Written by Brandon Elrod, North American Mission Board
ALPHARETTA, Ga. – Ken Witten joined the North American Mission Board staff in 2023 to serve as national director of pastoral leadership. He connected with pastors, created resources and now 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 live out God’s glorious gospel calling with confidence.”
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 men are known for their strong Christian beliefs.
Dungy cited head coach Chuck Noll as one of his key 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… It made me It reminded me of 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.
