For more than 9 years, Pastor Jim served as the General Secretary of the Assemblies of God. In today's episode, we look back on that time and discuss lessons he learned from that work and what surprised him most. As the General Secretary, Pastor Jim oversaw the credentials of close to 40,000 ministers, giving him a unique perspective on the calling, challenges, and trends in pastoral leadership. We hope the conversation gives you a similar perspective and perhaps new motivation to pray for those who bear the responsibility of guiding our fellowship. 

This weekend, as our nation celebrates its 250th year, Pastor Jim explores what it means to be patriotic, why we can be grateful for this nation, and how we can lead in praying for the decades to come. 

There are those who see ambition as only a virtue and others who see it as pure vice. Is it good to be ambitious, or is it a dangerous self-obsession? Perhaps most importantly, how should faith impact ambition? In our conversation today, Pastor Jim explores the real meaning of ambition and how Christians should think about hard work, goals, and the work it takes to do great things. We hope the conversation helps you pursue all that God has for your life with clarity and better wisdom. 

Surrounded by conflicts and controversy, there can be a lot of pressure to speak, whether you're a Christian in a workplace or a pastor speaking to a congregation. The Bible encourages both holding the tongue and the courage to be bold with the truth. It takes wisdom to discern the moment and when God is asking us to speak and when he is asking us to remain silent. In this week's episode, we're exploring the question of how leaders can cultivate the discernment to steward their voice in a noisy and chaotic culture. Pastor Jim offers some practical advice for finding a way forward.

Many are reporting on an unexpected spiritual awakening in our culture. More people are exploring the Christian faith than before, and more are open to spiritual conversations. But how can the church steward this moment well? And what does discipleship look like in an age of awakening? Pastor Jim explores the realities of the moment we're in and offers both encouragement and warnings for leading in this cultural moment. 

We increasingly live in an age of skepticism. People do not trust institutions, and often they do not trust the church or pastors. Moral failures and corrupted leaders have violated the trust of many followers. But trust is one of the foundations of a healthy and vibrant community. In this episode, Pastor Jim describes how leaders can build trust, how they can lose trust, and why trust matters for the communities we're a part of. 

Today, we’re talking about boundaries. There can be a lot of expectations in life and ministry. How do you know when to say yes and when to say no? Boundaries are important, but when can they also become boundaries to work God might be calling us to? Pastor Jim explores how we should manage our lives and our commitments as ministers and as Christians. 

For decades, Pastor Jim has led multigenerational churches. Today, serving at Central Assembly, the church is known for its multigenerational approach to ministry and worship. Pastor Jim explores both the challenges and rewards of serving all ages and offers practical advice on how pastors can serve their own multigenerational congregations. 

Forming a friendship can be difficult. Life and ministry can be full of loneliness. In today's conversation, Pastor Jim and I discuss the value of relationships and how we can be more intentional in forming them. Pastor Jim offers advice from his own experiences and helps us think more deeply about our relational needs. 

At the center of the Christian message is the claim that Jesus rose from the dead. But the gospel makes an even bigger claim. Because of Jesus's resurrection, we too will be resurrected. In this week's episode, we discuss why the resurrection matters and how it should change the way we live as followers of Jesus.