The Lead Ministry Podcast

Latest Episodes:

352. What If Your Training Calendar Prevented Your Next Ministry Crisis? Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

If the same ministry problems come back every Christmas, Easter, or fall launch, you don't have to wait for them to become emergencies again.

In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk walk through a one-year training map built around the pressure points your team already knows. Instead of letting the latest crisis decide what you teach, they show how to prepare volunteers before the next demanding season arrives.

The conversation moves through planning before a season, noticing friction while it's happening, and debriefing afterward while the details are still fresh. Josh also explains how he tests and improves training instructions before handing them off—so other people can train effectively without everything depending on him.

This isn't about filling every open space on the calendar. It's about keeping what works, improving what doesn't, and giving the next quarter's training a clear owner, date, and format.

Key Topics Covered

- Why urgency becomes the training curriculum when there is no plan

- Mapping recurring pressure points across the ministry year

- Preparing before a season and learning during and after it

- Improving reusable training instead of starting over every year

- Leaving room for needs you cannot predict yet

- Sharing training ownership through clear instructions and a consistent format

Key Quote

“You are not reinventing. You are editing.”

Takeaway

Sit down with your core team and name the recurring problems that made last year difficult. Match each pressure point with a needed skill, then assign the first quarter's training an owner, a date, and a shared format.

Call to Action

We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week.

Stay Connected for More Resources

Visit our website: http://leadministry.com

Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

Episode 352

351. You Explained It. Why Can’t Your Volunteers Do It? Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

You explained the job. They nodded. Then Sunday came, and they still weren't sure what to do.

That doesn't necessarily mean your volunteers weren't listening. It may mean they haven't had a chance to practice.

In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk introduce the practice loop: show the standard, let someone try, coach one improvement, and give them another attempt. They explain why hearing instructions isn't the same as being ready—and why slowing down now can save you from repeating the same corrections later.

Through everyday examples, Josh and Bill show how to make room for mistakes without making a volunteer feel small. They also identify three signs that training is taking hold: the person can explain the task, perform it, and coach someone else through it.

Key Topics Covered

- The assumptions leaders make when they explain a familiar task

- Why a demonstration needs to include a slower, step-by-step walkthrough

- Creating safe practice before Sunday pressure arrives

- Coaching one improvement at a time, followed by another attempt

- Correcting the task while encouraging the person

- Knowing whether a volunteer can explain, perform, and teach the skill

Key Quote

“If you're only talking to your people, they are not trained. They've just been talked to.”

Takeaway

Choose one manageable Sunday task where confusion creates a real cost. Schedule two safe practice attempts, coach one improvement, and ask the volunteer to explain the process back to you.

Call to Action

We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week.

Stay Connected for More Resources

Visit our website: http://leadministry.com

Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

Episode 351

350. What to Say When a Volunteer Steps Away Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

Retention is not about forcing every volunteer to stay in every role forever.

In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk talk about the healthy exit: how to honor a volunteer's service, learn from the experience, preserve belonging, and leave room for a future return.

They contrast gratitude with guilt, show why leaders should release the role without removing the person from the community, and lay out a practical exit conversation: thank, learn, bless, and name the open door. They also explain a no-pressure follow-up that honors a volunteer's season instead of turning every future conversation into a request.

Key Topics Covered

Why some exits are faithful endings, not leadership failures

Choosing gratitude rather than guilt

Releasing the role without removing the person

A practical exit conversation: thank, learn, bless, name the open door

A no-pressure follow-up that preserves belonging

Key Quote

“Some exits are faithful endings. They're not leadership failures.”

Takeaway

Thank the volunteer, learn from the experience, bless the ending, and leave belonging open without turning follow-up into another ask.

Call to Action

We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week.

Stay Connected for More Resources

Visit our website: http://leadministry.com

Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

349. Redesign the Role Before You Lose a Good Volunteer Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

A volunteer can still care deeply about the ministry while the role no longer fits the season they are in.

In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk unpack the volunteer role half-life: the reality that a once-good role can drift as a person's gifting, capacity, or clarity changes. They show how role creep happens, why a larger assignment deserves a new agreement, and how to review the role before defaulting to replacement.

The practical path is simple but intentional: look at the role with the person in mind, ask whether it still fits, and test one role change through a 90-, 60-, or 30-day experiment.

Key Topics Covered

When a once-good volunteer role stops fitting

Gift for the work, capacity for the load, clarity for the win

Why a larger assignment deserves a new agreement

Reviewing the role before replacing the person

Trying a 90-, 60-, or 30-day experiment

Key Quote

“Keep the person. But now you're going to question the shape and you're going to maybe even redesign the agreement.”

Takeaway

Review the role with the person in mind, then test one clearly defined change through a time-bound experiment.

Call to Action

We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week.

Stay Connected for More Resources

Visit our website: http://leadministry.com

Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

348. How Ministry Chaos Drains Volunteer Goodwill Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

Every ministry has occasional chaos. The problem is when the same dependable volunteers keep paying for it.

In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk introduce retention debt: the accumulated trust cost of unresolved ministry friction. They unpack why late changes, surprise asks, broken promises, and rescue mode slowly borrow against volunteer goodwill.

Then they turn the framework into a practical reset: audit the last four weeks, retire one recurring rescue, make deposits through earlier decisions and complete preparation, and keep one public promise faithfully for four weeks.

Key Topics Covered

What retention debt means

Why goodwill is the asset repeated friction borrows against

How surprise, broken promises, and rescue mode drain trust

Three deposits: decide earlier, prepare completely, communicate once

A four-week audit and one recurring rescue to retire

Key Quote

“Retention debt is actually borrowed against the goodwill of your volunteers.”

Takeaway

Audit the last four weeks, retire one recurring rescue, and keep one public promise faithfully for the next four weeks.

Call to Action

We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week.

Stay Connected for More Resources

Visit our website: http://leadministry.com

Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

347. 5 Stay Interview Questions to Ask Before Volunteers Quit Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

Volunteer exits rarely start on the day someone gives notice. In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk introduce the stay interview: a proactive conversation designed to happen before an exit interview is needed.

They talk through why a broken ministry system can keep new people cycling out, what to listen for when a volunteer's energy or connection changes, and how to ask honest questions without immediately defending the system. The episode closes with a practical challenge: schedule three conversations, use the five questions, and write down what you hear before offering solutions.

Josh also points Lead Ministry members to the Open-Ended Personal Survey as a roadmap for the conversation.

Key Topics Covered

Why recruiting into a broken system keeps the revolving door moving

What a stay interview is, and why it is not an exit interview

Three signals to notice: energy, friction, and connection

How to listen without immediately defending the system

A practical challenge to schedule three conversations

Key Quote

“This is not an exit interview. This is the stay interview. So you do the stay interview long before they ever quit.”

Takeaway

Schedule three honest conversations. Ask the five questions, write down what you hear, and close the loop before offering solutions.

Call to Action

We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week.

Stay Connected for More Resources

Visit our website: http://leadministry.com

Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

346. Dawson Trotman’s Discipleship Secret Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk explore the multiplication principle behind Dawson Trotman and the early Navigators: do not merely teach people — teach people who can teach others. Using 2 Timothy 2:2 as the foundation, they connect that vision to the life-on-life investment Josh received as a young Christian and the leaders he later developed.

If you want your ministry and faith to continue beyond your personal involvement, this episode will challenge you to invest deeply in a faithful few and teach every lesson with the next generation already in view.

KEY TOPICS COVERED

The Early Navigators – Dawson Trotman, Navy sailor Les Spencer, and the words “You teach him”

The 2 Timothy 2:2 Pattern – Teaching faithful people who can teach others

Learning With Someone Else in Mind – Receiving truth in a way that prepares you to pass it on

The Faithful Few – Choosing your 12, your 3, and your 1

A Legacy Beyond You – Measuring ministry by what continues after you are gone

KEY QUOTE

“Teach people who can teach people to teach people.”

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

2 Timothy 2:2 – Entrust what you have learned to faithful people who will teach others

Mark 3:14 – Jesus appoints the twelve to be with Him and to be sent out

Matthew 28:19-20 – Make disciples and teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded

TAKEAWAY

Do not listen, learn, or lead with only yourself in mind. Invest deeply in faithful people, tell them from the beginning that the message must keep moving, and teach them in a way that prepares them to teach someone else.

CALL TO ACTION

We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week.

STAY CONNECTED FOR MORE RESOURCES

Visit our website: http://leadministry.com

Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

345. Turn Volunteers Into Ministry Owners Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk explain how to turn key volunteers into ministry owners — people who function like volunteer staff because they understand the mission, take initiative, lead others, and reproduce what they have learned. They walk through the structural and relational work required to develop one or two deeply equipped leaders instead of chasing a larger roster of unprepared helpers.

If your ministry still rises and falls on your personal involvement, this episode will give you a practical path from doer to developer and from volunteer help to shared ownership.

KEY TOPICS COVERED

Doer vs. Developer – Why ministry leaders must develop people who can develop people

Structure That Supports Growth – Building an org chart around people, not only processes

Clarity and Accountability – Using job descriptions, shared language, and useful feedback

Think Small and Think Long – Developing one person in one area before expanding

Model, Mentor, Multiply – A three-phase pathway for reproducing leaders

KEY QUOTE

“You don't need more people. You need more equipped people.”

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Ephesians 4:11-12 – Pastors equip God's people for the work of ministry

2 Timothy 2:2 – Develop faithful people who will be able to teach others

Mark 3:13-15 – Jesus calls a smaller group to be with Him and then sends them out

TAKEAWAY

Choose one ministry area and one faithful person. Give them a clear role, model it with them, mentor them as they lead someone else, and establish from the beginning that multiplication is part of the assignment.

CALL TO ACTION

We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week.

STAY CONNECTED FOR MORE RESOURCES

Visit our website: http://leadministry.com

Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

344. Make Volunteers Your Best Recruiters Aug 17, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk challenge ministry leaders to stop carrying volunteer recruitment alone. They share seven practical ways to build an invitation culture where enthusiastic volunteers become credible recruiters, equipped with clear language, useful tools, meaningful ownership, compelling stories, and serving seasons that feel manageable.

If you are exhausted from filling the same roster by yourself, this episode will help you move from staff-led recruiting to a self-sustaining volunteer culture where everyone carries the joy of inviting.

KEY TOPICS COVERED

Invite Culture vs. Recruiting Culture – Helping people invite friends into something meaningful

Clear Asks and Practical Tools – Tours, connection events, trial experiences, cards, links, and simple language

Owners, Not Attenders – Giving key volunteers responsibility for growing their area

Vision and Storytelling – Moving from desperate needs to a purpose people want to join

Serving Seasons – Creating clear on-ramps, check-ins, and off-ramps

KEY QUOTE

“Stop recruiting. Start reproducing.”

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

Ephesians 4:11-12 – Leaders equip God's people for the work of ministry

1 Peter 4:10 – Use whatever gift you have received to serve others

TAKEAWAY

Your volunteers can recruit with a level of trust staff cannot manufacture. Give them a clear invitation, something useful to share, a story worth telling, and permission to help build the team.

CALL TO ACTION

We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week.

STAY CONNECTED FOR MORE RESOURCES

Visit our website: http://leadministry.com

Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

343. Disciple Volunteers the Way Jesus Did Aug 10, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart sits down with Lauren Ralston to explore how ministry leaders can disciple volunteers the way Jesus discipled His followers. They discuss the difference between teaching information and giving people access to your life, how to identify a core leadership team, and why multiplication is not complete until the people you develop are developing others.

If your ministry structure still depends on you personally reaching every volunteer, teacher, child, or family, this episode will help you build a healthier model that multiplies care without losing personal connection.

KEY TOPICS COVERED

What Makes a Disciple Maker – Moving beyond personal growth to helping others reproduce

Life-on-Life Discipleship – Why people need access to your real life, not only your lessons

The 12, the 3, and the 1 – Identifying the people who need your deepest investment

A Multiplying Structure – Training coordinators to disciple teachers who disciple families

KEY QUOTE

“You are not a disciple maker until the people you are discipling are making disciples.”

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES

2 Timothy 2:2 – Entrust what you have learned to faithful people who will teach others

Exodus 18:17-23 – Jethro challenges Moses to develop leaders who can share the load

Matthew 4:19 and Matthew 10:1 – Jesus first models ministry and then sends His disciples to do it

TAKEAWAY

Do not wait for growth to force multiplication. Identify one faithful person, invite them closer, let them see how you live and lead, and begin preparing them to pass the same investment to someone else.

CALL TO ACTION

We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week.

STAY CONNECTED FOR MORE RESOURCES

Visit our website: http://leadministry.com

Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

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