Brentwood Baptist Leadership Podcast: Equipping the Whole Church Staff for Gospel Impact

Brentwood Baptist Church
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Are you ready to take your ministry to the next level? Follow the Brentwood Baptist Leadership Podcast, as we share how this new resource will equip and encourage church leaders at every stage. Whether you’re a seasoned pastor or a growing team member, this podcast is designed to help you sharpen your vision, strengthen your staff, and deepen your Gospel impact. Hosted by ministers from Brentwood Baptist Church, this podcast brings you honest conversations, practical tools, and insights from leaders who understand the joys and challenges of ministry.

  1. Sep 16

    The Marks of a Healthy Pastor: A Road to Elevate Preview

    Pastors spend a lot of time thinking about the health of their churches, but healthy churches start with healthy leaders. In this episode of the Road to Elevate series, Roger Severino sits down with Fady Al-Hagal, Multiplication Minister, for a preview of his breakout at the Elevate Church Conference. They talk through what it actually means for a pastor to be healthy, the warning signs that often go unnoticed, and the rhythms that help ministers lead well for the long haul.In this episode, you’ll learn: What "healthy" really means for a pastor, and why it starts with Christlikeness and a sound mind, not just a healthy churchWhy a pastor's personal health always comes before their ministry's health, and how being a witness first changes everythingFour warning signs of a pastor drifting toward unhealth, including the "hidden burnout" most leaders won't admit to themselvesThe marks of a genuinely healthy pastor, from true passion to a disciplined, teachable lifeThe "secret place rhythm" Fady Al-Hagal recommends for every pastor, and the Charles Spurgeon story behind itThe one blind spot Fady Al-Hagal says most pastors overlook: learning to be led before you lead othersWho should attend Elevate this year, and why soul care isn't a selfish focus, but the foundation for everything elseMeet the GuestsRoger Severino is Minister of Leadership Development at Brentwood Baptist, where he helps equip pastors and leaders across the church for healthy, long-term ministry.Fady Al-Hagal is Multiplication Minister at Brentwood Baptist, focused on disciple-making and church multiplication.

  2. Sep 9

    Leadership Development Isn't Staffing. It's Multiplying Disciples.

    Our Road to Elevate series continues with a conversation for every pastor who feels like they're the only one holding their ministry together. Darrel Girardier sits down with Roger Severino, Brentwood Baptist's Minister of Leadership Development, to talk about how churches of any size can intentionally identify, equip, and send the next generation of ministry leaders, a conversation you'll get to dig into further at the Elevate Church Conference on September 21 and 22, 2026. Roger and Darrel work through why leadership development is bigger than training staff, the five characteristics Roger looks for before he asks anyone to lead, and what he calls "the filling holes problem," the trap that keeps ministries stuck reacting instead of developing leaders ahead of need. They close with what ten residency cohorts have taught Brentwood Baptist about giving young leaders enough runway to actually grow. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why leadership development is bigger than training staff members: Roger defines it as identifying, equipping, and deploying people into spiritual service, whether that's a staff role or a Sunday morning volunteer postThe mind shift every minister needs from Ephesians 4:11-12: whatever your role, you're in the people-development business, and your ministry area is just the context where you do itThe five characteristics Roger looks for before he asks someone to step into leadership: character, competencies, commitment, calling, and cultureWhat Roger calls "the filling holes problem," and why waiting until a ministry spot is empty to look for a leader keeps churches stuck in survival modeWhy leadership development isn't about delegating what you don't want to do. It starts with modeling the work yourself, then giving away even the things you enjoyWhat ten residency cohorts have taught Brentwood Baptist about how much runway young leaders actually need to grow into their own ministryWhy stretching the residency from one year to two years didn't require more upfront teaching. It required a longer on-ramp to hands-on ministryThe three questions Roger tells every church to answer before starting a residency: what do you want them to know, who do you want them to be, and what do you want them to doMeet the Guests Roger Severino is the Minister of Leadership Development at Brentwood Baptist, where he oversees the church's ministry residency and has walked with 10 cohorts of residents through two years of hands-on ministry training. Darrel Girardier is the Executive Director of Ministry Resources at Brentwood Baptist, where he oversees the team and resources that help equip pastors and ministry leaders across the church.

  3. Sep 2

    AI and the Church: Where Wisdom Meets Opportunity

    As we count down the final weeks to the Elevate Church Conference, our Road to Elevate series continues with a preview of the practical breakout sessions headed your way on September 21 and 22, 2026. This time, Dillon Sherlock sits down with Darrel Girardier to talk about AI and the church: where the real opportunities are, where leaders need wisdom, and how to use these tools without losing sight of what matters most. Darrel breaks down what AI actually is in plain terms, why churches have always been slow to adopt new technology, and what the printing press can teach us about how the church responds when a piece of technology reshapes it. He and Dillon also get honest about where AI is helping churches most right now, why a human always has to stay in the loop, and how to respond to the team member who says AI is the devil. They close with a preview of this year's Elevate breakout: a hands-on look at building a full AI workflow, built for every seat on a church staff, not just the communications team. In this episode, you’ll learn: What AI actually is in plain terms: a prediction engine trained on a massive amount of data, more like a really smart Mad Lib than a crystal ball, and why that distinction matters for how churches use itWhy churches have always been slow to adopt new technology out of fear, and what the printing press can teach us about how the church responds when a technology reshapes it (it doesn't die, it reforms)Why this shift is moving faster than any before it, with new capabilities showing up week to week instead of unfolding over decadesWhere churches are seeing the most success with AI right now: offloading the administrative, non-instinctively-human tasks like forms, emails, and meeting notes so staff can focus on the flesh-and-blood work of ministryWhy AI should never be fully hands off, and how keeping a human checking the work at every step (AI still gets things wrong) keeps the tool trustworthyHow to respond to a team member who says "AI is the devil": you're allowed to hold that belief, but only after you've actually taken the time to understand what the tool is and how it worksMeet the Guests Dillon Sherlock is the Digital Strategy Director at Brentwood Baptist, where he leads how the church puts digital tools and AI-powered workflows to work across marketing and communications. Darrel Girardier is the Executive Director of Ministry Resources at Brentwood Baptist, where he oversees the team and resources that help equip pastors and ministry leaders across the church.

  4. Aug 26

    Fifth Grade Isn't the Finish Line. It's the Beginning of Leadership.

    Kristen Patton sits down with Brad Smith to talk about one of the biggest opportunities every church has: walking with parents through a fifth grader's transitional year to help build faith that actually lasts.Kristen and Brad dig into why fifth graders start checking out of typical kids ministry activities, and why that isn't a sign they're losing interest in church. It's a sign they're ready for more responsibility than a sticker chart can offer. They talk through what it looks like to invite kids into real ministry rather than just teaching and entertaining them, what a church risks losing if it misses this window, and how investing in a fifth grader's faith shapes their entire family.In this episode, you'll learn:- Why fifth grade is one of the most pivotal years in a kid's life, with real physical, mental, and emotional change, and why it's easy for a ministry to let that year slip past unnoticed- Why fifth graders start checking out of typical kids ministry activities, and why that disengagement is usually a sign they're craving more responsibility, not less interest in church- Why fifth graders don't need more crafts, stickers, and goldfish. They need real opportunities to lead, like teaching a devotional or a Bible study to younger kids- How Jesus modeled inviting ordinary, unfinished people into real ministry, sending out his disciples before they had it all figured out- What it means for a church to help a fifth grader meaningfully belong instead of just attend, and how that shift changes a kid's whole relationship with the church- What's actually at stake if a church misses this window: bored kids, disciplinary issues that trickle down to younger kids, and the loss of a future leader, missionary, or minister- Why the real risk isn't losing a fifth grader. Their parents still bring them to church. The real risk is losing the moment a child realizes the church needs them- How investing in a fifth grader's faith can ripple out to their entire family, illustrated by a recent baptism story from Brad's church- The endgame of teaching fifth graders to lead: not a better fifth grade year, but a stronger church full of disciples who go on to reproduce themselves in othersMeet the GuestsKristen Patton is a Children's Minister at The Church at Station Hill, where she disciples kids and partners with their parents to help build a faith that lasts well beyond kids ministry.Brad Smith is a Children's Minister at Brentwood Baptist, where he equips kids to take on real leadership and service opportunities long before they age out of his ministry.

  5. Aug 19

    How to Build a Student Missions Program That Lasts

    Student missions can start to feel like an event on the calendar instead of a way of life. In this episode of the Road to Elevate, Evan Kunz sits down with Billy Mahaffey, our student minister for groups and leadership, to talk about what it actually takes to build a student missions strategy from the ground up, from budgeting and choosing the right partners to helping students carry what they learn on a trip back into their everyday life. This is a preview of their full breakout session at the Elevate Church Conference on September 21 and 22, 2026.In this episode, you’ll learn: Why starting with the "why" matters more than starting with logistics, and how to help students see missions as part of following Jesus rather than a separate activityHow the post-COVID years reset a lot of the missions culture in student ministry, and what it takes to rebuild itWhy Gen Z and Gen Alpha students often think of "sharing the gospel" as street apologetics, and why that definition needs to be reset earlyWhat to look for in a long-term mission partner, and why the same site for years can matter more than a new destination every summerHow to bring parents into the process, not just for safety and logistics, but for their own spiritual investment in their student's tripWhy taking students outside their own city can actually help them live on mission inside itWhat it really looks like behind the scenes, budget surprises, lodging problems, and all, when a mission strategy is still being builtMeet the GuestsEvan Kunz serves as student minister at Brentwood Baptist, where he has spent several years working alongside Billy to build missions into every part of the student ministry's discipleship strategy.Billy Mahaffey serves as student minister for groups and leadership at Brentwood Baptist, where he has led mission teams to Greece, England, and, most recently, Zimbabwe.Register for the Elevate ConferenceThis episode is part of our March focus on worship ministry, leading up to Elevate Church Conference on September 21–22, 2026. Learn more and register at elevatechurchconference.com.

  6. Aug 12

    Giving To vs. Giving From: Cultivating a Culture of Generosity

    Our Road to Elevate series continues with a conversation every pastor, stewardship leader, and ministry director needs to hear. Darrel Girardier sits down with Ken Schafer, Brentwood Baptist's stewardship minister, to discuss what it takes to build a culture of generosity, previewing one of the breakout sessions at the Elevate Church Conference on September 21 and 22, 2026. Ken starts by separating two words most of us use interchangeably: giving and generosity. From there, he and Darrel work through why money conversations create friction in churches, why a met budget can still hide an unhealthy congregation, and the specific numbers Ken tells every church leader to go find in their own giving data. They close by rethinking a familiar narrative about generational giving and unpacking the difference between giving to a church and giving from worship. In this episode, you'll learn: - The key difference between giving and generosity, and why treating them as interchangeable holds churches back: giving is a transaction, and generosity is a condition of the heart - Why healthy churches treat generosity as part of holistic spiritual development, right alongside Bible study, worship, and prayer, instead of putting it in a lane by itself - Why "our budget is being met" almost never means a church has a healthy culture of generosity - The difference between average giving and median giving, and why median is the more honest, and often more sobering, number for a church to know - The difference between giving to a church and giving from worship, and why that shift changes how a church should talk about money altogether - And more... Meet the Guests Ken Schafer is the Stewardship Minister at Brentwood Baptist, where he helps individuals and the congregation grow into a biblical view of generosity as an act of worship, not just a line in the budget. Darrel Girardier is the Executive Director of Ministry Resources at Brentwood Baptist, where he oversees the team and resources that help equip pastors and ministry leaders across the church.

  7. Aug 5

    What Is Elevate? The Conference Built for Your Whole Team

    August kicks off our Road to Elevate series, a month of conversations previewing what you'll actually experience at the Elevate Church Conference on September 21 and 22, 2026. To start things off, Darrel Girardier sits down with Madi Wuebben to answer the most basic question first: what is Elevate?Madi walks through what makes Elevate different from the conferences most church leaders have already tried: breakout content built for every seat on a team, speakers who are still leading in the trenches every week, and a schedule designed so leaders can actually be filled up, not just informed. She and Darrel also talk through this year's new two-day format, cherry-pick a few breakout sessions they're personally excited about, and get honest about what they hope every single attendee walks away with, both in the room and long after the conference ends.In this episode, you’ll learn: What actually makes Elevate different: breakout content built for every role on a team, so a pastor can bring paid staff, volunteers, deacons, and Sunday school teachers, not just come aloneWhy every Elevate speaker, keynote and breakout alike, is currently leading in ministry day to day, at churches ranging from about 100 people to several thousandWhy local, regional connection is baked into the conference, even as it draws partners from as far away as Germany, Brazil, and UtahThe two things Madi hopes every attendee walks away with: genuinely feeling filled up, and getting specific answers for their specific ministry laneWhy 2026 adds a second day, with an extended two-hour workshop on day one and a keynote, more breakouts, and extended Q&A on day twoA few breakout sessions and speakers Madi and Darrel are personally most excited about, from a session on hard conversations to a workshop on planning group ministryThe difference between the one-day and two-day ticket options, and how to think about which one fitsThe bigger vision behind Elevate: not just content for a weekend, but long-term partnerships, like residency programs and seminary connections, between Brentwood Baptist and the churches that attendMeet the GuestsMadi Wuebben is the Promotions Director at Brentwood Baptist, where she leads how Elevate and other Leadership Resources initiatives get in front of the church leaders they're built for.Darrel Girardier is the Executive Director of Ministry Resources at Brentwood Baptist, where he oversees the team and resources that help equip pastors and ministry leaders across the church.

  8. Jul 29

    More Prayed Up, Not More Researched: Sermon Prep in the Age of AI

    We're wrapping up our month-long series on preaching with a conversation every pastor and Bible teacher needs to hear. Brandon Hayes sits down with Hunter Melton, campus and teaching pastor of The Church at Woodbine, to talk about sermon research: how to use commentaries, AI, and other study tools well, without letting them replace dependence on the Holy Spirit.Hunter walks through his weekly rhythm, the tools he actually uses, and where he draws a hard line with AI in sermon preparation. It's a conversation about being resourced without losing sight of the text, and about pursuing faithfulness over polish.In this episode, you’ll learn: Why being "more resourced than ever" can lead to analysis paralysis, and how to guard against itHunter's weekly rhythm for sermon prep (Monday and Tuesday with the text and the Holy Spirit, Wednesday and Thursday with commentaries and tools)Why he calls commentaries and old sermons his "dead friends," and which resources he trusts (ESV Study Bible, CSB Study Bible, Crossway's Exegetical series, Baker Academic)How to know when "enough is enough" in research, and why languages and research should support a sermon without being seenWhat to do when a Wednesday commentary read reveals you got the text wrongWhere AI can genuinely help (finding illustrations, checking timing), and where it becomes a slippery slope for a preacherWhy Hunter believes AI reshaping a sermon's content or tone crosses a real line, and what's at stake if pastors export their calling to a toolOne concrete step for pastors who love people but struggle to sit down and studyMeet the GuestsBrandon Hays is the campus and teaching pastor of The Church at Harpeth Heights. He's hosting the Brentwood Baptist Leadership Podcast this month, where he talks with pastors and ministry leaders from across Brentwood Baptist about how they lead, teach, and shepherd their people well.Hunter Melton is the campus and teaching pastor of The Church at Woodbine. Known among his fellow campus pastors as one of the most quotable voices at Brentwood Baptist, Hunter brings both conviction and humor to how he studies, prays, and prepares to preach each week.

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Are you ready to take your ministry to the next level? Follow the Brentwood Baptist Leadership Podcast, as we share how this new resource will equip and encourage church leaders at every stage. Whether you’re a seasoned pastor or a growing team member, this podcast is designed to help you sharpen your vision, strengthen your staff, and deepen your Gospel impact. Hosted by ministers from Brentwood Baptist Church, this podcast brings you honest conversations, practical tools, and insights from leaders who understand the joys and challenges of ministry.

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