The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast

Former LCBC Senior Pastor David Ashcraft talks about the small church dysfunction he encountered when he arrived at LCBC when it was just a small church.

Plus, he discusses how it scaled into a mega-church of 22,000, succession, and how he repositioned the Global Leadership Summit for the future.

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Sharon Hodde Miller discusses entering ministry with idealism that is crushed when people break your heart and leave your church.

Plus, she discusses how to keep your heart engaged, learning to fight cynicism, and how to know when to speak into culture and when to keep silent.

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Theologian and church planter Dom Ruso offers lessons from church planting in Montreal, one of the most secular environments in North America, and how to reach a very difficult culture. 

He talks about the lack of theological training churches are facing, why we're probably not ready for real revival, and how to reach people most people think are unreachable.

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J.R. Briggs has studied the art of asking questions for ten years. He shares how the quality of your questions determines the quality of your life and leadership, how to use questions to get your audience's full attention, and why question-asking is a dying art.

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In this episode of the podcast, N.T. Wright discusses the forces that formed him into the scholar, priest, and writer he is today: his early influences, his calling, and what he gave up to pursue his writing.

He also shares his views on spiritual warfare and the problem of Christians demonizing their enemies.

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Lysa TerKeurst opens up about the end of her marriage and offers insight into the distinction between difficult and destructive relationships.

Lysa shares the biblical grounds for divorce, and Carey and Lysa discuss how to help people in a tough marriage.

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J.D. Greear shares the tension every pastor feels over when to speak out, how to speak out, and which issues should command a pastor's voice.

J.D. also discusses Charlie Kirk, the culture wars, and social outrage. 

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Dr. Caroline Leaf explains her philosophy on the distinction between the mind and the brain, and how to utilize your mind to combat stress, anxiety, and burnout. She also weighs in on AI and its potential to harm the mind and brain.

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In this episode, you'll learn a fresh perspective on exactly where your time goes, how to cut the investments where you're least effective, and multiply your time investments in the activities that generate the most results.

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Dr. James Sells and Shaunti Feldhahn rethink mental health and loneliness. They offer practical steps on how the church can lead healing without burning out its leaders, especially pastors.

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Comedian Andrew Stanley talks about his journey as a preacher's son who studied finance and accounting to become a rising comic who has performed with Colin Jost, Leanne Morgan, John Crist and others.

Andrew covers the art of writing jokes, what happens when you bomb, how to recover, working with different audiences and more.

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Thom Rainer explains the difference he's discovered between what growing churches do and what declining churches do. It's simpler than you think. Plus, how can you help the Anxious Generation feel comfortable coming to church? Thom explains what the research reveals.

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YouVersion CEO Bobby Gruenewald discusses what's right and wrong with AI, sharing some shocking examples of why Christians should be cautious about trusting AI for biblical accuracy. Bobby also explains how it took 13 years to reach 500 million installs, but only four years to reach a billion, and the changes YouVersion made to accelerate bible reach.

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In a wide-ranging interview, Tim Timberlake reflects on a challenging pastoral succession and how he rebuilt momentum. Plus, he discusses getting divorced in his twenties, what he learned about leading while bleeding, and a lot more. 

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In this episode, Carey explores why the attractional church model no longer works, what's replacing it, the three shifts that made it ineffective, and what you and your church can do now to reach more people.

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Tim Stevens returns to the podcast to discuss the hardest assignment in ministry: his three years at Willow Creek. He also talks about how to spot talent, firing well, how to recapture momentum, and his biggest lesson in four decades of ministry.

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Judah Smith and Dr. Les Parrot, Judah's therapist of 15 years, talk about the unique pressures pastors face. Les and Judah explain why your brain is lying to you 80% of the time, offer insights into how pastors self-sabotage, and provide guidance on how to break the cycle of negative thoughts that many church leaders struggle with.

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Preaching is hard, no matter how you approach it. But throw planting a church during lockdown, a life-long struggle with mental health and anxiety, and planting in a tough to reach area in the mix, and you have a recipe for challenge. Faith Eury Cho opens up and talks about all of it. 

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Nearly twenty years after releasing his groundbreaking book Simple Church, Eric Geiger reflects on why complexity still doesn't scale, how complexity subtly creeps in as you grow, and what he's learned since he started leading Mariners Church.

He also shares the great things that happen when older church leaders choose to set aside their own agendas and die to their egos ...