Tony Dungy and James Brown appear on the first episode of NAMB's “Equipping Pastors” podcast
Written by Brandon Elrod, NAMB
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Ken Witten has been connecting with pastors and creating resources since joining the North American Mission Board (NAMB) staff in 2023 to serve as National Pastoral Leadership Director. Now, he has started the “Equipping Pastors” podcast.
“Whether you are progressing well or just trying your best, our desire is to provide helpful conversations with leaders inside and outside the church, and to help pastors and leaders improve their daily lives. It’s about making sure they feel prepared for the rigors of service,” Witten said. “We want to encourage pastors to confidently live out God’s glorious gospel calling.”
Part of the podcast's vision is to introduce pastors to Christian leaders who serve outside the church and hear their leadership insights.
In that vein, the first episode of the podcast, posted Thursday, Feb. 8, features Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy and James Brown, best known as the host of CBS' “The NFL Today.” Conversations are featured. Both are known for their Christian faith.
Dungy cited head coach Chuck Noll as one of his biggest influences as a leader.
“It gave me real insight into why he became the greatest coach in the history of the National Football League,” Dungey said in an interview with Witten. “I had never coached before. He hired me as a junior. He's been training me, so I said, 'Coach Noll, what's my job as a coach? ?”said. He said, “Tony, you have one job, and that's to help the players get better.'' When he said that, a light bulb went on in me. …So I went back to what Jesus said to his disciples. Hey, do you want to be the strongest? serve. “
Dungey and Brown share their experiences living their lives in public and remaining true to their faith despite backlash and criticism. They also explain how they maintain integrity in their home lives in the face of life in the national “fishbowl” that is the NFL.
New episodes of “Equipping Pastors” are released the first week of each month and can be accessed through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and EquippingPastorsPodcast.com.
For additional resources, visit namb.net/pastors.
Guidestone's Annual Summit for Church, Ministry and Business Leaders Set for April 21-23
Guidestones by Roy Hayhurst
DALLAS (BP) – Registration is now open for The Summit presented by GuideStone. The Summit is his two-day conference for treasurers, human resources professionals, and key decision makers in churches, ministries, and nonprofit organizations.
The summit, formerly known as the Employee Benefits Summit, will be held April 21-23 at the Hyatt Regency Frisco in north Dallas.
Early registration is $300 and ends March 9th. Regular registration is $350 and closes April 9th. Information is available at GuideStone.org/Summit.
Continuing education credits are available to CPE, CCA, HRCI, and SHRM holders.
“The summit will provide insights and information that church and mission leaders can put into action as soon as they return to the ministry,” said Guidestone President Hans Dilbeck. “We want to encourage these finance executives and HR leaders and provide them with best practices and the latest trends in HR and finance.”
Speakers include Jenni Catron, founder and CEO of The 4Sight Group; Hiram Sasser, General Counsel, First Liberty Institute; Michael Butts, managing partner of Orlando-based Butts, Morrison, Wales & Lee; Kenneth Tan, Partner at Capin Crouse, LLP. Danny Miller, Partner at Conner & Winters LLP. Al Lopus, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of Best Christian Workplaces. and Shane Pruitt, National Next Generation Director of the North American Mission Board. Mr. Dilbeck will give a keynote speech on “Serving Invisibly.” Gateway Worship, based in the Dallas area, will lead the music during the plenary session.
Topics include succession planning, costly financial mistakes to avoid, keys to increasing employee engagement and happiness, the latest legislation in the Secure 2.0 Act, and more.
“These human resources and financial leaders often work behind the scenes from other church staff and members, but they are essential to the ministry,” Dilbeck said. “These are employees who ensure that their service activities are funded, comply with applicable laws, and are prepared to serve as true partners in the organization's service. I know.”
