The Shepherds Circle

What does it actually take to become a stronger influence in your church?

It takes more than preaching a good sermon, giving people instructions, or simply holding the title of pastor. In this episode of The Shepherds Circle, Stan sits down with Caleb Howell and Lance Sudduth for a practical conversation about the kind of leadership that moves beyond the pulpit and into the everyday lives of the people we serve.

The guys talk about the importance of letting people know the real you, building genuine relationships with your congregation, modeling the ministry you want others to embrace, and taking time to understand the passions and gifts God has already placed within your people. They also discuss why pastors have to move from simply telling people what to do toward intentionally equipping them to actually do the work of ministry.

From inviting people to church and praying with a waitress to developing volunteers, encouraging creative ministry ideas, practicing accountability, and knowing your people well enough to understand their next step, this conversation is packed with practical wisdom for pastors and ministry leaders who want to lead through relationship rather than position alone.

Influence isn't built overnight; and it isn't built from the platform alone. It's built by living life with people, practicing what you preach, investing in them personally, and helping them discover how God can use them in the work of His Kingdom.

If you're a pastor, ministry leader, or church member who wants to become a stronger Gospel influence on the people around you, this episode is for you.

Trust is one of the most valuable things a pastor or ministry leader can have; and one of the easiest things to lose.

In this episode of The Shepherds Circle, Stan sits down with Caleb Howell and Lance Sudduth for a practical conversation about earning the trust to lead. In a culture where leadership failures, church hurt, and broken trust have left many people understandably cautious, how can pastors lead with the kind of integrity that gives their people confidence in them?

The guys talk candidly about transparency, owning your mistakes, communicating clearly, staying emotionally steady in difficult moments, protecting the people you lead, and refusing to hide behind secrecy or position. They also share stories from their own ministries about navigating criticism, conflict, failure, accountability, and the everyday opportunities pastors have to demonstrate servant leadership.

Because trust isn’t built only from the pulpit. It’s built when people see that your public ministry and private character match, when you’re willing to apologize, willing to be accountable, willing to get in the trenches, and willing to serve when nobody is impressed by it.

If you’re a pastor, ministry leader, elder, deacon, or simply someone who wants to lead people well, this conversation is a reminder that leadership influence grows where integrity, humility, consistency, and service are practiced over time.

Listen in, share it with another ministry leader, and join us around The Shepherds Circle.

In this installment of Not Many Mighty, Stan sits down with Pastor CJ Keister of Friendship Church in Baxley, Georgia, for an honest conversation about calling, salvation, perseverance, and the realities of shepherding people.

CJ grew up in church, attended Christian school, graduated from Bible college, and entered full-time ministry. From the outside, his path seemed clear. But in 2022—while already serving in ministry—God confronted him with a life-changing realization: he knew a great deal about Jesus, but he did not truly know Him. That conviction led CJ to surrender his life to Christ in a hotel room in North Augusta, South Carolina, a moment that changed both his life and his ministry.

From there, Stan and CJ talk candidly about the joys and wounds that come with pastoring: seeing people come to Christ, watching Scripture finally “click” for someone, walking families through grief, enduring criticism and church hurt, and discovering how important trusted relationships are when ministry begins to feel like an island.

CJ also shares the role his wife, Amanda, has played in helping him remain faithful through difficult seasons and offers simple but powerful encouragement to young pastors and ministry leaders:

Don’t quit on a bad day. Love people hard. Trust God with your battles. Stay faithful to what He has called you to do.

It’s a conversation about learning that preaching is only a small part of shepherding—and that some of the most important ministry happens simply by showing up, listening, loving people well, and remaining faithful when the road gets difficult.

If you’re a pastor, ministry leader, seminary student, or someone trying to discern God’s call on your life, this installment of Not Many Mighty is for you.

The Shepherds Circle is the official podcast of 6:14 Ministries, encouraging pastors and helping local churches become healthier and stronger.

Listen, subscribe, and share this episode with another pastor or ministry leader who could use the encouragement.

Not Many Mighty: Pastor Paul Dziadul

In this installment of Not Many Mighty, Stan sits down with longtime friend and fellow pastor Paul Dziadul, lead pastor of Lake Wildwood Baptist Church in Macon, Georgia.

Paul’s story is a powerful reminder that God often chooses the unlikely, the ordinary, and the imperfect to accomplish His purposes. From growing up as the ninth of ten children on a tobacco farm in Connecticut, to a radical conversion at a church camp as a teenager, to more than 25 years of pastoral ministry, Paul shares the moments that shaped his faith and calling.

But this conversation goes far beyond the highlights of ministry.

Paul opens up about some of the darkest seasons of his pastoral journey—including four years of depression, a devastating house fire, panic attacks, and the painful reality of being betrayed by people he had poured his life into. He also shares how the gospel, trusted mentors, his wife, and a willingness to bring hidden struggles into the light helped him keep going.

Stan and Paul also have a candid conversation about pastoral calling and the next generation of ministry leaders. Paul challenges the familiar idea that “if you can do anything else, do it,” arguing instead that churches should help recognize, affirm, train, and correct men who desire the noble work of shepherding God's people.

Along the way, they talk about suffering, mental health, generational faithfulness, the importance of having people who can speak truth into our lives, and why ministry is never meant to be lived alone.

For pastors, ministry leaders, and anyone considering a call to ministry, this is an honest conversation about the joy, pain, perseverance, and grace found in a life surrendered to Jesus.

The Shepherds Circle is the official podcast of 6:14 Ministries, a ministry dedicated to encouraging pastors and strengthening churches.

Learn more about 6:14 Ministries at 614ministries.org.

What happens when a runaway youth who feels entirely out of place among "pastor types" is unexpectedly called to ministry?

In this edition of Not Many Mighty, Stan sits down with Pastor David Cromie of Edison Baptist Church in Edison, Georgia. David shares his remarkable journey from being a juvenile delinquent and a self-described "D-student" to truly surrendering his life to Christ at a youth camp in upstate New York. He offers a candid look at his unlikely path into vocational ministry, navigating the deep insecurities of feeling completely out of his depth in Bible college, and the profound ways God provided for him when he was ready to give up and join the Navy.

David also reflects on the hard-won leadership lessons he gained as a young pastor stepping into a role he felt unprepared for. Along the way, he offers honest, deeply practical counsel for anyone entering ministry: the necessity of accountability because people do what you inspect rather than what you expect, the wisdom of surrounding yourself with people who are strong where you are weak, and the importance of finding a daily devotion time that actually fits your schedule.

For young men feeling unqualified for the call—and for seasoned leaders needing a reminder of God's persistent grace—David’s testimony is a powerful picture of how God delights in taking our brokenness and using it for His glory.

What happens when a man spends decades following his own carefully laid plans—only to finally ask, “God, what is Your agenda?”

In this edition of Not Many Mighty, Stan sits down with his longtime friend and neighbor, Pastor George Riek of Orchard Baptist Church in Mobile, Alabama. George shares how God used a faithful Christian family to lead him to salvation at ten years old, guided him through a 22-year military career, and eventually called him into vocational ministry at nearly 39. It is a candid, encouraging story of delayed obedience, persistent grace, and a calling that George’s mother and wife recognized long before he did.

George also reflects on his journey from youth ministry to fifteen years of pastoring Orchard, the joys and unexpected difficulties of shepherding a local church, and the unique opportunities found in bivocational ministry. Along the way, he offers honest, deeply practical counsel for anyone discerning a call to ministry: make certain it is God who is calling, remember that pastoring involves far more than preaching, and remain willing to serve where He places you.

For young men considering ministry—and for faithful pastors who need to be reminded that God can use every season of their story—George’s testimony is a powerful picture of what can happen when we surrender our plans and step onto God’s agenda.

How well do you really know what is happening beneath the surface of your church?

Healthy shepherding requires more than preaching to people each week. It means listening carefully enough to understand how they are growing, where they are struggling, what concerns may be developing, and what needs exist within the surrounding community.

In this episode of The Shepherds Circle, Stan is joined by Caleb Howell, Lance Sudduth, and Connor McLeod for a practical conversation about creating healthy feedback loops within the local church. They discuss pastoral visits, small groups, deacons, leadership conversations, conflict resolution, communication tools such as Slack and GroupMe, and simple church surveys created through Google Forms.

The conversation also explores how pastors can ask better questions, when anonymous feedback may be helpful, and how community surveys can uncover meaningful ministry and outreach opportunities. Honest feedback can help church leaders evaluate discipleship, improve small-group participation, strengthen pastoral care, identify concerns before they become conflicts, and discover whether their ministry is truly connecting with the people they serve.

Whether you pastor a small rural congregation, lead a youth ministry, serve as a deacon, or help guide a growing church, this episode will help you listen more intentionally, stay closer to your people, and turn useful feedback into faithful shepherding.

Links & resources mentioned in this episode:

Slack.com
GroupMe.com

Become a 6:14 Ministry Partner:
https://614ministries.org/ministry-partners

Few things drain a church leadership team faster than a meeting with no clear purpose, no agenda, and no end in sight. But when handled well, a meeting can do far more than fill a calendar—it can strengthen relationships, clarify priorities, encourage volunteers, and move ministry forward.

In Season 3, Episode 17, Stan is joined at Howell Baptist Church in Lucedale, Mississippi by Caleb Howell, Lance Sudduth, and Connor McLeod for a practical conversation about leading church meetings that people are actually willing to attend. Together, they share lessons learned from meetings that went off the rails and unpack what makes a leadership gathering productive: setting the right tone, beginning with prayer and encouragement, providing a clear agenda, distinguishing check-in meetings from planning sessions, keeping dominant voices from taking over, valuing everyone’s time, and ending with specific action steps, clear ownership, and genuine accountability.

Whether you are gathering elders and deacons, church staff, ministry leaders, or volunteer teams, this episode will help you turn meetings from a necessary frustration into a meaningful tool for shepherding people and advancing the mission of the church.

What happens when believers slow down, listen carefully to Scripture, and give everyone around the circle an opportunity to share what they hear?

In this special episode of The Shepherds Circle, Stan flies solo and welcomes Bill Slappy, Jacque, and Hank Fillingham for a conversation about Bible Listening Groups—a simple, highly reproducible discipleship model that is helping people engage with God’s Word, grow as leaders, build meaningful Christian community, and reach others both locally and around the world.

Bible Listening Groups began as a way to share audible Scripture with people groups in Africa, including communities where many could not read or write. Today, that same basic model is also bringing people together online through their phones, tablets, and computers.

The format is refreshingly simple:

What did you hear?

How did it impact you?

What are you going to do about it?

There is no complicated curriculum, large budget, new building, or Bible degree required. Participants slow down, focus on a few verses, listen to one another, pray Scripture over one another, and trust the Holy Spirit to use His Word. Leaders are not there to dominate the conversation or deliver another sermon. Their role is to create space for others to engage, speak, reflect, and grow.

Stan and his guests discuss how Bible Listening Groups can help churches develop new leaders, involve members who may never feel comfortable speaking from a platform, provide community for people with difficult work or travel schedules, create a low-pressure online outreach into surrounding neighborhoods, and offer pastors a practical way to move church members from passive attendance into active discipleship.

You will also hear personal stories of lives changed through the simple act of listening to Scripture together, including Derek Cavender’s testimony of finding consistent Christian community and continued spiritual growth while his work frequently keeps him away from his home church.

This is not merely another church program. It is an invitation to get the Word of God out in the open, let people handle it together, and trust that the Word will do its work.

Learn more or join a group at biblelistening.com.

Watch additional testimonies at BLGglobe.com.

Pastors and church leaders interested in hosting a Bible Listening Group training can also reach out to 6:14 Ministries for more information.

6:14 is proud to partner with Bible Listening Groups. Learn more about becoming a ministry partner with 6:14 on our official Ministry Partners platform. 

What happens when a room full of teenagers passionately worships... but struggles to connect their experiences back to Christ?

In this episode of The Shepherds Circle, Stan is joined by Caleb Howell, Conner McLeod, and Lance Sudduth for an honest conversation about the spiritual landscape of today's generation. Sparked by Stan's recent experience speaking at youth camp, the discussion explores why so many students are hungry for authenticity, desperate for safe relationships, and eager to talk about their pain—yet often lack the biblical framework to understand what God is doing in their lives.

The conversation tackles questions every pastor, youth leader, and parent is asking:

• Why are today's students so open about their struggles? 
• What does it mean to minister in a post-Christian South?
• How do worship, discipleship, and authentic relationships work together to point young people towards Christ? 
• What role do parents and the local church play in helping students develop a genuine faith? 

Along the way, the panel offers practical encouragement for anyone investing in the next generation, reminding us that creating safe environments is only the beginning—our calling is to lovingly disciple students until they recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd.

Whether you're a pastor, youth leader, parent, or church volunteer, this conversation will challenge and encourage you as you seek to faithfully shepherd the next generation.