📍 Recorded Live from Align 2025, Nashville, TN

In this episode of The First Priority Podcast, Brad and Steve kick off a brand-new series recapping highlights from Align 2025, First Priority’s annual leadership conference. With 65 leaders gathered in Nashville, this event brought together directors, coordinators, and support staff from across the country to unite under one mission: taking the hope of Christ to every student.

The hosts revisit Session One, featuring Chris Lane, Director of First Priority South Florida, who delivered a powerful message centered on three words: Pray. Plant. Press On.

• Pray – Start with prayer and stay in step with the Holy Spirit. Chris challenged leaders to pray fervently, to believe for impossible things, and to ask God to move in every school and student community.

• Plant – You can’t plant without a plan. Be intentional about where and how you invest your time and leadership. Know what seeds you’re planting and what you’re praying will grow.

• Press On – Don’t quit before the harvest comes. Whether you’re a director, coach, or student leader, perseverance produces character and hope. Keep pressing toward what God has called you to do.

Reach out to another director, coach, or student leader and talk through what Pray, Plant, Press On means for your ministry. Remember—linking arms with others isn’t a burden, it’s a blessing.

If this episode encouraged you, leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review, share it with your team, and subscribe so you don’t miss the next five episodes in the Align 2025 series.

Brad and Steve dive into what makes a First Priority club truly healthy. They start with a powerful story from Middle Tennessee — a club that grew from just a handful of students to 130 during an Invite Week — and use it to unpack the heartbeat of club health. From being a student-led ministry and remaining gospel-focused, to training coaches, engaging churches, and keeping consistent through the four-week cycle, this episode is packed with real stories, practical wisdom, and honest conversation about what it takes to see lasting growth.

Show Notes:

• Story Time with Steve: a faithful campus coach and record-breaking I-Week.

• How student-led ministry creates lasting impact.

• Staying gospel-focused and mission-aligned in every meeting.

• The Five STARS Club Evaluation — why it still works.

• Practical tips for training Campus Coaches and Teacher Sponsors.

• When to pause, refocus, and rebuild a club.

• Encouragement for leaders walking through seasons of transition.

Resources Mentioned: 📄 Five Star Club Evaluation - firstpriority.club/resources

On this episode of the First Priority Podcast, hosts Steve Cherrico and Brad Schelling dive into what it takes to build a First Priority club that lasts. They start with an inspiring story from East Tennessee, where a Student Leader’s boldness not only reached her school but also began to impact her unsaved father in unexpected ways.

From there, Steve and Brad unpack the practical steps for launching and sustaining a healthy club: identifying student leaders, engaging school staff and churches, training leaders, and putting the right resources in place. They also explore why it’s important to set realistic expectations, lean on proven processes, and trust God’s timing when starting something new.

Listeners will walk away with encouragement, practical tools, and a reminder that First Priority is a tool in the hands of students, empowering them to share the hope of Christ in their schools and beyond.

🔑 Key Topics Covered:

• A powerful testimony of a Student Leader reaching her father through prayer and the gospel.

• Identifying leaders, gaining school approval, and building a network of support.

• Using resources like the EPIC Guide, prayer cards, and the First Priority app!

• Planning around key dates such as Invite Week, See You at the Pole, and Christmas outreach.

• Keeping clubs student-led, gospel-focused, and sustainable long term.

📌 Resources Mentioned:

• First Priority HOPE Resources

• First Priority EPIC Resources

• Club Resources