The Lead Ministry Podcast

Lead Ministry is here for you, the dedicated people in ministry leadership. Our fast-paced, inspirational podcast offers practical steps in each episode to help you thrive.Our focus:*GET SKILLS - Implement systems to avoid burnout.*GET INSPIRED - Embrace leadership as a path to disciple-making.*GET MOVING - Apply episode ideas to enhance your ministry.Join us on a journey to navigate the challenges of ministry, from volunteer management to team building, and lead with purpose and passion in your service.

The Lead Ministry Podcast is a religion podcast hosted by Josh Denhart, with 348 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Josh Denhart hosts The Lead Ministry Podcast, a religion show with 348 episodes published.

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  Episode #350

  350. What to Say When a Volunteer Steps Away

  Sep 28, 202633 min

  Retention is not about forcing every volunteer to stay in every role forever. In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk talk about the healthy exit: how to honor a volunteer's service, learn from the experience, preserve belonging, and leave room for a future return. They contrast gratitude with guilt, show why leaders should release the role without removing the person from the community, and lay out a practical exit conversation: thank, learn, bless, and name the open door. They also explain a no-pressure follow-up that honors a volunteer's season instead of turning every future conversation into a request. Key Topics Covered Why some exits are faithful endings, not leadership failures Choosing gratitude rather than guilt Releasing the role without removing the person A practical exit conversation: thank, learn, bless, name the open door A no-pressure follow-up that preserves belonging Key Quote “Some exits are faithful endings. They're not leadership failures.” Takeaway Thank the volunteer, learn from the experience, bless the ending, and leave belonging open without turning follow-up into another ask. Call to Action We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week. Stay Connected for More Resources Visit our website: http://leadministry.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeadVolunteers Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

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  Episode #349

  349. Redesign the Role Before You Lose a Good Volunteer

  Sep 21, 202631 min

  A volunteer can still care deeply about the ministry while the role no longer fits the season they are in. In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk unpack the volunteer role half-life: the reality that a once-good role can drift as a person's gifting, capacity, or clarity changes. They show how role creep happens, why a larger assignment deserves a new agreement, and how to review the role before defaulting to replacement. The practical path is simple but intentional: look at the role with the person in mind, ask whether it still fits, and test one role change through a 90-, 60-, or 30-day experiment. Key Topics Covered When a once-good volunteer role stops fitting Gift for the work, capacity for the load, clarity for the win Why a larger assignment deserves a new agreement Reviewing the role before replacing the person Trying a 90-, 60-, or 30-day experiment Key Quote “Keep the person. But now you're going to question the shape and you're going to maybe even redesign the agreement.” Takeaway Review the role with the person in mind, then test one clearly defined change through a time-bound experiment. Call to Action We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week. Stay Connected for More Resources Visit our website: http://leadministry.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeadVolunteers Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

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  Episode #348

  348. How Ministry Chaos Drains Volunteer Goodwill

  Sep 14, 202639 min

  Every ministry has occasional chaos. The problem is when the same dependable volunteers keep paying for it. In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk introduce retention debt: the accumulated trust cost of unresolved ministry friction. They unpack why late changes, surprise asks, broken promises, and rescue mode slowly borrow against volunteer goodwill. Then they turn the framework into a practical reset: audit the last four weeks, retire one recurring rescue, make deposits through earlier decisions and complete preparation, and keep one public promise faithfully for four weeks. Key Topics Covered What retention debt means Why goodwill is the asset repeated friction borrows against How surprise, broken promises, and rescue mode drain trust Three deposits: decide earlier, prepare completely, communicate once A four-week audit and one recurring rescue to retire Key Quote “Retention debt is actually borrowed against the goodwill of your volunteers.” Takeaway Audit the last four weeks, retire one recurring rescue, and keep one public promise faithfully for the next four weeks. Call to Action We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week. Stay Connected for More Resources Visit our website: http://leadministry.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeadVolunteers Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

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  Episode #347

  347. 5 Stay Interview Questions to Ask Before Volunteers Quit

  Sep 7, 202637 min

  Volunteer exits rarely start on the day someone gives notice. In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk introduce the stay interview: a proactive conversation designed to happen before an exit interview is needed. They talk through why a broken ministry system can keep new people cycling out, what to listen for when a volunteer's energy or connection changes, and how to ask honest questions without immediately defending the system. The episode closes with a practical challenge: schedule three conversations, use the five questions, and write down what you hear before offering solutions. Josh also points Lead Ministry members to the Open-Ended Personal Survey as a roadmap for the conversation. Key Topics Covered Why recruiting into a broken system keeps the revolving door moving What a stay interview is, and why it is not an exit interview Three signals to notice: energy, friction, and connection How to listen without immediately defending the system A practical challenge to schedule three conversations Key Quote “This is not an exit interview. This is the stay interview. So you do the stay interview long before they ever quit.” Takeaway Schedule three honest conversations. Ask the five questions, write down what you hear, and close the loop before offering solutions. Call to Action We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week. Stay Connected for More Resources Visit our website: http://leadministry.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeadVolunteers Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

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  Episode #346

  346. Dawson Trotman’s Discipleship Secret

  Aug 31, 202625 min

  In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk explore the multiplication principle behind Dawson Trotman and the early Navigators: do not merely teach people — teach people who can teach others. Using 2 Timothy 2:2 as the foundation, they connect that vision to the life-on-life investment Josh received as a young Christian and the leaders he later developed. If you want your ministry and faith to continue beyond your personal involvement, this episode will challenge you to invest deeply in a faithful few and teach every lesson with the next generation already in view. KEY TOPICS COVERED The Early Navigators – Dawson Trotman, Navy sailor Les Spencer, and the words “You teach him” The 2 Timothy 2:2 Pattern – Teaching faithful people who can teach others Learning With Someone Else in Mind – Receiving truth in a way that prepares you to pass it on The Faithful Few – Choosing your 12, your 3, and your 1 A Legacy Beyond You – Measuring ministry by what continues after you are gone KEY QUOTE “Teach people who can teach people to teach people.” SCRIPTURE REFERENCES 2 Timothy 2:2 – Entrust what you have learned to faithful people who will teach others Mark 3:14 – Jesus appoints the twelve to be with Him and to be sent out Matthew 28:19-20 – Make disciples and teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded TAKEAWAY Do not listen, learn, or lead with only yourself in mind. Invest deeply in faithful people, tell them from the beginning that the message must keep moving, and teach them in a way that prepares them to teach someone else. CALL TO ACTION We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week. STAY CONNECTED FOR MORE RESOURCES Visit our website: http://leadministry.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeadVolunteers Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

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