The Lead Ministry Podcast

Josh Denhart
  • 4.9 (51)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Lead Ministry is here for you, the dedicated people in ministry leadership. Our fast-paced, inspirational podcast offers practical steps in each episode to help you thrive. Our focus: *GET SKILLS - Implement systems to avoid burnout. *GET INSPIRED - Embrace leadership as a path to disciple-making. *GET MOVING - Apply episode ideas to enhance your ministry. Join us on a journey to navigate the challenges of ministry, from volunteer management to team building, and lead with purpose and passion in your service.

  1. 1h ago

    351. You Explained It. Why Can’t Your Volunteers Do It?

    You explained the job. They nodded. Then Sunday came, and they still weren't sure what to do. That doesn't necessarily mean your volunteers weren't listening. It may mean they haven't had a chance to practice. In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk introduce the practice loop: show the standard, let someone try, coach one improvement, and give them another attempt. They explain why hearing instructions isn't the same as being ready—and why slowing down now can save you from repeating the same corrections later. Through everyday examples, Josh and Bill show how to make room for mistakes without making a volunteer feel small. They also identify three signs that training is taking hold: the person can explain the task, perform it, and coach someone else through it. Key Topics Covered - The assumptions leaders make when they explain a familiar task - Why a demonstration needs to include a slower, step-by-step walkthrough - Creating safe practice before Sunday pressure arrives - Coaching one improvement at a time, followed by another attempt - Correcting the task while encouraging the person - Knowing whether a volunteer can explain, perform, and teach the skill Key Quote “If you're only talking to your people, they are not trained. They've just been talked to.” Takeaway Choose one manageable Sunday task where confusion creates a real cost. Schedule two safe practice attempts, coach one improvement, and ask the volunteer to explain the process back to you. Call to Action We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week. Stay Connected for More Resources Visit our website: http://leadministry.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeadVolunteers Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers Episode 351

    351. You Explained It. Why Can’t Your Volunteers Do It?

  2. Sep 28

    350. What to Say When a Volunteer Steps Away

    Retention is not about forcing every volunteer to stay in every role forever. In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk talk about the healthy exit: how to honor a volunteer's service, learn from the experience, preserve belonging, and leave room for a future return. They contrast gratitude with guilt, show why leaders should release the role without removing the person from the community, and lay out a practical exit conversation: thank, learn, bless, and name the open door. They also explain a no-pressure follow-up that honors a volunteer's season instead of turning every future conversation into a request. Key Topics Covered Why some exits are faithful endings, not leadership failures Choosing gratitude rather than guilt Releasing the role without removing the person A practical exit conversation: thank, learn, bless, name the open door A no-pressure follow-up that preserves belonging Key Quote “Some exits are faithful endings. They're not leadership failures.” Takeaway Thank the volunteer, learn from the experience, bless the ending, and leave belonging open without turning follow-up into another ask. Call to Action We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week. Stay Connected for More Resources Visit our website: http://leadministry.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeadVolunteers Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

    350. What to Say When a Volunteer Steps Away

  3. Sep 21

    349. Redesign the Role Before You Lose a Good Volunteer

    A volunteer can still care deeply about the ministry while the role no longer fits the season they are in. In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk unpack the volunteer role half-life: the reality that a once-good role can drift as a person's gifting, capacity, or clarity changes. They show how role creep happens, why a larger assignment deserves a new agreement, and how to review the role before defaulting to replacement. The practical path is simple but intentional: look at the role with the person in mind, ask whether it still fits, and test one role change through a 90-, 60-, or 30-day experiment. Key Topics Covered When a once-good volunteer role stops fitting Gift for the work, capacity for the load, clarity for the win Why a larger assignment deserves a new agreement Reviewing the role before replacing the person Trying a 90-, 60-, or 30-day experiment Key Quote “Keep the person. But now you're going to question the shape and you're going to maybe even redesign the agreement.” Takeaway Review the role with the person in mind, then test one clearly defined change through a time-bound experiment. Call to Action We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week. Stay Connected for More Resources Visit our website: http://leadministry.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeadVolunteers Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

    349. Redesign the Role Before You Lose a Good Volunteer

  4. Sep 14

    348. How Ministry Chaos Drains Volunteer Goodwill

    Every ministry has occasional chaos. The problem is when the same dependable volunteers keep paying for it. In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk introduce retention debt: the accumulated trust cost of unresolved ministry friction. They unpack why late changes, surprise asks, broken promises, and rescue mode slowly borrow against volunteer goodwill. Then they turn the framework into a practical reset: audit the last four weeks, retire one recurring rescue, make deposits through earlier decisions and complete preparation, and keep one public promise faithfully for four weeks. Key Topics Covered What retention debt means Why goodwill is the asset repeated friction borrows against How surprise, broken promises, and rescue mode drain trust Three deposits: decide earlier, prepare completely, communicate once A four-week audit and one recurring rescue to retire Key Quote “Retention debt is actually borrowed against the goodwill of your volunteers.” Takeaway Audit the last four weeks, retire one recurring rescue, and keep one public promise faithfully for the next four weeks. Call to Action We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week. Stay Connected for More Resources Visit our website: http://leadministry.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeadVolunteers Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

    348. How Ministry Chaos Drains Volunteer Goodwill

  5. Sep 7

    347. 5 Stay Interview Questions to Ask Before Volunteers Quit

    Volunteer exits rarely start on the day someone gives notice. In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk introduce the stay interview: a proactive conversation designed to happen before an exit interview is needed. They talk through why a broken ministry system can keep new people cycling out, what to listen for when a volunteer's energy or connection changes, and how to ask honest questions without immediately defending the system. The episode closes with a practical challenge: schedule three conversations, use the five questions, and write down what you hear before offering solutions. Josh also points Lead Ministry members to the Open-Ended Personal Survey as a roadmap for the conversation. Key Topics Covered Why recruiting into a broken system keeps the revolving door moving What a stay interview is, and why it is not an exit interview Three signals to notice: energy, friction, and connection How to listen without immediately defending the system A practical challenge to schedule three conversations Key Quote “This is not an exit interview. This is the stay interview. So you do the stay interview long before they ever quit.” Takeaway Schedule three honest conversations. Ask the five questions, write down what you hear, and close the loop before offering solutions. Call to Action We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week. Stay Connected for More Resources Visit our website: http://leadministry.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeadVolunteers Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

    347. 5 Stay Interview Questions to Ask Before Volunteers Quit

  6. Aug 31

    346. Dawson Trotman’s Discipleship Secret

    In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk explore the multiplication principle behind Dawson Trotman and the early Navigators: do not merely teach people — teach people who can teach others. Using 2 Timothy 2:2 as the foundation, they connect that vision to the life-on-life investment Josh received as a young Christian and the leaders he later developed. If you want your ministry and faith to continue beyond your personal involvement, this episode will challenge you to invest deeply in a faithful few and teach every lesson with the next generation already in view. KEY TOPICS COVERED The Early Navigators – Dawson Trotman, Navy sailor Les Spencer, and the words “You teach him” The 2 Timothy 2:2 Pattern – Teaching faithful people who can teach others Learning With Someone Else in Mind – Receiving truth in a way that prepares you to pass it on The Faithful Few – Choosing your 12, your 3, and your 1 A Legacy Beyond You – Measuring ministry by what continues after you are gone KEY QUOTE “Teach people who can teach people to teach people.” SCRIPTURE REFERENCES 2 Timothy 2:2 – Entrust what you have learned to faithful people who will teach others Mark 3:14 – Jesus appoints the twelve to be with Him and to be sent out Matthew 28:19-20 – Make disciples and teach them to obey everything Jesus commanded TAKEAWAY Do not listen, learn, or lead with only yourself in mind. Invest deeply in faithful people, tell them from the beginning that the message must keep moving, and teach them in a way that prepares them to teach someone else. CALL TO ACTION We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week. STAY CONNECTED FOR MORE RESOURCES Visit our website: http://leadministry.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeadVolunteers Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

    346. Dawson Trotman’s Discipleship Secret

  7. Aug 24

    345. Turn Volunteers Into Ministry Owners

    In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk explain how to turn key volunteers into ministry owners — people who function like volunteer staff because they understand the mission, take initiative, lead others, and reproduce what they have learned. They walk through the structural and relational work required to develop one or two deeply equipped leaders instead of chasing a larger roster of unprepared helpers. If your ministry still rises and falls on your personal involvement, this episode will give you a practical path from doer to developer and from volunteer help to shared ownership. KEY TOPICS COVERED Doer vs. Developer – Why ministry leaders must develop people who can develop people Structure That Supports Growth – Building an org chart around people, not only processes Clarity and Accountability – Using job descriptions, shared language, and useful feedback Think Small and Think Long – Developing one person in one area before expanding Model, Mentor, Multiply – A three-phase pathway for reproducing leaders KEY QUOTE “You don't need more people. You need more equipped people.” SCRIPTURE REFERENCES Ephesians 4:11-12 – Pastors equip God's people for the work of ministry 2 Timothy 2:2 – Develop faithful people who will be able to teach others Mark 3:13-15 – Jesus calls a smaller group to be with Him and then sends them out TAKEAWAY Choose one ministry area and one faithful person. Give them a clear role, model it with them, mentor them as they lead someone else, and establish from the beginning that multiplication is part of the assignment. CALL TO ACTION We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week. STAY CONNECTED FOR MORE RESOURCES Visit our website: http://leadministry.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeadVolunteers Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

    345. Turn Volunteers Into Ministry Owners

  8. Aug 17

    344. Make Volunteers Your Best Recruiters

    In this episode of the Lead Ministry Podcast, Josh Denhart and Bill Van Kirk challenge ministry leaders to stop carrying volunteer recruitment alone. They share seven practical ways to build an invitation culture where enthusiastic volunteers become credible recruiters, equipped with clear language, useful tools, meaningful ownership, compelling stories, and serving seasons that feel manageable. If you are exhausted from filling the same roster by yourself, this episode will help you move from staff-led recruiting to a self-sustaining volunteer culture where everyone carries the joy of inviting. KEY TOPICS COVERED Invite Culture vs. Recruiting Culture – Helping people invite friends into something meaningful Clear Asks and Practical Tools – Tours, connection events, trial experiences, cards, links, and simple language Owners, Not Attenders – Giving key volunteers responsibility for growing their area Vision and Storytelling – Moving from desperate needs to a purpose people want to join Serving Seasons – Creating clear on-ramps, check-ins, and off-ramps KEY QUOTE “Stop recruiting. Start reproducing.” SCRIPTURE REFERENCES Ephesians 4:11-12 – Leaders equip God's people for the work of ministry 1 Peter 4:10 – Use whatever gift you have received to serve others TAKEAWAY Your volunteers can recruit with a level of trust staff cannot manufacture. Give them a clear invitation, something useful to share, a story worth telling, and permission to help build the team. CALL TO ACTION We hope this episode encourages and equips you. Share it with a friend and stay tuned for more resources each week. STAY CONNECTED FOR MORE RESOURCES Visit our website: http://leadministry.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeadVolunteers Find us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leadvolunteers

    344. Make Volunteers Your Best Recruiters
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4.9
out of 5
51 Ratings

About

Lead Ministry is here for you, the dedicated people in ministry leadership. Our fast-paced, inspirational podcast offers practical steps in each episode to help you thrive. Our focus: *GET SKILLS - Implement systems to avoid burnout. *GET INSPIRED - Embrace leadership as a path to disciple-making. *GET MOVING - Apply episode ideas to enhance your ministry. Join us on a journey to navigate the challenges of ministry, from volunteer management to team building, and lead with purpose and passion in your service.

Information

  • Creator
    Josh Denhart
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    351
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Josh Denhart
  • Show Website
    The Lead Ministry Podcast

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