We Love Sundays — Episode 3

What does it actually take to lead change in a historic church without blowing it up?

In this episode, Trent sits down with Dr. Jason Kennedy, Lead Pastor of Bakersfield First Assembly, to talk about the real work of pastoral leadership, church revitalization, and building healthy systems that last.

Instead of flashy strategies or quick fixes, this conversation is about something rarer: patience, grit, and long-term faithfulness.

Dr. Kennedy shares what it looks like to pastor an established congregation with deep roots, navigate resistance to change, honor church history, and still move forward with clarity and conviction. We talk systems, community engagement, congregational care, and why slow, steady growth almost always beats radical overhauls.

If you’re a pastor, church leader, or anyone serving in ministry, this is a masterclass in sustainable leadership.

In this episode:

• The hidden challenges of leading a historic church
• Why change takes years, not months
• Building systems that actually create connection
• Balancing tradition with forward-facing ministry
• Church growth through relationships, not hype
• Creating belonging + community engagement
• Practical advice for new and struggling pastors
• How patience builds trust and long-term health

Sound bites:

“Slow and steady wins the race.”

“You see a need and you fill it.”

“Plant and bloom where you’re planted.”

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Pastor Jason Kennedy

03:02 Pastoral journey and experience

05:46 Challenges of leading a historic church

08:57 Navigating change and building trust

12:07 Patience in leadership

14:54 Balancing change and tradition

17:58 Music, generations, and church culture

18:43 Inspiring future generations

21:01 Finances, stability, and growth

23:42 Sacredness in worship

25:11 Youth and community engagement

27:34 Building relationships and church health

30:19 Systems for growth and retention

34:37 Advice for new and struggling pastors

🎙️ We Love Sundays is a weekly podcast on faith, church, and culture.

New episodes every week.

Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you stream.

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We Love Sundays — Episode 2: When Leaders Fall, Prayer Gets Real (Character, Dependence, and Staying Anchored in God)

Episode 2 took an unexpected turn—in the best way.

We came in planning to cover multiple headlines, but once we started talking about the Philip Yancey story and what it reveals about leadership, integrity, and human weakness, the conversation got too real to rush. So we stayed there.

Instead of a hot-take episode, this became a deeper conversation about the things underneath the headlines: character over gifting, what it means to be anchored in God rather than leaders, and why prayer and dependence aren’t optional if you want to finish well.

We talk about how Christians should process leadership failure without cynicism, how to separate faith in God from trust in people, and why the spiritual life gets shallow when prayer becomes performative instead of relational. We also get practical about what prayer can actually look like—listening, honesty, and surrender—not a script.

In this episode:

• The Philip Yancey news and the larger lesson it surfaces
• Why character must trump gifting (especially in leadership)
• How to process leadership fallout without losing your faith
• Separating belief in God from belief in Christian leaders
• Prayer as dependence: listening, honesty, and real relationship with God
• What it looks like to lead (and follow Jesus) with humility and integrity

If you’ve ever felt disillusioned by leaders—or you want a more grounded, honest prayer life—this one’s for you.

🎙️ We Love Sundays is a weekly podcast on faith, church, and culture. New episodes weekly.

We Love Sundays — Episode 1: Druski’s Megachurch Skit + Carey Nieuwhof’s 2026 Church Trends

What happens when a joke goes that viral inside church culture?

In our first episode of We Love Sundays, Pastor Alberto Bello joins Iryll and Trent to break down two of the biggest conversations at the intersection of faith, church, and culture this week.First, we react to Druski’s viral megachurch pastor parody—why it landed, what it reveals about public perception of megachurch culture, and what church leaders should learn from satire without getting defensive. We talk about the “signals” leaders unintentionally send, the Law of Suspended Liberties in ministry leadership, and the line between healthy passion/excellence and manufactured hype.

Then we pivot to Carey Nieuwhof’s 2026 predictions—seven disruptive trends churches will need to pay attention to as the next decade accelerates. We discuss what feels like real signal vs. noise, including algorithm-driven discipleship, preaching shifting from presentation to encounter, looming leadership pipeline challenges, and what AI means for the future of ministry.

In this episode:

• Why viral humor is an underrated insight into cultural sentiment
• What Druski’s skit gets right (and what it gets wrong)
• The leadership “Law of Suspended Liberties” and why optics matter more with influence
• Excellence vs. spectacle vs. encounter
• Carey’s 2026 trends and what leaders should do next
• Practical takeaways for pastors and church teams this week

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Links mentioned:

• Carey Nieuwhof’s Church Trends 2026: https://careynieuwhof.com/church-trends-2026/