The Shepherd-hearted Leader Podcast

Pastors Nate and Jodi have a conversation about being a House of Prayer for All Nations. They start by sharing what has been on their hearts. Pastor Nate shares pivotal moments in his story that shaped his heart for all nations, his early years at Emmanuel, the community surrounding the church, and the heart of the ministry. He digs into Jesus’ picture of the church in Mark 11 and Isaiah 56 which...

Every church, organization, and community experience different seasons. In this episode, Pastors Nate and Jodi have a conversation about approaching every season with optimism – it’s a reset. Nate uses the analogy of the Minnesota Vikings to explain the rhythm of seasons and the challenges organizations face such as teammate changes, prepping the current team, excepting limits, defining the win, a...

Jodi Ruch has a conversation with Brad Dennis and Michael Bartel about searching for God’s missing kids. Brad is former military search and rescue specialist, pastor, and founder of Called 2 Rescue Ministries. Michael Bartel is a missionary and founder of F.R.E.E. International, an organization designed to search for missing and trafficked kids in the United States. In this episode, they share the...

Dwight Denyes was the second lead pastor of Emmanuel. He considered himself a leader between leaders. He played a crucial role in the story of Emmanuel. Dwight is the oldest son of the founding Pastors of Emmanuel, Mark and Shirley Denyes. Before succeeding his father as lead pastor, Dwight was a successful real estate business owner and Bible teacher. In this episode, Dwight shares his personal f...

Pastor Manny Melendez is a Kids Ministry veteran with over two decades of experience leading Kids Ministry. In this episode, you will get to know Manny as he shares his story of coming to Christ and his call to ministry. Jodi and Manny talk about the difference between ministry and childcare, discipling kids, and creating a kids culture. The conversation includes the importance and challenges of k...

Darin Poli is a strategic leader who is passionate about stewardship and generosity. As an ordained minister, with a wealth of ministry experience, he has been on staff at Emmanuel since 2019 and consults churches locally and nationally. On this episode, Jodi has a conversation with Darin about his ministry background, all-things Kingdom Builders, and stewardship. You will even hear about his favo...

Pastors Nate and Jodi have a conversation about equipping potential leaders. In this episode, they share scriptures, personal stories, examples from church, and work through many of the concepts for equipping potential leaders presented in Chapter Five of John Maxwell’s book “Developing the Leaders Around You.” It’s time to take off the training wheels, let go of the bike, and let potential leader...

Pastor JonCarlos is an anointed worship leader, recognized both locally and nationally, song writer, credentialed minister, husband, father, and bike enthusiast. He has been the Lead Worship Pastor at Emmanuel since 2013. In this episode, Pastor Nate and Pastor Jon Carlos have a conversation about the dynamic relationship between the Lead Pastor and the Worship Pastor. The conversation starts with...

Pastors Nate and Jodi Ruch talk about the uncharted territory that churches face in current culture. Nate compares ministry to the 1800’s western expansion of civilization. As people moved westward, there were many challenges and shortages. Likewise, ministers are facing challenges: 1) People are influenced by other voices, 2) New generations don’t seek advice from parents/elders, and 3) Pastors a...

Pastor Phil Johnson is a credentialed minister with over 14 years of youth ministry experience. He served at Emmanuel for 11 years as Youth Pastor, Next Gen Director, and on the Executive team. Phil is recognized locally and nationally for his youth expertise. In this episode, Jodi and Phil have a conversation about shepherding the next generation. They talk about the challenges facing leaders, qu...

In this episode, Pastor Jodi Ruch has a conversation with Rev. Joe Anderson. They discuss Joe's connection to Emmanuel, provide an overview of his ministry assignments, and talk about his journey to faith and how he met his wife. Joe candidly responds to questions about his book “The Tension of Redemption” and dives deeper into his story of overcoming addiction. There are powerful insights about p...

Pastors Nate and Jodi share the heart behind the recent sermon series, “So You Believe, Now What?” In this episode, they dive deeper into the key concepts covered in the series: following Jesus, principles for life, being synced up with Jesus, freedom, and the supernatural. They tackle tough questions, share personal experiences, and give powerful insights on discipleship. As Shepherd-hearted lead...

Nate Ruch has a conversation with Wayne Northup, Founding Pastor of Saints Community Church in New Orleans. Wayne shares his journey of becoming a shepherd-hearted pastor. While visiting New Orleans, God gave Wayne an unusual burden for the city. He shares the process of moving to New Orleans and planting Saints Community Church. Wayne experienced years of success as a traveling evangelist. Howeve...

Pastor Jodi has a conversation with Susie Larson, best-selling author, speaker, and host of the popular radio show Susie Larson Live. Susie is a shepherd-hearted leader. In this podcast, Susie shares what the Lord has put in her heart, how she manages the many aspects of ministry, her heart behind her latest book Waking Up to the Goodness of God, and insights for aspiring leaders. This is a heartf...

Pastors Nate and Jodi reflect on their 30 years of marriage. In this episode, they share five key takeaways for improving marriage: 1) Remember we are on the same team, 2) look in the mirror, 3) play the long game, 4) get physical, and 5) learn to forgive. They are transparent about the various seasons of their marriage and reflect on having their kids in sports. As Shepherd-hearted leaders, we ne...

Pastor Nate has a conversation with New York Times best-selling author John Burke. They talk about life, ministry, his studies of NDEs (near death experiences), and what lead John to write the books “Imagine Heaven” and “Imagine the God of Heaven.”  There are many key take aways for Shepherd-hearted leaders such as the importance of following the Spirit, having an evangelistic heart, and trusting...

Whether you like it or not, leading change is a necessary part of being a Shepherd-hearted leader. In this episode, Pastors Nate and Jodi have a conversation about being a change agent. From coaching little league football to leading in ministry, we can move chaos into functionality. It takes discernment, pacing, and understanding the people you’re leading. Some people want change and others don’t...

Have you ever thought what it looks like to hand off your role to a successor?  Shepherd-hearted leaders prepare others to lead.  In this episode, Pastors Nate and Jodi have a conversation about Nate’s studies on succession. He unpacks scripture, gives insights for picking mentors, and shares how to position yourself to be prepared. Individuals can make the most of their opportunities while prepar...

Did you realize unforgiveness can be more subtle than we think? How do shepherd-hearted leaders forgive the small things? Every leader is going to have many opportunities to forgive daily. In this episode, Pastors Nate and Jodi share some of their personal stories on how forgiveness has played out in their lives. Frustration, anger, disappointment, and high expectations are a few of the symptoms o...

All of us need to forgive, but Kevin shares his story of taking forgiveness to the next level. How does a shepherd-hearted leader handle forgiving something significant? Kevin Ramsby shares his story of a frightful event that happened to him while pastoring in Detroit, Michigan. Ramsby found himself the victim of a violent crime being stabbed 37 times. As he prayed, God interrupted him and gave hi...

Shepherd-hearted leaders take time to reflect on the past as they look to the future. In this episode, Pastors Nate and Jodi reflect on the changes Emmanuel has experienced over the past 10 years. They talk about highlights and challenges from 2023 (including personal thoughts about Israel trip and sabbatical). Then the conversation shifts to the future. Although we can anticipate some challenges...

Just a few months before assuming the Senior Pastor role at Emmanuel, Pastor Nate sat down with the founding Pastor G. Mark Denyes for a conversation. They talked about the history of the church, the future, the importance of the Bible and prayer. There was laughter and thoughtful insights for today’s shepherd-hearted leader. You will be inspired by the timeless wisdom of the late G. Mark Denyes w...

We all experience times where we hit the wall, where passion for work or ministry seems to have disappeared. How do we find it again? Shepherd-hearted leaders persevere even when the passion for the assignment goes away. Elijah is just one of the many biblical examples of overcoming loss of passion. In this episode, Pastors Nate and Jodi share how mentors, persevering, following the lead of the Sp...

Leading a business or ministry with a spouse sounds great, but there are some definite challenges. Lean into this conversation as we get real about how leading together can impact the family and those working within the organization. Shepherd-hearted leaders are aware of their leadership impact. In this episode, Pastors Nate and Jodi share some examples, both good and challenging, of working for c...

Why do some people quit? In this episode, Pastors Nate and Jodi explore the need to play the long game. They talk about pressures and opportunities that often derail leaders. When spiritual leaders drift relationally, from God and others, they put their leadership at risk. Pastors Nate and Jodi share some personal challenges they faced while leading and helpful insights they learned along the way....