This is the lifeline for senior and executive church leaders. Hosted by Todd and Tom Lane, each episode brings practical leadership insight, hard-earned wisdom, and proven frameworks to help you build a healthy, sustainable, and impactful ministry.
God Is Building Your Character Before He Builds Your Platform
Trials are not a sign that God has abandoned you. Often, they are part of the very process He uses to shape your character, strengthen your faith, and prepare you for what comes next. Joseph’s life is a powerful example. Before he stepped into leadership and saw God’s promises fulfilled, he endured betrayal, slavery, false accusations, imprisonment, and years of waiting. What looked like setbacks were actually part of God’s preparation. In this episode, we explore why God cares deeply about our character and attitude—not just our outward success—and how hardship can reveal what is really happening in our hearts. We also discuss what it means to live as a “bond servant,” surrender our rights to God, renew our hearts daily, and remain faithful when His definition of “good” looks very different from ours.
20 Aug 2026
Perseverance and Purpose: Leading with Authenticity | Phillip Wagner
After 35 years of pastoring in Los Angeles, Phillip Wagner discovered that perseverance, leadership, and church growth rarely happen the way you expect. He shares the hard lessons behind planting a church, surviving seasons of slow growth, navigating cancer and burnout, handing leadership to his successor, and learning to lead from the unique “DNA” God gave him.
6 Aug 2026
When Life Isn't Fair, God Still Is
Gonna go with something like this "Life doesn't always unfold the way we expect. This week on the Amazing Leaders Podcast, Tom and Todd unpack what it means to stay content when life feels unfair. They explore why spiritual disciplines matter most in seasons of disappointment and how a consistent walk with God keeps leaders grounded through every high and low. We're also giving away a copy of Tested and Approved: 21 Lessons for Life and Ministry by Tom Lane! Sign up here! :https://2f1ja.share.hsforms.com/2nWN7Zg27Ql6SJY98ssIdOA
31 Jul 2026
Why Some Pastors Burn Out... And Others Don't | Brandon Thomas
On the Amazing Leaders podcast, hosts interview Pastor Brandon Thomas of Keystone Church about zeal, passion, vision, and leadership seasons. Brandon recounts Keystone’s start in late 2004 in their home, moves through a school and renovated furniture store, and the risk of losing funding before God provided through another pastor’s support. He emphasizes Susan’s influential voice and their ministry partnership. The conversation distinguishes zeal as an inner, faith-driven foundation and passion as what pours out and can ebb and flow, noting pastors may regain passion if zeal remains intact. Brandon describes seasons where passion was threatened during COVID, construction, and “living at a lid,” and shares a prayer-season vision of being a “gardener” called to stay planted. They discuss training young leaders to apply passion with Jesus’ rhythm—engage and retreat—and highlight evangelism’s urgency and a “go” thread across Scripture, including a baptism metric for church health, along with signs of rising Gen Z engagement.
23 Jul 2026
Leadership Begins at Home: Building a Multi-Generational Family
What does it take to build a family legacy that lasts for generations? In this episode of the Amazing Leaders Podcast, Tom and Todd share the story of their family's annual vacation tradition—started 52 years ago with just nine people and now bringing together 56 family members spanning four generations. More than a vacation, it's become a blueprint for intentional leadership, strong relationships, and passing values from one generation to the next. They discuss how vision, generosity, shared experiences, and purposeful traditions create a family culture that grows stronger over time—and why the leadership lessons learned at home are just as important in the church, workplace, and community.In this conversation, they cover: How one family tradition lasted more than five decades Creating a culture future generations want to join The balance between intentional planning and organic moments Passing leadership from one generation to the next Building a "flywheel" of family momentum Practical ways any family can start creating lasting traditions Why leadership always begins at home A timeless lesson from Tested and Approved: Be nice to people who are different.Whether you're a parent, grandparent, pastor, or emerging leader, this episode offers practical wisdom for building something that outlives you.
16 Jul 2026
Preparing Your Church for the Next Five Years of AI | Shawn Ring
AI, Discernment, and Church Leadership (ft. Shawn Ring of Avodah) | Amazing Leaders Podcast On the Amazing Leaders podcast, Todd and Tom interview Shawn Ring, CEO of Avodah, about how AI is reshaping work and church leadership. Sean explains Avodah’s focus on language and contextual translation and how its AI-assisted Bible translation tools help local linguists draft Scripture in “no data” languages by translating about 1,200 selected verses, accelerating New Testament translation from 10–15 years to roughly 1–2 years and enabling expansion from 65+ languages toward 130. The conversation contrasts “search and discern” (Google) with “ask and receive” (ChatGPT), warns against trusting AI outputs without validation and source-citing, and shares examples of AI reducing software build cycles from months to days and lowering legal costs. For pastors, Shawn encourages discovery time with tools, using AI for non-Spirit-required functions while emphasizing wisdom, discernment, and the Holy Spirit’s role. The episode closes with prayer.
2 Jul 2026
How to Trust God When Life Falls Apart
Unexpected transitions can shake everything you thought was certain. Whether it's losing a job, walking through divorce, experiencing business failure, or facing a season you never planned for, the first battle is often between faith and fear.
In this conversation, we explore why fear feels so powerful in life's hardest moments, how to recognize the lies we believe during the "in-between," and why God is often preparing a new beginning where we only see an ending.
If you're navigating uncertainty, this message will encourage you to stop asking, "When will this end?" and instead ask, "God, what is my assignment in this season?"
In this episode:
The difference between planned and unplanned transitions
Why fear and faith compete in moments of crisis
Finding God's purpose in the present season
Overcoming the lies of the waiting season
Trusting that God sees the bigger picture
Why today's ending may become tomorrow's beginning
Subscribe for more conversations on faith, leadership, and following Jesus through every season of life.
11 Jun 2026
The Leadership Mistake That Destroys Churches | Larry Titus
What if one of the greatest leadership mistakes is the instinct to defend yourself? In this episode of Amazing Leaders, Todd and Tom Lane sit down with Larry Titus, founder of Kingdom Global Ministries, to discuss servant leadership, humility, spiritual fathering, and the character required to lead well over the long haul. Drawing from decades of ministry experience, Larry shares why leaders should resist self-promotion, how God uses adversity to refine character, and why offense can become a tool for growth when surrendered to Him. He also reflects on lessons from his father, the influence of Corrie ten Boom, the importance of honoring your spouse, and the power of leading from a place of love rather than control. Whether you're a pastor, ministry leader, business owner, or someone looking to grow in influence, this conversation offers timeless wisdom on leadership, discipleship, and building a lasting legacy. In this episode: • Servant leadership and humility • Why leaders should never defend themselves • Self-promotion vs God's promotion • The danger of control in leadership • Spiritual fathering and discipleship • Leading through betrayal and hardship • Building influence through love • Mentoring the next generation • Character, calling, and legacy #Leadership #ServantLeadership #LarryTitus #AmazingLeaders #ChristianLeadership #Discipleship #Mentorship #LeadershipDevelopment
28 May 2026
Churchgoers Don’t Feel Connected. Here’s Why.
Why Most People Don’t Feel Connected at Church—and What Must Change This episode explores research showing that only 20–23% of people feel valued, included, at home, or connected at their church, meaning 77–89% don’t experience those things. It connects those findings to broader trends of practicing Christians decreasing while non-believers increase, suggesting something significant is happening. The conversation then turns to how these insights are shaping an organization’s response, arguing that the way churches have been built over the last 30 years is no longer working. With Millennials and Gen Z now the largest population and their expectations changing, the discussion emphasizes that church design and strategy must adapt to what people are looking for today.
22 May 2026
How to Create a Church Culture Hungry for God’s Word | Teaching Pastor: Suzy Silk
In this episode of the Amazing Leaders Podcast, Suzy Silk shares how a deep hunger for God’s Word shaped her life, ministry, and passion for teaching Scripture. From studying the Jewish roots of Christianity to helping everyday believers confidently engage the Bible, this conversation explores why Scripture still matters today. Discover how pastors and leaders can cultivate biblical literacy and create a culture where people truly fall in love with God’s Word again.
6 May 2026
How to Properly Steward Your Church Staff
When Loyalty Becomes a Liability: Stewarding People Through Seasons of Change Todd and Tom Lane discuss how church leaders can build loyal teams without manipulating people or confusing loyalty to a leader with loyalty to God’s purpose. They argue that calling staff “family” can create unhealthy expectations and pressure, while a team mindset better supports seasonal assignments and open-handed leadership. Tom emphasizes stewarding, not controlling, developing people beyond the positions leaders need filled, and having faith that God will provide when transitions happen. He shares stories about a youth pastor who sensed he was aging out and a CPA whose performance improved after a direct conversation, highlighting the need for timely, clear, kind feedback. They also warn against coping mechanisms like avoidance, illustrating with a special-needs ministry situation where counseling addressed deeper issues. They conclude that loyalty is virtuous until it protects what God is trying to change.
30 Apr 2026
Handing Over a Church Without Breaking It | Les Beauchamp
Building & Releasing Legacy: A Drama-Free Church Succession with Pastor Les Beauchamp Todd Lane and his father Tom Lane host a leadership podcast aimed at helping church leaders implement vision without losing their lives, featuring guest Les Beauchamp, longtime friend and former senior pastor of LifeGate Church.Les shares how he succeeded a founding pastor after a “declared” succession, faced major internal conflict that led to a public battle, the loss of 1,800 people and $2 million, and a later rebirth that included renaming Trinity Church to LifeGate and shifting toward a life-giving culture.He contrasts that experience with his own intentional, public two-and-a-half-year transition to Micah Eldridge, emphasizing starting succession planning on day one, holding leadership with open hands, identity as loved and pleasing to God, emotional health, reconciliation, and forgiveness as keys to extending legacy.
23 Apr 2026
How Pastors Can Avoid Burnout and Build a Healthy Inner Life
Soul Care for Pastors: Avoiding Burnout, Finding Safe Confession, and Staying Healthy in Ministry Todd Lane and Tom Lane introduce the Amazing Leaders Podcast and interview longtime pastor and coach Carl Tote of Trinity Church in Lubbock, who took leadership after a traumatic season including a split and earlier losses. They discuss pastors’ mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health, emphasizing “soul care” over “soul cure,” and that feelings are information rather than facts. Carl stresses addressing roots, not just symptoms, and removing stigma around counseling, therapy, and coaching. They highlight the need for an “executive board” of trusted, mature, confidential mentors outside one’s immediate church, since leaders often lack safe places to confess and gain healing. The conversation covers burnout warning signs, relationship over ritual in spiritual disciplines, accountability, and practical rhythms—exercise, scheduling priorities, marriage time, and health checkups—to sustain long-term ministry.
16 Apr 2026
Lead Pastor: Our Church Grew Fast… Then It All Fell Apart | Jeff Jenkins
In this episode, Jeff Jenkins shares the untold story behind the rapid growth and sudden collapse of his church. After planting, the church expanded quickly. But beneath the surface, a culture driven by performance, insecurity, and striving began to take its toll. When COVID hit, everything unraveled. The church stopped meeting for a period. Staff dropped from over 20 to just two. And Jeff was forced to confront deeper questions about identity, leadership, and what it truly means to build a Spirit-led church. Jeff opens up about: The hidden drivers behind performance-based leadership How insecurity and past wounds shaped his decisions The breaking points that led to real change A prophetic moment that reframed his entire approach to ministry And how he now leads through prayer, collaboration, and presence over pressure This conversation is an honest look at failure, formation, and the shift from building something impressive… to building something sustainable.
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