{"podcast":{"title":"Pastors Thriving | Ministry, Leadership, Discipleship, Church Growth, Small Church Strategies","slug":"pastors-thriving-ministry-leadership-discipleship-church-growth-small-church-strategies-6589021","podcast_index_feed_id":6589021,"rss_url":"https://media.rss.com/kevinelworthunplugged/feed.xml","website_url":"http://www.pastorsthriving.com","image_url":"https://media.rss.com/kevinelworthunplugged/20240601_110619_eb9f1dfa08fcb16867f48f3494be5110.png","author":"Kevin Elworth-Business & Ministry Coach, Passive Income, Entrepreneur Pastor, Ministry Marketing","episode_count":142,"summary":"The SOURCE for Pastor help, encouragement, strategies for growth and Leadership Hey Pastor! Do you wish you knew the secret to growing your church while finding balance between ministry and your family? Do you find yourself updating your resume and browsing the job ads on ministryjobs.com ? Do you want to develop leaders within your church to relieve the burden from your shoulders, but instead you’re constantly dealing with drama and conflict? You’re in the right place. Welcome to Pastors Thriving, where you will learn the secrets to leadership growth in your church - spiritually, numerically, and financially. You’ll learn how to equip and develop your staff and congregation so that you don’t have to feel alone on this journey - and enjoy the ministry that you’ve been called to once again. Hi, I’m Kevin. Twenty-year ministry veteran, husband of a powerhouse wife, the father of 5 wonderful kids, and lover of Jesus powered by coffee and tacos. It wasn’t long ago that I grew a church from zero to 700 in five short years and wrestled with the trauma and drama that goes along with intense church growth. It wasn’t until I learned the power of creativity and how I could harness it to lea…","last_synced_at":"2026-06-18T20:17:17.951612+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pastors-thriving-ministry-leadership-discipleship-church-growth-small-church-strategies-6589021"},"episode":{"title":"Ep 104 - The Lie I was told at 2:30 in the Morning","slug":"ep-104-the-lie-i-was-told-at-2-30-in-the-morning","published_at":"2026-06-11T17:38:26+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pastors-thriving-ministry-leadership-discipleship-church-growth-small-church-strategies-6589021/ep-104-the-lie-i-was-told-at-2-30-in-the-morning","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pastors-thriving-ministry-leadership-discipleship-church-growth-small-church-strategies-6589021","url":"https://rss.com/podcasts/kevinelworthunplugged/2869215","audio_url":"https://content.rss.com/episodes/226009/2869215/kevinelworthunplugged/2026_06_09_17_23_58_8e1696d4-364c-40aa-aa5b-31019798daa6.mp3","summary":"I woke up around 2:30 in the morning with the thought that maybe I should get up and pray. Then another voice entered the conversation. \"Don't bother.\" \"You again?\" \"What do you want now?\" \"All you've done lately is make a mess.\" The next morning, I couldn't stop thinking about that moment—not because I believed it, but because I wondered how many pastors hear similar lies and quietly believe them. In this episode, we talk honestly about spiritual warfare, shame, isolation, and one of the enemy's oldest strategies: Disconnection. In This Episode Why shame often sounds spiritual The enemy's strategy of secrets, isolation, and fear Why pastors often withdraw when they most need connection The restoration of Peter after his denial How Jesus restores relationship before responsibility Practical steps to push back against isolation A Biblical Reflection After denying Jesus three times, Peter had every reason to believe he had ruined everything. Yet when Jesus met him again, the conversation wasn't about condemnation. It was about restoration. \"Do you love me?\" \"Feed my sheep.\" The voice of Christ restores. The voice of shame isolates. Key Takeaway Not every voice you hear is God's voice. If you've been hearing: You're a failure. You've made too much of a mess. God is tired of you. Pastor... That's not His voice. Practical Homework This week: Talk to God. Talk to someone. Tell the truth. Don't keep secrets. Don't isolate. Don't believe fear. Key Quote \"The enemy doesn't have to destroy a pastor. He simply has to disconnect one.\"","meta_description":"I woke up around 2:30 in the morning with the thought that maybe I should get up and pray. Then another voice entered the conversation. \"Don't bother.\" \"Y…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1152,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/pastors-thriving-ministry-leadership-discipleship-church-growth-small-church-strategies-6589021/episodes/ep-104-the-lie-i-was-told-at-2-30-in-the-morning/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pastors-thriving-ministry-leadership-discipleship-church-growth-small-church-strategies-6589021/ep-104-the-lie-i-was-told-at-2-30-in-the-morning.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}