Dale Sellers and Joseph Bennett launch the Renewed Pastor Podcast, sharing why 95 Network became The Renewed Pastor and how the new Renewed Pastor Pathway helps pastors get healthy in life, leadership, and legacy.

This is the first episode of the Renewed Pastor Podcast, formerly the 95 Podcast. Dale Sellers and Joseph Bennett use the launch conversation to explain a significant transition: as of September 1, 95 Network has officially become The Renewed Pastor.

Dale Sellers walks through the ministry's history. 95 Network was founded in 2014 by Jim Powell, a pastor in Peoria, Illinois, who led a large church but carried a deep burden for smaller congregations. The name reflected the statistic that roughly 95 percent of American churches were small or midsize. Dale joined the board in 2016, and in late 2017 Jim handed leadership to Dale and a group of pastors. Dale became executive director on July 1, 2018, and has led the ministry for eight years.

The conversation then turns personal. Dale describes the isolation he experienced as a pastor, including a board member who literally put a hand up at a restaurant table and said he did not want to hear about his pastor's struggles. Years of internalized stress, a devastating church split, and a culture that expected pastors to appear invincible contributed to quadruple bypass surgery at age 53. When Dale asked his surgeon how it happened, the answer was blunt: hypertension and high blood pressure caused by his vocation. That crisis launched a decade-long journey of inner work that eventually produced his book, Stalled.

Dale also names the shift he has watched unfold in the church world. Pastors no longer need more content; content is everywhere. What they lack is relationship, mentoring, and honest community. Denominations, seminaries, and networks often repackage old approaches instead of making the changes pastors actually need. After more than a year of prayer, conversations with leaders, and a two-day retreat with Jesse Barnett of The Message Clarity Company, the team landed on a new name, a new focus, and a new offering.

That offering is the Renewed Pastor Pathway™, a one-year, research-informed coaching track built around four quarters: Soul Care, Identity and Calling, Mission and Vision, and Leadership Development with Succession planning. It includes twelve sessions, a monthly call, and an on-site day with the church's leaders. Dale explains why soul care must come first: an unhealthy soul produces an unhealthy congregation, and a pastor who cannot take a Sabbath is functionally saying that everything depends on him.

The vision behind the rebrand is a goal Dale believes God gave him: help one thousand pastors get healthy over the next ten years. With the average pastor now between 62 and 64 years old and more than 100,000 expected to retire in the next decade, the leadership pipeline problem is urgent. The Renewed Pastor exists to serve pastors of any church size who genuinely want help, with scholarship dollars available for those who cannot afford the full cost.

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Greg Woodard has been active in Christian leadership for many years. He is the author of Leadership from Within: Navigating the Path Toward Soul-Driven Success, a Spiritual director in training, a life and leadership coach, and an active lay member in a local church.

He retired from twenty-two years of active-duty military service: fifteen years as a Navy Chaplain and seven years as a Marine and Army National Guardsman. He has also pastored in a Christian drug and alcohol recovery program and local church settings.

Over his years as a military chaplain in deployed environments, Greg learned to live a holistically healthy life and take care of himself in difficult spiritual leadership experiences. His journey has helped him understand the complexities of the human person.

Greg holds a Doctor of Ministry in Leadership Renewal and Coaching from Regent University.

During his doctoral work, Greg was privileged to write his dissertation on developing a curriculum that connects deployed chaplains’ soul care with their emotional health, the genesis of his book. Greg has a continuing passion for the soul care of faith-driven leaders.

He is a devoted Christian husband to Vicki for 27 years, father to two grown children, Liahna and David, and the proud papa of a grandchild. Greg enjoys walking with Vicki and their dog, dinners out, watching an occasional television show or movie, and traveling.

Greg Woodard joins Dale and Joseph to discuss pastoral soul care, burnout prevention, and four life-giving rhythms that help ministry leaders stay healthy.

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Jason is a partner and CEO. He guides the vision for where he believes God is leading Missional Marketing as we serve the Church. He is passionate about helping churches become better at reaching the "One ahead of the 99." He believes the church is the hope of the world for bringing people into a relationship with Jesus. He loves to talk with churches every day. It fills him up! He loves to wonder and invent when consulting with church clients.

He has met with and consulted hundreds of churches all over the country. He was a Communications Director for 11 years at Central Christian Church of Arizona. He speaks at conferences throughout the year and on our podcast. He joined Missional Marketing in 2015 and was named CEO in July 2017.

Jason Hamrock joins Dale & Joseph to explain how churches can use AI, websites, YouTube, social media, and consistent content to reach unchurched and de-churched people.

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Chad Sutton serves as North America Director of GO Movement, a global initiative mobilizing believers to share Jesus in everyday life across more than 140 nations. He focuses on building strategic partnerships, equipping leaders, and helping churches move from intention to action in personal evangelism.

With a background in executive leadership, business ownership, and nonprofit development, Chad brings a practical, results-driven approach to ministry. He has worked alongside churches, schools, and organizations to strengthen fundraising, clarify messaging, and expand impact.

Chad is known for cutting through complexity and helping leaders focus on what actually moves people. His work with GO Movement centers on simple, repeatable steps that activate everyday believers to live out their faith through real conversations.

He lives in Michigan with his wife and family.

Dale & Joseph talk with Chad about helping pastors and churches create an atmosphere of evangelism through prayer, faith sharing, listening to the Holy Spirit, and simple everyday spiritual conversations.

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Ignite a movement of church renewal with the latest release from K. Kale Yu, a visionary scholar, professor, and ordained minister at the forefront of church revitalization. Recognized for his research by universities, seminaries, and Christian colleges including Harvard, Yale, Columbia, and Wheaton College—Yu brings a rare blend of academic research and pastoral heart to his work. He offers a bridge between theological truths and the practical needs of today’s congregations, making him an essential voice for those seeking to breathe new life into their faith communities.

Prepare to lead with purpose in Enkindle: Reviving the Church from Within (2026), the newest and most vital addition to The Spark Initiative Series. Designed as a cornerstone resource for the next generation of Christian leaders, this book is more than just a guide—it is a call to action. Yu provides the strategic tools and innovative leadership models necessary to navigate the complexities of modern ministry, ensuring that the fire of faith continues to burn brightly.

Whether you are an emerging practitioner or a seasoned pastor, Enkindle is your roadmap to sparking a lasting legacy of spiritual growth and vibrant community impact.

In this episode, Dale Sellers and Joseph Bennett talk with K. Kale Yu about “freestyle evangelism,” why program-driven churches feel inauthentic to Millennials and Gen Z, and how pastors can release Spirit-led passion projects that renew churches from within.

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Kimberly Tarlton is the Co-Founder & CEO of Story & Stone, a creative strategist, communications consultant, and a church girl at heart with over 28 years of experience helping ministries grow their impact—online and in-person.

Kim’s expertise spans digital, print, and live, leading church teams with a mix of creative spark and practical know-how. Her integrated marketing work has helped churches increase engagement, clarify their messaging, and confidently reach new guests.

She's known for leading cross-functional teams with heart and humor—and always with an eye on the metrics. A certified Working Genius Facilitator, a triple-certified HubSpot pro in Social Media, Content, and Email Marketing, and a sought-after speaker for conferences and podcasts on topics like church communications, guest strategy, and ministry development.

Kimberly and Dale discuss the importance of mission clarity as the foundation of your communications efforts in today's 95Podcast. Their conversation is filled with leadership nuggets to help you create an effective communication environment within your ministry.

Show Notes: https://95network.org/podcast-recast-95podcast-320-summary-church-communications-strategy-prioritize-plan-produce-w-kimberly-tarlton-episode-320/

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On today's 95Podcast, Dale Sellers sits down with Josh Clink to discuss his journey from unexpected pastoral leadership at age 26 through the aftermath of moral failure, COVID-19 burnout, compassion fatigue, and seven miscarriages—and how biblical counseling, spiritual formation, and anchored hope restored him. Josh shares practical pathways for pastors facing trauma, depression, anxiety, father wounds, and isolation, plus how CCEF equips small churches with counseling referrals, intensives, consultations, and the new Biblical Counseling for Pastors course.

Josh is the Counseling Manager and a counselor at CCEF. He holds a master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) and is working on his Doctorate of Education in Biblical Counseling from SEBTS. He is ordained by North Wake Baptist Church in Wake Forest, NC.

Prior to CCEF, Josh served as a pastor at FBC Afton in Afton, NY, for over seven years. He is passionate to see God reach down into the broken and hard moments of people’s lives to provide hope and healing. Josh has been married to his wife, Stephanie, since May 2014. He enjoys a fresh cup of coffee, cheering on his favorite sports teams, playing volleyball, working on cars, and fishing.

Show Notes: https://95network.org/95podcast-347-podcast-recast-summary-from-trauma-to-triumph-josh-clink-on-pastoral-health-counseling-and-soul-care-episode-347/

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Pastors can do “good hard” ministry without destroying their soul or family. In this episode, Lance Witt shares his story of leaving Saddleback Church after hitting a breaking point when an unsustainable pace and growing tension at home revealed that working harder could no longer produce health. What followed was a renewed calling: to help leaders pursue a different way of life—one marked by health, humility, and deeper dependence on Jesus.

Lance unpacks the hidden drivers of burnout, including approval addiction, people-pleasing, and a faulty theology of availability that keeps leaders overextended. He offers a clear distinction between “good hard” ministry and the kind that quietly depletes your soul, along with practical rhythms that restore health like Sabbath, boundaries, daily time with Jesus, and honest feedback. The conversation will challenge leaders to embrace limits as a gift, cultivate a healthy ambition, and build a culture where both they and their teams can grow without burning out.

About Lance: Lance Witt has been leading churches and organizations for 40+ years.  He was the lead pastor for 3 different churches and then spent 7 years as an executive and teaching pastor at Saddleback Church in Southern California. In 2007, Lance launched a ministry called Replenish, which is dedicated to “Helping people live and lead from a healthy soul.”  Over the last 15 years Lance has encouraged, challenged and equipped thousands of leaders through speaking, personal coaching, LifePlanning, and writing books. Lance’s books include…


Replenish… a resource for pastors and ministry leaders on doing ministry without losing your soul.
High Impact Teams… a resource to catalyze teams to increased health and high-performance
Your ONE Life… this newest book releases in 2021 and is focused on helping people own, live and love their one and only life.

Lance and his best friend, Connie, have been married for 45 years.  They have two grown children and 4 beautiful granddaughters. Their entire family lives in Castle Rock, Colorado.

Show Notes: https://95network.org/95podcast-346-summary-healthy-holy-and-humble-soul-care-rhythms-for-pastors-with-lance-witt-95-podcast-346/

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What happens after Easter matters. In this episode, Vick Green shares a practical approach to follow-up and discipleship for small and mid-size churches: clarify vision, build a “multiplication vehicle,” start with a few leaders, and aim for the 16% tipping point.

When vision is clear, it begins to shape decisions, focus energy, and help leaders say no to what doesn’t move the mission forward.

Vick also challenges how we think about discipleship. Growth doesn’t come from information alone—it’s formed through practice, relationships, and a shared vision that spreads through people, not just preaching. He outlines a simple pathway to begin building that kind of culture, even in smaller churches.

Vick Green (MDiv, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary) is a pastor, coach, and consultant, and the CEO of Replicate Ministries, where he helps thousands of churches develop disciple-making cultures each year. He lives in the Nashville area with his wife, Sophie, and their three kids: Barrett, Lenna, and Allie Sage.

 Show Notes: https://95network.org/95podcast-331-summary-after-easter-a-simple-follow-up-plan-that-builds-real-disciples-w-vic-green/

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Dr. Bridget Trammell is a Christian counselor, speaker, and bestselling author of Trigger Warning: A Faith-Based Playbook for Healing from Trauma, Control, and the Lies that Broke You. Drawing from her personal journey through religious trauma, domestic violence, and emotional abuse, along with years of clinical experience, she helps individuals understand trauma, reclaim their identity, and find healing through faith and practical tools.

Bridget is passionate about creating safe spaces for people to process pain, break unhealthy cycles, and walk in freedom. With clinical techniques led by a Biblical approach, she builds the bridge between therapy and theology.

Bridget is married to Josh who serves as Lead Pastor of Take Heart Church. They have two daughters Hallie and Haven.

Dale & Joseph sit down with Bridget for a candid conversation about how trauma forms, how it shows up in ministry leadership, and why church culture often suppresses pain instead of supporting healing. Bridget shares parts of her personal story—including escaping an abusive marriage marked by addiction and violence—and explains why victims often struggle to leave unsafe situations.

The conversation explores religious trauma and “high-control” church environments, including how shame-based purity culture can distort sexuality, create secrecy, and amplify abuse. Bridget outlines practical frameworks for understanding trauma responses (fight, flight, freeze, and fawn), what “trigger warnings” really indicate, and why unresolved trauma layers over time—often driving burnout, control, addiction, and emotional reactivity in leaders.

The episode ends with a direct call to pastors and leaders who feel like “silent weepers”: healing requires honesty about wounds, safe relationships, wise counsel, and spiritual community that can carry burdens together—following the model of Jesus, who showed real humanity in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Show Link: https://95network.org/95podcast-344-summary-trigger-warning-trauma-healing-for-pastors-church-leaders-w-bridget-trammell-episode-344/

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