The LeadingSmart Podcast
Honest conversations. Practical insights. Smarter leadership.
Hosted by Tim Stevens and Holly Tate, The LeadingSmart Podcast exists to equip church leaders who care deeply about leading with integrity, clarity, and wisdom—even when it’s hard.
We are officially on Season 3! This season is about staying sharp in today’s rapidly changing environment. We’ll dive into the practical issues leaders are facing right now—from running effective executive team meetings to navigating crucial conversations to leading in moments when the playbook doesn’t exist yet.
Holly and Tim are moving out of the studio into our offices, and they will be recording and posting in real time, responding to current events as they happen, sharing fresh insights from our work with leaders across North America.
Be sure to email us at tim@leadingsmart.com if there are specific topics you want us to cover!
Enjoy!
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Episodes
48 episodes
[S3EP24] How to Run a Staff Retreat That Actually Works: 4 Best Practices for Church Leaders
Welcome to episode 24 of The LeadingSmart Podcast! Have you ever walked away from a staff retreat thinking, "That was a complete waste of time"? You're not alone — and it's completely avoidable.In this episode of the LeadingSmart Podcast...
[S3EP23] How Silos Destroy Organizations (And When They Might Actually Help)
Welcome back to episode 23 of The LeadingSmart Podcast! Silos are one of the most common — and most damaging — forces quietly undermining healthy church organizations. But how do you know when you have them, and what do you do about them? In th...
[S3EP22] The 4-Box Staff Evaluation Every Church Leader Needs (And Why It Prevents Culture Killers)
Welcome Back to Episode 22 of The LeadingSmart Podcast!Is your leadership team misaligned on staff performance? Are you holding on to people who are quietly killing your culture — or letting go of people who just need a better rol...
[S3EP21] 4 Types of Pastors Churches Need for Succession (And How to Choose the Right One
Is your church approaching a leadership transition? The type of pastor you need depends entirely on the season your church is in — and most boards get this wrong.In this episode of LeadingSmart, Holly Tate and Tim Stevens break ...
[S3EP20] How to Lead Through Church Layoffs: A Practical Guide for Pastors & Executive Pastors
Welcome to episode 20! Is your church facing financial pressure? Wondering when — and how — to make the difficult decision to reduce your staff? In this episode of the LeadingSmart Podcast, hosts Tim and Holly Tate tackle one of the hard...
[S3EP19] Shared Leadership Models in the Church: Does Co-Pastoring Actually Work?
Is shared church leadership a growing trend — or just a passing experiment? In this episode of the Leading Smart podcast, Holly Tate and Tim Stevens dive into the rising movement of co-lead pastor models they're seeing across churches of all si...
[S3EP18] The 4 Types of Pastoral Succession (Every Church Leader Needs to Know)
What happens when it’s time for a senior pastor to step aside—and how can churches prepare before it becomes urgent?In this episode of the LeadingSmart Podcast (Season 3: Leading in Real Time), Tim Stevens and Holly Tate break d...
[S3EP17] Empowering vs Disengaged Leadership (What Most Leaders Get Wrong)
Leadership isn’t just about stepping back… but what if stepping back is actually hurting your team?In this episode of Leading Smart, Tim Stevens and Holly Tate unpack the real difference between empowering leadersand d...
[S3EP16] 12 Leadership Lessons I Learned This Year (That Changed Everything)
Welcome back to episode 16! Tim and Holly reflect on a year of unexpected transitions, courageous leadership, and the lessons that often only come through real-time experience.As Holly approaches the one-year mark of relaunching The Read...
[S3EP15] What Church Leaders Are Really Struggling With Right Now/ LeadingSmart Gatherings Recap
Welcome back to Episode 15! What happens when you stop telling church leaders what to talk about — and actually ask them? In this episode of The LeadingSmart Podcast, hosts Tim and Holly Tate recap three back-to-back gatherings held...
[S2EP14] 5 Steps Toward a Healthier Staff Culture
Culture is either getting better or getting worse — there's no neutral. And yet so many churches wait until something breaks before they pay attention to it. So how do you build a staff culture that's truly healthy, deeply owned, and actually l...
[S3EP13] Top 5 Legal Issues Facing Churches in 2026 (What Every Pastor Must Know)
What are the biggest legal risks churches are facing right now?In this episode of the Leading Smart Podcast, we sit down with church attorney Keith Richardson from Michael Best to unpack the top five legal issues impacting churches in...
[S3EP12] 7 Shifts Every Church Board Eventually Has to Make
Are you navigating the transition from a founder-led church to a more sustainable governance model? In this episode, Tim and Holly break down the seven essential shifts every church board must make when moving from founder-led to governing boar...
[S3EP11] Staffing Ratios, Budget Benchmarks, and Church Stewardship
How do you know if your church is overstaffed, understaffed, or positioned wisely for the future?In Episode 11 of the LeadingSmart Podcast, Tim Stevens and Holly Tate unpack one of the most common leadership questions churches ask...
[S3EP10] Is It Time to Hire an XP? Signs Your Church Needs an Executive Pastor
Welcome Back to Episode 10 of The LeadingSmart Podcast! Struggling to figure out when your church needs an executive pastor? You're not alone. In this episode of Leading Smart, hosts Holly Tate and Tim Stevens tackle one of the most...
[S3EP9] Executive Assistant vs Administrative Assistant vs Chief of Staff: Which Role Does Your Church Need?
Welcome back to episode 9! Are you drowning in administrative tasks? Struggling to focus on what only you can do as a church leader? You might need the right support role—but do you need an Administrative Assistant, Executive Assistant, or Chie...
[S3EP8] Why Great Leaders Choose To Believe The Best
What if the way we start this year could reshape how we lead, relate, and respond to the people around us?In the first episode of 2026, Holly Tate sits down with Tim to unpack one simple—but deeply challenging—leadership principle: b...
[S3EP7] 5 Leadership Lessons Churches Learned in 2025 (Boards, Meetings, Succession & More)
As we close out the year, we’re reflecting on the five biggest leadership lessons we learned in 2025—lessons shaped by real conversations with church leaders, boards, and executive teams across the country.In this season finale of...
[S3EP6] Strategic Planning for Churches: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and Why It Matters
Welcome Back to The LeadingSmart Podcast! In this episode, Tim and Holly take you inside a real-time strategic planning process with one of their client churches. They break down what a strategic plan actually is, what it isn’t, and why so many...
[S3EP5] Stop Wasting Time: How to Lead Executive Team Meetings
Episode 5: Executive Team Meetings That Actually Work | Leading Smart PodcastWelcome back to Season 3 of the LeadingSmart podcast—leading in real time, where ideas spark mid-week, inspiration hits on Zoom calls, and yes… sometimes...
[S3EP4] Patrick Lencioni's Working Genius: Why Your Team Gets Stuck (And How to Fix It)
Tim and Holly dive into one of their favorite tools for helping leadership teams work better together: the Working Genius assessment from Patrick Lencioni and The Table Group.Here's the thing most leaders miss: your team isn't lacking in...
[S3EP3] Increase Church Giving with these 6 Tiers of Generosity
Church giving not growing like it used to? You're not alone. In the 3rd episode of the LeadingSmart podcast, hosts Holly Tate and Tim Stevens sit down with generosity consultant David Whiting to unpack a 6 steps revolutionary framework for unde...
[S3EP2] Gen Z Church Attendance Is Up—Here's What Barna's New Data Means for Your Ministry
Gen Z Church Attendance & Young Adult Ministry: The Great Return to Church | Leading Smart Podcast S3E2Discover why Gen Z and millennials are now the most regular churchgoers, outpacing older generations for the first time in ...
[S3EP1] How Men Can Create Environments Where Women Thrive in Leadership │ Leading In Real Time
Welcome to Season 3 of The LeadingSmart Podcast!Join co-hosts Holly Tate and Tim Stevens as they tackle the real, unfiltered challenges facing church leaders today in real-time. With decades of combined experience consulting with churche...
Season 3 Preview: Leading in Real Time │ The LeadingSmart Podcast
Officially launching Season 3, October 28! This season is all about leading in real-time.Tim Stevens and Holly Tate tackle the biggest leadership challenges facing executives and managers today bringing you timely leadership insights as...