In this episode, Sean sits down with Justin Kendrick, planter and pastor of Vox Church in New England, to explore the heart behind multi-site ministry, leadership development, and the surprising move of God happening across one of the least-churched regions in the U.S. Justin shares his journey from musician to church planter, the early chaos of scaling locations without systems, and the intentional shift toward forming leaders through habits of the heart rather than skills alone. He unpacks Vox’s leader-development process, the power of life-on-life discipleship, and the humbling lessons learned along the way. Their conversation offers a rare and honest look at building a movement while staying grounded in accountability, character, and focus.

Welcome to Episode 147 of the Leaders in Living Rooms Podcast with Sean Morgan.

EPISODE LINKS

The Quiet Revival, by Bible Society

The Inner Ring, by C.S. Lewis

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If you’re a leader approaching a succession or transition, or maybe you’re a few years in and beginning to see how complex transitions leadership is… go to The Art of Pastoral Succession and check out my course in partnership with Carey Nieuwhof. 

Are you in Transition or have one on the horizon? Check out our cohorts and get connected with us at: https://theascentleader.org/cohorts/

WHO IS JUSTIN KENDRICK?

Justin Kendrick is the Lead Pastor of Vox Church, which he and his wife, Chrisy, founded in 2011 with a group of friends on the doorstep of Yale University. Since then, the church has grown to multiple locations across New England with the dream of seeing the least-churched region of the U.S. become the most spiritually vibrant place on earth. Justin was ordained for ministry in 2009 and holds a bachelor’s degree in social work and a master’s in theology. He’s the author of the USA Today bestseller How to Quiet a Hurricane (2024), as well as Bury Your Ordinary (2021) and The Sacred Us (2022). He is the host of Justin Kendrick: The Devoted Life Podcast and continues to create sermon material, small group studies, and video content weekly through Vox Church. Justin and Chrisy live with their four children in the New Haven area.