Many believers assume God's calling begins when they leave their career behind. Gerald Cook's story suggests the opposite. Mike Glenn sits down with Gerald, a bi-vocational pastor, global sales training manager, and nationally recognized dog trainer, to explore how God used decades in business, discipleship, and everyday life to prepare him for pastoral ministry. Together they discuss why calling is often discovered through ordinary faithfulness, how the workplace can become a training ground for ministry, and why the future of the church depends on ordinary believers recognizing that God has already been preparing them for His purposes.

Most pastors don't burn out because they work hard. They burn out because they believe the ministry depends on them. Mike Glenn sits down with Matt Pearson, Senior Pastor of ClearView Baptist Church, to explore how learning to truly know his people transformed the way he leads, preaches, and develops leaders. Together they discuss why the pastor's primary role isn't to do all the ministry, but to equip others for it, why shepherding always comes before strategy, and how healthy churches are built by releasing people into their God-given calling rather than asking pastors to carry everything alone.

Most pastoral transitions fail because the outgoing leader never truly let go and the incoming leader never truly prepared. Sam Landrith spent more than a year working alongside his predecessor before stepping into the lead role at Thompson Station Church, and the church barely felt the change. Mike Glenn talks with Sam about what it actually takes to raise up leaders instead of volunteers, why a church of 2,800 people is choosing depth over expansion, and what younger generations need from the church that most congregations aren't offering yet.

What happens when both people in a marriage are called to lead? Greg and Susan Jones have spent decades building something most ministry couples never figure out: a genuine partnership where complementary gifts multiply the work instead of dividing it. Mike Glenn sits down with the President and First Lady of Belmont University to talk about shared leadership, what the next generation is actually hungry for, and why the church that learns to call out gifts in others -- instead of doing everything itself -- is the one that will flourish in the years ahead.

Excellence in ministry and excellence in craft don't have to compete. Composer and conductor David Hamilton has spent three decades serving his local church while writing for Disney, Broadway, and Dolly Parton's touring show. Mike Glenn talks with him about what it looks like to bring your full gifting into both the professional world and the local body -- and why the church is better when it does.

In this episode, Mike Glenn sits down with Adam Comer and Sarah Keel from S2L Recovery to discuss why Christ-centered addiction recovery works differently than secular approaches. They challenge the brain disease model, discuss identity in Christ versus identifying as "an addict," and explore how the church can reclaim its role in recovery ministry.

Thirty-one years of neighborhood ministry has taught David Jordan one thing: the church has to go where people are, not wait for people to come. Mike Glenn talks with the CEO of Agape Memphis about embedding ministry in communities, the complexity of poverty, and what long-term commitment actually looks like on the ground.

Large group teaching has its place. But transformation? That happens one relationship at a time. Mike Glenn and Dave Bachman from Campus Navigators dig into why Gen Z is spiritually hungry but institutionally skeptical -- and how personal discipleship becomes the bridge that programs alone can never build.

Business leaders are some of the most underutilized ministry assets in any congregation. Mike Glenn talks with C12 Chairman Dewey Greene about his journey from corporate success to spiritual calling -- and how pastors can help marketplace leaders discover that their work isn't separate from ministry. It is ministry.

Where do people spend 90,000 hours of their lives? At work. Mike Glenn sits down with Matthew Yates from Corporate Chaplains of America to challenge the assumption that church ministry and the corporate world operate in separate silos -- and why solving that divide may be one of the most important things a pastor can do right now.

In this episode, Mike Glenn sits down with Jamie Heard, founder of Faithfully Restored, to explore how profound loss became the foundation for ministry that reaches hundreds of grieving women across the country. Jamie shares her journey through losing her father to suicide and her son William at age two, and how community showed up in ways that revealed what the body of Christ truly looks like.

In this episode, Mike Glenn sits down with Wayne Howell and Jeffrey Caruth from Franktown Open Hearts, a ministry that started with one man's obedience in a deer stand 29 years ago. Wayne shares how God called him from disobedience to serve kids in Franklin, Tennessee, while Jeffrey explains why successful businessmen are stepping into this work.

In this episode, Mike Glenn sits down with Curt Campbell of Men of Valor to talk about the power of discipleship, mentorship, and second chances. Curt shares how Men of Valor walks with men during and after incarceration, helping them rebuild their lives through structure, community, and faith. This conversation goes beyond prison ministry and explores what real transformation looks like when people show up consistently, speak truth, and walk alongside others through healing, identity, and redemption.

Scott Harris joins Mike Glenn for a conversation about why the mission of the Church cannot be confined to a building. Drawing from decades of ministry leadership and his work with Mission Increase, Scott shares why churches must learn to release people into ministry beyond the four walls and recognize that Kingdom work often happens in businesses, nonprofits, and communities around the world. As a missionary kid who grew up partly in Barbados and later served 18 years as Missions Minister at Brentwood Baptist Church, Scott brings a global perspective on leadership, soul care, and the importance of building strong partnerships between churches and mission-driven organizations. Together, Mike and Scott explore how leaders can develop the next generation, steward influence wisely, and help the Church move from gathering crowds to sending people into meaningful Kingdom impact.

In this episode, Mike Glenn sits down with Miles Terry, managing partner of Gideon Law Group, to unpack why many churches struggle not because they aren’t growing, but because they aren’t prepared for growth. From outdated bylaws to unclear leadership and lack of accountability, Miles explains how internal misalignment often creates the very problems churches fear most.

Elliott Cherry, pastor of Midtown Fellowship in Nashville, joins the conversation to explore what it means to follow the real Jesus in a culture that often prefers a convenient, life-hack version of faith. Drawing from his experience leading a diverse, “purple” church in the heart of a rapidly changing city, Elliott unpacks the tension between cultural Christianity and true discipleship, the challenge of navigating faith in a polarized world, and the opportunity to reintroduce people to the authentic, transformative Jesus many have misunderstood or left behind. From stories of redemption to reflections on leadership, this episode invites pastors and leaders to move beyond being right and instead lead people toward a deeper, kingdom-centered way of living.

Catechisms have been used for centuries to help Christians clearly understand and articulate the core truths of the faith. In this conversation, Mike Glenn sits down with author and editor Trevin Wax to explore what a catechism is, why it has played such an important role in Christian formation throughout church history, and why it may be especially valuable in today’s cultural moment. They discuss how simple question-and-answer statements of doctrine can help believers recognize the difference between the story of the gospel and the narratives shaping the wider culture, while also offering practical ways churches, families, and small groups can use tools like the Gospelway Catechism to strengthen discipleship and theological clarity.

Ministry Back to the People is more than a catchy phrase, it is a recovery of what the Church was always meant to be. In this conversation, Mike Glenn sits down with longtime friend Sandy Hamilton to celebrate a story of calling unfolding over decades and to explore why the “second reformation” is about releasing ministry to everyday believers. Sandy shares how prayer, discernment, and coaching helped her step into a new season of leadership, and why coaching is becoming essential for discipleship, leadership development, and even gospel conversations in a polarized, distracted culture. From helping people uncover what they already know to creating a coaching culture that strengthens pastors, equips leaders, and forms the next generation, this episode is a practical look at how churches can identify, train, and release the body to accomplish the mission God has given.

Mike Glenn sits down with singer, songwriter, and speaker Matt Hammitt for a candid conversation about fatherhood, presence, and what it really means to lead at home. Matt shares the story behind his hit song “Lead Me,” the unexpected success that followed, and the moment he realized his calling as a husband and father required a different kind of decision. Together they explore the pressure many men feel to be perfect, the challenge of balancing calling and family, and why simply showing up matters more than getting everything right. It is an honest and encouraging conversation about faith, responsibility, and the quiet but powerful work of fatherhood.