Ministry Minded: A Podcast by Step Up To Life
Hear stories from around the globe from ministry leaders, pastors, and individuals who are committed to sticking to Jesus' Message and communicating it with greater biblical clarity for genuine saving-faith in Christ Jesus.
Amazingly, 75% of "decisions" for Christ don't actually last, (*1) and 41% of regular church attenders show little evidence of being genuinely 'born again' Christians (*2).
In light of this staggering reality, Step Up To Life's mission is to eliminate temporary decisions and replace them with genuine conversions by presenting the Gospel with greater biblical clarity.
(*1)-David Frost - "Billy Graham - Personal Thoughts of a Public Man" p. 72
(*2)-George Barna - 2023 CBN Interview
Episodes
33 episodes
Global Momentum & Ministry Updates
In this episode of Ministry-Minded, Nick and Lincoln reflect on a remarkable season of global ministry—spanning continents, cultures, and contexts—yet marked by a shared hunger for one thing: a clear, biblical gospel.Fresh off t...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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31:59
Broadcasting from Bali: SUTL’s 2026 Asia Summit
In this episode, we sit down with several of our Step Up To Life champions from across Asia—pastors serving in Pakistan, Myanmar, India, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Japan. Through a series of honest, hope-filled conversations, the...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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1:11:21
Beyond the False Divide: Scripture, Counseling, and the Gift of Common Grace
Modern psychology is often shaped by humanism and self-definition—frameworks that conflict with biblical anthropology. Many pastors sense that tension but feel unsure how to navigate it faithfully.In this episode of Ministry Minded
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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1:26:03
An Unexpected Gathering: Reaching Gen. Z with C.J. Greiner & Nick Failla
What started as gathering of believers has become a living picture of what God can do when generations say yes together. In this episode, C.J. Greiner and Nick Failla share the story behind an unexpected church gathering that began drawing Gen ...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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1:10:08
Untangling Forgiveness: The Gospel, the Heart, and Healing with Jimmy George of Fresh Start
In this conversation, Jimmy George — Executive Director of Fresh Start for All Nations — opens up about the deeply personal journey behind his ministry. Before he ever helped others walk in freedom, he had to confront a “missing piece” in his o...
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Season 3
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Episode 12
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1:05:35
Weekend Wings & Witnesses: God’s Work in Norway
Step Up To Life Champions Tim and Bente share how God brought them together unexpectedly in Sweden and called them to partner in making Christ known through the Step Up To Life method. Together, they train others to share the Gospel clea...
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Season 3
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Episode 11
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1:29:16
Fighter to Follower: A Celtic Rebel Finds Faith
Taylor Foster wasn’t looking for God.A hard-charging, wild-living young man with Celtic warrior blood and a bullfighting streak, he chased everything the world offered—drinking, drugs, sex, adrenaline—but none of it filled the growing void ...
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Season 3
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Episode 10
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1:25:28
From Disinterest to Discipleship: Vaughn Perez & Reaching the Next Generation
Vaughn Perez, is the Student Ministry Director at CityLight Bennington Church in Nebraska. Vaughn wears many hats—he’s an assistant high school boys basketball coach, a substitute P.E. teacher at Bennington High School, a vo...
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Season 3
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Episode 9
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1:02:36
From Firing Squad to Following God
Paul Tan joins Lincoln and Nick via Zoom to share his powerful journey from drug smuggler to evangelist. After a close brush with death in Singapore and a life driven by money, Paul encountered the Gospel and never looked back. He left a thrivi...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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52:49
From Sinner to Saint to Senator? A Conversation with former Fire Chief Bill Bowes
Bill Bowes (former Fire Chief of Papillion, Nebraska) talks with Linc and Nick about how Step Up To Life's founder (the later Elmer Murdoch) led him to saving-faith in Christ, his unexpected journey to Asbury College in the 70's, how even his t...
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Season 3
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Episode 7
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1:03:52
Following God's Mysterious Plan: Ryan Martinez of Youth for Christ & My Bridge Radio
Hip Hop artist Ryan Martinez of Bellevue Youth for Christ, and My Bridge Radio joins Linc and Nick to talk about how God got his attention through his future wife, how God persistently called him out of a self-focused spiritual improvement plan...
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Season 3
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Episode 6
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1:00:09
Raising Gospel Champions: Inside the Latin American Network with Adam Cabeen
Adam Cabeen is Step Up To Life's Latin American National Director. He oversees, networks with, and helps coordinate our team of Spanish speaking SUTL Champions who take the Gospel into their local contexts throughout Latin America. These countr...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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58:11
The Men Behind the Mission
Gary Koenig and Ray Dotzler join Lincoln and Nick to talk about how they were both brought in on the 'ground floor' for Step Up To Life roughly 30 years ago, how God surprised them in the ways He used their skills in marketing and the visual ar...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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52:35
A Biblical Gospel is a Global Gospel
On this episode Lincoln and Nick discuss Step Up To Life's global footprint and why this is a key aspect of the ministry biblically. Having ministered in over 40+ countries, Lincoln recounts how he became inspired to minister cross...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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53:34
Has Repentance Become a Four Letter Word?
Why is the word 'repentance' often vilified or treated like a 'four letter word' in Christian subculture? On this episode seasoned pastors Lincoln and Nick talk about the common misunderstandings about the biblical concept of repentance as 'wor...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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1:13:39
Full Circle Faith: How God Transformed a Shy Kid into a Kingdom Courier
Edward King III (AKA: 'Tank') of Youth for Christ joins Linc and Nick to talk about how God has brought him full circle from a high school kid who was so shy that he faked being asleep in school to avoid getting called on in class, to standing ...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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55:26
Share the Gospel? But I'm no Pastor!
Most of us assume that we can't really impact the people around us or the organizations we belong to with the Gospel, but few of us actually try. On this episode of Ministry Minded Tim Bess shares how he found himself teaching a class on evange...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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45:55
When God Calls the Disinterested
Many or most of us start out disinterested or apathetic about our spiritual condition and Dr. Tim Janiszewski of Grace Central Omaha (www.graceomaha.com) is no exception. On this episode of Ministry Minded Dr. J shares how he talked...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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57:02
Sharing Jesus with Gentle Boldness
We've all been tempted to overcorrect certain things in our lives. Instead of exercising self-control we might resort to a starvation diet for a season. Instead of planning ahead for the big test or presentation we might try to 'cram' just befo...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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53:26
Facing Death for the Faith
We might wonder what we would do if faced with the challenge to denounce Jesus or die. Pastor Kenneth Bamuleke doesn't have to wonder because he knows. On this episode of Ministry Minded you will get to hear Kenneth's incredible journey from le...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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51:25
How to Trust God in Launching a Ministry
Jason Hurt from 'Chariots 4 Hope' (www.Chariots4Hope.org) joins Lincoln and Nick in the studio to discuss what it was like trusting God after hurricane Sandy by moving with his wife Michelle and their kids from New York to Nebraska, founding a ...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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46:09
Ministry Reach & Retention
President of 'Christ for the City International' (www.CFCI.org) Dr. Chip Anderson joins Linc and Nick in the studio to discuss why CFCI partners with Step Up To Life, what problems it's solved in their ministry, how he went from 'Frat-boy' to '...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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44:55
From Poster to Pastor
On this episode Pastor Ed King of Dayspring Ministries and Omaha's Hope Center for Kids joins Lincoln and Nick to talk about how God used Step Up To Life to change his life and how God is now using him to change the lives of kids n North ...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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42:57
Overcoming the Fear of Sharing the Faith
On this episode Cindy Nyberg from
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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40:54
From Pressure to Privilege
On this episode we talk with UNO ACHA Hockey team players Nolan Sullivan and Kirby Proctor about how they came to saving-faith in Christ Jesus, what it's like to share their faith with others, and how Step Up To Life has changed the way they go...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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55:07