Episodes

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 82 Series: Ministry Reimagined What happens when the Church doesn’t wait for people to come but goes to where they already are? In this insightful and energizing episode hosted by Tom Planck, Director of NEXT Ventures, sits down with Drew Cline of South City 2.0/317 Coffee & Cafe and Shane Boyd of Gathering of Nomads to explore what it truly means to be a sent community. These two leaders are reaching people in vastly different, but equally impactful, contexts:...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 81 Series: A Called Generation Hosted by Carrie Williams, Executive Director of Exponential NEXT, this episode welcomes Austin Rockwell, founder of Kamp Love and leader with Nissi Young Adults. Austin is a passionate disciple-maker whose journey has shaped thriving ministries for college students and young adults across the country. Every calling comes with a cost but the transformation is worth it. Carrie and Austin dive into the often-unspoken realities behi...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 80 Series: A Called Generation Hosted by Carrie Williams, Executive Director of Exponential NEXT, this episode features Rachel McCord, celebrity entrepreneur, speaker, author, founder of Holy Spirit Vibe and The McCord List, and a shining example of resilience, faith, and bold living. You are made for more and you don’t have to play small. In this motivating episode, Carrie and Rachel dive into what it means to truly live from your full potential. Rachel share...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 79 Series: A Called Generation Hosted by Carrie Williams, Executive Director of Exponential NEXT, this episode features Cheryl Nembhard, Executive Director of the Women’s Speaker Collective. Where you are is not an accident; it’s an assignment. Carrie and Cheryl explore what it truly means to embrace the power of your current position, no matter how grand, ordinary, or overlooked it may feel. Drawing from Cheryl’s experience, this conversation is packed with r...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 78 Series: A Called Generation Hosted by Carrie Williams, Executive Director of Exponential NEXT, this episode welcomes Will Garinger, the visionary founder of Run With Christ (RWC), a movement that’s united thousands of runners in faith and fitness across North America and beyond. Passion is more than a feeling. It’s a compass pointing you toward your calling. In this inspiring conversation, Carrie and Will explore how God can take a simple passion, even one ...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 77 Series: A Called Generation Hosted by Carrie Williams, Executive Director of Exponential NEXT, this episode features special guest Ali Parsons, licensed minister at the Church of Eleven22 and founder and host of the podcast, ‘Neighbors’. Your personality isn’t an obstacle; it’s a clue to your calling. In this engaging episode, Carrie and Ali explore the dynamic relationship between who you are and what you’re called to do. Through honest conversation and pr...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 76 Series: A Called Generation Hosted by Carrie Williams, Executive Director of Exponential, this episode features special guest Elyse Mahan, preacher, campus pastor at Church For The One, author, and well-known encourager with a story as real as it gets. Every setback, every victory, every messy middle – none of it was wasted. In this candid and hope-filled episode, Carrie sits down with Elyse to unpack how your past, with all its twists, turns, and surprises...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 75 Series: A Called Generation Hosted by Carrie Williams, Executive Director of Exponential, with special guest Brad Lomenick, leadership consultant, speaker, founder of BLINC, and author of The Catalyst Leader and H3 Leadership, this episode kicks off the series with a powerful reminder: Purpose is the why. Calling is the how. You were born for this moment. In this episode, Carrie and Brad unpack what it means to live with purpose (your “why”) and how your cu...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 74 Series: Church Expressions NEXT What if church planting wasn’t tied to a place—but to a people? In this episode, we explore the innovative world of affinity church planting—a model focused on reaching specific communities rather than geographic regions. Join us as we hear from Stephen Barr, founder of Cast Member Church, which ministers to Walt Disney Company employees around the world, and Victor Glover, leader of Fathers on the Move, a movement planting chu...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 73 Series: Church Expressions NEXT Can a church actually grow by getting smaller? Join Bill Couchenour as he sits down with Jason Shepperd, founder of Church Project in The Woodlands, Texas, to uncover the secrets to Network Church Planting. Explore the power of relational communities, discover how to cultivate leaders from within, and learn how to use your church building as a shared resource for the community. For pastors curious about transitioning from tradi...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 72 Series: Church Expressions NEXT Forget the building, forget the budget – what if all you needed was your neighbors? Join Brian Johnson and Rob Wegner, leaders of the Kansas City Underground, as they share their powerful journey into microchurch planting. The Kansas City Underground equips people to live as missionaries in their own networks through rhythms of prayer, listening, eating, serving, and storytelling. Microchurches—defined as extended spiritual fam...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 71 Series: Church Expressions NEXT What happens when church planting takes an unexpected turn—and it’s exactly what God intended? In this episode, hosts Carrie Williams and Bill Couchenour talk with Justin and Janae Klatt, founders of Imagine Church Global, a fully digital faith community born from obedience and innovation. What began as a traditional church plant in Phoenix shifted online when the Klatts realized people across the country wanted to join—but cou...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 70 Series: Church Expressions NEXT What if your church could fight hunger AND fuel your soul? Discover the forward-thinking approach of entrepreneurial church planting with our guests, Carl Johnson and Scott Woller. These innovative leaders are embedding their churches in the heart of their communities, using coffee shops, grocery stores, and workforce development programs as powerful expressions of their mission. Whether you’re a church planter, pastor, or just...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 69 Series: Church Expressions NEXT Is your church ready to reach more people in more places? Dive into the world of multisite church with Christy Gibas, Lead Pastor of The Table Church. Drawing from her own leadership journey, Christy offers a behind-the-scenes look at how her church has reproduced its ministry into multiple locations. She unpacks the vision, strategy, and lessons learned along the way—offering practical insights for any church exploring the mul...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 68 Series: Church Expressions NEXT In this episode, join hosts Carrie Williams and Bill Couchenour as they sit down with Léonce Crump—Co-Founder and Senior Pastor of United Church—for an honest and inspiring conversation about traditional church planting. From his journey in the NFL to his calling into vocational ministry, Léonce opens up about the path that led him to plant a traditional church. He shares not only his personal story, but also the realities of s...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 67 Series: Candid Conversations About Women and the Church In this episode Inés Velásquez-McBryd shares her journey to becoming a church planter and lead pastor. She also shares about the lessons learned and the community impact of leading a church through challenging seasons! — Hosts: Sue Ferguson, Women NEXT, Co-Director Lori Ruffin, Women NEXT, Co-Director Guest: Inés Velásquez-McBryde, The Church We Hope For, Co-Founder & Lead Pastor Category: Women ...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 66 Series: Candid Conversations About Women and the Church What does it mean to go first—when no one who looks like you has gone before? In this episode of the the series, Sue and Lori talk with Rev. Dr. Kate Coleman—the first Black woman ordained as a Baptist minister in the UK—and Rev. Cham Kaur-Mann—the first and only Asian woman minister in the Baptist Union of Great Britain. Together, they reflect on the challenges of being first, what they’ve learned, and ...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 65 Series: Candid Conversations About Women and the Church Molly answered God’s call to move her family to Denver with a heart for reaching the lonely and lost young adults living there. By using some need unique connecting strategies that do not include Sunday gatherings Molly and her team are having a huge impact through The Brook. Molly also shares some valuable things she learned about herself and her leadership along the way! — Hosts: Sue Ferguson, Women...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 64 Series: Candid Conversations About Women and the Church To fully represent the Imago Dei it requires both men and women stepping into their calling and using thier gifts. Join us as we have a candid conversation with two amazing leaders doing just that! — Hosts: Sue Ferguson, Women NEXT, Co-Director Lori Ruffin, Women NEXT, Co-Director Guests: Efrem Smith, Midtown Church, Co-Lead Senior Pastor Susie Gamez, Midtown Church, Co-Lead Senior Pastor Categor...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 63 Series: Candid Conversations About Women and the Church While many of us lead within our church community, Mimi Chan felt God calling her to lead in her corporate job at Amazon! In this episode Mimi will share how God led her to start Christians at Amazon, and how He has grown into a international movement! — Hosts: Sue Ferguson, Women NEXT, Co-Director Lori Ruffin, Women NEXT, Co-Director Guest: Mimi Chan, Amazon Books, Head of Events Marketing Catego...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 62 Series: Candid Conversations About Women and the Church Sometimes ministry takes a turn we didn’t expect. Sometimes that change leaves us lost, hurting, and even angry. In this episode, Katrina Boatright shares what God taught her about finding healing and new purpose after an unexpected turn. — Hosts: Sue Ferguson, Women NEXT, Co-Director Lori Ruffin, Women NEXT, Co-Director Guest: Katrina Boatright, Distinctive Daughters, Founder Category: Women NEXT...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 61 Series: Candid Conversations About Women and the Church In ministry, change is to be expected. We watch people come and go, leaders change lanes, and even the structures of our ministries or churches change. But what is it like to navigate our own transitions out of long held roles into new God-given opportunities? Join Lori, Sue, and guest Janet McMahon as they discuss big transitions they’ve each walked through. — Hosts: Sue Ferguson, Women NEXT, Co-Dire...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 60 Series: Digital Discipleship Being part of a church is so much more than just consuming spiritual content. Yet, we all know there are people—both online and in person—who are simply there to consume. In this conversation with Matt Welty, we discuss how Crossroads Church in Cincinnati got into online ministry and how Matt has pioneered the Crossroads Anywhere initiative. Their church, which gathers more than 20,000 people each weekend, has experimented with c...

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 59 Series: Digital Discipleship From a landlocked church in rural Indiana, Tyler Sansom has led First Capital Church and Church Anywhere to plant campuses around the world—despite limited resources, but with incredible impact. In this conversation, we explore how digital tools like Church Anywhere’s web platform are bringing the Gospel to the nations. Tyler’s story is a powerful reminder that when we trust God and step out in faith, the possibilities are limitl...