Welcome to the L3 Podcast! We hope this podcast will be helpful to both you and your ministry.

Today, Pastor Aaron is joined by Pastor Dave Dietzel, lead pastor at Caro Assembly of God, to discuss the critical topic of pastoral resilience. With nearly 23 years of ministry, Pastor Dave has navigated incredible highs and profound lows of pastoring while caring for his family. Pastor Aaron and Dave discuss the emotional toll of carrying secondary trauma, the temptation to isolate when ministry gets painful, and why having "fixed anchors" in your relationship with the Lord is essential to your survival. If you are struggling through a difficult season of ministry and need encouragement to stay the course and trust God with the outcome, this powerful episode is for you.

For more information on the Michigan Ministry Network, please go to our website at mmn.ag.

Welcome to the L3 Podcast! We hope this podcast will be helpful to both you and your ministry.

Today Pastor Aaron sits down with Pastor Dinesh Manik of Bellevue Christian Church to unpack the unique challenges and rewards of co-vocational ministry. They tackle the identity challenge many bi-vocational pastors face, which often includes the heavy feeling of being a second-class minister. Pastor Dinesh explains how a second career creates financial freedom for the church and opens doors to build real relationships with non-believers. He shares practical tools for thriving in dual roles, like enforcing strict family boundaries, managing your time well, and outsourcing tasks to protect your mental margin. If you balance a secular career with a pastoral calling, this encouraging episode is definitely for you.

For more information on the Michigan Ministry Network, please go to our website at mmn.ag.

Welcome to the L3 Podcast! We hope this podcast will be helpful to both you and your ministry.

Today, Pastor Aaron welcomes back Pastor Samantha Jones for part two of their conversation on trauma. In this episode, they shift their focus toward how leaders can effectively minister to those affected by trauma within the church. Pastor Samantha explains the differences between "Big T" and "small t" trauma and how those unresolved wounds often surface in congregational life. She shares practical advice on how pastors can build trust, maintain safe boundaries, and avoid taking on the weight of someone else's healing. The discussion also covers how to help individuals process their pain without over-spiritualizing it and when to recommend professional EMDR counseling. If you want to equip your team to better support hurting people, this episode provides essential tools for healthy ministry.

For more information on the Michigan Ministry Network, please go to our website at mmn.ag.

Welcome to the L3 Podcast! We hope this podcast will be helpful to both you and your ministry.

Today, Pastor Aaron is joined by Pastor Samantha Jones, worship pastor at Lifehouse Assembly, to discuss a difficult but crucial topic: Trauma and the Minister. In the first part of this two-part series, Samantha shares insights from her new book, God in Trauma: The Lessons I'm Learning, to help leaders identify and process their own unresolved pain. They discuss the difference between "Big T" and "Little T" trauma, the danger of suppressing unhealed wounds, and how unresolved pastoral pain can seep into staff meetings, board rooms, and the overall culture of a church. If you want to become a healthier leader, break the cycle of secondary trauma, and create a safer environment for those you lead, this honest and insightful conversation is for you.

For more information on the Michigan Ministry Network, please go to our website at mmn.ag.

Welcome to the L3 Podcast! We hope this podcast will be helpful to both you and your ministry.

Today, Pastor Aaron is joined by Pastor Phil Hall, Lead Pastor at Harvest Church, to discuss a vital calling for every church leader: Connecting your church to your community. For too long, the local church has expected its community to come to them without taking the first step. Phil breaks down how simple, consistent acts of kindness and visibility can radically shift your church's impact. Pastors Aaron and Phil also discuss navigating complex leadership issues like bringing an inward-focused congregation on board with your outreach vision, addressing toxic church culture with humility, and creating safe, welcoming environments that unchurched people genuinely want to be part of. If you want to stop just meeting in your community and start effectively reaching it, this episode is a powerful must-listen.

For more information on the Michigan Ministry Network, please go to our website at mmn.ag.

Welcome to the L3 Podcast! We hope this podcast will be helpful to both you and your ministry.

Today, we are joined by pastor Larry Clair, the new executive director for the Michigan Ministry Network camps, Lost Valley and Faholo. Pastors Aaron and Larry discuss Larry's lifelong passion for camp ministry and his excitement for this new leadership role. They unpack the critical goal of uniting both locations under one shared vision to eliminate any division between the geographically distinct camps. They also discuss eye opening insights about how a majority of Holy Spirit encounters happen at camp rather than the local church. He emphasizes that these facilities are designed to be a direct extension of your local congregation. If you want to learn how your church can better partner with and utilize network camps to facilitate life changing ministry, this conversation is for you.

For more information on the Michigan Ministry Network, please go to our website at mmn.ag.

Welcome to the L3 Podcast! We hope this podcast will be helpful to both you and your ministry.

Today, guest host Jim Riley sits down with Pastor Morris Moos to discuss the physical side of ministry: Stewarding your facilities well. Does your church building draw people in or subtly push them away? Pastor Morris shares insights from over 30 years of pastoral experience on how your physical space can become one of your most effective tools for connection. Jim and Pastor Morris unpack the importance of "curb appeal," the power of creating intentional connection areas and why keeping your building clean and decluttered removes unnecessary hindrances to the Gospel. If you want to transform your facility from a simple meeting room into a welcoming environment where relationships flourish, this highly practical episode is for you.

For more information on the Michigan Ministry Network, please go to our website at mmn.ag.

Welcome to the L3 Podcast! We hope this podcast will be helpful to both you and your ministry.

Today, guest host Jim Riley sits down with Adam Bell to flip the script on staff dynamics and discuss a crucial topic: How leaders can best support their teams. While there is plenty of training on how to serve your leader, how well are you serving the people who report to you? Jim and Adam unpack what it means to want more for your team than you want from them, emphasizing that leaders must invest in their staff as people, not just as producers. They discuss the vital role of humility in leadership, the danger of holding onto staff members too tightly, and the importance of adapting your leadership style to fit different personalities and generations. If you want to help your team members become the best versions of themselves, this conversation is for you.

For more information on the Michigan Ministry Network, please go to our website at mmn.ag.

Welcome to the L3 Podcast! We hope this podcast will be helpful to both you and your ministry.

Today, we are joined by Karen Yancey for a deeply personal and spiritually refreshing conversation about the necessity of letting go. Pastor Aaron and Karen discuss the danger of leaders holding a "death grip" on their burdens and unpack three specific things every minister must release: unresolved outcomes, unrealistic expectations, and quiet resentment. Karen shares powerful wisdom on overcoming the heavy, toxic feelings of ministry wounds and explains why we can act our way into a new way of feeling, but we can never feel our way into a new way of acting. If you are carrying the heavy weight of pastoral disappointment or feeling too spiritually "full" to receive anything fresh from God, this episode is a beautiful invitation to experience His guarding peace.

For more information on the Michigan Ministry Network, please go to our website at mmn.ag.

Welcome to the L3 Podcast! We hope this podcast will be helpful to both you and your ministry.

Today, we are joined by a very special guest, Dr. Terry Yancey, stateside ambassador for Project Rescue and former network superintendent. In this episode, Pastor Aaron and Dr. Terry tackle a silent but deadly threat to every leader, marriage, and ministry: Complacency. Drawing from a fresh study of Proverbs, Dr. Terry unpacks a powerful definition of complacency and reveals how settling for "good enough" can subtly rob us of our future impact. He breaks down the "Four D's" of destruction, living distracted, stopping developing, stopping dreaming, and stopping daring, and shares a compelling acrostic highlighting the subtle warning signs of a complacent heart, from conflating intention with action to pouting over past losses.

For more information on the Michigan Ministry Network, please go to our website at mmn.ag.