Learn and Lead Podcast

Did you know that in 1776 there were only 65 Methodist congregations in the United States? At that time, only one in 50 people identified as Methodist. By 1850 that number grew exponentially to 13,305 Methodist congregations, and one in three people identified as Methodist. Today we are nowhere near that. What changed? Rev. Dr. Ken Nash is the lead pastor of Wesleyan Church of Hamburg in Hamburg, New York, and has overseen the launching of 15 new campuses or church plants around the country, all led by laypersons from the local church. He shares practical tips on the concept of multiplication and the "art of reproducing yourself" including the simple and effective FAN method.

About Ken: Rev. Dr. Ken Nash serves as the Lead Pastor at the Wesleyan Church of Hamburg near Buffalo, New York. His doctoral research involved the training and sending of laypersons to launch multi-site campuses. He is currently on staff at Asbury Theological Seminary as a dissertation coach. Ken is a frequent conference speaker and consultant for churches throughout the country. He is an avid sports fan and adventurist having recently completed a marathon across the Grand Canyon. His lively and creative teaching style will keep you engaged in the material and will give you a desire to live out what you have just learned. Ken married his college sweetheart, and they have three teenagers and a three year old son with Down Syndrome and lots of smiles.

Hosts: Roger Ross and Lia McIntosh

Susie has a unique perspective when it comes to reconciliation and justice issues. Canadian by birth, Korean by heritage, Mexican by marriage, American by immigration and a woman serving in ministry where the pulpit is predominately all male. She is a Kingdom worker with a heart for desegregating the local church and empowering women to know that they have a vital voice.

About Susie: Susie is Canadian by birth, Korean by heritage, Mexican by marriage and American by immigration. She is passionate about matters surrounding reconciliation, justice, and the Gospel. Susie and her husband Marcos met at Fuller Theological Seminary while getting their M.A. in Intercultural Studies and now have four beautiful LatAsian babies. After serving as a youth pastor and church planter in South Central Los Angeles for 14 years, Susie now lives in Long Beach, CA where she serves on staff with Light and Life Christian Fellowship.

Episode Description

A conversation about meeting Jesus at mile marker 164 on I-55 south, losing a child to an overdose, and walking out that pain by leading Alpha one of the most fruitful and evangelistic ministries of our time.

About Kelly: Kelly Morton loves to talk with people about most anything, especially faith. Being an only child and moving around a lot as a kid she learned young how to converse with people from all walks and backgrounds-a skill that has come in handy more than once in her life! If she is not engaged with someone talking about life you can often find her sitting on her porch reading, caring for her potted jungle and watching the bird's flit by. Coming to faith late in life (through many strange and interesting happenings and people) has changed everything. She describes herself as an "unintentional seeker of Jesus who was met with the radical mercy, love and grace of Jesus Christ" and hasn't looked back. Because of this she is passionate to share her journey of faith, especially with those who do not see themselves as people who need or want Jesus in their lives.

How do you lead when you are stuck between an ending and a new beginning-when the old way of doing things no longer works but a way forward is not yet clear? Beaumont calls such in-between times liminal seasons-threshold times when the continuity of tradition disintegrates and uncertainty about the future fuels doubt and chaos. In a liminal season it simply is not helpful to pretend we understand what needs to happen next. But leaders can still lead.

Susan Beaumont is a consultant, coach, and spiritual director. She has worked with hundreds of congregations and denominational bodies across the United States and in Canada. Susan is known for engaging the best of business practice, filtered through the lens of careful theological reflection. She moves easily between discernment and decision making and nurtures the soul of the leader along with the soul of the institution. Before establishing her own practice, Susan worked for nine years as a Senior Consultant with the Alban Institute. Susan has also served on the faculty of two business schools and a seminary, teaching graduate level courses in leadership, change management and organizational behavior. She has corporate experience in human resource management and organizational development. Susan's educational background includes a M.B.A. from Northwestern University and a M.Div. from McCormick Theological Seminary. She is also a graduate of the Shalem Institute in Spiritual Formation.

If you have served in ministry for any length of time you will experience great joys and great sorrows. In this episode, we had the honor and privilege of talking with Revered Cody Collier who recently retired after over 40 years in ministry serving United Methodist churches in Georgia, Tennessee, and Missouri. Cody reflects on the powerful moments he experienced in ministry, a regret he carries, an experience with the KKK, and an interesting encounter in college with Oprah Winfrey.

About Cody: Cody is a native of Nashville, Tenn., and a graduate of Tennessee State University. He earned the Master of Divinity Degree in 1979 from Gammon Seminary, Atlanta, Ga., where he received the James H. Clark Preaching Award. In 1999, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by Gammon Seminary.

He has served churches in Georgia, Tennessee, and Missouri. In 1984, he became a member of the Missouri West Annual Conference and has pastored Longview and One Spirit United Methodist Churches in Kansas City before becoming district superintendent of the former Kansas City North and then Heartland South Districts. He is presently assistant to the Bishop and lives in Independence.

Pete Scazzero, after leading New Life Fellowship Church for 26 years, co-founded Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, a groundbreaking ministry that moves the church forward by slowing the church down in order to multiply deeply changed leaders and disciples.

Pete hosts the top-ranked Emotionally Healthy Leader podcast and is the author of a number of bestselling books, including The Emotionally Healthy Leader and Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. Pete and his wife Geri also developed The Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Course (Part 1 and 2), a powerful resource that moves people from a shallow to a deep relationship with Jesus.

For more information, visit emotionallyhealthy.org or connect with Pete on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram @petescazzero.

Pete and Geri remain vital members of New Life.

Debi Nixon serves as one of the Executive Directors at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, with direct oversight of ShareChurch.com and Donor Development. She is passionate about the renewal of the church and helps lead Church of the Resurrection's initiatives for leadership training and resource sharing for churches across the country. Debi has a BS in Marketing and spent ten years in corporate sales, training, special event planning, and retail management. Debi is author of CATCH: A Churchwide Evangelism Program by Abingdon Press and her new book the Art of Hospitality will be released in June.

Dan Entwistle is the Senior Executive Director at the Church of the Resurrection, where he has served for 28 years. He serves in a "second chair" position, supporting the Senior Pastor and giving daily leadership and management to teams that serve on the church's five campuses. Dan has an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina and a Master in Business Administration from Baker University. He is the author of Recruiting Volunteers, published by Abingdon Press. Dan lives with his wife and kids is a rural community just south of Kansas City.

Roger Ross and Melanie Smollen discuss how to turn a crisis into a blessing with Rebekah Simon-Peter.

Roger Ross, Director of Congregational Excellence interviews Rev. Charity Goodwin, Associate Pastor of Missouri United Methodist Church about her personal trials and triumphs with emotionally healthy leadership.

Revs. Lia McIntosh and Roger Ross speak with Rev. Luke Edwards, trainer for Fresh Expressions US, on innovative mission and how Fresh Expressions can be used to reach people for Jesus Christ and transform the world.