The Be The Church Podcast is for spiritual leaders who want to be challenged to lead like Jesus in everyday places—at home, in your church, at school, and in the workplace. Hosted by Be The Church founder Joel Wayne and Chapel Pointe pastor Luke Bilberry, each episode features bold, authentic conversations with business and ministry leaders that are rooted in Scripture. You'll learn how to expand your spiritual influence and leverage your leadership to advance the Kingdom of God. Let's be the church together! For more information, visit bethechurch.org/podcast.
Be The Church Podcast — Episode 38
Building the Kingdom Together
Episode Summary
What if the future of the Church isn't built by a few influential leaders—but by thousands of faithful disciples being equipped where they already are?
In this episode, Joel Wayne sits down with Pastor Gary Campbell to discuss the heart behind Be The Church, the Spiritual Leadership Initiative (SLI), and why the local church remains God's primary strategy for developing spiritual leaders. Together they explore how God often brings together people, churches, and opportunities long before we recognize His plan.
Rather than asking, "How can we grow our church?" this conversation challenges us to ask, "How can we faithfully grow God's Kingdom?"
Whether you're a pastor, business leader, volunteer, or simply someone longing to make a greater Kingdom impact, this episode will encourage you to say yes to where God is already at work.
In this episode you'll learn:
The vision behind Be The Church — Why churches are stronger when they partner together to raise up healthy disciples and leaders.
Responding to God's movement instead of forcing your own — Learning to recognize where God is already working and joining Him there.
Growing the Kingdom—not just our church — Why healthy churches look beyond themselves and invest in other churches and leaders.
The Spiritual Leadership Initiative (SLI) — A new pathway designed to equip pastors, ministry leaders, and everyday believers with rich theological and leadership training inside the local church.
The power of relationships in spiritual formation — Why disciples are shaped more through faithful people than isolated programs.
Preparing before opportunity comes — Spiritual leadership isn't built overnight. It's formed through years of faithful obedience.
The importance of saying "no" — How creating margin allows us to recognize and embrace God's greater invitations.
Faithfulness before fruitfulness — Why God entrusts greater responsibility to those who remain faithful with what's already in front of them.
Legacy through discipleship — Understanding the difference between influence and lasting Kingdom impact.
Practical Takeaways:
Look for where God is already working. Instead of forcing opportunities, ask where God is inviting you to join His work.
Invest in people, not just programs. Lasting Kingdom impact happens through relationships and discipleship.
Create margin through wise "no's." Sometimes obedience requires letting go of good opportunities so you can embrace God's best.
Commit to lifelong preparation. Spiritual leadership is formed through years of faithful study, prayer, and obedience—not overnight success.
Become both a disciple and a disciple-maker. Ask who is investing in you—and who God is calling you to invest in.
Raise the theological depth of your life. Whether you're called to ministry, business, or your home, growing in God's Word strengthens every area of influence.
Measure success by Kingdom impact. Faithfulness isn't about building your platform—it's about advancing Christ's Kingdom.
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29 Jun 2026
How to study your Bible
How to Study the Bible
Episode Summary
How do you move beyond simply reading the Bible to being transformed by it? In this episode, Joel Wayne sits down for a candid conversation about what it actually looks like to open the Word of God—not to master the text, but to be mastered by it.
From personal devotional rhythms to the art of sermon preparation, Joel shares the practical habits and biblical convictions that have shaped his walk with Jesus, his leadership, and his preaching.
Whether you've followed Christ for decades or you're just beginning to engage Scripture, this conversation will challenge you to approach God's Word with humility, expectancy, and a desire for genuine transformation.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Joel's personal Bible study rhythm — Why reading the same passages repeatedly has shaped his heart more deeply than constantly chasing something new.
Studying the movements of Scripture — How following larger sections of the Bible (like John 3–5 or Matthew 1–7) helps reveal the story God is telling and the character of Jesus.
The questions Jesus asks — Why Joel pays close attention to Christ's questions and how they expose what's happening in our own hearts.
People of faith vs. people with answers — A challenging conversation about our tendency to admire certainty more than genuine dependence on God.
"I want the text to master me." — Joel explains why Scripture should shape us rather than simply becoming something we analyze.
Personal devotion vs. sermon preparation — Why pastors and ministry leaders must guard their own relationship with Jesus apart from ministry responsibilities.
Preaching through books of the Bible — Why verse-by-verse exposition remains Joel's favorite and most transformative approach to preaching.
Casting multiple nets from the pulpit — How Joel prepares messages that engage both the new believer and the lifelong student of Scripture.
A live walk-through of John 3 — Joel demonstrates how he studies and teaches the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus, showing how one passage can speak to people in very different places spiritually.
Practical Takeaways:
Read movements of Scripture, not just isolated verses. Spend a week reading through John 1–5 or Matthew 1–7 and watch how the larger story begins to unfold.
Memorize passages, not just verses. Consider committing Psalm 1, Psalm 16, Philippians 2:5–11, or James 1:2–8 to memory.
Pay attention to the questions Jesus asks. His questions often reveal more about us than they do about the people He was speaking to.
Come to God's Word expecting transformation. The goal of Bible study isn't simply more knowledge—it's becoming more like Christ.
Protect your personal time with God. If you're in ministry, don't allow sermon preparation or teaching responsibilities to replace your own communion with Jesus.
Let Scripture shape your worldview. Don't simply look for information or inspiration; allow God's Word to continually reform your heart, mind, and life.
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17 Jun 2026
Leading When You Don't Know The Destination with Gary Campbell & Michael Rubino
In this episode of the Be The Church Podcast, Pastor Joel Wayne sits down with Pastor Gary Campbell and Pastor Michael Rubino for an honest and faith-filled conversation about one of the most challenging realities every leader faces — leading people when you're not sure where you're going.
Gary has served his entire life at a 107+ year-old church in Groton, Connecticut, rooted in multi-generational faithfulness. Michael leads a rapidly growing, deeply diverse church on Long Island, New York, where half the congregation has come to faith in the last two years. Together, they unpack the difference between knowing your destination and knowing your strategy, why God rarely gives leaders a GPS but always gives them a direction, and how to lead with confidence when the path ahead isn't fully clear.
They discuss the tension between vision and strategy, why people respect faith from a distance but struggle to follow it up close, how to respond to people in your church who want more clarity than you can give, and why the uncertainty you're walking through right now might be exactly where God is doing His best work.
Whether you're a pastor navigating a major ministry transition, a leader trying to cast vision without a fully formed plan, or simply someone trying to follow Jesus faithfully through an uncertain season of life — this episode will challenge you to keep moving, stay in the Word, and trust that God doesn't need to reveal every step to prove He's working.
In this episode, you'll learn:
Why you can know your destination but still lack the strategy to get there — and what to do about it
How to lead with clarity and confidence when you can't give people a GPS route to the future
What Abraham, Moses, David, Esther, Paul, and Joshua all have in common — and what it means for your leadership today
Why people respect faith from a distance but struggle to actually follow a leader who operates by it
How to hear the words behind the words when disgruntled people challenge your vision
Why uncertainty isn't a leadership failure — it's often where the deepest spiritual growth happens
How to discern whether lack of clarity is a God-dependency issue or a strategy-building issue
What it looks like to start moving before you have all the answers — and why a parked car goes nowhere
How to get above the clouds when the ground-level view is too overwhelming to navigate
Why the plan God calls you to should always be bigger than what you can accomplish on your own
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
11 ratings
Spotify
4.8 / 5
16 ratings
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