Plant Strong Podcast: Championing Women in Church Planting

Jo Saxton is an author, speaker, church planter, and leadership coach. Her most recent book, Ready to Rise, released in April. This interview is from the 2020 Virtual Bloom Retreat, where Lisa asked Jo several questions directly from the Bloom Community. You will need a pen and paper for all of the knowledge that Jo drops in this episode! You can also check out Jo’s leadership coaching that she references at https://www.josaxton.com/coaching.

This powerful episode features Pastor Irene Rollins: she shares her story of transformation from addiction and working through trauma (*you may want to give this one a pre-listen prior to having littles around). This episode is one of healing and hope. You’ll even smile at how God brings light into even the darkest of moments on the church planting journey.

Boundaries for Leaders- Dr. Henry Cloud

Changes that Heal- Dr. Henry Cloud

Necessary Endings- Dr. Henry Cloud

Do you feel like your life is going in several different directions all at once? Kyra White—Church Planter, Wife, Mom, and School Principal from Detroit, Michigan—shares about how compartmentalizing different areas of your life is actually helpful and necessary. Lisa and Kyra also talk about the importance of boundaries with social media and how we can lead ourselves well in ministry to thrive instead of just survive.

Have you ever asked God why He wired you the way he did? Leilani Sizemore, Director of Operations at Creekside Church in North Paulding, GA, shares how God has used her strategic brain for impact in unexpected ways on the church planting journey. Leilani and Lisa also talk through loneliness in ministry and how to lean into Jesus with all of it. 

This episode is packed with wisdom from Valarie Grimes-- Lead Pastor of Radiant Church in Savannah, GA. Valarie shares her experience of hearing God’s voice through deep loss and pain. She also talks about the power of discipleship even through the unique challenges brought on by COVID-19.

10 years in church planting! This is what we’re celebrating with Sheila Brown from Journey Church in Jackson, TN. Sheila looks back on her 10 years post-launch and shares some hard-earned wisdom from along the way.

What is Bloom all about? Spoiler alert: relationships. Whether you’re new to Bloom or have been engaged with this community for a while, this episode will help you dig more into why Bloom exists and how to get engaged and involved with other women who are maximizing their roles in starting churches.

Vicki Diller is the Community Pastor of Crossroads Columbus. She shares about her experience in launching a church during a global pandemic—something completely unexpected when the dream of planting a church first entered her story. Lisa and Vicki also talk through what it’s like to be a working mom and how Team Diller manages their busy life with intention.

Shannon Smith from Momentum Church in Cleveland, Ohio shares her story of learning about her own gifts and how she manages others’ expectations. She gives a ton of resources and tools for growth to help you on your church planting journey. You will surely want to grab a pen and paper for this episode!

Jan Limiero is incredibly full of wisdom. Hear her tell her story of pursuing silence and solitude in several stages of her life—including her amazing journey on the Camino De Santiago! This episode will empower you to start where you are and grow from there.