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Religion & Spirituality

Spiritual Life and Leadership

Markus Watson

Ministry leadership is about more than just growing your church or organization. It’s about participating in God’s mission in the world. But how can leaders know God’s mission or their uniqu...

Episodes

20 of 321 episodes

How We Mishandle the Women of Scripture, with Sandra Glahn, author of A Woman's Place Is in the Story

Sandra Glahn is professor of media arts and worship at Dallas Theological Seminary and author of A Woman's Place Is in the Story: Seeing Wom...

48:19Oct 13, 2026

Ministry in an Age of Deportation, with Marcos Canales

Marcos Canales is the pastor of La Fuente Ministries, a bilingual, intercultural congregation in Pasadena, California, and a PhD student at...

87:53Sep 29, 2026

America's Military Fetish and the Church's Silence, with Ben Daniel, author of Grace Over Guns

Ben Daniel is the Senior Pastor of Montclair Presbyterian Church in Oakland, California, and the author of Grace Over Guns: Pursuing Peace i...

55:43Sep 15, 2026

317. Church Growth Without the Machine Mentality, with Kurt Fredrickson, author of Compelled

Is the church still relevant in a post-Christendom world? Kurt Fredrickson returns to Spiritual Life and Leadership to talk about his new bo...

53:59Sep 1, 2026

316. How Work Forms (and Sometimes Deforms) Us with Matt Rusten, author of Pastoring for Monday

Are your congregants' jobs a distraction from their discipleship, or one of the main places it actually happens? Matt Rusten, president of M...

51:54Aug 18, 2026

315: A New Framework for the Abortion Conversation, with Angela Weszely

Angela Weszely is the founder and CEO of ProGrace and the author of Becoming ProGrace: Expanding the Abortion Conversation Beyond Life Versu...

58:22Jul 14, 2026

314. Why Good Leaders Sometimes Make Their Churches Worse, with JR Woodward

JR Woodward is the National Director of the V3 Movement, a faculty member in the Doctor of Global Leadership cohort at Fuller Theological Se...

61:33Jun 30, 2026

313. Embodied Spirituality for Pastors and Leaders, with Mark Scandrette and Dave Kludt

Mark Scandrette has spent over twenty years wrestling with a hard realization: knowing a lot about God doesn't mean you're good at following...

52:04Jun 16, 2026

312. What if Reading Was a Form of Prayer? with Jeff Crosby, author of World of Wonders

Jeff Crosby reads about 75 books a year. But in this conversation—his third appearance on the podcast—he's quick to say the number isn't the...

49:21Jun 2, 2026

311. Beyond Paperwork: How Administration Fuels Ministry, with Jana Holiday, author of Taking Good Care

Administration is more than paperwork—it’s a spiritual calling. Jana Holiday, author of Taking Good Care: Administration for Christian Forma...

50:40May 19, 2026

310. Why Do Guests Find Church Visits Intimidating? With Richard Riccardi, author of The Wandering Worshipper

What happens when you visit 33 different churches in a year? Richard Riccardi, author of The Wandering Worshipper, shares his journey of exp...

52:06May 5, 2026

284. How to Talk to Your Inner Critic, with Audrey Davidheiser, author of Grieving Wholeheartedly

Ministry can stir up all kinds of feelings, especially when we’re dealing with conflict, with grief, with change. And the better we understa...

47:41Apr 28, 2026

309. How to Build Trust with Today’s Youth, with Josh Packard, author of Faithful futures

Effective youth ministry isn’t about changing more programs—it’s about deep listening and real relationships. Josh Packard, sociologist and...

49:57Apr 21, 2026

308. The Life-Giving Power of Ministry Cohorts, with Kurt Fredrickson

Pastoral ministry is both a sacred joy and a heavy burden. Kurt Fredrickson, Associate Dean for Professional Doctoral Programs at Fuller Sem...

44:07Apr 7, 2026

307. When the Church Gets Too Cozy with Political Power, with Tim Alberta

Tim Alberta, journalist, author, and frequent cable news commentator, explores the complex relationship between political power and American...

40:21Mar 24, 2026

306. Ancient Rhythms for Modern Leaders, with Mark Scandrette

Mark Scandrette explores Jesus' most countercultural teaching, the Beatitudes, and what it means for how we lead. This conversation dig...

35:56Mar 10, 2026

305. What Grace Looks Like After Everything Falls Apart, with Jay Bakker

Jay Bakker, son of televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, shares his journey from growing up in the spotlight to watching his father go t...

39:03Feb 24, 2026

304. Centering the Church on Jesus, with Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch

The most-downloaded episode in the history of this podcast. Michael Frost and Alan Hirsch, two of the most influential voices in missional c...

43:34Feb 10, 2026

303. Seminary Didn't Prepare Me for This! with Tod Bolsinger

One of our earliest conversations, recorded in 2018 with Tod Bolsinger about his groundbreaking book Canoeing the Mountains . Tod explores w...

35:35Jan 27, 2026

302. A New Chapter for Spiritual Life and Leadership

In this special episode of Spiritual Life and Leadership , Markus Watson reflects on the incredible six-and-a-half-year journey of the podca...

17:11Jan 13, 2026