The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast
The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast is a podcast all about leadership, change and personal growth. The goal? To help you lead like never before—in your church or in your business. Carey interviews top business and church leaders like Seth Godin, Adam Grant, Nancy Duarte, Simon Sinek, Cal Newport, Patrick Lencioni, Tim Keller, Annie F. Downs, Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Rob Pelinka, Michael Hyatt, Christine Caine, John Mark Comer, Henry Cloud, Gordon MacDonald, Francis Chan, Lysa TerKeurst, Ian Morgan Cron and many more. For insightful posts on leadership, change and personal growth, episode transcripts and podcast show notes, go to ht...
Creativity Is the Church's Lost Superpower: Al Gordon on How Stress and Algorithms Are Killing Your Imagination and How to Unlock Creativity in Your Team
Most leaders don't think of themselves as creative. Al Gordon says that's the lie keeping you stuck. Al, founder of Renaissance, lead pastor of SAINT in East London, talks about why creativity is the church's lost superpower, how stress and algorithms are quietly killing your imagination, and what it actually takes to unlock creativity in yourself, your team, and your church.
🔗 Show Notes
🤖 AI and the Future Church - NEW BOOK!
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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The Myth of 10,000 Hours: David Epstein on How Creativity Actually Works and Why Constraints Set You Free
New York Times bestselling author David Epstein talks about why Malcolm Gladwell's 10000-hour rule isn't accurate, how he and Malcolm became friends, how creativity actually works (what you can learn from Dr. Seuss), and why constraints and limits set you free.
🔗 Show Notes
🤖 AI and the Future Church - NEW BOOK!
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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The End of Anxiety? Joshua Becker on Spiritual Minimalism and When Enough is Enough
Former pastor, minimalist, and New York Times bestselling author Joshua Becker returns to the podcast. He discusses why he left ministry to pursue a fresh calling, how minimalism can usher in an end to anxiety, when enough is enough, and how decluttering can be good for your soul.
🔗 Show Notes
🤖 AI and the Future Church - NEW BOOK!
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Get Past Broke Thinking In Your Church: The Lean Startup's Eric Reis on When To Take A Risk and Why Harder is Easier
New York Times bestselling author Eric Ries applies his startup philosophy to churches. Carey and Eric cover how to know when to take a risk, how to get past broke thinking in your church, and why the harder path is often easier.
🔗 Show Notes
🤖 AI and the Future Church - NEW BOOK!
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Why Leadership Is Designed to Kill You: Nicole Martin on Leading Christianity Today in a Divided, Rapidly Changing World
Nicole Martin made history as Christianity Today's first Black female CEO — and took the hits that come with it.
In this conversation: the backlash, Billy Graham's original vision, how the magazine is advancing and speaking into a polarized world, and why leadership is designed to kill you.
🔗 Show Notes
🤖 AI and the Future Church - NEW BOOK!
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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How to Make Your Life Burnout-Proof: Burnout 20 Years Later, Part 2
Twenty years after burnout almost took him out, Carey is back with Part 2—the recovery playbook.
You don't need to get back to normal. Normal is what burned you out.
In this solo episode, Carey shares seven strategies to burnout-proof your life: stop managing time and start managing energy, move to a fixed calendar, guard your green zone, and stop letting the wrong people hijack your best hours.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
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I Was Almost Ministry Road Kill: Burn Out 20 Years Later, Part 1
Twenty years ago this month, Carey almost became ministry road kill. After 11 years of 30%+ annual growth, he burned out, hard.
In Part 1 of this solo episode, Carey shares 5 honest insights from two decades of reflection: why dysfunction gets rewarded in the church, how denial accelerates the crash, and why grieving your losses matters.
If your passion is fading, this episode is for you.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
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Breaking Mental Strongholds: A Conversation with Louie Giglio, Jennie Allen, and Craig Groeschel
There's a battle happening in our minds: one that shapes how we see ourselves, our circumstances, and even God. In this episode, Carey moderates a conversation with Louie Giglio, Jennie Allen, and Craig Groeschel as they come together to talk honestly about mental health, the lies we believe, and how faith changes the way we fight. Download the free reflections and takeaway guide here: https://share.hsforms.com/1r7u1sOZMSgKMcVTKf1kyFg4rhq6
The Reason Your Church Isn't Multiplying and Fresh Trends in Church Planting With Dave Ferguson
The vast majority of churches are plateaued or declining, and Exponential CEO Dave Ferguson explains why most churches never grow, let alone multiply.
Plus, he shares the latest trends in church planting in this special episode recorded backstage at Exponential Global Conference in Orlando.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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How to De-escalate an Angry Church and Leading a Ministry You Didn't Start with Rich Villodas
Carey caught up with Rich Villodas backstage at Exponential to talk about the learnable skills that keep leaders and congregations non-anxious in an angry age, and the unique challenges and gifting needed to lead a church you didn't plant.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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CNLP 803 | Mass-Marketed Sin, Political Warfare, and Why Your Best Staff Keep Leaving with Joel Muddamalle
Joel Muddamalle is a theologian who thinks harder about spiritual warfare than almost anyone in the church today. In this conversation: how sin got a mass-marketing strategy, why your devices are a primary battleground, why the best answer to political division might be subversion, and how to keep your best people long-term.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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How the Modern Church Was Shaped: Church Growth, Seeker Sensitive, Attractional, Missional with Todd Wilson
Most church leaders are leading inside a model they never chose and rarely understand.
In this episode, Todd Wilson, founder of Exponential, walks through the true history of the modern church: Church Growth, Seeker Sensitive, Attractional, Missional—and what's coming next.
This is the seminary class no one got, but every church leader needs.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sh
When the Ministry Playbook Doesn't Work Anymore: Robby Gallaty and Vick Green on the Keys to Discipleship and Revival
What do you do when you run a playbook on discipleship that's worked for years, and it stops working? That led Robby Gallaty to a place of despair, and out of that, revival and renewal came. Robby Gallaty and Replicate CEO Vick Green explain how to renew your ministry through revival and discipleship.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Women in Ministry: Preston Sprinkle on What the Bible Actually Says
Preston Sprinkle studied the full biblical narrative on women in ministry inductively, without an agenda. From Genesis to Paul, we discuss what he found and where it led him.
We also tackle what faithfulness to scripture looks like, and how opening your mind and changing your view can make you more biblically faithful rather than less.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Christine Caine: The Real Reasons Women Are Done With Church
Christine Caine returns to the podcast to discuss the real reasons she thinks women are done with the church, how to get them back, why playing the Holy Spirit's role in other people's lives has to stop, and the necessity of being pruned if you want to flourish.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Finally Beat Sermon Deadline Procrastination: Jon Acuff on Procrastination, Building an Audience, and AI-Proofing Your Impact
Find yourself procrastinating? You're not alone. Jon Acuff explains how to finally stop procrastinating on your sermon writing and other projects. Plus, he explains how he continues to grow as a leader, build an audience, and AI-proof his influence.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Why You Shouldn't Chase Your Passion: Bill Gurley on the Delusional Factor Every Outlier Needs and How to Find a Mentor
Bill Gurley, legendary investor behind Uber, Snapchat, and Twitter, shares why "follow your passion" is dangerously misleading, what to chase instead, what the best startup founders do, and the delusional factor that separates outliers from everyone else.
Plus, his best advice on finding a mentor, landing your dream job, his biggest mistake (passing on Google), and what he'd tell young leaders just starting out.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
Best Advice For Preachers: Arthur Brooks on How To Reclaim 20 Hours of Sermon Writing Time + The Meaning of Your Life
Arthur C. Brooks attends church every single day, has sat through thousands of sermons, gives lectures and talks around the world and based on that, gives his best advice to preachers. Plus, we look at how to reclaim writing time and the meaning of life.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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A 100% Digital Church: What Mark Lutz Learned That Physical Churches Are Missing
Mark Lutz pastored a regular church for a few years. Then, as a gamer, he opened up Lux Church, a 100% ditigal church created for gamers. He explains the model, why it's reaching people no one else is reaching, how online relationships are as real as IRL relationships, and what other churches are missing and getting wrong when it comes to their digital ministry.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Overcoming Your Self-Limiting Beliefs and the Science Behind How Prayer Builds Resilience With Nir Eyal
How do you get past your self-limiting beliefs? Best-selling author Nir Eyal talks about the research on why some leaders see the positive while others see the negative, how to change your mindset and gain greater agency, and the science behind why prayer improves resilience and mindset.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Carl Lentz On Preaching While Having Sex Outside Marriage, How the Pressure of Church Growth Got To Him, And Warning Signs for Other Church Leaders
Former Hillsong NYC pastor Carl Lentz opens up about the factors that led to the collapse of his ministry.
He discusses the core issues that led to his breach of trust, what it was like to preach while he was having an affair, the relentless pressure of rapid growth, what rehab taught him about addressing core issues, his regrets, and warning signs for church leaders facing the pressure.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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I Wanted to Quit Everything: Jennie Allen on Suffering, Spiritual Warfare, Lies Leaders Believe, and Not Giving Up
Jennie Allen reflects on a year like no other she's had: an ephocal global event followed by a terribly difficult sabbatical, health scares, and discouragement.
Jennie talks about wanting to quit, suffering and spiritual warfare, lies leaders believe, and not giving up.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Why Church Dating Advice No Longer Works: JJ and Kait Tomlin on the Realities Single Christians Face
JJ and Kait Tomlin join the podcast to give candid advice to church leaders who, um, haven't dated in a while. It's different out there than it used to be.
They cover outdated dating advice, what pastors should say, and the real challenges of being a Christian and single today.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Red Flags Driving Women Out of Church (and How to Fix Them) with Kadi Cole
Recent data shows that while young men are coming to church in record numbers, women are leaving. Why? Kadi Cole shares the #1 reason women are leaving church (lack of trust) and outlines numerous other red flags that are alienating women.
Plus, she discusses how to address them and how to create an engaging environment for women, whether you lead a complementarian or egalitarian church.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Beth Moore on Knowing When It's Time to Leave and Proof-Texting Scripture to Keep the Pulpit and Power
Beth Moore talks about leaving the SBC a decade ago, how to know when it's time to leave, why so many women are leaving the church, and proof-texting scripture to keep the pulpit and power.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Are You Marketing Revival? The Problem with Mixed Motives and Social Media in Church Leaders
In this episode, Carey asks the question of whether we're selling church growth and marketing revival on social media.
As leaders, our motives are always mixed, and Carey offers a framework for checking our motives before posting on social media. Momentum doesn't need marketing. Don't sell it. Steward it.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Emergency Episode | Pastoring Angry People: When to Speak, When to Stay Silent, and Leading Without Losing Everyone
The cultural moment we're in isn't just tense — it's a full convulsion, and it's landing in your church every Sunday. In this emergency panel episode, Ed Stetzer, Adam Mesa, and Sharon Hodde Miller debate when to speak up, when to be silent, how to deal with fallout, and how to pastor people in a deeply divided age.
This is the conversation many pastors are desperate to have but afraid to start.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy
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Craig Groeschel and His Therapist Join the Show: What Happens When a Leader Hits a Breaking Point
Life.Church Senior Pastor Craig Groeschel and his therapist, Dr. Wayne Chappelle, join Carey to talk about a wall Craig hit in ministry, that he thought might k*ll him.
They discuss what was at stake, how he got through it, what happens to leaders who don't take action, and how Craig recovered fully from what almost took him out.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Patrick Lencioni Opens Up About His Dark Night of the Soul, How Work Can Heal You, And Leading Next Gen Leaders
Patrick Lencioni opens up about his dark night of the soul and his recent five-month sabbatical.
Plus, we discuss how we go to work to heal and the joys and challenges of leading next-gen leaders.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Leadership is NOT Lonely! Henry Cloud on Founderitis and Why You're More In Control Than You Think
Henry Cloud explains why leadership is not lonely, or at least, shouldn't be.
Plus, we discuss why founders hang on too long and why leaders have far more control than you think!
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Are We Too Critical Of the Church? John Crist Returns to Talk Cynicism, Hope and Getting the Tonight Show
Comedian and listener favorite John Crist returns to ask if we're being too critical of the church right now. Has our cynicism gone too far?
Plus, we talk about finding hope and do a detailed breakdown of exactly what it takes to appear on the Tonight Show.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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The Problem of Mini-Celebrity Pastors: Les McKeown on Growth Barriers for Church Leaders
Leadership expert Les McKeown talks about the rise of mini-celebrity pastors, the limits that places on church growth and team development, and how to overcome the growth barriers you're facing as church leaders.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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John Mark Comer Goes to the Desert, Clarifies Where He Stands, and Deep Dives on a Major Challenge for Modern Discipleship
John Mark Comer talks about his 21-day venture into the desert and a silence unlike any he's known in his life.
Plus, he clarifies where he stands in terms of the left or the right (and the Christian past), discusses major challenges for modern discipleship and the church, and adds his own church trend.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Are You Clear Enough to Reach The Next Generation? The New Rules of Cultural Influence with YouTuber Ruslan KD
YouTuber Ruslan KD sits down to explain that ambiguity from preachers on cultural issues is costing them more than they think.
He shares how the next generation is looking to the church for what to think and how to think.
In this episode, we do a deep dive into how the next generation is leveraging YouTube and social media to preach the Gospel.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Preaching at A Rave: Luke LeFevre + Daniel McLeod on Gen Z's Bold Faith and How to Use Gen Z's Gifts at Your Church
Even as teenagers, Gen Zers Luke LeFevre and Daniel McLeod were preaching at their high school and at raves. They share why Gen Z is so bold, what's creating the surge in church attendance, and why so many Gen Z are not using their gifts in local churches, and how to change that.
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📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Tapping the Brakes on The Talk of Revival: David Kinnaman Nuances What's Happening with Christianity in America + Digital Discipleship
Is America in revival? Well, not quite, according to Barna CEO David Kinnaman, who joins Carey to discuss 2026 church trends.
New data shows overall American Christianity is still in decline AND that Gen Z men are dialing into Jesus, young adults are the most churched group in America, and that we're setting ourselves up for a succession crisis.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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2026 Disruptive Church Trends: Gen Z Leading Church Attendance Surge, Women Exiting Faith, + The Impact of Discipleship By Algorithm
Carey Nieuwhof unveils 7 disruptive church trends to track in 2026. The trends include Gen Z leading a surge in young church attendance and a rise in women exiting the Christian faith.
Plus, Carey discusses discipleship by algorithm and why that makes it impossible to lead people with harmony.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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Small Church Dysfunction: David Ashcraft on Growth at LCBC, Succession, and Growing the Global Leadership Summit
Former LCBC Senior Pastor David Ashcraft talks about the small church dysfunction he encountered when he arrived at LCBC when it was just a small church.
Plus, he discusses how it scaled into a mega-church of 22,000, succession, and how he repositioned the Global Leadership Summit for the future.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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When Church Members Break Your Heart and Your Trust: Sharon Hodde Miller on Resilience and Speaking Into the Culture
Sharon Hodde Miller discusses entering ministry with idealism that is crushed when people break your heart and leave your church.
Plus, she discusses how to keep your heart engaged, learning to fight cynicism, and how to know when to speak into culture and when to keep silent.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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You're Not Ready for Revival: Dom Ruso on a New Kind of Secularism and Reaching UnReachable People
Theologian and church planter Dom Ruso offers lessons from church planting in Montreal, one of the most secular environments in North America, and how to reach a very difficult culture.
He talks about the lack of theological training churches are facing, why we're probably not ready for real revival, and how to reach people most people think are unreachable.
🔗 Show Notes
📩 On The Rise Newsletter
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
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