Podcast
Next Step Leadership
Hosted by Chris Maxwell & Tracy Reynolds · EN
Next Step Leadership is a podcast dedicated to helping you make your next step your best step. Your next step could very well determine the trajectory or direction of your life. Where we step, how we step, and when we step are all vital considerations for your next step. Chris Maxwell and Tracy Reynolds combine decades of experience in ministry, higher education, writing, music, leading organizations, and developing teams to inspire you to aspire in life one step at a time. We desire to assist you in making your next step your very best step.
34episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Interview with E.K. Strawser, Part 2 - Season 6, Episode 16
1w ago00:23:29Tap to summarizeThe conversation with Eun Strawser continues with a practical and biblical exploration of shared leadership. Together, Chris, Tracy, and Eun discuss the dangers of leading alone, the temptation to control, and the misconception that leaders must be experts. Eun challenges listeners to ask whether they are willing to share power and truly lead with people rather than over them. Emphasizing that leadership is meant to be done together—as imitators of Jesus—this episode offers wisdom for pastors, church planters, and teams seeking healthier, more faithful ways to flourish with the people God has already given them.https://www.iwacollaborative.com/ekstrawserhttps://www.iwacollaborative.com/books
Transcribe →Interview with E.K Strawser, Part 1 - Season 6, Episode 15
2w ago00:22:51Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Chris and Tracy welcome E. K. Strawser—pastor, physician, consultant, church planter, and author of You Were Never Meant to Lead Alone. Originally from South Korea, E. K. shares her journey through medical school, ministry, and church planting, reflecting on how her story and place have shaped her leadership. She challenges common assumptions about power, influence, and success, asking hard questions like: Are we drawing crowds or making disciples? Does the church exist just to survive? Grounded in Scripture, particularly Acts and the Epistles, E. K. calls leaders to embrace shared leadership and faithful community.https://www.iwacollaborative.com/ekstrawserhttps://www.iwacollaborative.com/books
Transcribe →Interview with Timothy Jones, Part 2 - Season 6, Episode 14
3w ago00:22:53Tap to summarizeIn this follow-up conversation, Timothy Jones explores the heart of Fully Beloved (pronounced bel-uh-vəd) and why understanding the Trinity as a community of love matters for everyday leadership. Chris and Tracy guide a discussion centered on relationships, rest, and freedom from striving. Timothy explains how knowing we are fully beloved changes the way we relate to God, ourselves, and others—moving leaders from performance and competition into trust and belonging. This episode offers a hopeful reminder that leadership flows best from secure relationships rather than exhausted effort.Website: https://www.revtimothyjones.com/Substack: Tim Jones from Relatable or timothyjones3.substack.com
Transcribe →Interview with Timothy Jones, Part 1 - Season 6, Episode 13
May 2800:22:47Tap to summarizePastor and author Timothy Jones joins the podcast to discuss the deep question beneath our fractured culture: Am I loved? Drawing from his book Fully Beloved, Timothy reflects on his own story, pastoral ministry, and the widespread sense of drift many feel today. He speaks to the loneliness, division, and relational strain present across various Christian traditions and cultural contexts, pointing listeners toward God’s deep, steady, and trustworthy love. This episode invites leaders to consider how their own understanding of love, belonging, and trust shapes the way they lead and care for others.Website: https://www.revtimothyjones.com/Substack: Tim Jones from Relatable or timothyjones3.substack.com
Transcribe →Interview with Isaac Serrano, Part 2 - Season 6, Episode 12
May 2100:24:01Tap to summarizeContinuing the conversation, Isaac Serrano dives deeper into his book When Life Feels Empty. This episode focuses on the difference between destructive emptiness and the kind of emptiness God uses to form us. Isaac speaks candidly to leaders who feel drained, alone, and running on empty, offering practical wisdom on staying present with God when answers feel distant. He emphasizes the importance of gratitude—beginning with our first waking thoughts—and points to Jesus, who gave thanks even on the night He was betrayed. This conversation offers hope, perspective, and gentle guidance for leaders navigating quiet, uncertain seasons.https://www.isaacserrano.com/
Transcribe →Interview with Isaac Serrano, Part 1 - Season 6, Episode 11
May 1400:22:54Tap to summarizeIn this opening conversation, Chris and Tracy sit down with pastor, theologian, and author Isaac Serrano to explore his personal story and calling. Isaac reflects on the early influence of a youth pastor who believed in him, entrusted him with responsibility, and helped him grow in faith even when he felt out of place within his surrounding culture. He shares how those formative experiences shaped his desire to create spaces where the next generation can ask honest academic questions, wrestle with real-life issues, and arrive at faithful, biblical conclusions. Together, they discuss leadership, identity, and why so many faithful people experience seasons of spiritual emptiness—even while doing meaningful work.https://www.isaacserrano.com/
Transcribe →Interview with Jon Oliver, Part 2 - Season 6, Episode 10
May 700:23:01Tap to summarizeIn the final episode, Jon Oliver returns to talk candidly about the inner life of leaders. He joins Chris and Tracy to explore themes of soul care and self-care, especially for those navigating the demands of ministry and leadership.Jon shares wisdom on sustaining spiritual health, listening to God’s voice, and living with intention. He offers a hopeful vision of leadership as a sacred partnership—reminding listeners that each of us has the opportunity to co-author our lives with God, walking faithfully into what He is writing next.https://www.nciphc.com/discipleship-ministriesLinked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-oliver-ba91634a/
Transcribe →Interview with Jon Oliver, Part 1 - Season 6, Episode 9
Apr 3000:22:34Tap to summarizeIn this episode, Chris and Tracy sit down with Jon Oliver for a wide-ranging conversation about calling, leadership, and faithfulness in ministry. Jon shares his personal story and testimony, including the influence of growing up with a father who was a bi-vocational pastor.They explore the importance of mentors, spiritual guidance, and healthy models of leadership for those serving in ministry today. Jon reflects on his years of ministry, leadership with youth gatherings and Accelerant Youth Convention, and what it means to invest intentionally in the next generation of leaders.https://www.nciphc.com/discipleship-ministriesLinked In - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-oliver-ba91634a/
Transcribe →Interview with Cheryl & Jackie Johns, Part 2 - Season 6, Episode 8
Apr 2300:23:12Tap to summarizeIn their second episode, Jackie and Cheryl Johns continue the conversation by exploring how Scripture shapes leaders from the inside out. They discuss how leaders can approach Scripture with humility, expectation, and openness to the Spirit’s work.With pastoral warmth and scholarly insight, Jackie and Cheryl remind listeners that the Bible is not only to be studied—but received, as the Holy Spirit forms us through God’s living Word. Chris and Tracy talk with them about Re-enchanting the Text and the need to recover wonder, attentiveness, and spiritual depth in Bible study. Leaders are invited to enter a relationship of learning.Encountering the Living Word Book - https://www.amazon.com/Encountering-Living-Word-Relational-Inductive/dp/B0DZSSYHFCChery Johns - https://united.edu/cheryl-bridges-johns/Jackie Johns - https://www.cbeinternational.org/person/jackie-david-johns/
Transcribe →Interview with Cheryl & Jackie Johns, Part 1 - Season 6, Episode 7
Apr 1600:21:40Tap to summarizeIn this rich and thoughtful episode, Chris and Tracy welcome Jackie David Johns and Cheryl Bridges Johns for a conversation shaped by years of ministry, scholarship, and spiritual formation. They share their story of serving in both church and academic settings, and why the church needs deeply formed Pentecostal scholars.The conversation centers on their book Encountering the Living Word, exploring inductive Bible study not just as a method, but as a relational encounter with God. Jackie and Cheryl emphasize that Scripture is best studied as a time of communion—guided by the truth that the Holy Spirit is our teacher. Encountering the Living Word is an invitation for all leaders seeking to make the right steps in their spiritual journey.Encountering the Living Word Book - https://www.amazon.com/Encountering-Living-Word-Relational-Inductive/dp/B0DZSSYHFCChery Johns - https://united.edu/cheryl-bridges-johns/Jackie Johns - https://www.cbeinternational.org/person/jackie-david-johns/
Transcribe →