In a wide-ranging interview, Tim Timberlake reflects on a challenging pastoral succession and how he rebuilt momentum. Plus, he discusses getting divorced in his twenties, what he learned about leading while bleeding, and a lot more.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

STATE OF THE CHURCH

Stay up to date on the latest research coming out of Barna’s State of the Church.

Visit stateofthechurch.com/carey

CHURCH LEADERS CONFERENCE

This spring, Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas is hosting the Church Leaders Conference.

Over two days, you’ll experience mainstage sessions with biblical teaching, practical breakouts to strengthen key areas of ministry, and time to have fun with your team.

Gather your team, choose your dates, and register today at CLC2026.com.

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network

In this episode, Carey explores why the attractional church model no longer works, what's replacing it, the three shifts that made it ineffective, and what you and your church can do now to reach more people.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

SPIRITUAL GIFTS PLUS

Leaders, what if you could see exactly where your people fit—so you can place them where they’ll thrive?

With Spiritual Gifts Plus, they’re intelligently matched to actual teams inside your church—based on their spiritual gifts and DISC personality.

Try SpiritualGiftsPlus.com free for 7 days, and experience it for yourself.

Use code CAREY20 at checkout for 20% off any plan.

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network

Tim Stevens returns to the podcast to discuss the hardest assignment in ministry: his three years at Willow Creek. He also talks about how to spot talent, firing well, how to recapture momentum, and his biggest lesson in four decades of ministry.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

DIDN'T SEE IT COMING

If this conversation with Tim resonates with you, my book, Didn't See it Coming, will give you a roadmap to lead with hope, clarity, and resilience, even in the toughest seasons.

You can get your copy of Didn’t See It Coming wherever books are sold. Pick up the book today to discover the 7 challenges that no leader expects, but everyone faces.

AMPLIFY+

For so many pastors, our best hours get swallowed up by systems that don’t work—scattered tools, disconnected processes, constant admin.

That’s why I want you to see what 55,000 churches nationwide are using: Amplify Plus from Ministry Brands, a fully connected church management platform that brings your people, communication, events, & scheduling—all into one place.

Visit ministrybrands.com/amplify to learn more.

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network

Judah Smith and Dr. Les Parrot, Judah's therapist of 15 years, talk about the unique pressures pastors face. Les and Judah explain why your brain is lying to you 80% of the time, offer insights into how pastors self-sabotage, and provide guidance on how to break the cycle of negative thoughts that many church leaders struggle with.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

CHURCH SALARY

Every leader I know wants to honor their team and lead with transparency—but it’s hard to know where to start without good data. Visit ChurchSalary.com/carey and start for free today.

COMPASSION

As believers, scripture calls us to reflect that nature, living a full life of gospel-driven kindness that is set apart from the normal posture of this world. As a pastor, I wonder how that's going for you?

I'd like to encourage you to visit my friends at Compassion International to learn how you might grow YOUR compassion and generosity today. Find out more at www.compassion.com/carey.

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network

Preaching is hard, no matter how you approach it. But throw planting a church during lockdown, a life-long struggle with mental health and anxiety, and planting in a tough to reach area in the mix, and you have a recipe for challenge. Faith Eury Cho opens up and talks about all of it.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

THE ART OF PREACHING

Most preaching resources give you inspiration. Some give you a formula to follow. But The Art of Preaching gives you the insights, strategies, and tools to transform your skillset and develop your gifting — you’ll transform your skill set one step at a time.

SUBSPLASH

Subsplash can help you craft a vision, equip your team, and leverage tools that make it easy for your people to give.

Head to subsplash.com/carey to save $500 when you sign up.

BELAY

Download BELAY’s free resource: “15 Tasks a Pastor Can Delegate to a Marketing Assistant.”

Text the word CAREY to 55123 for your free download.

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network

Nearly twenty years after releasing his groundbreaking book Simple Church, Eric Geiger reflects on why complexity still doesn’t scale, how complexity subtly creeps in as you grow, and what he’s learned since he started leading Mariners Church.

He also shares the great things that happen when older church leaders choose to set aside their own agendas and die to their egos so the next generation can thrive.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

THE CHURCH NETWORK

The Church Network exists for church operations leaders. It’s not about theory. It’s about real-world support, practical resources, and a community of peers who understand the complexity of your role.

Visit thechurchnetwork.com and join today. When your operations run smoothly, your vision and your church have room to grow.

GLOO FEED

The best way to stay informed about what matters, when it matters… without having to sift through the noise. Get all the latest research, updates on AI and the church, access to resources and much more.

Text CAREY to 46816 to join for free.

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network

Megan Fate Marshman is an incredibly compelling preacher who speaks in many of the largest churches in America. She shares how her preaching has evolved since she started, what she does right before preaching to create better sermons and connections, and how to use your body and voice to draw people in and communicate more effectively.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

THE ART OF PREACHING

From September 22nd through October 3rd, you can get special launch pricing. When you use the code PREACH at checkout, you’ll save $47 off the full price.

Check it out by visiting theartofpreachingcourse.com.

STATE OF THE CHURCH

Stay informed and get access to the latest research coming out of The State of the Church.

Visit stateofthechurch.com/carey to get instant access.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS PLUS

Leaders, what if you could see exactly where your people fit—so you can place them where they’ll thrive?

With Spiritual Gifts Plus, they’re intelligently matched to actual teams inside your church—based on their spiritual gifts and DISC personality.

​Try SpiritualGiftsPlus.com free for 7 days, and experience it for yourself.​

Use code CAREY20 at checkout for 20% off any plan.

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network

83% of Americans say preaching impacts their decision on a church home. Having just filmed a new 45 video course called the Art of Preaching, Carey Nieuwhof and Mark Clark share 90 minutes of their best preaching tips from the course and their accumulated years of reaching tens of thousands of unchurched people.

🔗 Show Notes

📩 On The Rise Newsletter

🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet

🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy

🎥 Watch on YouTube

Follow @careynieuwhof

Follow @theartofleadershipnetwork

❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life.

Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes

THE ART OF PREACHING

From September 22nd through October 3rd, you can get special launch pricing. When you use the code PREACH at checkout, you’ll save $47 off the full price.

Check it out by visiting theartofpreachingcourse.com.

Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network