GraceLed Conversations

Church Revitalization is a challenging but incredibly rewarding (and needed) work. We sat down with Byron Brown, Pastor at Redemption Church in Lacombe, LA to talk through what he's learned from his own experience in revitalization as well as the role of mentoring in the life of the pastor. One of the results of this ministry has been the formation of the Remind Conference, an annual event serving pastors in the region with the encouragement from John 21 to "Feed the sheep, Shepherd the sheep, and Follow Him."

For more information on the Remind Conference or to sign up for this year's event on August 11-12, 2025, visit https://remindconference.org.

Byron Brown has been the Pastor at Redemption Church in Lacombe, LA for over 21 years, previously serving at churches in both New Orleans and Grand Isle. He is also the founder of the Remind Conference, now entering it's third year.

Rob Russell is the Director of Business Development at GraceLed, a digital communications agency serving churches and nonprofits with everything from branding and web design to social media, print design, and digital marketing. He has been in ministry for over 12 years, both pastoring in New Orleans and church planting in New York City.

GraceLed Conversation is a joint podcast by Send Network Louisiana and GraceLed Communications. Learn more about the podcast by visiting https://www.graceled.org/podcast.

Leading a church by yourself isn’t sustainable. Not only does it get increasingly difficult as your church grows, you also set your church up for failure if you become unable to lead. Healthy, responsible church leadership means investing in your church’s future by raising up tomorrow’s leaders. In the latest episode of GraceLed Conversations, we sit down with Ken Schroeder, a pastor with a wealth of experience in church leadership. After decades spent leading his church, Ken was put in the unique position of feeling called to plant a new church in his 60s. He shares some of the insights he’s gained about what good church leadership looks like, and how pastors can invest in the future of the Church by creating a culture of leadership development. Ken Schroeder is the church planter and one of the co-pastors at Sweetwater Church in Abita Springs, LA. After relocating from Texas in the 90s and serving multiple decades at FBC Mandeville, God called Ken to this new work reaching people in Abita and raising up the next generation of leaders.Rob Russell is the Director of Business Development at GraceLed, a digital communications agency serving churches and nonprofits with everything from branding and web design to social media, print design, and digital marketing. He has been in ministry for over 12 years, both pastoring in New Orleans and church planting in New York City.GraceLed Conversation is a joint podcast by Send Network Louisiana and GraceLed Communications. Learn more about the podcast by visiting https://www.graceled.org/podcast.

We all want to see our churches grow, but how do you actually use digital tools to get more people through the doors, and what do you do once they’re there? From running Plan a Visit ads on Facebook to rethinking how staff and volunteers connect with first-time guests, Christine Aparicio and Colby Rimes from First Baptist Church Covington share their insights on what it means for a church to be a welcoming place for guests. 

Christine Aparicio is the Communications Director at FBC Covington, helping coordinate logistics and messaging for ministries across the church. Colby Rimes serve as FBC's Connections Pastor, overseeing the entire process from welcoming first time guests to seeing people get connected and growing through the ministry of the church.

Rob Russell is the Director of Business Development at GraceLed, a digital communications agency serving churches and nonprofits with everything from branding and web design to social media, print design, and digital marketing. He has been in ministry for over 12 years, both pastoring in New Orleans and church planting in New York City.

GraceLed Conversation is a joint podcast by Send Network Louisiana and GraceLed Communications. Learn more about the podcast by visiting https://www.graceled.org/podcast.

On this special episode of GraceLed Conversations, we sat down with Jay Sigl, the founder of GraceLed, to discuss our new book: Meet Them Where They Are.

Jay has been serving churches both as a church member and through his digital marketing business for over 20 years.

In our book, we dive into every aspect of a church's online presence and offer a practical, step by step guide for digital outreach.

Whether your ministry uses GraceLed's services or not, we want this to be a resource to you and your team, which is why we're offering Meet Them Where They Are for FREE (All we ask is that you cover the shipping cost!).

You can learn more and request your FREE copy at https://www.graceled.org/book

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/X8ux0FqAzfc

Two of the most helpful tools your church can use to be more visible with your surrounding community are the Google Business Profile and Apple Maps. Getting listed and verified on these services isn't always straightforward, unfortunately, which is why we filmed this episode! We sat down with Andrew Hollingsworth, a church planter in Mandeville, LA, to walk through the practical steps he took to get his church listed and begin optimizing their profiles with Google and Apple to make their new church more easy to discover online.

Claim your church's Google Business Profile: https://business.google.com/us/business-profile/

Create your church's listing on Apple Maps: https://www.apple.com/business/connect/

Watch our webinar with steps on building and optimizing your profiles: https://www.graceled.org/webinars/the-2024-guide-to-google-business-profile-for-churches

Fr. Andrew Hollingsworth is the Priest and Vicar of Church of the Holy Trinity: An Anglican Mission. He resides in Mandeville, LA with his wife, Katie, and son, William. In addition to being a priest and church planter, Andrew serves as a philosopher and theologian, publishing books and articles on the philosophy of religion and important Christian doctrines, such as the Trinity. He teaches with Kairos University as an Affiliate Professor.

Rob Russell is the Director of Business Development at GraceLed, a digital communications agency serving churches and nonprofits with everything from branding and web design to social media, print design, and digital marketing. He has been in ministry for over 12 years, both pastoring in New Orleans and church planting in New York City.

GraceLed Conversation is a joint podcast by Send Network Louisiana and GraceLed Communications. Learn more about the podcast by visiting https://www.graceled.org/podcast.

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5SS5f5aHN84

How can you and your church take the next step in supporting church planting across Louisiana? Join Lane Corley, Director of Send Network Louisiana, as we discuss why church planting is essential and how every church—no matter the size or resources—can participate in the mission. With years of experience as a church planter and pastor, Lane shares inspiring stories, practical steps, and biblical principles for collaborating in church planting. Whether your congregation is ready to send a new church plant, offer support, or help through prayer, this episode provides actionable insights for what it looks like to get involved through Send Network Louisiana and the North American Mission Board.

Learn more about Send Network's Church Mobilization Pathway by visiting https://www.namb.net/send-network/mobilize/.

Rob Russell is the Director of Business Development at GraceLed, a digital communications agency serving churches and nonprofits with everything from branding and web design to social media, print design, and digital marketing. He has been in ministry for over 12 years, both pastoring in New Orleans and church planting in New York City.

Lane Corley offers direction for church planters throughout his state as the Director of Send Network Louisiana, part of the North American Mission Board. He is also a church planter and one of the pastors at Bridge Church in Madisonville, LA.

GraceLed Conversation is a joint podcast by Send Network Louisiana and GraceLed Communications. Learn more about the podcast by visiting https://www.graceled.org/podcast.

A common sentiment is that pastoral ministry can be a lonely calling, but this doesn't have to be the case. There are other leaders shepherding congregations throughout your city that can be great sources of both friendship and partnership as you look to share the gospel and make disciples, even across church traditions. In this episode, we sat down with Jason Wood to discuss building relationships across denominational lines, navigating the challenges that come with ecumenical ministry, and the potential the collaborative work has for citywide gospel movements.

During our conversation, Jason mentions an organization that helps church leaders start collaborative movements in their cities called Christ Together. You can learn more about Christ Together by visiting https://christtogether.org.

Jason Wood is the pastor at Faith Presbyterian Church (EPC) and a leader in an interdenominational group of churches across St. Tammany Parish called Awaken. He has served on the Northshore for nearly 14 years with his wife, Megan, and their three kids.

Rob Russell is the Director of Business Development at GraceLed, a digital communications agency serving churches and nonprofits with everything from branding and web design to social media, print design, and digital marketing. He has been in ministry for over 12 years, both pastoring in New Orleans and church planting in New York City.

GraceLed Conversation is a joint podcast by Send Network Louisiana and GraceLed Communications. Learn more about the podcast by visiting https://www.graceled.org/podcast.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/j8wAW_DJols

Whether it's Sunday school, home groups, or another model, most churches and church planters are looking for ways to gather people outside of their main worship services in order to build relationships, study Scripture, serve together, and encourage on another as they live for Jesus.

In this episode, we sat down with Bill Boren for a discussion on all things small groups—from choosing between sermon based discussion guides or full curriculum to creating a pipeline for leaders with an approach to "shared leadership".

Bill Boren has served with First Baptist Church Covington, LA for almost 19 years. He has spent time serving with youth and family ministries and currently leads their strategy and content, and leadership development for Connect Groups as the church's Discipleship Pastor.

Rob Russell is the Director of Business Development at GraceLed, a digital communications agency serving churches and nonprofits with everything from branding and web design to social media, print design, and digital marketing. He has been in ministry for over 12 years, both pastoring in New Orleans and church planting in New York City.

GraceLed Conversation is a joint podcast by Send Network Louisiana and GraceLed Communications. Learn more about the podcast by visiting https://www.graceled.org/podcast.

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-fFz2TEMUOc

Every church planter has their own stories of God's calling and their journey to serve their community, live on mission, and share the love of Jesus. For Jacob Crawford, the past two decades of ministry has often led him to serving in marginalized communities. In this episode, we sat down with Jacob to hear what God has taught him about calling, missions, and faithfulness over the years.

Jacob Crawford works with the Louisiana Baptist Convention as a Church Planting Strategist as well as with Send Network as a Church Planting Catalyst. He has had the opportunity to be involved in church planting throughout Louisiana (most recently in New Orleans) for almost 20 years with a particular emphasis on reaching marginalized communities.

Rob Russell is the Director of Business Development at GraceLed, a digital communications agency serving churches and nonprofits with everything from branding and web design to social media, print design, and digital marketing. He has been in ministry for over 12 years, both pastoring in New Orleans and church planting in New York City.

GraceLed Conversation is a joint podcast by Send Network Louisiana and GraceLed Communications. Learn more about the podcast by visiting https://www.graceled.org/podcast.

Watch this episode on YouTube:: https://youtu.be/aur-jKlm8xU

Whether it's unbiblical expectations, relational tension, or secondhand trauma, pastors are regularly exposed to various areas of what we call "pastoral pain." In this episode, we sit down with Don Pucik to discuss how pastors can navigate the various struggles associated with ministry, the importance of resting in the Lord in the midst of our busyness, and why every pastor needs to be pastored.

Don Pucik is the Missions Strategist for the Northshore Baptist Association, a network of 96 Southern Baptist Churches in southeast Louisiana. Prior to his current role, Don has served in multiple churches as a Senior Pastor, Associate Pastor, in a denominational role for 10 years, as an editor with Lifeway, and as a church planter in southern California.

Rob Russell is the Director of Business Development at GraceLed, a digital communications agency serving churches and nonprofits with everything from branding and web design to social media, print design, and digital marketing. He has been in ministry for over 12 years, both pastoring in New Orleans and church planting in New York City.

GraceLed Conversation is a joint podcast by Send Network Louisiana and GraceLed Communications. Learn more about the podcast by visiting https://www.graceled.org/podcast.