July 23, 2025 • 33 mins
Josh Erb takes us behind the scenes of Soul Edge Ministries, revealing how a bold decision at age 19 launched him into a lifetime of developing Christian leaders through adventure and mentorship. Instead of pursuing engineering, Josh and his twin brother created an immersive leadership program combining high-ratio mentoring with outdoor challenges that build character under pressure.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
Welcome to the Leader Impact Podcast.
We are a community of leaderswith a network in over 350
cities around the world,dedicated to optimizing our
personal, professional andspiritual lives to have impact.
This show is where we have achance to listen and engage with
leaders who are living this out.
We love talking with leaders,so if you have any questions,
comments or suggestions to makethis show even better, please
let us know.
The best way to stay connectedin Canada is through our
(00:30):
newsletter at leaderimpactca oron social at Leader Impact.
If you're listening fromoutside of Canada, check out our
website at leaderimpactcom.
I'm your host, Lisa Peters, andour guest today is Josh Erb.
Josh is a visionary leader soldout to the Jesus model of
raising and equipping Christianworld changers.
He co-founded Soul EdgeMinistries with his twin brother
(00:51):
when he was 19 and has now ledthe charity with his wife, Kiri
for over 18 years.
Over the years, he haspersonally mentored and helped
equip hundreds of leaders.
Josh serves as pastor atNorthgate Church in the Comox
Valley, BC.
He's a qualified hiking guideand loves spending time in the
mountains.
Welcome to the show, Josh.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Oh, thank you, Lisa, so good to be with you.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
It is so nice to see you again For our viewers.
Josh and I met at theApologetics Conference.
I flew down to Abbotsford andas we were talking, we know the
same people, which is funny.
You are originally fromSaskatchewan.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I am.
I am.
Yeah, I was.
I grew up actually just outsideof Calgary and then when I was
12 years old, my family bought aranch out in Saskatchewan.
A ranch and I spent lots oftime in Saskatchewan.
I deeply love the Saskatchewanpeople.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Lots of time in Saskatchewan, I deeply love the
Saskatchewan people, yeah, ohwell, that's fair enough.
We think we're, we think we'refabulous.
However, I did like yourweather in Abbotsford because I
think I left left minus 30 andit was like I don't know 12.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
It's true, the West coast is is nice for that.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
So a nice move out there.
Well done, yeah.
All right, josh, I'm going toask you a little bit about your
professional story and sort ofhow you got to where you are
today.
And we're really looking forthose pivotal moments and I
really hope maybe you can sharemore about Soul Edge Ministries.
I mean, I hope that's part ofthe pivotal, because I'm not
sure if people really know whatit is, but I'm super excited to
hear your journey.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Oh, thank you.
Yeah yeah, soul Edge is a bigpart of my story, so I think a
great place to kind of start isthat key age when I left high
school and actually went to theUK to train with the ministry in
the UK and during that time wasreally just, I had in my mind
(02:42):
that I would be going toengineering school after, after
a year of training and it wasaccepted actually to go to the U
of S and and and wasessentially just saying, okay,
here's my plan, jesus, I'll,I'll take a year of growth and
then I'll I'll pursueengineering.
But during that year I reallyuh, my brother and I, I we
(03:03):
started to essentially dreamtogether about what it would
look like to investintentionally into young men and
women.
Really, we had leaders in ourlives who had mentored us, who
had discipled us, and we saw theimpact that that had had on our
lives.
And so we started with aquestion like what would it look
like to create a course thatreally was designed for
(03:23):
leadership development?
What would that look like?
And we were essentiallydreaming about a course that we
thought we would be launchingwhen we were like 30 or 40.
We're like, let's you know,dream about what would it look
like to take a group of youngmen or a group of young women on
a journey of intentional growthand we just would.
I remember going out for coffeeand journaling down, as a 19
(03:46):
year old like you know, whatwould this look like?
What is the ideal environmentfor growth?
Some of those kinds ofquestions.
And then during that season, Ifelt like the Lord had said
actually, I don't want you to goto engineering school, I want
you to lay that down and thatwas scary, obviously and ended
up sharing the vision of Soledgewith one of my key leaders and
(04:08):
mentors there, and he was likeyou know, you and your brother
are young, but I think you guysshould go for it.
I'm going to get behind youguys.
You should launch this ministryof Soledge.
And so Soledge was launchedwhen we were 19 years old, which
is pretty young, butessentially we had leaders who
got behind us and said, hey, webelieve in you and we want to
(04:29):
see this vision born, which wasincredible.
So that really was the start ofme kind of stepping into
leadership development as a19-year-old, being like all
right, we're going to do this.
And so what is SoulEd?
Soul Edge is a.
It originally started as a fivemonth intensive course.
So we do three months oftraining and then two months of
(04:52):
outreach, and we started bydoing outreach in Africa and the
kind of key differences.
People when they hear fivemonths they're like why web?
Right, because why web is afive month model.
So similarities, but thebiggest difference was that we
had a high have a high ratio ofmentors to mentees, so it's like
one to four, and so there's areally big focus on the
mentoring.
And then we incorporateadventure.
(05:14):
That the adventure element is abig part where, when we think
about leaders, what is the keyfoundation to leadership
Character?
And so how do you actually,when you think about like
leadership training, so much oflike growth happens for leaders?
One, they're under pressure andthen they're getting coached
through that, and so for uswe're like how do we create
environments of pressure thatour mentors can actually see the
(05:37):
mentees in some pressure sothat they can coach them?
And so for us the outdoors isthe element of pressure, team
building and there's a lot thatcan happen that you can kind of
customize growth environments inthe outdoors in some great and
unique ways.
So that's the kind of adventurepart.
And also adventure is just great.
(05:58):
It's so fun.
So we get to take our teams outinto the mountains, snowshoeing
, snow camping, skiing, canoeing, all that kind of stuff, and
it's a real gift.
So we've been doing Soul Edgefor over 19 years.
I now have a course onVancouver Island that we run and
we also have another base inNew Zealand close to
(06:18):
Christchurch.
So every year we're bringingteams of 12 students to go on
these courses and it's amazingto see the transformation that
happened.
So that was a really kind ofpivotal moment.
Being a 19-year-old and havinga leader say, hey, I believe in
you, and then kind of starteddown that journey of what does
it look like to build?
Speaker 1 (06:38):
a charity to start a course to start investing into
young leaders.
So at 19, you make this decision.
I'm just because my kids are 20and 22.
And you know you're 19, youdidn't go to university, you're
you're, you know.
You call your parents and say,by the way, and these are your
twins, so there's two of you, bythe way, mom, dad, we're not
(06:58):
going to university.
What was that reaction?
Because that is a big, pivotalmoment.
So I'm just looking for thereaction of the people around
you.
They're like you know it, wasit well done or yeah, actually
my parents, to their credit,they're hugely supportive.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
So they're just like, yeah, we, we think you guys
have this in you.
And they they're like, what dowe need to do to help you get
this going?
And there was a lot, of, a lotof support and I think we had
been given quite a lot ofresponsibility from a young age.
Even just growing up on a ranch.
I was of the generation wherewe started driving tractors
(07:40):
really young, so just likeresponsibility was kind of
inbuilt into my kind of growingup years.
So then stepping into a rolewhere you're then responsible
for other people, it wasn't likethey weren't like, wow, you've
never done anything like this,that we've been leaders in our
youth group and leaders in thechurch.
So it was kind of the next stepin one, still a big step, but
it was within reach.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Yeah, that makes me laugh that you say you were of a
generation where the kids drovetractors at a young age.
I think they still do inSaskatchewan.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
They do, it's true.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
We haven't learned.
They're still 12-year-oldsdriving farm trucks.
We want to talk to you aboutyour best principle of success
and what it is, and if you havea story that illustrates that.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I think it probably there's.
There's lots of like thingsthat I would say have been huge,
but I the key one I think forme would be around mentoring.
That ultimately, I think, whenI think of like leaders who've
stayed with me, who've gone onto become team leaders, whether
(08:51):
that's in the church world or insoul edge, ultimately I think,
especially in the world of likechurch and charity, we don't
have this sort of like financialpiece to hold up as a motivator
.
Maybe as much.
But what I've found is likeamazing people will continue to
come back and say, yes, I wantto serve, I want to be with you,
and ultimately they're sayingyes.
(09:14):
One to the opportunity to grow,but two, they're also saying
yes because that they arefeeling built into that.
They know that if they say yesto journeying with you, that
they are are receiving somethingback, and so really found that
that taking that time to investinto my up and coming leaders,
to mentor them, to pour intotheir lives, there's not a
(09:37):
guarantee, right, they might belike I'm going on to the next
thing, um, but the potential forthem to say yes is much higher.
Now.
I've obviously mentored lots ofleaders.
Lots of team leaders have havebeen with me for seasons of
three to four years and then goon to be leaders within church
ministries and stuff and that'sgreat and ultimately that is my
goal to raise up leaders.
And it's always sad when youwork with people for a long time
(10:00):
and you're like man, you'reamazing, I've invested into you
and now you're like operatingkind of in your peak skill and
competency and now I'm releasingyou.
There is always a sadness there, but there's also a joy, I
think, when we get to have thatseason.
So I think that investment inmentoring and taking time to
mentor is always worthwhile,even if we don't know how long
(10:22):
that season is.
I think the payoffs are hugeand in the kingdom of God it is,
I think, a key and vital aspectand what Jesus modeled?
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
I love that.
It is tough to mentor someoneand then they go on.
But isn't, isn't that likeraising children?
Our goal is to raise them, andthen we let you know we do a
good job, and then we let themgo and, and and they go and be
good people in the world.
Now I know, when I I believe Iread your website, I believe
(10:54):
Soul Edge is like young adultsbetween 19 and 25.
Is that right?
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
So are your leaders.
Are they coming in at 19?
Speaker 2 (11:07):
They've joined you and then they become like are
some of them staying to help you?
Yeah, so that is kind of.
The model is essentially thatstudents will come in, typically
at that like 19 or 20.
So either pre-university orpost, and then they'll do the
course and typically what we'lldo is during the course we'll
identify potential futureleaders and then we would always
(11:27):
encourage them to take a fewyears.
So the majority of our leadersgo on to do their university
degree and then after thatseason of three to four years we
invite them back as leaders.
So they're typically comingback as 24 or 25 or 27 year old,
somewhere in that age range.
So they're still in theirtwenties, still in that season
of life, often not married, havea bit more flexibility in their
(11:50):
time.
But it really is through thatrelational connection, that
ongoing mentoring and then whatthey received on Solange,
they're like I'd love to givethat back, I'd love to see that
happen for someone else and be apart of that.
So yeah, that really is themodel.
I mean, one of our leaders wentthrough Soledge as a student in
2010, as an example, and hisname was Seb Seb Gray.
(12:12):
He's now our New Zealanddirector.
So he did the course and thencame back as a leader, led for
three I don't know more thanthat four years and then trained
in the UK in the outdoorindustry and then I kept
mentoring him that whole timeand then we started dreaming
together about what would itlook like to launch a base?
Where would that be?
And he was like, yeah, I'll gowherever.
(12:35):
And he really discerned that itwas New Zealand.
And then we launched Soul EdgeNew Zealand in 2020.
So I think, yeah, thatrelational, so much of like we
see things really moving forwardis that relational equity that
we have with people that enablesus to see things move forward.
Because really, any organizationis only as strong as its people
(12:56):
, as its team, and vision ishollow unless you have people
who kind of take hold of it.
So I could be a visionaryleader casting vision everywhere
, but if I don't have team, if Idon't have people who are like
man I I've walked in this, Iknow what it is and I know how
to embody this, how to live thisout?
Um, it's going to be hollowvision, and so that sort of
mentoring piece is the keybridge of translating vision
(13:19):
into kind of reality, and Ithink there is a consistency
that's needed there.
Sometimes, when life gets full,it takes a lot of
intentionality, like as you know, like whether it's home or
business, there's always tasksand demands, and so you have to
really guard, like where's thetime for me to invest into my
(13:40):
team, into the person, into thefew people that I really feel
God has highlighted to mentor,and that, I think, just requires
a lot of intentionality to makesure that it happens.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah, I love that.
That's a great principle ofsuccess.
I don't think anyone's evertalked about using.
Yeah, I don't think we have sogreat.
I mean I'm interested.
I mean we all know that welearn more from our failures and
mistakes than our successes.
Yeah, but we know it works andI was wondering if you could
share one of your greatestfailures and what you learned
(14:12):
from it, because so far, yourpivots have been awesome, so I'm
waiting.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Oh, that's great.
When I saw this question I'mlike wow, there's so many
mistakes.
Which one do I share inparticular, we struggle with
essentially the busyness of ourlives, the demands of our lives,
(14:43):
and being discipled by kind ofthe world where it's.
You've got to do more, you'vegot to work harder, perform more
and we can end up, you know, somany leaders are just tired and
burnt out, and for me, the keyprinciple that I failed to
follow was essentially Sabbath.
For years I think of the earlyyears of ministry I started
(15:04):
pastoring when I was 24, wasdoing solage as well, and I
would take kind of I'd call itlike half Sabbath, so I'd take
like Saturday afternoon.
I'd kind of block out fourhours, but it wasn't that full
24-hour period of rest.
I wasn't really guarding.
I wasn't modeling it to myfamily, I wasn't really guarding
(15:25):
.
I wasn't modeling it to myfamily.
I wasn't guarding it.
I just was like, oh, there'semails, there's demands, there's
things I have to do, and so itkept edging in, and when I think
of sort of the results or theimpact of that, it was pretty
negative and it wasn't until Istarted to say, actually this is
essential, I will burn out as aleader, I'm not going to make
(15:45):
it in the long run if I don'tsort this out, if I don't sort
out Sabbath rest and when Istarted to practice Sabbath,
that full 24 hours, it reallygoes at the heart of
acknowledging, like yourlimitations and this is
essential, that we have to.
As leaders say, we are limited,we we will never.
(16:09):
At the end of the week, therewill always be another email to
answer, there'll always beanother task to complete and you
simply cannot meet all of thedemands.
So you, you must accept yourlimitation.
I was thinking I came across.
Cs Lewis articulated this reallywell a number of years ago.
He wrote this and I'll justread the quote because it's so
(16:31):
good.
He says the main thing we learnfrom a serious attempt to
practice the Christian virtue isthat we fail If there was any
idea that God had set us somesort of exam and that we might
get good marks by deserving them.
That must be wiped out, thisself-awareness of inadequacy,
(16:51):
which also may be a kind of gift.
It drives us to Christ.
It was Spurgeon, I think, whosaid I have learned to kiss the
wave that throws me against therock of ages.
And this self-awareness makesour message authentic and vital.
It also removes pretense fromour presentation of the gospel.
(17:14):
We don't have to put on airs,for people come to Jesus
desperately and we can look tothe people who are discovering
that desperation in their ownlives and speak to them with
authority, out of our brokennessand out of our discovery of
God's grace to meet us in thoseplaces.
And so it's really that journeyas leaders to essentially be
(17:35):
honest and acknowledge ourlimitations.
If we can't do that, we'regoing to end up hurting people,
and we're going to end uphurting people and we're going
to end up actually making somepretty big mistakes as leaders.
And it's really actually thepower of the gospel starts to be
made manifest when we can behonest about our limitations,
and this is really where we seethe gospel showing up in big
(17:58):
ways.
So for me, we see the gospelshowing up in big ways.
So for me, essentially, sabbathis the biggest lesson and
practice that I know I have toguard and it ultimately is that
constant reminder of I needgrace, I am limited, you can
grow your capacity, you canbecome more efficient.
(18:19):
All these things are goodskills and tools, but ultimately
you will always run into yourlimitation and you have to be
honest about your limitations.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Yeah, just listening to you, I think of a book that
we read.
We just talked about boundariesand you have to set your own
boundaries, because if you don't, someone else will just come in
and make them for you andthey'll tell you, your
boundaries.
So I appreciate you sharing that.
I think when people there's toomuch perfection, we want to be
(18:49):
perfect and we can't be.
We will never be, and I meanthat's part of the story.
We won't be perfect.
We will strive and we will makemistakes, and we will make
mistakes and we will fail and wewill learn.
Thank you for sharing that.
So at Leader Impact, we want togrow personally, professionally
(19:13):
and spiritually for increasingimpact.
So I'm wondering if you'rewilling to share an example of
how the spiritual makes apractical difference in your
life as a leader.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Yeah, there's so many areas, but I would say for me,
especially when it comes toleadership, as you kind of
progress into leadership, it'slike the stakes in a way get
higher.
I remember in a discernmentseason where I was making a
decision around a move actuallyto the West Coast from
Saskatchewan, and part of thatdecision, you realize, is like
(19:47):
well, it impacts me and itimpacts my family, but it also
impacts all the people we'reconnected to.
So, essentially, if you'reinvesting well in relationship,
your relational network getsbigger.
And then when you're making adecision it doesn't just isolate
, it's not just like thatdecision just happens in your
(20:08):
world.
It kind of is like has rippleeffects.
And good leaders, essentiallythe way they live, should it
should have ripple effects howwe live.
So I think decision-making isalways important but it has
bigger and bigger kind ofpotential impact the more
connected and relationally we'reresponsible.
And so decision-making that islike this vital place of like we
(20:31):
don't want to be justreactionary leaders.
We we actually need to havediscernment, Um, and discernment
is a process and one of the keyaspects for me as as a leader
is, is that faith aspect of that.
I believe that God speaks andcan guide in decision making.
(20:53):
So what I think of sort of a,the sort of discernment process,
if you will, it's I likethinking of like cycles that you
move through, and so for methere's kind of a few stages
that we must go through in adiscernment process.
And so the first, before weeven get on the stage.
The first, is acknowledgingdriving desires that we actually
(21:15):
have to be honest about thingsthat are powerful longings or
desires within us, because thesehave a huge impact, whether
consciously or subconsciously,they will drive us.
We'd like to think that we'revery rational, like, oh, I'm so
rational in my decisions, butwe're actually more emotional
and very driven by sort ofstrong desires, strong longing.
(21:36):
So that's kind of.
The first step is to acknowledgethose, and then the second, I
think is to get onto the cycle,is actually to do that stage of
information gathering where it'slike, okay, all the things,
like what are the you know, saya young person moving to city,
what are the costs, what's thejob opportunity, All those kinds
of things.
Now, often as people we cankind of like imagine that future
(22:00):
.
Say the young person, like Ijust can't wait for life in the
city, and they imagine thatfuture, but they're in their
decision making.
They might apply for a jobthere, but they're.
They get accepted, but they'resaying yes to their fantasy, not
necessarily yes to that job.
And so that discipline of whatis actually what does actually
look like is the informationgathering stage, and then the
(22:21):
next stage would be wise counsel, where we actually submit
ourselves to share a clearpicture of what this actually
looks like and people whounderstand our blind spots and
can call those out.
That's, I think, a really vitalpart of discernment that we
have that wise counsel.
And then the next step would bethat we go to prayer, and this
(22:42):
is really where we have to bewilling to move.
Whatever the thing is that we'redeciding to a place of we're
holding it open-handedly, say Isurrender this, Jesus.
It can be a yes or a no, andthat's most of the process.
Right is coming to surrender.
Once we've surrendered, thenit's much easier to hear.
If I'm trying to hear and I'mreally I'm closed-fisted and I'm
(23:05):
saying I want this Jesus,please say yes, it's hard to
hear, but if we can get to aplace of surrender, then we're
in a place where we could hearhis direction.
And then, once we've sat thereand felt like we've heard
something from the Lord.
The next step or the next kindof movement in the cycle would
be to take some sort of action.
Whether that's, I need torestart that cycle, to take some
(23:28):
sort of action, whether that's.
I need to restart that cycle orit's.
I'm going to apply for this jobor whatever the next step is.
But we're taking some sort ofaction and I think deliberately
moving through those steps, notgetting stuck in one of them
because we can, we can all dothat.
We can get stuck somewhere,that we stay in the movement is
vital, but for me, obviously, asa Christian, I believe that
hearing the voice of God isvital, that I don't want to be
(23:49):
moving, especially making bigdecisions, without that
direction and that guidance.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
I believe I know the answer to this, but you do this
for everything.
You do Like when there's adecision, there's prayer
involved and there's the youknow.
Acknowledge the desires, infogathering, wise counsel, go to
prayer, take action.
This is constant.
I'm going to and you probablymentor so many with this- yeah,
(24:21):
absolutely yeah, I think it's.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
It's a really good practice.
It's not like a new practice.
I think we see Jesus doing this, we see healthy leaders.
Essentially, the movement is amovement of health, it's a
movement of honesty and amovement that invites community,
and I think our individualisticsociety often erodes these
(24:45):
types of practices and so wehave to sort of fight against it
, like our society, likecultures.
That's like you should bestrong, you should be decisive
as a leader, and it's like, yes,we should be decisive of a
leader, but we cannot make themistake that fast is decisive
necessarily, like fast couldjust be you making a fast
decision wrong that we actuallyneed to take.
(25:06):
That there is often a timeprocess involved in discernment
and we have to give ourselvespermission to to take time to
actually move through through it.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Well, um, yeah, oh, great conversation.
Um I, because I think people umbigger, small, you should
People, big or small, you shouldthis process and people who are
listening, I mean, may not bestrong in their faith and they
don't understand when you saythat.
(25:36):
So I have appreciated you justwalking us through the steps,
because that was clear.
You made that process veryclear on how you get to a
decision.
It's not just just you knowwhat, I'm just gonna pray or I
know the answer, which makes melaugh because I think I always
know the answer Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
And I think, a caution, especially, as you know
, for for all our listeners, asyou're in higher levels of
leadership, there can be someimmense felt pressure to make
decisions right and sometimeswhen you're in that level of
pressure, you just want to beout of the pressure.
So sometimes a decision is madebecause it's just like I'm so
(26:17):
tired of feeling the weight ofthis pressure, I'm just going to
make a decision.
But we got to be really carefulthat that actually isn't
necessarily good decision making.
We have to actually be okaythat there is sometimes where
you will feel the tension of nothaving a decision yet while
you're in discernment, and thetension is that there's simply a
(26:37):
process that you must walkthrough which requires a
wrestling and that's not goingto be resolved necessarily
overnight.
And essentially, as a leader,we have to be okay with feeling
the weight of that tension.
Because unfortunately I haveseen where leaders are just like
all right, I'm just fatigued, Ijust I'm tired of the pressure
(26:58):
of this.
I'm just going to short circuitthis discernment, I'm making a
judgment call, I'm just going tokind of roll the dice and
sometimes it turns out.
But sometimes there's a lot oftrain wrecks and people get hurt
in that.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Yeah, oh, josh, thank you for that.
That was a great answer.
At Leader Impact, we arededicated to leaders having a
lasting impact.
So, as you continue throughthis amazing journey of life,
and I'm just wondering if you'veconsidered what you want your
faith legacy to be when youleave this world, Well, I think
(27:32):
for me it is.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
It comes back to giving away what I've received.
I think this is what Jesuspatterns out.
It's like, hey, when you followthe invitation of Christ, the
pattern is that you would be hisdisciple and that you would
disciple others, and whetheryou're a Christian or not, I
think this is a good principleto say.
(27:54):
Part of what I'm gonna do iswhatever I've received, I'm
gonna make sure that I'm passingthat along, that my story is
that I've had many people investinto my life and give me, give
a great resource to me andwisdom and counsel, and I want
to make sure that I pass it on,and so I really do believe that
(28:17):
it is a worthwhile investmentinvesting into the next
generation of young leaders, andI think we're in a really
exciting time where thatinvestment is going to pay off.
You know the whole reason whymy wife and I run Soul Edge, why
our team in New Zealand investand give of themselves, or our
team in Canada give ofthemselves is because we believe
(28:39):
that if we want to see changeand transformation in our
culture, we've got to investinto the young leaders who are
going to end up in thoseleadership positions, and we've
trained over hundreds of leaders, hundreds of leaders in this
and we are seeing those leadersend up in places of significant
leadership and that has realimpact and it's really exciting.
(28:59):
Actually, there's some majorcultural shifts right now we're
seeing around faith andspirituality, around a hunger
for God.
There was a recent studyactually that just came out by
the Bible Society in the UK andthey're researching a pretty big
group like 19,000 people andthey polled in 2018, and then
(29:21):
they polled again in 2024.
And they are looking at one ofthe age groups was the 18 to 24
men and in 2018, it was 4% wereattending church.
In 2024, 21% of that age group.
This is the age group that'sthe most engaged out of all the
(29:42):
different age groups in churchattendance.
So I don't know of a study likethis in Canada, but I wouldn't
be surprised if we see that sortof shift happening in Canada as
well.
So I think we're in a reallyexciting time where young
leaders we're actually seeingyoung adults, young leaders step
into places of leadership thatthey're not satisfied, just sort
(30:02):
of coasting through life.
They do want to see change.
They're deeply thinking aboutwhat's going to drive my life.
They're the sort of narrativelike oh, this young generation
is not religious.
They don't care about faith,about spirituality.
It's not true actually that weare seeing in the UK right A
country that's sort of beendeemed secular 21% in the 18 to
(30:24):
24 are attending church.
That's a high number, right.
So I think we need to actuallybe looking at some of the newer
data coming out and sayingactually there's some major
shifts happening.
We are in a really amazing timeand I think, as leaders, it's a
really important time to saylet's make sure that we're
raising up and investing intothose young leaders so they can
be positioned well to succeed.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Yeah, the same message was heard at Apologetics
Canada conference.
They just said they're feelingit, there's a revival and
they're just, they're justfeeling an increase in in people
coming to faith.
So, yeah, great study, we needto do one in Canada.
Our last question of thepodcast is what brings you the
greatest joy, josh?
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Josh, my kids bring me so much joy.
Yeah, I think just seeing themcome alive as their own
individuals and I get to do likementoring with them.
But as a dad, it is such aprivilege to walk with your kids
and they, they get to.
You know, they're obviously I,I, they're so gracious, right
Like sometimes I show up and I'mlike man, they're seeing me
tired, but they're so, they'regracious, and then I see this
(31:40):
just beautiful passion for theLord starting to come up.
And you know, my, my youngestdaughter, she's getting baptized
Easter Sunday.
That's such a gift, so it's, itis a true gift as parents to
see our children follow in thefootsteps of faith and to that
gift of journeying alongsidethem.
It's a short season, Irecognize, but for me it is a
(32:02):
joyous season to get to walkalongside them.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Yeah, oh, that's wonderful, Josh.
Well, you and Kiri are clearlydoing a fabulous job.
Oh, thank you At raising.
So I just want to thank you.
Our time has come to an end,Josh.
It's been great.
I've written lots of notes.
You've given me a lot.
I show up here to learn as muchas I'm the host.
I want to learn too.
(32:26):
So just thank you.
If people want to find out moreabout Josh, find out more about
Soul Edge Ministries, how canthey find you?
What would be the best way toengage with you?
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Yeah, the best way is probably just to go to our
website, so they can just go tosouledgeorg.
Contact info is there, you cancheck out our social media there
, you can look at ourtestimonials and everything
about the course is all on thatwebsite.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Awesome.
Well, josh, thank you, and itwas great to see you again, and
I know I've met your wife and Imet your son and I think your
daughter was there too, so sayhi to them for me.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
I will, I will Thanks , all right, thank you.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
You're welcome, all right.
Well, if you're part of LeaderImpact, you can always discuss
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If you are not yet part ofLeader Impact but would like to
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You can also check out groupsavailable in Canada at
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(33:23):
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Thank you for engaging with usand remember impact starts with
you you.
Welcome to the Leader Impact Podcast.
We are a community of leaderswith a network in over 350
cities around the world,dedicated to optimizing our
personal, professional andspiritual lives to have impact.
This show is where we have achance to listen and engage with
leaders who are living this out.
We love talking with leaders,so if you have any questions,
comments or suggestions to makethis show even better, please
let us know.
The best way to stay connectedin Canada is through our
(00:30):
newsletter at leaderimpactca oron social at Leader Impact.
If you're listening fromoutside of Canada, check out our
website at leaderimpactcom.
I'm your host, Lisa Peters, andour guest today is Josh Erb.
Josh is a visionary leader soldout to the Jesus model of
raising and equipping Christianworld changers.
He co-founded Soul EdgeMinistries with his twin brother
(00:51):
when he was 19 and has now ledthe charity with his wife, Kiri
for over 18 years.
Over the years, he haspersonally mentored and helped
equip hundreds of leaders.
Josh serves as pastor atNorthgate Church in the Comox
Valley, BC.
He's a qualified hiking guideand loves spending time in the
mountains.
Welcome to the show, Josh.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Oh, thank you, Lisa, so good to be with you.
Speaker 1 (01:14):
It is so nice to see you again For our viewers.
Josh and I met at theApologetics Conference.
I flew down to Abbotsford andas we were talking, we know the
same people, which is funny.
You are originally fromSaskatchewan.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
I am.
I am.
Yeah, I was.
I grew up actually just outsideof Calgary and then when I was
12 years old, my family bought aranch out in Saskatchewan.
A ranch and I spent lots oftime in Saskatchewan.
I deeply love the Saskatchewanpeople.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
Lots of time in Saskatchewan, I deeply love the
Saskatchewan people, yeah, ohwell, that's fair enough.
We think we're, we think we'refabulous.
However, I did like yourweather in Abbotsford because I
think I left left minus 30 andit was like I don't know 12.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
It's true, the West coast is is nice for that.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
So a nice move out there.
Well done, yeah.
All right, josh, I'm going toask you a little bit about your
professional story and sort ofhow you got to where you are
today.
And we're really looking forthose pivotal moments and I
really hope maybe you can sharemore about Soul Edge Ministries.
I mean, I hope that's part ofthe pivotal, because I'm not
sure if people really know whatit is, but I'm super excited to
hear your journey.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Oh, thank you.
Yeah yeah, soul Edge is a bigpart of my story, so I think a
great place to kind of start isthat key age when I left high
school and actually went to theUK to train with the ministry in
the UK and during that time wasreally just, I had in my mind
(02:42):
that I would be going toengineering school after, after
a year of training and it wasaccepted actually to go to the U
of S and and and wasessentially just saying, okay,
here's my plan, jesus, I'll,I'll take a year of growth and
then I'll I'll pursueengineering.
But during that year I reallyuh, my brother and I, I we
(03:03):
started to essentially dreamtogether about what it would
look like to investintentionally into young men and
women.
Really, we had leaders in ourlives who had mentored us, who
had discipled us, and we saw theimpact that that had had on our
lives.
And so we started with aquestion like what would it look
like to create a course thatreally was designed for
(03:23):
leadership development?
What would that look like?
And we were essentiallydreaming about a course that we
thought we would be launchingwhen we were like 30 or 40.
We're like, let's you know,dream about what would it look
like to take a group of youngmen or a group of young women on
a journey of intentional growthand we just would.
I remember going out for coffeeand journaling down, as a 19
(03:46):
year old like you know, whatwould this look like?
What is the ideal environmentfor growth?
Some of those kinds ofquestions.
And then during that season, Ifelt like the Lord had said
actually, I don't want you to goto engineering school, I want
you to lay that down and thatwas scary, obviously and ended
up sharing the vision of Soledgewith one of my key leaders and
(04:08):
mentors there, and he was likeyou know, you and your brother
are young, but I think you guysshould go for it.
I'm going to get behind youguys.
You should launch this ministryof Soledge.
And so Soledge was launchedwhen we were 19 years old, which
is pretty young, butessentially we had leaders who
got behind us and said, hey, webelieve in you and we want to
(04:29):
see this vision born, which wasincredible.
So that really was the start ofme kind of stepping into
leadership development as a19-year-old, being like all
right, we're going to do this.
And so what is SoulEd?
Soul Edge is a.
It originally started as a fivemonth intensive course.
So we do three months oftraining and then two months of
(04:52):
outreach, and we started bydoing outreach in Africa and the
kind of key differences.
People when they hear fivemonths they're like why web?
Right, because why web is afive month model.
So similarities, but thebiggest difference was that we
had a high have a high ratio ofmentors to mentees, so it's like
one to four, and so there's areally big focus on the
mentoring.
And then we incorporateadventure.
(05:14):
That the adventure element is abig part where, when we think
about leaders, what is the keyfoundation to leadership
Character?
And so how do you actually,when you think about like
leadership training, so much oflike growth happens for leaders?
One, they're under pressure andthen they're getting coached
through that, and so for uswe're like how do we create
environments of pressure thatour mentors can actually see the
(05:37):
mentees in some pressure sothat they can coach them?
And so for us the outdoors isthe element of pressure, team
building and there's a lot thatcan happen that you can kind of
customize growth environments inthe outdoors in some great and
unique ways.
So that's the kind of adventurepart.
And also adventure is just great.
(05:58):
It's so fun.
So we get to take our teams outinto the mountains, snowshoeing
, snow camping, skiing, canoeing, all that kind of stuff, and
it's a real gift.
So we've been doing Soul Edgefor over 19 years.
I now have a course onVancouver Island that we run and
we also have another base inNew Zealand close to
(06:18):
Christchurch.
So every year we're bringingteams of 12 students to go on
these courses and it's amazingto see the transformation that
happened.
So that was a really kind ofpivotal moment.
Being a 19-year-old and havinga leader say, hey, I believe in
you, and then kind of starteddown that journey of what does
it look like to build?
Speaker 1 (06:38):
a charity to start a course to start investing into
young leaders.
So at 19, you make this decision.
I'm just because my kids are 20and 22.
And you know you're 19, youdidn't go to university, you're
you're, you know.
You call your parents and say,by the way, and these are your
twins, so there's two of you, bythe way, mom, dad, we're not
(06:58):
going to university.
What was that reaction?
Because that is a big, pivotalmoment.
So I'm just looking for thereaction of the people around
you.
They're like you know it, wasit well done or yeah, actually
my parents, to their credit,they're hugely supportive.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
So they're just like, yeah, we, we think you guys
have this in you.
And they they're like, what dowe need to do to help you get
this going?
And there was a lot, of, a lotof support and I think we had
been given quite a lot ofresponsibility from a young age.
Even just growing up on a ranch.
I was of the generation wherewe started driving tractors
(07:40):
really young, so just likeresponsibility was kind of
inbuilt into my kind of growingup years.
So then stepping into a rolewhere you're then responsible
for other people, it wasn't likethey weren't like, wow, you've
never done anything like this,that we've been leaders in our
youth group and leaders in thechurch.
So it was kind of the next stepin one, still a big step, but
it was within reach.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
Yeah, that makes me laugh that you say you were of a
generation where the kids drovetractors at a young age.
I think they still do inSaskatchewan.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
They do, it's true.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
We haven't learned.
They're still 12-year-oldsdriving farm trucks.
We want to talk to you aboutyour best principle of success
and what it is, and if you havea story that illustrates that.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
I think it probably there's.
There's lots of like thingsthat I would say have been huge,
but I the key one I think forme would be around mentoring.
That ultimately, I think, whenI think of like leaders who've
stayed with me, who've gone onto become team leaders, whether
(08:51):
that's in the church world or insoul edge, ultimately I think,
especially in the world of likechurch and charity, we don't
have this sort of like financialpiece to hold up as a motivator
.
Maybe as much.
But what I've found is likeamazing people will continue to
come back and say, yes, I wantto serve, I want to be with you,
and ultimately they're sayingyes.
(09:14):
One to the opportunity to grow,but two, they're also saying
yes because that they arefeeling built into that.
They know that if they say yesto journeying with you, that
they are are receiving somethingback, and so really found that
that taking that time to investinto my up and coming leaders,
to mentor them, to pour intotheir lives, there's not a
(09:37):
guarantee, right, they might belike I'm going on to the next
thing, um, but the potential forthem to say yes is much higher.
Now.
I've obviously mentored lots ofleaders.
Lots of team leaders have havebeen with me for seasons of
three to four years and then goon to be leaders within church
ministries and stuff and that'sgreat and ultimately that is my
goal to raise up leaders.
And it's always sad when youwork with people for a long time
(10:00):
and you're like man, you'reamazing, I've invested into you
and now you're like operatingkind of in your peak skill and
competency and now I'm releasingyou.
There is always a sadness there, but there's also a joy, I
think, when we get to have thatseason.
So I think that investment inmentoring and taking time to
mentor is always worthwhile,even if we don't know how long
(10:22):
that season is.
I think the payoffs are hugeand in the kingdom of God it is,
I think, a key and vital aspectand what Jesus modeled?
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
I love that.
It is tough to mentor someoneand then they go on.
But isn't, isn't that likeraising children?
Our goal is to raise them, andthen we let you know we do a
good job, and then we let themgo and, and and they go and be
good people in the world.
Now I know, when I I believe Iread your website, I believe
(10:54):
Soul Edge is like young adultsbetween 19 and 25.
Is that right?
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
So are your leaders.
Are they coming in at 19?
Speaker 2 (11:07):
They've joined you and then they become like are
some of them staying to help you?
Yeah, so that is kind of.
The model is essentially thatstudents will come in, typically
at that like 19 or 20.
So either pre-university orpost, and then they'll do the
course and typically what we'lldo is during the course we'll
identify potential futureleaders and then we would always
(11:27):
encourage them to take a fewyears.
So the majority of our leadersgo on to do their university
degree and then after thatseason of three to four years we
invite them back as leaders.
So they're typically comingback as 24 or 25 or 27 year old,
somewhere in that age range.
So they're still in theirtwenties, still in that season
of life, often not married, havea bit more flexibility in their
(11:50):
time.
But it really is through thatrelational connection, that
ongoing mentoring and then whatthey received on Solange,
they're like I'd love to givethat back, I'd love to see that
happen for someone else and be apart of that.
So yeah, that really is themodel.
I mean, one of our leaders wentthrough Soledge as a student in
2010, as an example, and hisname was Seb Seb Gray.
(12:12):
He's now our New Zealanddirector.
So he did the course and thencame back as a leader, led for
three I don't know more thanthat four years and then trained
in the UK in the outdoorindustry and then I kept
mentoring him that whole timeand then we started dreaming
together about what would itlook like to launch a base?
Where would that be?
And he was like, yeah, I'll gowherever.
(12:35):
And he really discerned that itwas New Zealand.
And then we launched Soul EdgeNew Zealand in 2020.
So I think, yeah, thatrelational, so much of like we
see things really moving forwardis that relational equity that
we have with people that enablesus to see things move forward.
Because really, any organizationis only as strong as its people
(12:56):
, as its team, and vision ishollow unless you have people
who kind of take hold of it.
So I could be a visionaryleader casting vision everywhere
, but if I don't have team, if Idon't have people who are like
man I I've walked in this, Iknow what it is and I know how
to embody this, how to live thisout?
Um, it's going to be hollowvision, and so that sort of
mentoring piece is the keybridge of translating vision
(13:19):
into kind of reality, and Ithink there is a consistency
that's needed there.
Sometimes, when life gets full,it takes a lot of
intentionality, like as you know, like whether it's home or
business, there's always tasksand demands, and so you have to
really guard, like where's thetime for me to invest into my
(13:40):
team, into the person, into thefew people that I really feel
God has highlighted to mentor,and that, I think, just requires
a lot of intentionality to makesure that it happens.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
Yeah, I love that.
That's a great principle ofsuccess.
I don't think anyone's evertalked about using.
Yeah, I don't think we have sogreat.
I mean I'm interested.
I mean we all know that welearn more from our failures and
mistakes than our successes.
Yeah, but we know it works andI was wondering if you could
share one of your greatestfailures and what you learned
(14:12):
from it, because so far, yourpivots have been awesome, so I'm
waiting.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
Oh, that's great.
When I saw this question I'mlike wow, there's so many
mistakes.
Which one do I share inparticular, we struggle with
essentially the busyness of ourlives, the demands of our lives,
(14:43):
and being discipled by kind ofthe world where it's.
You've got to do more, you'vegot to work harder, perform more
and we can end up, you know, somany leaders are just tired and
burnt out, and for me, the keyprinciple that I failed to
follow was essentially Sabbath.
For years I think of the earlyyears of ministry I started
(15:04):
pastoring when I was 24, wasdoing solage as well, and I
would take kind of I'd call itlike half Sabbath, so I'd take
like Saturday afternoon.
I'd kind of block out fourhours, but it wasn't that full
24-hour period of rest.
I wasn't really guarding.
I wasn't modeling it to myfamily, I wasn't really guarding
(15:25):
.
I wasn't modeling it to myfamily.
I wasn't guarding it.
I just was like, oh, there'semails, there's demands, there's
things I have to do, and so itkept edging in, and when I think
of sort of the results or theimpact of that, it was pretty
negative and it wasn't until Istarted to say, actually this is
essential, I will burn out as aleader, I'm not going to make
(15:45):
it in the long run if I don'tsort this out, if I don't sort
out Sabbath rest and when Istarted to practice Sabbath,
that full 24 hours, it reallygoes at the heart of
acknowledging, like yourlimitations and this is
essential, that we have to.
As leaders say, we are limited,we we will never.
(16:09):
At the end of the week, therewill always be another email to
answer, there'll always beanother task to complete and you
simply cannot meet all of thedemands.
So you, you must accept yourlimitation.
I was thinking I came across.
Cs Lewis articulated this reallywell a number of years ago.
He wrote this and I'll justread the quote because it's so
(16:31):
good.
He says the main thing we learnfrom a serious attempt to
practice the Christian virtue isthat we fail If there was any
idea that God had set us somesort of exam and that we might
get good marks by deserving them.
That must be wiped out, thisself-awareness of inadequacy,
(16:51):
which also may be a kind of gift.
It drives us to Christ.
It was Spurgeon, I think, whosaid I have learned to kiss the
wave that throws me against therock of ages.
And this self-awareness makesour message authentic and vital.
It also removes pretense fromour presentation of the gospel.
(17:14):
We don't have to put on airs,for people come to Jesus
desperately and we can look tothe people who are discovering
that desperation in their ownlives and speak to them with
authority, out of our brokennessand out of our discovery of
God's grace to meet us in thoseplaces.
And so it's really that journeyas leaders to essentially be
(17:35):
honest and acknowledge ourlimitations.
If we can't do that, we'regoing to end up hurting people,
and we're going to end uphurting people and we're going
to end up actually making somepretty big mistakes as leaders.
And it's really actually thepower of the gospel starts to be
made manifest when we can behonest about our limitations,
and this is really where we seethe gospel showing up in big
(17:58):
ways.
So for me, we see the gospelshowing up in big ways.
So for me, essentially, sabbathis the biggest lesson and
practice that I know I have toguard and it ultimately is that
constant reminder of I needgrace, I am limited, you can
grow your capacity, you canbecome more efficient.
(18:19):
All these things are goodskills and tools, but ultimately
you will always run into yourlimitation and you have to be
honest about your limitations.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Yeah, just listening to you, I think of a book that
we read.
We just talked about boundariesand you have to set your own
boundaries, because if you don't, someone else will just come in
and make them for you andthey'll tell you, your
boundaries.
So I appreciate you sharing that.
I think when people there's toomuch perfection, we want to be
(18:49):
perfect and we can't be.
We will never be, and I meanthat's part of the story.
We won't be perfect.
We will strive and we will makemistakes, and we will make
mistakes and we will fail and wewill learn.
Thank you for sharing that.
So at Leader Impact, we want togrow personally, professionally
(19:13):
and spiritually for increasingimpact.
So I'm wondering if you'rewilling to share an example of
how the spiritual makes apractical difference in your
life as a leader.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Yeah, there's so many areas, but I would say for me,
especially when it comes toleadership, as you kind of
progress into leadership, it'slike the stakes in a way get
higher.
I remember in a discernmentseason where I was making a
decision around a move actuallyto the West Coast from
Saskatchewan, and part of thatdecision, you realize, is like
(19:47):
well, it impacts me and itimpacts my family, but it also
impacts all the people we'reconnected to.
So, essentially, if you'reinvesting well in relationship,
your relational network getsbigger.
And then when you're making adecision it doesn't just isolate
, it's not just like thatdecision just happens in your
(20:08):
world.
It kind of is like has rippleeffects.
And good leaders, essentiallythe way they live, should it
should have ripple effects howwe live.
So I think decision-making isalways important but it has
bigger and bigger kind ofpotential impact the more
connected and relationally we'reresponsible.
And so decision-making that islike this vital place of like we
(20:31):
don't want to be justreactionary leaders.
We we actually need to havediscernment, Um, and discernment
is a process and one of the keyaspects for me as as a leader
is, is that faith aspect of that.
I believe that God speaks andcan guide in decision making.
(20:53):
So what I think of sort of a,the sort of discernment process,
if you will, it's I likethinking of like cycles that you
move through, and so for methere's kind of a few stages
that we must go through in adiscernment process.
And so the first, before weeven get on the stage.
The first, is acknowledgingdriving desires that we actually
(21:15):
have to be honest about thingsthat are powerful longings or
desires within us, because thesehave a huge impact, whether
consciously or subconsciously,they will drive us.
We'd like to think that we'revery rational, like, oh, I'm so
rational in my decisions, butwe're actually more emotional
and very driven by sort ofstrong desires, strong longing.
(21:36):
So that's kind of.
The first step is to acknowledgethose, and then the second, I
think is to get onto the cycle,is actually to do that stage of
information gathering where it'slike, okay, all the things,
like what are the you know, saya young person moving to city,
what are the costs, what's thejob opportunity, All those kinds
of things.
Now, often as people we cankind of like imagine that future
(22:00):
.
Say the young person, like Ijust can't wait for life in the
city, and they imagine thatfuture, but they're in their
decision making.
They might apply for a jobthere, but they're.
They get accepted, but they'resaying yes to their fantasy, not
necessarily yes to that job.
And so that discipline of whatis actually what does actually
look like is the informationgathering stage, and then the
(22:21):
next stage would be wise counsel, where we actually submit
ourselves to share a clearpicture of what this actually
looks like and people whounderstand our blind spots and
can call those out.
That's, I think, a really vitalpart of discernment that we
have that wise counsel.
And then the next step would bethat we go to prayer, and this
(22:42):
is really where we have to bewilling to move.
Whatever the thing is that we'redeciding to a place of we're
holding it open-handedly, say Isurrender this, Jesus.
It can be a yes or a no, andthat's most of the process.
Right is coming to surrender.
Once we've surrendered, thenit's much easier to hear.
If I'm trying to hear and I'mreally I'm closed-fisted and I'm
(23:05):
saying I want this Jesus,please say yes, it's hard to
hear, but if we can get to aplace of surrender, then we're
in a place where we could hearhis direction.
And then, once we've sat thereand felt like we've heard
something from the Lord.
The next step or the next kindof movement in the cycle would
be to take some sort of action.
Whether that's, I need torestart that cycle, to take some
(23:28):
sort of action, whether that's.
I need to restart that cycle orit's.
I'm going to apply for this jobor whatever the next step is.
But we're taking some sort ofaction and I think deliberately
moving through those steps, notgetting stuck in one of them
because we can, we can all dothat.
We can get stuck somewhere,that we stay in the movement is
vital, but for me, obviously, asa Christian, I believe that
hearing the voice of God isvital, that I don't want to be
(23:49):
moving, especially making bigdecisions, without that
direction and that guidance.
Speaker 1 (23:57):
I believe I know the answer to this, but you do this
for everything.
You do Like when there's adecision, there's prayer
involved and there's the youknow.
Acknowledge the desires, infogathering, wise counsel, go to
prayer, take action.
This is constant.
I'm going to and you probablymentor so many with this- yeah,
(24:21):
absolutely yeah, I think it's.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
It's a really good practice.
It's not like a new practice.
I think we see Jesus doing this, we see healthy leaders.
Essentially, the movement is amovement of health, it's a
movement of honesty and amovement that invites community,
and I think our individualisticsociety often erodes these
(24:45):
types of practices and so wehave to sort of fight against it
, like our society, likecultures.
That's like you should bestrong, you should be decisive
as a leader, and it's like, yes,we should be decisive of a
leader, but we cannot make themistake that fast is decisive
necessarily, like fast couldjust be you making a fast
decision wrong that we actuallyneed to take.
(25:06):
That there is often a timeprocess involved in discernment
and we have to give ourselvespermission to to take time to
actually move through through it.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Well, um, yeah, oh, great conversation.
Um I, because I think people umbigger, small, you should
People, big or small, you shouldthis process and people who are
listening, I mean, may not bestrong in their faith and they
don't understand when you saythat.
(25:36):
So I have appreciated you justwalking us through the steps,
because that was clear.
You made that process veryclear on how you get to a
decision.
It's not just just you knowwhat, I'm just gonna pray or I
know the answer, which makes melaugh because I think I always
know the answer Absolutely.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
And I think, a caution, especially, as you know
, for for all our listeners, asyou're in higher levels of
leadership, there can be someimmense felt pressure to make
decisions right and sometimeswhen you're in that level of
pressure, you just want to beout of the pressure.
So sometimes a decision is madebecause it's just like I'm so
(26:17):
tired of feeling the weight ofthis pressure, I'm just going to
make a decision.
But we got to be really carefulthat that actually isn't
necessarily good decision making.
We have to actually be okaythat there is sometimes where
you will feel the tension of nothaving a decision yet while
you're in discernment, and thetension is that there's simply a
(26:37):
process that you must walkthrough which requires a
wrestling and that's not goingto be resolved necessarily
overnight.
And essentially, as a leader,we have to be okay with feeling
the weight of that tension.
Because unfortunately I haveseen where leaders are just like
all right, I'm just fatigued, Ijust I'm tired of the pressure
(26:58):
of this.
I'm just going to short circuitthis discernment, I'm making a
judgment call, I'm just going tokind of roll the dice and
sometimes it turns out.
But sometimes there's a lot oftrain wrecks and people get hurt
in that.
Speaker 1 (27:08):
Yeah, oh, josh, thank you for that.
That was a great answer.
At Leader Impact, we arededicated to leaders having a
lasting impact.
So, as you continue throughthis amazing journey of life,
and I'm just wondering if you'veconsidered what you want your
faith legacy to be when youleave this world, Well, I think
(27:32):
for me it is.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
It comes back to giving away what I've received.
I think this is what Jesuspatterns out.
It's like, hey, when you followthe invitation of Christ, the
pattern is that you would be hisdisciple and that you would
disciple others, and whetheryou're a Christian or not, I
think this is a good principleto say.
(27:54):
Part of what I'm gonna do iswhatever I've received, I'm
gonna make sure that I'm passingthat along, that my story is
that I've had many people investinto my life and give me, give
a great resource to me andwisdom and counsel, and I want
to make sure that I pass it on,and so I really do believe that
(28:17):
it is a worthwhile investmentinvesting into the next
generation of young leaders, andI think we're in a really
exciting time where thatinvestment is going to pay off.
You know the whole reason whymy wife and I run Soul Edge, why
our team in New Zealand investand give of themselves, or our
team in Canada give ofthemselves is because we believe
(28:39):
that if we want to see changeand transformation in our
culture, we've got to investinto the young leaders who are
going to end up in thoseleadership positions, and we've
trained over hundreds of leaders, hundreds of leaders in this
and we are seeing those leadersend up in places of significant
leadership and that has realimpact and it's really exciting.
(28:59):
Actually, there's some majorcultural shifts right now we're
seeing around faith andspirituality, around a hunger
for God.
There was a recent studyactually that just came out by
the Bible Society in the UK andthey're researching a pretty big
group like 19,000 people andthey polled in 2018, and then
(29:21):
they polled again in 2024.
And they are looking at one ofthe age groups was the 18 to 24
men and in 2018, it was 4% wereattending church.
In 2024, 21% of that age group.
This is the age group that'sthe most engaged out of all the
(29:42):
different age groups in churchattendance.
So I don't know of a study likethis in Canada, but I wouldn't
be surprised if we see that sortof shift happening in Canada as
well.
So I think we're in a reallyexciting time where young
leaders we're actually seeingyoung adults, young leaders step
into places of leadership thatthey're not satisfied, just sort
(30:02):
of coasting through life.
They do want to see change.
They're deeply thinking aboutwhat's going to drive my life.
They're the sort of narrativelike oh, this young generation
is not religious.
They don't care about faith,about spirituality.
It's not true actually that weare seeing in the UK right A
country that's sort of beendeemed secular 21% in the 18 to
(30:24):
24 are attending church.
That's a high number, right.
So I think we need to actuallybe looking at some of the newer
data coming out and sayingactually there's some major
shifts happening.
We are in a really amazing timeand I think, as leaders, it's a
really important time to saylet's make sure that we're
raising up and investing intothose young leaders so they can
be positioned well to succeed.
Speaker 1 (30:44):
Yeah, the same message was heard at Apologetics
Canada conference.
They just said they're feelingit, there's a revival and
they're just, they're justfeeling an increase in in people
coming to faith.
So, yeah, great study, we needto do one in Canada.
Our last question of thepodcast is what brings you the
greatest joy, josh?
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Josh, my kids bring me so much joy.
Yeah, I think just seeing themcome alive as their own
individuals and I get to do likementoring with them.
But as a dad, it is such aprivilege to walk with your kids
and they, they get to.
You know, they're obviously I,I, they're so gracious, right
Like sometimes I show up and I'mlike man, they're seeing me
tired, but they're so, they'regracious, and then I see this
(31:40):
just beautiful passion for theLord starting to come up.
And you know, my, my youngestdaughter, she's getting baptized
Easter Sunday.
That's such a gift, so it's, itis a true gift as parents to
see our children follow in thefootsteps of faith and to that
gift of journeying alongsidethem.
It's a short season, Irecognize, but for me it is a
(32:02):
joyous season to get to walkalongside them.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
Yeah, oh, that's wonderful, Josh.
Well, you and Kiri are clearlydoing a fabulous job.
Oh, thank you At raising.
So I just want to thank you.
Our time has come to an end,Josh.
It's been great.
I've written lots of notes.
You've given me a lot.
I show up here to learn as muchas I'm the host.
I want to learn too.
(32:26):
So just thank you.
If people want to find out moreabout Josh, find out more about
Soul Edge Ministries, how canthey find you?
What would be the best way toengage with you?
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Yeah, the best way is probably just to go to our
website, so they can just go tosouledgeorg.
Contact info is there, you cancheck out our social media there
, you can look at ourtestimonials and everything
about the course is all on thatwebsite.
Speaker 1 (32:50):
Awesome.
Well, josh, thank you, and itwas great to see you again, and
I know I've met your wife and Imet your son and I think your
daughter was there too, so sayhi to them for me.
Speaker 2 (32:59):
I will, I will Thanks , all right, thank you.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
You're welcome, all right.
Well, if you're part of LeaderImpact, you can always discuss
or share this podcast with yourgroup.
If you are not yet part ofLeader Impact but would like to
find out more and grow yourleadership, find our podcast
page on our website atleaderimpactca and check out our
free leadership assessment.
You can also check out groupsavailable in Canada at
leaderimpactca or, if you'relistening from anywhere else in
(33:23):
the world, check outleaderimpactcom or get in touch
with us by email info atleaderimpactca and we will
connect you.
And if you like this podcast,please leave us a comment, give
us a rating or review.
This will help other globalleaders find our podcast.
Thank you for engaging with usand remember impact starts with
you you.
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