Bo Johnson shares his journey from being a pastor to transitioning his church to meet in homes. He discusses his passion for house churches and the importance of building relationships and making disciples. Bo explains the process of selling the church building and the challenges they faced. He also talks about the benefits of house churches, such as increased intimacy and focus on discipleship. Bo's ultimate goal is to help others start house churches and create a network of interconnected gatherings. He expresses his hope to see a shift in the body of Christ towards more intimate and relational gatherings in homes.

Lewie Clark and Ryan Seibert share their journeys from the institutional church to disciple-making work in Chicago. They discuss the challenges of integrating disciple-making and pastoral ministry, the importance of love and hospitality in building kingdom communities, and the role of singles and families in discipleship. They emphasize the need for tailor-made discipleship and the value of proximity and community in the discipleship process. They also highlight the significance of love as the central focus of discipleship and the essence of God's character.

Get the book "Imitating Jesus: Love, Friendship, and Disciple-Making": https://www.amazon.com/Imitating-Jesus-Love-Friendship-Disciple-Making/dp/1449743862

View Website: https://www.iconministries.org

Rick and Ashley Socks share their journey from getting married young to becoming pastors and eventually starting a home church. They faced challenges in their marriage and ministry, including infertility, health issues, and strained relationships. They share their journey of transitioning from traditional church ministry to a more organic and family-focused approach. Through their experience, they have learned to trust in the leading of the Holy Spirit and allow Him to shape their ministry. They encourage others to embrace simplicity and authenticity in their faith journey.

Steven Lee shares his journey from being a pastor in a traditional church to starting a house church. He talks about the challenges he faced and the questions he had to wrestle with, including his identity and the role of preaching. Steven emphasizes the importance of personal transformation and authenticity in ministry, rather than just following a specific model. He shares a powerful story of a sermon that impacted him and reminded him of the true focus of his ministry: pointing people to Jesus. In this conversation, Steven and Britton discuss the importance of cultivating a deep friendship with Jesus and how it impacts our relationships with others.

Cody Mahaffy shares his journey from a life of partying and spiritual bondage to encountering the Holy Spirit and surrendering his life to Jesus. He discusses his discernment process and the year of discernment he and his wife embarked on, which led them to leave their full-time ministry positions and pursue a new calling. He and his wife, Moriah, have different gifts and perspectives, but they are learning to challenge and support each other as they navigate this journey.

In this episode, Britton interviews Karl House, the leader of the Way Micro Churches in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Karl shares his journey from being a pastor to pioneering the micro church movement. They discuss the importance of relationships with Jesus, the Bible, community, and the world in micro churches. Karl emphasizes the freedom and flexibility in micro churches, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and individuals to actively participate. He also highlights the need for everyone to play a role in micro churches, creating an environment where everyone can contribute and grow.

Donnie Dickens, a pastor from Alabama, had a strong desire for more impactful ministry and realized that the traditional mold of ministry was not the best approach. Through research and reading books by Frank Viola, he discovered alternative ways of doing church and saw the need for a shift in focus. In this episode, he emphasizes the importance of genuine worship, smaller but more clear disciple making, and breaking free from traditional practices that may hinder growth.

In this conversation, Luc Jackson and Britton discuss their experiences with simple church and the importance of intergenerational relationships. They talk about the joy of doing church with family and the value of including older generations in the church community. They also explore the difference between their previous experiences in traditional church settings and their current journey in simple church. Luc shares his struggle with the loss of his father and the search for a spiritual father figure. They encourage pastors on a similar journey to embrace their fears and surround themselves with wise mentors.

Tim Mezera shares his journey from pastoring a multi-site church to transitioning to house churches and disciple-making in Detroit. The transition was prompted by a realization that the focus on numbers and finances was not aligned with the call to make disciples. During the COVID-19 lockdown, Tim had a powerful encounter with the fear of the Lord and a renewed focus on the Great Commission. He and his wife made the decision to rethink church and transitioned to a network of house churches.

On the final episode of Season 4, we cover the topic of how to raise financial support well. This is for those pastors who decide they want to go the route of raising support and pioneering full-time. We have John and Devin Marshall from New Hampshire along with Matt Schneider from Massachusetts. They share their own wrestling and experiences with raising full support and what this has looked like in each of their lives.