The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast

Twenty years ago this month, Carey almost became ministry road kill. After 11 years of 30%+ annual growth, he burned out, hard.

In Part 1 of this solo episode, Carey shares 5 honest insights from two decades of reflection: why dysfunction gets rewarded in the church, how denial accelerates the crash, and why grieving your losses matters.

If your passion is fading, this episode is for you.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

GLOBAL CHRISTIAN RELIEF

Global Christian Relief supports our church family in places where following Jesus carries a cost—Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, India, Iran, and many more. They bring Scripture where it's restricted, provide emergency relief when crisis hits, and offer long-term support so the Church can remain and grow strong.

When you support the global church, you're not supporting a cause, you're standing with family. Learn more: gcrelief.org

AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY

It's hard to know what's really going on in people's lives. Are they growing? Are they fighting battles you can't see? That's why the American Bible Society created the Next Step for Church assessment.

It shows pastors exactly where their church is growing, where it's not, and what to do next. In as few as three weeks you can get real insights about what's happening in your church, at no cost.

Sign up for their upcoming Live Q&A to ask questions and see how it works.

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network

There's a battle happening in our minds: one that shapes how we see ourselves, our circumstances, and even God. In this episode, Carey moderates a conversation with Louie Giglio, Jennie Allen, and Craig Groeschel as they come together to talk honestly about mental health, the lies we believe, and how faith changes the way we fight. Download the free reflections and takeaway guide here: https://share.hsforms.com/1r7u1sOZMSgKMcVTKf1kyFg4rhq6

The vast majority of churches are plateaued or declining, and Exponential CEO Dave Ferguson explains why most churches never grow, let alone multiply.

Plus, he shares the latest trends in church planting in this special episode recorded backstage at Exponential Global Conference in Orlando.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

THE ART OF LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

You can get every course I've created—on preaching, leading volunteers, preventing burnout, building healthy teams, growing your church—all in one place.

Plus, once a month, I jump on a live coaching call with you and our members to work through your questions together. Head to careynieuwhof.com/academy to join us inside.

SUBSPLASH

Church leaders are staring at AI with a mix of fascination and, let's be honest, a fair amount of fear. But at Subsplash, they don't see AI as a way to automate ministry, they see it as a way to accelerate it. The goal isn't to replace the minister; it's to remove the administrative noise that keeps ministry staff stuck behind their desks instead of being present with people.

It's all about stewardship: helping church leaders lead the mission while Subsplash leads the technology.

subsplash.com/carey

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network

Carey caught up with Rich Villodas backstage at Exponential to talk about the learnable skills that keep leaders and congregations non-anxious in an angry age, and the unique challenges and gifting needed to lead a church you didn't plant.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

THE ART OF PREACHING

I've been preaching for more than 30 years and I've made just about every mistake you can make, more than once. That's why I created The Art of Preaching, a step-by-step course to help you preach with clarity, confidence, and impact, featuring insights from communicators like Faith Eury Cho, Mark Clark, and Megan Fate Marshman. Enrollment is open now—check it out at theartofpreachingcourse.com.

VICTORY BEYOND THE CUP

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is one of the most significant outreach opportunities of our lifetime—and Victory Beyond the Cup is equipping churches to make the most of it. They're offering free Pastor Kits and Host Kits to help you run meaningful events all summer long. Claim yours here.

LIFESTONE MINISTRIES

The Quarterly Bible Curriculum from LifeStone Ministries has been serving churches for over 120 years. The Adult Bible Class is a verse-by-verse, theologically sound resource that gives teachers and students everything they need with confidence.

For teachers who want to go deeper, Adult Bible Teacher adds exposition, discussion questions, and lesson preparation helps. More than 10,000 churches rely on it every quarter.

http://lifestoneministries.org/carey

Joel Muddamalle is a theologian who thinks harder about spiritual warfare than almost anyone in the church today. In this conversation: how sin got a mass-marketing strategy, why your devices are a primary battleground, why the best answer to political division might be subversion, and how to keep your best people long-term.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

THE ART OF PREACHING

I've been preaching for more than 30 years and I've made just about every mistake you can make, more than once. That's why I created The Art of Preaching, a step-by-step course to help you preach with clarity, confidence, and impact, featuring insights from communicators like Faith Eury Cho, Mark Clark, and Megan Fate Marshman. Enrollment is open now—check it out at theartofpreachingcourse.com.

BELAY

BELAY hand-matches pastors and church leaders with highly-vetted, U.S.-based Assistants and Financial Experts who take operational work off your plate—without sacrificing the human touch your church deserves.

Download BELAY's free resource, Five Traits AI Can't Replace, by texting CAREY to 55123.

CHURCH GROWTH ENGINE

Church Growth Engine's free guide, "Why Do Good Churches Get Stuck?", identifies ten fixable problems—like leadership exhaustion cycles and visitor retention gaps—that prevent good churches from becoming all God has called them to be. Each challenge comes with symptoms to recognize and practical steps that have helped thousands of churches move from survival mode to thriving ministry.

Download it free at churchgrowthengine.com/actionplan.

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network

Most church leaders are leading inside a model they never chose and rarely understand.

In this episode, Todd Wilson, founder of Exponential, walks through the true history of the modern church: Church Growth, Seeker Sensitive, Attractional, Missional—and what's coming next.

This is the seminary class no one got, but every church leader needs.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

THE ART OF LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

Inside The Art of Leadership Academy, you'll find bite-sized tools, weekly conversations, and leaders who are walking the same road you're on.

Create a free account, get started in minutes, and see what a difference it makes. All you have to do is visit theartofleadershipacademy.com.

CHURCH GROWTH ENGINE

Church Growth Engine gives you a weekly pulse on what's actually working in churches like yours right now.

Get research-backed strategies straight to your inbox every Tuesday morning. No fluff. No theory. Just practical insights you can scan in five minutes and implement this week, whether you lead 50 people or 500.

Join over a thousand pastors who are building thriving churches without the overwhelm. Subscribe for free at churchgrowthengine.com.

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network

What do you do when you run a playbook on discipleship that's worked for years, and it stops working? That led Robby Gallaty to a place of despair, and out of that, revival and renewal came. Robby Gallaty and Replicate CEO Vick Green explain how to renew your ministry through revival and discipleship.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

LIFESTONE MINISTRIES

Adult Bible Teacher from LifeStone Ministries gives Sunday school teachers verse-by-verse exposition, built-in discussion questions, and lesson preparation notes—everything you need to walk into your classroom with confidence. Head to lifestoneministries.org/carey to learn more.

CHURCH GROWTH ENGINE

Church Growth Engine's free guide, "Why Do Good Churches Get Stuck?" identifies ten fixable problems holding churches back—from leadership exhaustion cycles to visitor retention gaps—with practical steps that have helped thousands of churches move from survival mode to thriving ministry.

Download it free at churchgrowthengine.com/actionplan.

COMPASSION

Compassion International equips churches to lead with a posture of compassion just as Jesus did—offering resources, events, and experiences that help your church family take action, love their neighbors, and help release children from poverty in Jesus' name.

Visit compassion.org/carey to download free resources and learn more.

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network

Preston Sprinkle studied the full biblical narrative on women in ministry inductively, without an agenda. From Genesis to Paul, we discuss what he found and where it led him.

We also tackle what faithfulness to scripture looks like, and how opening your mind and changing your view can make you more biblically faithful rather than less.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

ART OF LEADERSHIP LIVE

The Art of Leadership Live ISN'T a conference where you'll sit down and listen to keynote speakers for 8+ hours a day. Each day is carefully designed with a perfect balance of teaching, connection, and free time so you can find the right insight and act on it. Learn more.

VICTORY BEYOND THE CUP

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is one of the most significant outreach opportunities of our lifetime—and Victory Beyond the Cup is equipping churches to make the most of it. They're offering free Pastor Kits and Host Kits to help you run meaningful events all summer long. Claim yours.

BELAY

If your schedule is maxed out and you're doing work that someone else could handle, Belay can help. They match you with pre-vetted, US-based Virtual Assistants and Financial Experts on a flexible, fractional basis—so you only pay for what you need. Download their free resource, "5 Traits AI Can't Replace," by texting CAREY to 55123

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network

Christine Caine returns to the podcast to discuss the real reasons she thinks women are done with the church, how to get them back, why playing the Holy Spirit's role in other people's lives has to stop, and the necessity of being pruned if you want to flourish.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

ART OF LEADERSHIP LIVE

The Art of Leadership Live ISN'T a conference where you'll sit down and listen to keynote speakers for 8+ hours a day. Each day is carefully designed with a perfect balance of teaching, connection, and free time so you can find the right insight and act on it. Learn more.

COMPASSION

Compassion International has partnered with churches for decades to connect children in poverty with loving, safe environments where both their physical and spiritual needs are met. You can partner with Compassion to equip your church members to step into global missions—they have a library of resources, experiences, and events designed for leaders like you.

Check out compassion.org/carey to download free resources and learn more.

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network

Find yourself procrastinating? You're not alone. Jon Acuff explains how to finally stop procrastinating on your sermon writing and other projects. Plus, he explains how he continues to grow as a leader, build an audience, and AI-proof his influence.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

ART OF LEADERSHIP LIVE

The Art of Leadership Live ISN'T a conference where you'll sit down and listen to keynote speakers for 8+ hours a day. Each day is carefully designed with a perfect balance of teaching, connection, and free time so you can find the right insight and act on it. Learn more.

LIFESTONE MINISTRIES

The Legacy Bible Curriculum from LifeStone Ministries is a verse-by-verse, theologically sound adult Sunday school resource that more than 10,000 churches rely on every quarter. Visit lifestoneministries.org/carey to order or learn more.

THE CHURCH NETWORK CONFERENCE

The Church Network Conference 2026 is coming to West Palm Beach this July—four days of practical learning on everything from finance and HR to technology and leadership development, designed specifically for executive pastors, church administrators, and operations leaders. Learn more and register at thechurchnetwork.com/conference

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network