Pastors Unfiltered

Should pastors talk about politics? And where should the line be drawn between personal convictions and the church platform?This week on Pastors Unfiltered, Pastor Brandon Beals and Pastor Tony Matter are back for one of their most unfiltered conversations yet!After Pastor Brandon briefly addressed voting and local ballot initiatives during a Sunday service, the response sparked a much bigger conversation about faith, politics, and the responsibility pastors have when speaking on controversial issues.Brandon and Tony discuss whether pastors should publicly share their political opinions, the difference between encouraging people to vote and telling them how to vote, and how Christians can navigate political disagreements without allowing them to divide the church.They also share their perspectives on several Washington ballot initiatives, discuss the challenges of leading people who don't always agree with you, and talk about why speaking what you believe is true can be difficult when you're afraid of disappointing others.Plus, Tony reveals his word for 2027, Brandon shares some of the responses he received after Sunday's message, and the guys wrap things up with their latest book recommendations, podcast favorites, and a hilarious story about a negative church review.It's honest, controversial, and exactly why we call it Pastors Unfiltered.TIMESTAMPS00:00 – Welcome to Pastors Unfiltered
00:40 – Brandon Is Back From Vacation
02:03 – Tony's Word for 2027: Anchored
04:44 – Choosing a Word for the New Year
05:46 – Podcast Updates & Upcoming Guests
09:21 – Did Brandon Say Something Controversial?
10:35 – Should Pastors Be Involved in Politics?
11:52 – Why Brandon Tries to Stay Politically Neutral
14:01 – Why Elections and Legislation Matter
17:16 – Understanding Confusing Ballot Initiatives
18:26 – What Brandon Actually Said on Sunday
20:44 – Tony Reacts to Brandon's Statement
22:10 – Discussing Three Washington Ballot Initiatives
24:51 – The Debate About Women's Sports
27:57 – Understanding Different Perspectives
34:02 – Parental Involvement in Schools
35:56 – How Did the Church Respond?
37:29 – The Facebook Post That Sparked Backlash
40:35 – Is It Wrong for Pastors to Discuss Politics?
41:14 – What Did Jesus Say About Controversial Issues?
43:15 – Can Pastors Have Political Opinions?
44:19 – When Political Disagreements Divide the Church
46:26 – Having Conversations Instead of Walking Away
48:28 – Church Attendance & Consumer Christianity
51:35 – The Pressure of Leading People
53:55 – Why Pastors Struggle With Speaking Truth
55:52 – Endurance, Criticism & Staying Anchored
57:22 – Favorite Podcasts & Book Recommendations
1:01:56 – Politics, Culture & Personal Stories
1:05:22 – The Negative Church Review
1:07:41 – Closing ThoughtsWe talk about the things pastors are thinking and feeling but are too afraid to talk about.Subscribe to Pastors Unfiltered for more honest conversations about faith, ministry, leadership, and life.We'd love to hear your thoughts: Should pastors talk about politics?

This week on Pastors Unfiltered, Pastor Tony Matter is joined by special guest Heather Lane for an honest conversation about parenting, discipline, relationships, and raising children through every stage of life.With over 30 years of marriage and two grown daughters, Heather shares what she's learned about building trust, reaching your children's hearts, and creating relationships that last long after they leave home.Tony and Heather discuss how to avoid repeating unhealthy parenting patterns, the difference between discipline and punishment, whether parents can also be their children's friends, and how to navigate disagreements between spouses when raising kids.They also tackle some of the more challenging parenting questions, including spanking, emotional regulation, raising teenagers, apologizing to your children, and learning to let go as they become adults.Whether you're raising young kids, navigating the teenage years, or learning how to parent adult children, this conversation offers practical wisdom and encouragement for every season.Due to a recording issue, this week's conversation is split into two parts. Stay tuned for Part 2 with Heather Lane!TIMESTAMPS00:00 – Welcome to Pastors Unfiltered
00:40 – Tony Is Hosting Without Brandon
01:27 – The In the League Podcast Drama
03:46 – Introducing This Week's Guest
05:17 – Meet Heather Lane
07:50 – Breaking Unhealthy Parenting Patterns
09:24 – Building Trust With Your Kids
10:26 – Parenting Together as a Team
12:05 – Discipline Should Be Rooted in Discipleship
13:04 – Setting Rules and Expectations at Home
14:35 – Why Timing Matters When Correcting Kids
15:14 – Can You Be Friends With Your Children?
16:48 – The Importance of Reaching Their Hearts
19:25 – Gentle Parenting vs. Traditional Discipline
20:16 – The Conversation About Spanking
21:07 – Childish Behavior vs. Foolishness
23:03 – Why You Shouldn't Discipline in Anger
24:07 – Teaching Repentance and Showing Mercy
24:33 – Apologizing to Your Children
25:19 – Understanding Tantrums and Emotions
26:40 – Don't Parent Based on Your Own Feelings
27:28 – Are the Teenage Years Really That Bad?
28:33 – Staying Connected With Your Teenagers
30:15 – Speak to Who Your Kids Are Becoming
31:23 – Prioritizing Family Time
32:50 – Parenting Adult Children
33:27 – Giving Advice Without Being Asked
34:21 – The Hardest Part of Parenting Adults
35:26 – Trusting God With Your Adult Children
35:53 – Part 2 Announcement
36:13 – Closing ThoughtsSubscribe to Pastors Unfiltered and join us for Part 2 as we continue the conversation with Heather Lane!

What happens when God gives you a word to live by — and then immediately gives you an opportunity to prove it? This week on Pastors Unfiltered, Brandon was supposed to be somewhere in Europe on vacation. Instead, he’s back in the studio after a passport application issue caused him and Di to miss their flight and put months of carefully planned travel in jeopardy. The timing couldn’t have been more ironic. Just days earlier, Brandon felt God give him his word for 2027: endurance. He had already written it into an upcoming sermon, bought a watch engraved with the word, and begun studying what it means to keep moving forward through disappointment, adversity and setbacks. Then came the test. Tony and Brandon talk about Romans 5, suffering and endurance, what it means for pastors to actually live what they preach, disappointment, ministry burnout, slowing down without losing your drive, and the tension between making your life count and knowing when to rest. Plus, they discuss pastors criticizing other pastors online, whether pastors should cuss from the stage, podcast drama, Pastor Appreciation Month and why encouragement matters more than most people realize.

00:00 Welcome to Pastors Unfiltered  
01:02 The Podcast Is Growing  
02:08 Podcast Drama  
04:30 Pastors Criticizing Pastors Online  
08:01 Should Pastors Cuss?  
09:21 Why Brandon Isn’t in Europe  
11:18 Planning the Perfect Vacation  
15:07 Preparing for Vacation as a Pastor  
19:20 Everything Was Going Perfectly  
20:12 The Problem at the Airport  
21:23 We Missed Our Flight  
23:05 How Much Money Did We Lose?  
23:56 Brandon’s Word for 2027  
25:12 Why “Endurance”?  
27:47 Suffering Produces Endurance  
29:19 God Tested It Two Days Later  
30:50 The Dream That Changed Everything  
31:32 We Found the Mistake  
33:08 The Application Gets Approved  
34:04 Suffering, Character & Hope  
34:27 When God Makes You Live Your Sermon  
35:38 What Counts as Suffering?  
37:04 Learning to Endure Disappointment  
38:15 Don’t Let Setbacks Stop Your Purpose  
39:09 How Long Can You Keep Pushing?  
40:32 Making Your Life Count  
42:05 “You Need to Slow Down”  
42:53 Hard Work vs. Burnout  
45:00 Was This a Test From God?  
46:26 Keep Moving Forward  
46:58 Pastor Appreciation Month  
48:39 Honor Your Pastor  
49:08 Closing Thoughts

Tony is back from vacation, and this week Pastors Unfiltered dives deeper into Venture’s Ruins to Revival series and the story of King Cyrus.
Brandon and Tony talk about what it means when God stirs someone’s heart — and the reality that being stirred doesn’t automatically mean we’ll respond. While Cyrus responded to what God was doing, only a fraction of the Israelites were willing to leave the lives they had built and take the risk of returning to the Promised Land.
That leads into a bigger conversation about risk, comfort, settling, church planting, and the moments when following God requires stepping into something uncertain. They reflect on risks they’ve taken in ministry, opportunities they didn’t take, and the tension between being grateful for what God has already done while still staying open to what He might be stirring next. 
They also revisit one of the defining moments in Venture’s history, when the future of the church building looked uncertain and a small room of people responded with extraordinary generosity — raising roughly $2 million in about 30 minutes.
Plus, Tony shares stories from vacation, Brandon breaks down some surprising Pastors Unfiltered stats, they talk about ministry in Seattle, and things eventually get very unfiltered toward the end.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Welcome Back to Pastors Unfiltered  
00:40 – Did Brandon Ever Go to the Doctor?  
02:00 – Tony Is Back From Vacation  
03:15 – Why Are 30th Birthdays Such a Big Deal?  
07:39 – Tony’s Ray-Ban Meta Glasses  
09:10 – The Disney Shirt That Broke Brandon  
10:16 – Tony’s Sister Has All the Hair  
12:54 – Pastors Unfiltered Podcast Stats  
16:32 – What Are We Talking About Today?  
16:53 – God Can Use Anyone  
18:00 – Can God Change Someone’s Heart?  
20:33 – God Stirred Cyrus’ Heart  
21:53 – Only a Fraction of Israel Returned  
23:13 – When There’s No Risk, There’s No Story  
25:39 – Being Stirred Doesn’t Mean You’ll Respond  
26:01 – Watching People Turn Down God’s Invitation  
26:48 – The Risks We Take Following God  
28:12 – The Danger of Settling  
29:18 – The Good Can Become the Enemy of the Best  
30:06 – Has the American Church Become Too Comfortable?  
31:24 – What Happens When God Starts Stirring Again?  
33:55 – The Church Plant That Never Happened  
35:21 – Holy Discontentment  
36:45 – Why People Resist Change  
39:13 – “I Want Heaven Crowded”  
39:30 – Is God Stirring Everyone’s Heart?  
40:16 – One Day to Feed the World  
41:47 – What Do You Do With the Naysayers?  
43:01 – New Opportunities for Churches in Seattle  
47:15 – When Venture Almost Didn’t Make It  
48:26 – $2 Million in 30 Minutes  
49:14 – Watching the Holy Spirit Move Through Generosity  
50:18 – The People Who Stayed  
51:28 – Ministry on the Front Lines  
54:24 – Brandon’s Upcoming Europe Trip  
56:03 – Culture, Politics & Current Events  
1:01:08 – Cyrus and Modern Political Leaders  
1:03:19 – How Politically Diverse Is Venture?  
1:03:36 – Closing

Tony is still on vacation, so Morgan Butcher joins Brandon for a very unfiltered episode!
Brandon shares stories from spending four days completely off the grid while rafting through the Grand Canyon, including sleeping under the stars, traveling by helicopter, horseback and raft, and potentially getting bitten or stung by something in the middle of the night. 
That experience sparks a bigger conversation about why men need opportunities to disconnect, get outside, build real friendships and experience God through adventure. Brandon and Morgan also talk about Venture’s upcoming Men’s Retreat and the importance of shared experiences in creating meaningful community.
Plus, Morgan shares about his new Seattle sports podcast, they debate the Mariners, Seahawks and Raiders, celebrate Venture Softball finally making the playoffs, and finish with what Morgan is reading, watching and listening to. 
Thanks for watching Pastors Unfiltered! Like, subscribe and share the episode.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Welcome to Pastors Unfiltered  
01:07 – Brandon’s Grand Canyon rafting trip  
03:07 – Morgan’s new Seattle Sports Dad Cast  
06:07 – Finding someone to join the father-son trip  
08:28 – Getting men outside so God can change the inside  
09:29 – Brandon’s journey into the Grand Canyon  
12:33 – Four days completely disconnected  
15:05 – Should Venture do a Grand Canyon trip?  
16:12 – Dallas becomes Morgan’s spiritual son  
17:33 – The power of fathers speaking life over their sons  
20:45 – Why men need to get outside  
21:04 – Venture Men’s Retreat  
22:27 – How shared experiences create real friendships  
25:12 – Sleeping under the stars in the Grand Canyon  
26:35 – Did Brandon get stung by a scorpion?  
28:00 – ChatGPT tells Brandon to go to the ER  
30:22 – Bat, snake or scorpion?  
34:23 – Everyone secretly wanted a tent  
34:59 – Venture needs an “Adventure Pastor”  
35:26 – Venture Family Camp announcement  
36:10 – Choir, Dallas and wedding talk  
39:33 – What is wrong with the Mariners?  
44:09 – Seahawks and Raiders talk  
46:32 – The legendary Mariners game at Men’s Retreat  
48:19 – Morgan’s family update  
50:41 – Venture Softball finally makes the playoffs  
53:51 – What are you reading?  
56:00 – What are you watching?  
57:01 – What are you listening to?  
58:36 – Closing thoughts

This week on Pastors Unfiltered, Tony and Pastor Brandon sit down with Dave Nelson, Lead Pastor of Timberlake Church, for an incredibly honest conversation about ministry, leadership, anxiety, burnout, marriage, and what happens when everything you’ve built suddenly feels like it’s falling apart. Dave shares how he sensed a call to ministry as a teenager, traveled with a speaker at just 15 years old, eventually planted a church in Wisconsin, and watched that church grow rapidly. After 15 years of pastoring, however, a season of instability hit. The church lost its meeting location, attendance and giving dropped, his family was going through major challenges, and the pressure began affecting every area of his life. Dave opens up about reaching a point of complete burnout, losing confidence in himself as a leader, struggling with anxiety, and watching that stress spill over into his marriage. He shares the moment his wife left the house during an argument, the church leaders who confronted him with love, and the counseling experience that became a turning point for both his marriage and his health. Brandon also shares his own experience with anxiety and burnout, and the conversation turns toward why pastors often feel pressure to appear strong, why leaders need people who will tell them the truth, and what healthy rhythms can look like after walking through burnout. Dave shares how hiking, friendships, counseling, and reducing his preaching schedule have helped him recognize warning signs before they become another crisis. They also wrestle with vulnerability in leadership. How honest should a pastor be with their church? Can people follow a leader who admits they’re struggling? And what does it look like to lead authentically without pretending everything is okay? And before all of that, Tony and Brandon somehow find time to talk about church buildings becoming coffee shops, AI taking over the world, Harvard classes, Seattle politics, a potential trip to the White House, Raiders football, and why the Pastors Unfiltered puppet may already be retired. Timestamps 0:00 Welcome to Pastors Unfiltered
0:32 Raiders, Seahawks & Brandon’s New Church Admin
1:43 Revival Weekend in Seattle
2:23 Pastor Di Talks Herself Out of a Speaking Gig
3:30 Leaving Church Refreshed
4:07 The Seattle Church Building Drama
5:19 Losing Church Buildings in Western Washington
6:03 Doom Scrolling & Churches Becoming Coffee Shops
7:09 Why Churches Won’t Sell Buildings to Other Churches
8:10 AI, Technology & the Church
9:17 Brandon’s Upcoming Prayer Trip
10:05 Brandon Goes to Harvard… Kind Of
11:03 AI Pastors & the Future of Ministry
12:19 Terminator, Skynet & Seattle Politics
14:14 Tony’s Potential White House Opportunity
15:49 Becoming Known for One Issue
17:02 Introducing Dave Nelson
18:39 What Does Timberlake Mean?
19:15 Timberlake’s Three Campuses
19:34 Dave’s Family
20:38 Feeling Called to Ministry at 15
21:08 Traveling With a Pastor as a Teenager
21:45 Preaching at 17 Years Old
22:56 From Wisconsin to Ministry School
23:45 Early Ministry Salaries
24:38 Planting a Church in Wisconsin
25:08 Dave’s Connection to Timberlake
27:02 Launching With 623 People
27:27 Reaching 1,000 in the First Year
28:09 Growing a Church to 1,500
28:31 When Everything Started Falling Apart
29:17 Attendance & Giving Collapse
29:41 “I Felt Like a Loser”
30:02 Burnout Starts Affecting Everything
30:25 When You Can’t Even Preach
31:03 “It’s a Fire Shut Up in My Bones”
31:21 The Importance of Momentum in Church Planting
32:10 Family Crisis on Top of Ministry Crisis
32:53 Dave & Brandon Discover Their Shared Anxiety Stories
33:14 Pastors Struggle Too
34:12 When Preaching Triggers Anxiety
35:37 Walking Back Into the Hardest Season
36:26 Losing Confidence as a Leader
37:03 Stress Begins Affecting Dave’s Marriage
37:41 Dave Opens Up About His Behavior at Home
38:24 The Night His Wife Said “I’m Done”
38:58 Showing Up to Church the Next Morning
39:17 “We Don’t Judge You”
39:38 “You Need Help”
40:15 The Counseling Trip That Changed Everything
41:08 Facing the Things He Had Said
41:54 Learning Better Habits
42:21 Finding Jesus in the Darkest Moment
43:22 Healing Wasn’t Instant
43:39 “Our Marriage Is the Best It’s Ever Been”
44:06 How Long Did It Take to Feel Normal Again?
44:30 “We Want a Healthy Pastor”
44:47 The Phone Call That Changed Dave’s Perspective
45:46 “Your Marriage Would Be a Disaster Too”
46:17 Support Without Excusing the Behavior
47:00 Why Don’t Pastors Talk About Anxiety?
47:41 Thinking You’ll Never Lead the Same Again
48:25 Brandon Finds His Confidence Again During COVID
49:02 Recognizing Anxiety Triggers
49:48 Brandon’s Mandatory Month Off
50:58 Dave’s Healthy Rhythms
51:18 Preaching Only 60% of the Year
52:13 Telling the Church You’re Burned Out
52:49 How Vulnerable Should a Pastor Be?
53:07 Brandon’s Experience Sharing His Anxiety Story
53:32 Refusing to Fake Leadership
54:31 Vulnerability vs. Perceived Strength
55:16 The Pastor as the Hero
55:44 Being Completely Yourself
56:20 “How Do You Know God Is Speaking?”
56:54 Ministry in the Seattle Area
57:43 The Three Questions
58:04 What Dave Is Listening To
58:46 What Dave Is Watching
59:26 What Dave Is Reading
1:00:05 Finding Fresh Vision
1:00:26 Tony’s Book on Prayer
1:01:02 The Puppet Almost Returns
1:01:30 Closing Thoughts
1:01:52 Jesus Is the Hope of the World

Tony, PB, and Brandon are keeping it casual and talking about life in ministry, relationships, vacations, weddings, social media, and what it actually looks like to be a healthy pastor and church.
Topics discussed
- Social media & the pastor’s inner circle
Taking a break from Instagram and only watching instead of posting
How social media can shape our idea of friendship and community
The difference between ministry friends and genuine friendships
Asking: “Who am I inviting to Revival Night?”
- Wedding season stories
Tony reflecting on wedding season coming to an end
Falling asleep during a wedding toast
PB’s Russian wedding story
Rachel & Claire’s wedding
Stories and memories from past weddings
Pastors, therapy & vacation
Tony’s famous “I don’t go on vacay” mentality
Why pastors can struggle with guilt when taking time off
The pressure to always be available
The importance of pastors actually resting and taking vacations
How a pastor’s constant presence can actually point to an unhealthy church culture
How available should pastors be?
How available should a lead pastor realistically be to their church?
Being relational without being constantly accessible
Knowing when something is mission-critical
Leading through vision and mission, rather than trying to personally handle everything
You don’t have to be the hero
“Not everyone needs to love you.”
Why pastors need to release the need to receive all the credit
Empowering others instead of doing everything yourself
Raising up leaders and sending them out
🙌 Healthy church leadership
Giving staff opportunities to lead
Developing leaders instead of creating dependence
Building a church where ministry doesn’t revolve around one person
Learning to be yourself as a leader
Not allowing every outside voice to determine who you are or what you do

This week on Pastors Unfiltered, Tony and Pastor Brandon sit down with Jenny Waldron from New Life Kitsap, where she serves as the church’s Multiplication Lead and Teaching Lead and is helping prepare the church to launch new campuses. Jenny shares her journey from graphic design and creative ministry into pastoral leadership, how she wrestled with feeling disqualified, and what it looked like to eventually say yes to the calling God had placed on her life. She also opens up about growing up as a pastor’s kid, becoming a female pastor, and the support her husband has given her throughout that journey. The conversation goes deep into healthy leadership, burnout, developing teams, vulnerability, weakness, and resilience. Jenny shares how watching her dad burn out in ministry shaped her conviction that ministry was never meant to be done alone, and why great leaders have to learn how to give things away and raise up other people. They also talk about the pressure pastors feel to prove themselves, the temptation to build influence, and why intimacy with Jesus and who we are becoming matters more than public success. And of course, it wouldn’t be Pastors Unfiltered without Mariners frustration, generational stereotypes, questionable childhood stories, fantasy books, ADHD, and plenty of chaos along the way. Timestamps 0:00 Welcome to Pastors Unfiltered
0:31 Recording On Location
0:59 Venture Staff Retreat Chaos
1:41 Brandon and David’s Disagreement
2:00 Working Through Conflict
2:48 Seahawks Hard Knocks
4:00 Brandon’s Failed Predictions
5:31 The Mariners Need a Miracle
6:35 Tony’s Seabrook Vacation
7:16 Brandon’s Staff Retreat Moped Story
8:33 Introducing Jenny Waldron
9:12 Jenny’s Journey to New Life
9:59 Dating as an Evangelism Strategy
11:28 Jenny’s Role at New Life Kitsap
12:02 A Vision to Launch Five New Campuses
12:29 Church Job Titles Are Weird
13:02 Jenny Has Done Almost Every Church Job
14:10 From Graphic Designer to Leader
15:06 When Someone Else Is Better Than You
15:19 Jenny’s Call Into Pastoral Ministry
16:00 “I’ve Called You to Bring Fresh Water With Your Words”
16:37 Leadership Was Always in Her
17:20 Feeling Disqualified
18:02 Growing Up as a Baptist Pastor’s Kid
18:29 Wrestling With Women in Ministry
19:07 Saying Yes to the Call
19:46 Her Husband’s Support
20:21 Watching Her Dad Burn Out in Ministry
21:07 “We Were Not Made to Do It by Ourselves”
21:22 Why Jenny Develops Leaders
22:21 The Old Model of Doing Everything Yourself
23:09 Why So Many Pastors Burn Out
23:30 Knowing What You’re Actually Good At
24:11 Brandon’s Early Ministry Learning Curve
25:03 Brandon Tries to Become a Worship Leader
25:33 “Lay Down the Guitar”
26:12 What’s the Guitar in Your Leadership?
26:34 Giving Things Away to Better Leaders
27:04 Vulnerability and Weakness in Ministry
27:29 Jenny’s Shame, Grace & Resilience Class
28:06 Facing Weakness to Become a Better Leader
28:35 The Pressure to Be Everything
29:09 Why Resilience Matters in Ministry
29:51 Trying to Prove Yourself
30:10 Learning to Lead a Quiet Life
30:55 Jesus Cares About Who We Are in Him
31:24 Calling vs. Intimacy With Jesus
31:40 Staying Connected to People Outside the Church
32:37 The Doors God Opens When You Slow Down
33:00 Ministry, Marriage & Raising Kids
34:04 What Jenny Would Change About Her Early Leadership
34:42 Pastor Culture and “Show Off Time”
36:02 Gen Z Pastors and Vulnerability
37:17 The Millennial Debate
37:49 Jenny’s Montana Story
38:25 Cow Tipping and Questionable Childhood Decisions
39:17 The Three Questions
39:39 What Jenny Is Reading
40:31 ADHD and “Now It All Makes Sense”
41:14 Body Doubling
41:53 The ADHD Tax
42:24 What Jenny Is Watching
42:42 More Mariners Frustration
43:29 Ted Lasso
44:05 What Jenny Does for Fun
44:24 15 Years of Mariners Season Tickets
44:59 The Dream MLB Stadium Road Trip
46:06 Baseball, Books & the Good Life
46:23 Closing Thoughts
46:36 Wrap Up
46:59 Jesus Is the Hope of the World
47:30 Raiders Roll

https://www.spreaker.com/episode/pastors-unfiltered-9-life-as-a-pastor-s-kid-with-elijah-beals-and-rachel-winfield--57033323 
(Link to Previous Episode with Elijah)

This week on Pastors Unfiltered, Tony and Pastor Brandon are joined by Elijah Beals to talk about his journey into vocational ministry and his new role as Venture Church’s Junior High Pastor.Elijah shares how he first felt called to ministry as a teenager, why he spent years saying “not yet” to ministry opportunities, and why finishing his master’s degree became an important part of preparing for what God had next. He also talks about studying business at the University of Washington, working in sports partnerships, serving with the UW Navigators, and having a career he genuinely loved before ultimately choosing to step away from it and pursue the calling he had felt since high school.They also address the obvious question: was working at his dad’s church always the plan? Elijah explains why it wasn’t, why he seriously considered opportunities at other churches, and what eventually changed his perspective about joining the team at Venture.Plus, there’s plenty of Pastors Unfiltered chaos along the way, including Mariners heartbreak, Dolly Parton, celebrity crushes, camper vans, Ezra and Nehemiah, youth ministry memories, and the return of a very questionable puppet named TJ.Timestamps0:00

Welcome to Pastors Unfiltered
0:40 The Mariners Sucked Brandon Back In
1:36 Giving Away Tickets to an Incredible Mariners Game
2:14 The “Spank and a Hug” Sermon
3:17 Brandon’s New Bigfoot Hat
4:07 Meet the New Broadcast Director
5:01 Tony’s ADHD Medication
5:23 Remembering Dolly Parton
6:30 Favorite Dolly Parton Songs
7:26 Bruce Willis Movies
8:36 The Girls Started Their Own Podcast
11:50 Why Most Podcasts Don’t Last
12:35 Tony’s Seabrook Vacation
13:36 Brandon Wants a Camper Van
14:54 Brandon’s Goodreads Account
15:14 Introducing Ruins to Revival
16:08 The History Behind Ezra and Nehemiah
17:39 Introducing Elijah Beals
18:31 Elijah’s First Pastors Unfiltered Appearance
19:49 The Story Behind Elijah Joining Venture Staff
21:14 Why Elijah Turned the Job Down a Year Ago
21:48 Finishing His Master’s Degree
22:14 Feeling Called to Ministry for Years
22:56 Why Education Mattered Before Ministry
24:13 “You Never Feel Completely Ready”
24:42 Brandon’s Own Journey Into Ministry
25:45 Elijah’s Career in Sports Partnerships
26:40 Looking Back at God’s Preparation
27:27 The UW Navigators
28:28 Bible Studies Inside Fraternities and Sororities
29:22 Was Elijah Always Expected to Work for His Dad?
30:15 Elijah’s Call to Ministry
31:12 Telling Brandon for the First Time
31:27 Brandon’s Response: “I Know”
32:11 Tony’s Role in Elijah’s Discipleship
33:00 Choosing the Call of God
34:02 Coming Full Circle at Venture Seattle
34:43 Experiencing Church Without Being “The Pastor’s Kid”
35:05 Leaving a Job Elijah Loved
35:49 A Career He Could Have Stayed in Forever
37:20 The Importance of Youth Pastors
38:15 Why Parents Need Great Youth Leaders
39:42 Looking Back on Youth Ministry
40:06 The Next Generation of Venture Youth Ministry
41:12 Five Generations of Youth Pastors
41:55 Tyrone Is Now Tony’s Boss
42:49 Chick-fil-A and Pastoral Lunches
43:20 Why Elijah Didn’t Initially Want to Work at Venture
43:53 Leaving the “Dream Job” for Ministry
45:14 Why Venture Eventually Felt Like Home
46:27 Other Churches Were Pursuing Elijah
47:24 The Only Problem With Venture’s Youth Pastors
47:44 Introducing TJ
49:01 TJ Interviews Pastor Elijah
49:44 What Elijah Is Watching
50:47 What Elijah Is Reading
51:33 Waiting for GTA 6
51:58 Dating Advice From Pastor Elijah
52:21 What Elijah Is Listening To
53:50 Faith, Sports, and Junior High Priorities
54:26 Should Tony and Brandon Guest on the Girls’ Podcast?
55:03 What’s Coming Next on Pastors Unfiltered
55:30 Closing

Pastor Brandon is hosting solo this week while Tony is on vacation, and he’s joined by one of Venture Church’s newest staff members, Tyrone Renata.Tyrone shares his story, from growing up in Washington and serving alongside Brandon in Modesto to pastoring in Arizona and eventually finding his way back to Venture. They unpack the nearly year-long process that originally had Tyrone preparing to help launch a new Venture location in Edmonds, only for God to unexpectedly redirect the plan and open a completely different role.Tyrone also shares what he’ll be leading at Venture, including Kingdom Builders, locations, leadership development, and serving on the executive team, along with what he’s most excited about in this next season.And, of course, Pastor Brandon has plenty to say about the Mariners’ historic 22–0 loss, old racquetball injuries, books, Star Trek, Bigfoot, UFOs, and a few other things that probably weren’t on the episode outline.It’s an episode about ministry, friendship, trusting God through transition, and recognizing when His plans look completely different from your own.Timestamps0:00 Welcome to Pastors Unfiltered
0:31 Brandon Is Hosting Solo
1:06 The Mariners’ 22–0 Disaster
3:32 Brandon Is Done With the Mariners... Again
4:41 Josh’s One-Year Venture Anniversary
5:31 Brandon’s Latest Book Obsession
6:59 Dallas Is Reading Red Rising
8:04 Staff Transitions at Venture
8:58 Introducing Tyrone Renata
9:23 Tyrone’s Mariners Reaction
10:15 Ted Lasso
11:17 Why Is His Name Tyrone?
13:39 Brandon & Tyrone’s Modesto Days
14:29 Meet Tyrone’s Family
14:55 Tyrone’s Ministry Journey
16:38 Ten Years of Pastoring in Phoenix
17:40 Why Tyrone Loves Sedona
18:53 The Hard Parts of Ministry
19:16 How Tyrone Ended Up Back at Venture
20:42 The Original Plan for an Edmonds Location
21:50 Why Venture Paused Edmonds
22:41 When the Plan Suddenly Changed
23:51 Christian’s Unexpected Transition
25:11 Brandon Calls Tyrone With a New Opportunity
26:25 Praying Through Two Different Doors
27:08 “Go Do Ministry With Your Friends”
27:50 Tyrone’s Family Finds a Home at Venture
29:03 A Year-Long Hiring Journey
29:42 Tyrone’s Hobbies
31:26 Seahawks, Raiders & Old Sports Memories
33:21 The Mariners’ 116-Win Season
34:11 The Modesto Racquetball Days
35:23 Brandon Nearly Loses an Eye
36:18 The Injury Brandon Still Deals With
36:59 Tyrone’s New Role at Venture
38:58 What Tyrone Is Most Excited About
39:21 Kingdom Builders & $20,000 for Spokane
40:08 Supporting Venture’s Locations
40:30 Preparing for Saturday Night Services
42:41 How to Get to Know Tyrone
43:40 Why Venture Wanted a Ministry Family
45:06 What Tyrone Is Watching
45:45 Tyrone Is a Trekkie
46:29 The Love Song Documentary
47:47 What Tyrone Is Reading
49:48 What Tyrone Is Listening To
50:23 Bigfoot, UFOs & The Confessionals
51:53 Giants, the Nephilim & Joe Rogan
52:50 Looking Ahead
53:09 The Unexpected Way God Brought Tyrone to Venture
53:29 Closing