The weight of spiritual leadership has a tendency to distort our ideas of how to create a healthy culture of community and leadership. Rather than being open-handed and valuing people for their own sake and insights, leaders sometimes become fearful of failure exert too much control. Christina Rivera shares her story of being in high control faith communities and how she's learned to rely on the Holy Spirit and other Christians to abide in a fruitful, healthy way.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• Unculted on YouTube
• Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cpp
• NewBreed Training

Thanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

Your character shapes the people around and impacts the effectiveness of your ministry. Mac Lake joins Pete and Peyton in this episode to discuss the ins and outs of leading yourself well. They cover emotional intelligence, teachability, and how to change leadership development from being content-oriented to process-oriented.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• Multiply Group
• Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cpp
• NewBreed Training

Thanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

Did Peyton die? Is the podcast finished?

These are the questions you've been asking, and now, there are answers.

Peyton Jones returns to the Church Planter Podcast with Pete Mitchell! They catch up in this episode and talk Discipology, ChatGPT, and whether they'll ever have an AI co-host.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cpp
• NewBreed Training

Thanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

Forces far beyond our reach are shaping the world around us, and the Church is not built for the community of the future.

This episode features a presentation by Chestly Lunday to the heads of technology for major corporations. In it, he explains how the Church got to its current point, why we need to change, and what about our churches need to change.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cpp
• NewBreed Training

Thanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

If you're church planting in difficult soil rather than church starting, then it may not be possible to be self-sustaining in the standard three years that many organizations and donors expect. The economics play by different rules and so should your fundraising strategy. In this episode, Demeko share his experience planting in Houston and why it was important for him to raise support to fund his mission. He gives some tips for fundraising and working with partner ministry like Reliant to expand the kingdom.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• Connect with Reliant at partner@reliant.org
• Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cpp
• NewBreed Training

Thanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

What happens when someone dies and comes back? In this episode, Chestly Lunday sits down with Eric Bennett, creator of the Round Trip Death podcast, who has interviewed hundreds of people who have experienced near-death experiences (NDEs). With nearly 2 million downloads, Eric’s conversations explore the intersection of spiritual encounters, scientific inquiry, and how these stories can reshape pastoral care and evangelism—especially among Gen Z.

Together, Chestly and Eric unpack how NDEs are “more real than real” to those who experience them and why Gen Z is especially drawn to experiential faith. They discuss the role of Jesus in many of these accounts, how pastors can wisely walk with those who've had such experiences, and how to navigate stories that might not fit neatly into traditional theological boxes.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• RoundTripDeath.com
• Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cpp
• NewBreed Training

Thanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

In this episode, Brooks Hamon sits down with Pastor Jeff Kapusta of Lifepoint Church in Wilmington, NC—a seasoned church planter, leader of a thriving faith community, and author of the new book Fully Alive: God’s Will for Everyone Everywhere.

Jeff shares the surprising journey that led him to write Fully Alive—including a vocal cord injury that sidelined him for months—and how that season reshaped his understanding of calling, leadership, and team development. He unpacks the core themes of his book and how churches can connect new believers to God's heart in simple, practical ways.

Whether you're planting a new church or pastoring an existing one, this conversation is packed with encouragement, practical wisdom, and tools for mission and maturity.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• Fully Alive book
• JeffKapusta.com
• For church planters looking to connect, email info@lifepointnow.com

Thanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.

Sometimes life hits you unexpectedly. Sometimes it's hard to feel the presence of God. Sometimes you just need a break.

In this episode, Aubrey Sampson shares her experiences with grief, including the death of her best friend and co-planter. She explains why we need to practice lament and how to model these situations for our churches.

Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• AubreySampson.com
• Reliant Mission: reliant.org/cpp
• NewBreed Training

Thanks for listening to the church planter podcast. We’re here to help you go where no one else is going and do what no one else is doing to reach people, no one else is reaching.

Make sure to review and subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast service to help us connect with more church planters.