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I’m a learner. I love conferences, visiting churches, connecting with leaders and asking as many questions as possible. The problem when you are planting a church is that you don’t have the budget to hit many conferences or the time to get away and hang out with some of the churches you want to learn from.

This year my wife lured me into the podcast arena. This is a big deal because I am an avid music consumer. My favorite day of the week is Friday when Apple Music releases all the new tunes, but I am beginning to look forward to Tuesday also because of the new podcasts! Podcasts simply give you a more authentic view and perspective of leaders all around the country and…they are FREE. For any learner a good podcast is gold.

I’m new to the podcast game and our church will be launching a weekly podcast (more than a sermon podcast!) for our city in just a few months. Here are four podcasts that have encouraged me as we have walked through the planting journey…

  1. The StoryBrand Podcast / Hosted by author, speaker, and entrepreneur Donald Miller, this podcast helps people think through the branding and messaging of their organization. Each week you are challenged to think about the clarity of your brand and also learn from some the best marketing/leadership minds today. A fun podcast that will stir the marketing mind of the church planter.
  2. Carey Niewhoff Leadership Podcast / Carey has been an encouraging leader in my life and his podcast is no different. This podcast is focused on ministry and leadership. This is a long-form podcast that gives space for the guests to go deep on many subject matters. I believe it’s a “must listen” ministry podcast.
  3. How I Built This Podcast / This podcast is focused on starters, dreamers, and innovators and how they started the organizations they lead. This is the podcast that helps me keep striving forward each week and gives me hope for the future. When you plant or re-launch a church you are getting the full entrepreneurial experience! Starting and re-starting is hard and you need encouragement along the journey.
  4. Theology in the Raw Podcast / This is hosted by Preston Sprinkle and it’s a podcast focused on giving ministry leaders space to debate difficult issues in our current culture. This podcast helps me think about difficult social issues the church must face today. I enjoy this podcast because I don’t always agree with the perspective but the tone is consistently fair, humble, and honest.

What are some great podcasts that are helping you grow as a leader?