Brentwood Baptist Leadership Podcast: Equipping the Whole Church Staff for Gospel Impact

Are you ready to take your ministry to the next level? Follow the Brentwood Baptist Leadership Podcast, as we share how this new resource will equip and encourage church leaders at every stage. Whether you’re a seasoned pastor or a growing team member, this podcast is designed to help you sharpen your vision, strengthen your staff, and deepen your Gospel impact.Hosted by ministers from Brentwood Baptist Church, this podcast brings you honest conversations, practical tools, and insights from leaders who understand the joys and challenges of ministry.

Brentwood Baptist Leadership Podcast: Equipping the Whole Church Staff for Gospel Impact is a business podcast hosted by Brentwood Baptist Church, with 60 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Brentwood Baptist Church hosts Brentwood Baptist Leadership Podcast: Equipping the Whole Church Staff for Gospel Impact, a business show with 60 episodes published.

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  Brentwood Baptist Leadership Podcast: Equipping the Whole Church Staff for Gospel Impact

  How to Build a Student Missions Program That Lasts

  Aug 19, 202618 min

  Student missions can start to feel like an event on the calendar instead of a way of life. In this episode of the Road to Elevate, Evan Kunz sits down with Billy Mahaffey, our student minister for groups and leadership, to talk about what it actually takes to build a student missions strategy from the ground up, from budgeting and choosing the right partners to helping students carry what they learn on a trip back into their everyday life. This is a preview of their full breakout session at the Elevate Church Conference on September 21 and 22, 2026. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why starting with the "why" matters more than starting with logistics, and how to help students see missions as part of following Jesus rather than a separate activity How the post-COVID years reset a lot of the missions culture in student ministry, and what it takes to rebuild it Why Gen Z and Gen Alpha students often think of "sharing the gospel" as street apologetics, and why that definition needs to be reset early What to look for in a long-term mission partner, and why the same site for years can matter more than a new destination every summer How to bring parents into the process, not just for safety and logistics, but for their own spiritual investment in their student's trip Why taking students outside their own city can actually help them live on mission inside it What it really looks like behind the scenes, budget surprises, lodging problems, and all, when a mission strategy is still being built Meet the GuestsEvan Kunz serves as student minister at Brentwood Baptist, where he has spent several years working alongside Billy to build missions into every part of the student ministry's discipleship strategy. Billy Mahaffey serves as student minister for groups and leadership at Brentwood Baptist, where he has led mission teams to Greece, England, and, most recently, Zimbabwe. Register for the Elevate Conference This episode is part of our March focus on worship ministry, leading up to Elevate Church Conference on September 21–22, 2026. Learn more and register at elevatechurchconference.com .

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  Brentwood Baptist Leadership Podcast: Equipping the Whole Church Staff for Gospel Impact

  Giving To vs. Giving From: Cultivating a Culture of Generosity

  Aug 12, 202613 min

  Our Road to Elevate series continues with a conversation every pastor, stewardship leader, and ministry director needs to hear. Darrel Girardier sits down with Ken Schafer, Brentwood Baptist's stewardship minister, to discuss what it takes to build a culture of generosity, previewing one of the breakout sessions at the Elevate Church Conference on September 21 and 22, 2026. Ken starts by separating two words most of us use interchangeably: giving and generosity. From there, he and Darrel work through why money conversations create friction in churches, why a met budget can still hide an unhealthy congregation, and the specific numbers Ken tells every church leader to go find in their own giving data. They close by rethinking a familiar narrative about generational giving and unpacking the difference between giving to a church and giving from worship. In this episode, you'll learn: - The key difference between giving and generosity, and why treating them as interchangeable holds churches back: giving is a transaction, and generosity is a condition of the heart - Why healthy churches treat generosity as part of holistic spiritual development, right alongside Bible study, worship, and prayer, instead of putting it in a lane by itself - Why "our budget is being met" almost never means a church has a healthy culture of generosity - The difference between average giving and median giving, and why median is the more honest, and often more sobering, number for a church to know - The difference between giving to a church and giving from worship, and why that shift changes how a church should talk about money altogether - And more... Meet the Guests Ken Schafer is the Stewardship Minister at Brentwood Baptist, where he helps individuals and the congregation grow into a biblical view of generosity as an act of worship, not just a line in the budget. Darrel Girardier is the Executive Director of Ministry Resources at Brentwood Baptist, where he oversees the team and resources that help equip pastors and ministry leaders across the church.

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  Brentwood Baptist Leadership Podcast: Equipping the Whole Church Staff for Gospel Impact

  What Is Elevate? The Conference Built for Your Whole Team

  Aug 5, 202617 min

  August kicks off our Road to Elevate series, a month of conversations previewing what you'll actually experience at the Elevate Church Conference on September 21 and 22, 2026. To start things off, Darrel Girardier sits down with Madi Wuebben to answer the most basic question first: what is Elevate?Madi walks through what makes Elevate different from the conferences most church leaders have already tried: breakout content built for every seat on a team, speakers who are still leading in the trenches every week, and a schedule designed so leaders can actually be filled up, not just informed. She and Darrel also talk through this year's new two-day format, cherry-pick a few breakout sessions they're personally excited about, and get honest about what they hope every single attendee walks away with, both in the room and long after the conference ends. In this episode, you’ll learn: What actually makes Elevate different: breakout content built for every role on a team, so a pastor can bring paid staff, volunteers, deacons, and Sunday school teachers, not just come alone Why every Elevate speaker, keynote and breakout alike, is currently leading in ministry day to day, at churches ranging from about 100 people to several thousand Why local, regional connection is baked into the conference, even as it draws partners from as far away as Germany, Brazil, and Utah The two things Madi hopes every attendee walks away with: genuinely feeling filled up, and getting specific answers for their specific ministry lane Why 2026 adds a second day, with an extended two-hour workshop on day one and a keynote, more breakouts, and extended Q&A on day two A few breakout sessions and speakers Madi and Darrel are personally most excited about, from a session on hard conversations to a workshop on planning group ministry The difference between the one-day and two-day ticket options, and how to think about which one fits The bigger vision behind Elevate: not just content for a weekend, but long-term partnerships, like residency programs and seminary connections, between Brentwood Baptist and the churches that attend Meet the GuestsMadi Wuebben is the Promotions Director at Brentwood Baptist, where she leads how Elevate and other Leadership Resources initiatives get in front of the church leaders they're built for. Darrel Girardier is the Executive Director of Ministry Resources at Brentwood Baptist, where he oversees the team and resources that help equip pastors and ministry leaders across the church.

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  Brentwood Baptist Leadership Podcast: Equipping the Whole Church Staff for Gospel Impact

  More Prayed Up, Not More Researched: Sermon Prep in the Age of AI

  Jul 29, 202629 min

  We're wrapping up our month-long series on preaching with a conversation every pastor and Bible teacher needs to hear. Brandon Hayes sits down with Hunter Melton, campus and teaching pastor of The Church at Woodbine, to talk about sermon research: how to use commentaries, AI, and other study tools well, without letting them replace dependence on the Holy Spirit.Hunter walks through his weekly rhythm, the tools he actually uses, and where he draws a hard line with AI in sermon preparation. It's a conversation about being resourced without losing sight of the text, and about pursuing faithfulness over polish. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why being "more resourced than ever" can lead to analysis paralysis, and how to guard against it Hunter's weekly rhythm for sermon prep (Monday and Tuesday with the text and the Holy Spirit, Wednesday and Thursday with commentaries and tools) Why he calls commentaries and old sermons his "dead friends," and which resources he trusts (ESV Study Bible, CSB Study Bible, Crossway's Exegetical series, Baker Academic) How to know when "enough is enough" in research, and why languages and research should support a sermon without being seen What to do when a Wednesday commentary read reveals you got the text wrong Where AI can genuinely help (finding illustrations, checking timing), and where it becomes a slippery slope for a preacher Why Hunter believes AI reshaping a sermon's content or tone crosses a real line, and what's at stake if pastors export their calling to a tool One concrete step for pastors who love people but struggle to sit down and study Meet the GuestsBrandon Hays is the campus and teaching pastor of The Church at Harpeth Heights. He's hosting the Brentwood Baptist Leadership Podcast this month, where he talks with pastors and ministry leaders from across Brentwood Baptist about how they lead, teach, and shepherd their people well. Hunter Melton is the campus and teaching pastor of The Church at Woodbine. Known among his fellow campus pastors as one of the most quotable voices at Brentwood Baptist, Hunter brings both conviction and humor to how he studies, prays, and prepares to preach each week.

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  Brentwood Baptist Leadership Podcast: Equipping the Whole Church Staff for Gospel Impact

  How to Use Sermon Illustrations Without Losing Your Message

  Jul 22, 202635 min

  A great sermon illustration does more than entertain. It helps people see the truth of Scripture clearly enough to carry it out the door. This conversation between two campus and teaching pastors covers what separates an illustration that serves the text from one that just serves the moment, what one guest calls a boneless chicken trying to walk: fun to watch, but it isn't moving anyone anywhere.The episode breaks down a simple, repeatable framework for building illustrations that land: aim at the point being made, focus the story on that point, and take the picture by tying it back to the truth. It also covers when an illustration is actually needed, weighing the pace of a sermon, the people in the room, and the point being made, plus how personal stories can build trust with a congregation without turning the sermon into a memoir.The conversation closes with habits any preacher can borrow: journaling ordinary moments before they're forgotten, keeping a searchable database of stories and Scripture, and using the natural plot arc, rising action, conflict, and resolution, to spot a sermon illustration hiding in an average Tuesday. In this episode, you’ll learn: The three-step framework for building an illustration that clarifies instead of distracts: aim, focus, and take the picture. How to tell when a sermon actually needs an illustration, based on pace, people, and the point you're making. Why personal stories build trust with a congregation, and how to keep them from becoming self-serving. A simple test for whether a personal illustration has crossed a line: does it elevate you, or does it elevate the truth you're preaching? How to build a habit of noticing illustrations in daily life, through journaling, photos, and a simple database. Why bookending a sermon, opening and closing with the same illustration, can bring a whole message home, as long as you don't force it. Where to find illustrations you can trust, from personal experience to historical events to AI-assisted research, and how to verify each one before you preach it. Meet the GuestsBrandon Abbott serves as campus and teaching pastor at The Church at West End. He has spent years studying the craft of storytelling, from competitive public speaking in high school to a running database that tracks every illustration he has ever preached, tagged by tone, text, and last use.

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