GrowLeader Podcast Episode 83 Summary

A Conversation with Chad Veach and Rich Wilkerson Jr. – Chris Hodges | Part 2
September 2, 2025
Host: Chris Hodges
Guests: Chad Veach, Rich Wilkerson Jr.
Theme: Leadership, Authentic Community, and Navigating AI in the Church

Episode Overview

In this energizing and candid episode, Chris Hodges continues his conversation with pastors Chad Veach and Rich Wilkerson Jr., focusing on fresh approaches to leadership, practical game-changers in church life, building genuine community in a digital age, and what grounds them personally through challenges. The discussion offers both actionable ideas for church leaders and deep, vulnerable sharing about sustaining faith and character in ministry.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. New Practices Transforming Church Life

• Weekly Physical Prayer Meetings as “Secret Sauce”

  • Both Chad and Rich have implemented regular in-person prayer meetings at their churches, citing transformative spiritual impact.
    • Chad: “We have a noon prayer meeting… Ours Thursdays at 10am.” (01:10)
    • Rich: “We started a noon prayer meeting on Wednesdays which has been, I think, really revolutionary.” (04:58, 05:10)
  • Inspiration came from Dave Patterson’s two-decade-long “Pursuit” prayer meetings. (02:25)
  • Physical attendance, even during unconventional hours, draws large crowds and deepens communal hunger.

• Leveraging AI for Sermon Preparation

  • Chad embraces ChatGPT as an innovative study tool:
    • “ChatGPT has been the most fun I’ve ever had. Preaching has been through ChatGPT, just asking it questions…” (02:54)
    • He stresses balancing such tools with genuine study, clarity, prayer, and authentic delivery:
      • “ChatGPT can’t touch my spirit and then I gotta preach myself empty.” (04:32)
    • Concern: AI is a supplement, not a substitute, for personal study and spiritual process.

2. Adapting to a Changing Landscape

• The Rise of Micro-Communities

  • Rich highlights shifting from solely large gatherings to intentionally nurturing smaller groups for authentic connections:
    • “A micro community… could be something as far as saying, hey, we’re going to do gatherings of 40 to 80 people.” (05:43)
    • Church buildings’ diversity at VU fosters varied “shapes and sizes” of community identity (05:43–06:13).

• Future Skills: Valuing Human Presence Over Tech

  • Rich sees a coming trend: “I think you’re going to pay people to be a friend… to walk down the street with you…to garden with you.” (06:24)
    • Argues the church’s unique communal gathering is increasingly needed as AI rises.

• Presence Over Performance

  • “It’s presence over presentation. It’s presence over performance…God’s always doing something new in the earth.” (08:09)
    • Warns against becoming fixated on ministry methods – flexibility and authenticity are vital (08:36–08:37).

• “Making Moments” Practical Ministry Ideas

  • Rich shares shifts like doing child dedications on Sundays and holding Baptism Sundays as tools for organic outreach and community formation:
    • “You want about bringing people to church? Start dedicating children Sundays.” (09:42)

3. Navigating Spiritual and Leadership Challenges

• Battles of Leadership and Building Resilience

  • Chad opens up about parenting struggles, particularly with his special needs daughter, and the constant soul battles of insecurity and doubt:
    • “If the enemy’s coming after me, [it] is where it always was with my kids.” (12:41)
    • “My biggest battles are still to come…The best is yet to come true. So is the biggest challenges.” (14:21, 14:30)
  • Chris reframes stress: “We don’t think about reducing the stress. We think about increasing the capacity to handle the stress.” (15:06)
    • Focus on “strengthening the amount of the capacity to hold all of that.” (15:44)

• Essential Habits: Prayer & Bible Before Leading Others

  • Chad’s daily routine: early morning Bible reading, silence, and prayer — using the Life Journal plan:
    • “It’s me, a Bible, a cup of coffee, and the Holy Spirit.” (16:45)
    • “It puts fuel on my fire… lets me know… I’m prepared for it.” (17:14–18:00)
  • Chris adds the value of starting the day with laughter for emotional health:
    • “I end…with something that’s just gonna make me roll on the floor… It has changed the mood of my day.” (18:51, 19:08)

• Therapy, Story, and Community as Anchors

  • Rich shares about recognizing the importance of personal story and legacy (e.g., his family’s pulpit from 1925) as grounding elements:
    • “To me, we’re surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses… my forefathers. I’m a part of something bigger.” (24:28)
  • Advocates for therapy: “I’ve found myself going to a therapist… not backwards to blame, backwards to build.” (22:55)
  • The importance of accountability and vulnerability with friends and mentors in ministry.
    • “I would talk to Rich the most and my wife the most, and just having to process a staff transition, an issue of criticism online…” (13:49)

• Resisting Toxic Ideals of Ministry “Success”

  • Chad warns against idolizing a certain ministry lifestyle:
    • “One of the idols that has to die in ministry is a lifestyle… ex clothing, ex vacation, ex watch…” (26:09)
    • Re-centers on faithfulness: “You gave me two or five or one. It doesn’t matter. I’m going to put my head down and my hand to the plow.” (26:40)

4. The Discipline of Joy and Celebration

• Life-Giving Friendships & Laughter
  • Reflecting on shared memories and the role of joy:
    • Chad’s story on Rich unintentionally responding to a “purity altar call”: “I see him out of the corner of my eye, and I think to myself, oh, my gosh, I got him.” (28:54)
    • The spiritual discipline of celebration: “Just as important as the message I gave… was that Sunday night celebration.” (30:13)
    • “One of [the spiritual disciplines] is the discipline of celebration. That’s why we have things like Purim… feast together and to laugh together.” (31:05)
  • Encouragement: If you don’t have joyful community, “Go create it. Just let it begin with you.” (31:20)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Transformative Power of Prayer Meetings
  Chad Veach:

  “It has absolutely revolutionized the spiritual hunger and spiritual depth of our community.” (02:25)

• On Using AI Wisely in Ministry
  Chad Veach:

  “ChatGPT can’t touch my spirit and then I gotta preach myself empty.” (04:32)

• On the Uniqueness of Church Community
  Rich Wilkerson Jr.:

  “The church is one of the most rarest things that’s happened on the planet right now. Where do you go for an hour and 20 minutes, sit in silence…sing songs that are not about you, that are upward attention?” (07:27)

• On Presence Over Performance
  Rich Wilkerson Jr.:

  “It’s presence over presentation. It’s presence over performance.” (08:09)

• On Facing Battles as Leaders
  Chad Veach:

  “My biggest battles are still to come…The best is yet to come true. So is the biggest challenges.” (14:21, 14:30)

• On Building Capacity for Stress
  Chris Hodges:

  “We think about strengthening the amount of the capacity to hold all of that.” (15:44)

• On Story and Legacy in Ministry
  Rich Wilkerson Jr.:

  “The story you tell yourself will be the life that you live.” (20:33)
  “I’m a part of something bigger. And by the way, if you’re listening and you don’t have a family of origin like mine, that’s cool. You have a family of choice. It’s called the Body of Christ.” (24:28)

• On Real Joy (Laughter Segment)
  Chris Hodges:

  “I start my day with laughter… It has changed the mood of my day remarkably.” (18:53, 19:08)

• On the Discipline of Celebration
  Rich Wilkerson Jr.:

  “One of [the spiritual disciplines] is the discipline of celebration… God commands them. Passover. These are celebrations to stop and feast together and to laugh together.” (31:04–31:05)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Key New Practices in Ministry – 00:59–05:55
• Micro-Communities and Future of Church Community – 05:41–08:05
• Reframing Challenges and Stress Capacity – 11:29–15:53
• Effective Personal Spiritual Disciplines – 16:22–19:19
• On Legacy, Story, and Therapy – 19:19–24:09
• Laughing and Celebrating with Friends – 28:01–31:14

Final Thoughts

This episode underscores the importance of flexible, authentic spiritual leadership—and the life-changing power of simple disciplines, deep friendships, and joy. As digital tools and social norms evolve, these pastors urge leaders to lean into prayer, authentic presence, shared story, and celebration as the church’s most powerful assets for future growth and resilience.