This Week Mike Glenn sits down with licensed pastoral therapist Chris O’Rear to talk about a topic most leaders don’t realise they’re starving for: therapeutic friendship. The kind of soul-level relationship that brings healing, grounding, and real connection in a world marked by isolation.

Ian Simpkins joins Mike Glenn to talk about what it looks like to lead a local church with a missionary mindset, where discipleship isn’t something you attend once a week, but you live at every “table” God places in front of you. Ian shares the surprising story of how he moved from a thriving ministry in Chicago to The Bridge Church in Spring Hill, Tennessee, and why the people, marked by humility and hunger made it impossible to ignore God’s invitation.

As we step into a new year, the Shepherds Without Sheep panel sits down to talk honestly about ministry, momentum, and the soul work pastors often avoid. From navigating post-Christmas exhaustion to rethinking what truly matters in January, this conversation pulls back the curtain on how seasoned pastors approach the start of a new year with wisdom.

In this Christmas episode of the ECN Podcast, Shepherds Without Sheep, a panel of seasoned pastors talk honestly about ministry during the holidays-the scars, the joy, and the lessons learned along the way. With humor and humility, they share stories from decades of preaching Christmas and discovering that trusting the Word matters far more than big productions.

We’re bringing you a special Best of ECN collection featuring some of the most impactful conversations of the year. From leadership to spiritual formation to navigating real-life challenges with wisdom, these moments represent the heart of why ECN exists: to strengthen pastors, encourage leaders, and build healthier churches.

In this week’s episode of Empowered Leaders and Thriving Churches, Mike Glenn sits down with School of Ministry student Jay Cleveland - a Nashville entrepreneur whose journey to Christ is anything but ordinary. Jay opens up about his past marked by gangs, addiction, violence, and years inside the criminal justice system. From finding God in a jail cell, meeting Jesus in a homeless shelter, and encountering the Holy Spirit on his living-room couch, Jay shares how the Lord interrupted his life again and again to rewrite his story.

In this episode of the Engage Church Network Podcast, Pastor Mike Glenn sits down with ministry veteran Jim Wideman to talk about the heart of mentorship, generational leadership, and what it really means to pour into others. From his early years in children’s ministry to decades of coaching pastors and church teams, Jim shares wisdom on raising up the next generation of leaders - reminding us that “every Paul needs a Timothy, and every Timothy needs a Paul.”

Many believers encounter Jesus, join a church, and serve faithfully - yet never truly build a coherent theology. In this conversation, Mike Glenn sits down with author and LifeWay editor Mary Wiley to talk about how we can better understand who God is, how He reveals Himself, and how to pass that truth on to the next generation.

Pastor Lyle Phillips (Legacy Church, Nashville) joins Mike Glenn to trace a 20-year journey from the mission field in Mozambique and Andhra Pradesh—rescuing children and serving the poorest—to planting Legacy in East Nashville, and dreaming toward a 12-city church-planting vision.

In this episode, Mike sits down with author and thinker Brett McCracken (The Wisdom Pyramid, Scrolling Ourselves to Death) to talk about preaching and pastoring in a skeptical, hyper-online world. Brett makes a clear case for why information ≠ wisdom and how leaders can build a healthier “diet” for their souls and churches-starting with Scripture, rooted in the Church, refreshed by creation, deepened through books, and formed by beauty - with technology in its proper place.

From three kids to 300, and from the youth room to a church plant. This week, Joel & Mikayla Kelly share how God moved them from serving at Conduit (inspired by a mission-first DNA) to launching Exodus Church in Springhill, Tennessee. It’s a candid story of calling, healing church-kid wounds, and learning that the pastor’s job isn’t to do all the ministry—but to develop leaders (“be one, make one”), build ownership, and send people.

In this candid conversation, three former pastors—Tim Harlow, Michael Easley, and Mike Glenn—share hard-won wisdom on shepherding in a changing world. From overhead projectors and cassette tapes to livestreams and AI, they trace how technology has always rattled the church—and how to use new tools with integrity: attribution over plagiarism, outlines that aid but never replace soul-deep preaching, and tech that informs without trying to transform.

In this powerful conversation, a Nashville pastor shares a hard-won journey of calling, healing, and hope. After leading through the 2019–2020 crucible-personal family strain, ministry stress, and a season where every decision drew critique-he stepped away without a next role and spent a year letting God rebuild his soul. He opens up about that healing year and the surprising door God then opened to The Gospel Church in Nashville.

In this powerful conversation, Jonathan Pitts shares his remarkable journey of faith, loss, and resilience. A pastor, father of four daughters, and leader in ministry, Jonathan’s world was turned upside down when his wife, Winter, suddenly passed away at the age of 38. He opens up about navigating grief while raising his girls, moving to Franklin, Tennessee, and discovering God’s sustaining presence through unimaginable hardship.

This episode of the Engage Church Network Podcast features an inspiring conversation with Chris Brown: pastor of The Well in Columbia, TN, former Ramsey Personality, and leader passionate about the next generation. Chris once held the kind of role many would envy—speaking on big stages, shaping curriculum, and being part of the nationally recognized Ramsey Solutions team. But even in the middle of success, he felt a deeper call from God: to invest in the local church. That call led him and his family to Columbia, Tennessee, where a small youth group in his living room eventually grew into a thriving church led by students and fueled by a vision for reaching the next generation.

This episode of the Engage Church Network Podcast features a powerful conversation with Joey Lankford: missionary, leader, and founder of Cul2vate. Joey had what most people chase after: the nice house, the nice family, the nice salary, and all the “stuff” that comes with the American dream. But beneath the surface, he felt drained, empty, and hungry for something more. That restlessness eventually led Joey and his family to leave behind the familiar comforts of Nashville for the poorest communities of South Africa. There, Joey helped launch job-creation initiatives through greenhouses and farming, discipling and equipping men and women to find dignity, purpose, and sustainable work.

This special episode of the Engage Church Network Podcast features a thought-provoking conversation with Professor Amy-Jill (AJ) Levine, world-renowned scholar, author, and teacher of New Testament and Jewish Studies. In this timely episode, Professor Levine joins Pastor Mike Glenn to address common mistakes pastors make in preaching, particularly the tendency to take Jesus out of His Jewish context. With humor, clarity, and depth, she reminds us that Jesus always looks good, but to understand Him fully, we must also understand the Jewish world that shaped Him.