upside down when she suffered a shark attack while  on vacation with her husband, J.J., in the Bahamas. But what the devil meant to kill, steal, and destroy, God has taken and used to show His glory, miracles, hope, peace, and love. That attack birthed a testimony of the power of God, and what it means to b...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! What would you do if you were the target of false accusations, and the very platform you'd been given was suddenly ripped out from beneath you? That's the situation that my guest, David Benham , faced along with his brother, Jason, in 2014 when HGTV pulled the plug on their reality show "Flip It Forward" just as it was about to premie...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! Grab a cup of coffee and pull up a chair for a conversation between Paul and his friend Brian Johnson , a pastor, coach, and advocate through his church and ministry in Albemarle, North Carolina.  One of the things you'll love about Brian is his bold honesty and transparency concerning the obstacles we all face in our relationships, and how he think...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! In this episode of The Reluctant Leader Podcast, Paul welcomes good friend, Pastor Jay Stewart , the Founding and Lead Pastor of The Refuge Church in Kannapolis, North Carolina.  As you listen to Jay's story, we think you'll be encouraged to see your own story differently. Over a span of 4 decades of faithful ministry, Jay has seen firsthand th...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! What would you do if the Lord asked you to step away from the comfort you’d always known right into a discomfort He’d always loved? For David Docusen , it meant a step of obedience that changed the trajectory of his life, and launched him into a ministry that is beautiful, daunting, and full of hope. After pastoring in the local church for twenty years,...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! Pastor Alan DiDio leads a small church in a small place that’s making a huge impact all around the world. When the Holy Spirit asked Pastor Alan to think through how church might change if it was only available online, it was months before the work had even heard of COVID. As he and his church leaned into that question, they began to intentionally engage...

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! If you've ever felt the call to lead anyone or anything, you've asked the same questions that Paul talks about in this episode: Am I enough? Do I have enough? While those two questions can make us reluctant to lead, it's the answers that God gives us that can help us overcome that reluctance with faith in who He is more than in who we are....

Got questions or comments? Text them to me! For as long as I can remember, people told me I was a leader. And for as long as I can remember, I’ve been reluctant to lead. So I did what was obvious. I read books on leadership. Lots of them. So many books. Guess what? They've all made me better, but none of them erased this suspicion that somehow we’ve idolized leadership in the church.  We&apos...