Welcome to the final chapter of our special series detailing the history, trials, and forward-looking vision of the Soma family of churches! In this definitive episode, hosts Justin Westcott and Paul Dean sits down once again with founder Jeff Vanderstelt to take a deep look at the post-COVID landscape, the realities of institutional growth, and what it looks like to collaboratively build for the next generation.

The conversation starts with Paul Dean opening up about his transition into the Executive Director role during a season of heavy church fatigue and global cultural shifts. Grounding his vision in a systematic study of the Book of Acts, Paul outlines a clear, biblical blueprint: the early disciples didn’t just plant churches—they planted connected churches. Discover how this fundamental truth drove the restructuring of Soma around robust regional support teams, ensuring that no church planter ever has to struggle in isolation or face institutional crises alone.

Jeff and Paul pull no punches as they analyze the current state of North American evangelicalism. They candidly tackle major modern barriers, including the dangerous resurgence of singular-leader celebrity church models, a toxic scarcity mindset, a culture of radical individualism, and the concerning trend of disempowering women in ministry. They challenge networks to shift away from passive, consumeristic models and step back into a collective, strategic posture—where resources, treasure, and people are sent dynamically to unreached fields and hubs like Tokyo, Seattle, Austin, and Charleston.

This series finale is a powerful call to move past the temporary hype of "trendy" church movements and return to the simple, gritty, and enduring lifestyle of making disciples in the everyday stuff of life.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• The Acts Model: Moving beyond a loose confederation to true, connected regional ecosystems.
• The Watershed Meeting: A look inside the raw "players only" circle in San Diego that established radical transparency over ego.
• Intentional Obedience: Breaking down the myth of a busy schedule—learning to overlap your faith with normal rhythms like table fellowship.
• Creative Funding Models: Moving toward marketplace-minded bi-vocational and micro-church expressions.
• The Kingdom in the Tension: Why true unity requires diversity of perspective and giftings, rather than strict conformity.
• The Calling to Hurt: Real-life testimonies of neighborhood transformation, counting the cost, and why we must never grow weary of doing good.

Soma is a family of churches across North America and around the world working toward gospel saturation. We are passionate about connecting, equipping, and mobilizing disciple-makers to live out the gospel in community on the mission of Jesus in everyday life.

Connect & Support Website: https://wearesoma.com to connect with regional leaders and find equipping opportunities.

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Produced by Zach Smith

Co-Hosted by Justin Westcott & Paul Dean