Join D.J. for a conversation with two longtime ministry friends, Matt Capps and Steven Wade, pastors and coauthors of “Shepherding Renewal: A Guide to Church Revitalization.” Breathing new life into dying churches is possible. But how? While they don’t offer any formulas in their book or on this podcast episode, they do offer hope and insights drawn from years of personal experience. Listen in as they share common misconceptions about church revitalization, some of the greatest challenges, and how we should even define church health. From disciple-making to vision-casting to earning a congregation's trust, you don’t want to miss the hard-won wisdom these men have to share about the journey of revitalization.

We all carry wounds—some we caused ourselves, some were inflicted on us by others. And too often, we either try to ignore the pain or we let it become our identity. But what if God wants to redeem what we’ve been through? This week’s podcast guest is Dr. Derwin Gray, author and Lead Pastor of Transformation Church in Indian Land, SC. In his encouraging conversation with D.J., Derwin discusses his latest book, “It’s Time To Heal: Four God-Given Steps to Restore What Life Has Shattered,” as well as his personal testimony of coming to Christ and his own history with seeking his identity in the wrong places. Listen in and discover the truth that we don’t have to let what happened to us hold the pen that writes our future. Healing hurts, but staying unhealed hurts more.

What do you most want to be remembered for as a leader? One thing I love to do on the podcast is give you a little behind-the-scenes look at what it means to be a leader, especially if you care about ministry. That’s why I’m excited to have my good friend Dr. Mike Harder, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Spartanburg, as this week's guest. Mike shares from his personal story of being a missionary kid growing up in South America and his unexpected journey to the pastorate he holds today. You'll definitely want to glean from his wisdom as we discuss key mistakes young pastors make, what it looks like to step into pastoring an already well-established legacy church, and some of the best goals any pastor or leader can set for their life.