The Wesleyan Way of Leadership

Scripture: Hebrews 12:1–2

Leadership is not a sprint. It's a marathon of grace, perseverance, and faithful endurance. In this episode, Tim and Sara explore the Wesleyan way of leadership through the lens of Hebrews 12:1–2, focusing on three core practices that help Christ-centered leaders stay grounded for the long run: vision, adaptability, and accountability.

You'll hear how vision keeps us focused on Christ and the mission, how adaptability helps us lay aside what no longer fits so we can follow the Spirit's leading, and how accountability reminds us that we don't run the race alone.

Through stories of perseverance, from Admiral Jim Stockdale to Olympic runner Derek Redmond, Tim and Sara remind us that leadership is about helping everyone finish the race faithfully, not just finishing first.

Listen and reflect:

• What race are you running right now?
• What weights are slowing you down?
• Who's running beside you and cheering you on?
• Where are your eyes fixed?

Remember: You're surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, strengthened by grace, and never running alone—Christ runs with you. Listen now at transformingmission.org/386

The earliest followers of Jesus didn’t just gather once a week—they lived their faith together. In Acts 2:42–47, we glimpse a community formed around grace: studying Scripture, sharing meals, praying, and caring for one another so that no one was in need.

In this episode, Tim and Sara explore what it means to build a grace-filled community today. They remind us that community isn’t optional for followers of Jesus—it’s the context where faith is practiced, forgiveness is learned, and love takes shape.

You’ll hear how the early church’s rhythms of prayer, fellowship, generosity, and devotion reveal a pattern for Christ-centered leadership in every generation. Together, Tim and Sara discuss: Why practicing community is a spiritual discipline that requires intention and grace. How transformation happens through reflection, not just information. What koinonia—true Christian fellowship—looks like beyond coffee and donuts. How Wesley’s class meetings built structures of care that nurtured spiritual growth.

A real-life story of a church embodying grace through radical hospitality and compassion. Grace-filled communities aren’t perfect—they’re prayerful, patient, and generous. They make room for God’s Spirit to transform lives in ordinary ways: over a meal, during prayer, or in a conversation that brings healing.

Key takeaway: Grace turns inward faith into outward action. When we practice grace in community, God multiplies it—one act of love at a time.

🎧 Listen now: TransformingMission.org/385

Sanctifying grace is God's ongoing work of shaping us into the likeness of Christ. It does not happen through quick fixes or self-improvement, but through love that matures over time.

In Episode 384 of Transforming Mission, we explore how God finishes what God starts, using the words of Philippians 1:3–11 as our guide. Through gratitude, prayer, partnership, and discernment, this conversation reminds us that grace isn't a one-time moment.

Grace is a lifelong relationship. You'll be encouraged to notice where love is growing in your life, name your partners in grace, and practice habits that nurture spiritual growth.

If you've ever felt weary, unfinished, or unsure how to grow in faith, this episode offers hope: God isn't done with you yet. Sanctifying grace is love in motion. Sanctifying grace is God forming your heart, your habits, and your leadership in Christ's image.

Read more and listen at https://transformingmission.org/384

In this episode, Tim and Sara continue their journey through the movements of grace,this time focusing on justifying grace, God’s gift of new life. If prevenient grace awakens us to God’s presence, justifying grace is the moment we realize we’ve already been welcomed—fully, freely, and forever.

Anchored in Romans 5:1–11, this conversation explores how God’s grace moves first, reconciling us and setting us free to live as beloved children of God. Tim and Sara unpack how repentance isn’t a price we pay to receive grace but our “yes” to God’s “yes.” They explore what it means to stand in grace, to live from peace rather than striving, and to lead from love rather than fear.

Along the way, Tim shares a powerful personal story of discovering what it means to be chosen and loved—an image of the unconditional grace we find in Jesus. Listeners will discover five practical ways to live and lead from justifying grace: confession, communion, courage in conflict, gospel-centered preaching, and blessing others with love. Whether you’re a pastor, lay leader, or follower of Jesus seeking renewal, this episode will remind you that grace isn’t earned—it’s received.

Because in Christ, the door is open, the welcome is real, and you already stand in grace.

--- Listen Now: https://www.transformingmission.org/podcast/episode-383-justifying-grace-gods-gift-of-new-life/

Scripture Reference:Romans 5:1–11 J

Theme: Justifying Grace – God’s Gift of New Life

Length:26 minutes

Episdoe 382 invites you to begin an exploration of God's grace in the Wesleyan tradition. That exploration begins with prevenient grace, the grace that goes before us, through the lens of John 1:1–9.

Long before we act, plan, or even believe, God is already at work. That’s the heart of prevenient grace. It reminds leaders that ministry isn’t about starting something new, but discerning how to join what God has already begun.

Through Scripture, Wesleyan theology, and personal stories, this conversation invites you to reframe leadership as an act of cooperation with God’s initiative. From the light that “shines in the darkness” to the relationships and moments where grace is already at work, this episode will help you see leadership through the lens of divine presence and participation.

Listen now and rediscover how prevenient grace transforms how you lead, serve, and live. Learn more at transformingmission.org/382

In this episode of the Transforming Mission Podcast, Sara and Tim unpack Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus from Luke 16 to help Christ-centered leaders rethink who’s at their “gate.”

Rather than a story about money, this parable challenges us to notice people at the edges of our leadership circles and respond before the “chasm” becomes unbridgeable. Drawing from their own experiences—everything from literal church parking-lot traffic patterns to ministry with people living with HIV/AIDS—Sara and Tim explore how churches and leaders unintentionally create “gates,” the fears that fuel them, and the ways we can open our neighborhoods wider.

You’ll hear practical questions to guide your week: Who is at your gate? What chasm is God calling you to cross? How can you amplify voices at the margins? Packed with Scripture, real-life stories, and a call to action, this conversation will equip you to see every person as made in the image of God and to lead with courage, compassion, and hope in a divided world.

Read more and listen to episode 381 at https://transformingmission.org/381

In this week’s episode of the Transforming Mission Podcast, Tim and Sara dive back into Luke 15:11–32, the parable most of us call “The Prodigal Son,” but Tim calls “The Running Father.” Together they talk about what it really means to lead with grace in a critical world.

As they unpack the story, you’ll hear why grace moves first, why it costs something, and how it keeps the way home open for people who’ve wandered off. You’ll also discover the trap of the older brother’s resentment — and why fairness isn’t God’s metric — plus why celebration itself is an act of grace. If you’ve ever felt unworthy, unappreciated, or caught in score-keeping leadership, this conversation will remind you: unworthy never means worthless.

Join Tim and Sara for a hopeful, honest look at how leaders can absorb the cost, resist resentment, and throw a party when grace shows up.

TimeStamp

00:53 Reading the Parable of the Prodigal Son

04:18 Discussion on the Younger Son's Actions

05:24 The Father's Grace and Leadership Lessons

08:59 Extending Grace in Leadership

14:23 The Older Brother's Perspective

18:00 Celebration and Final Thoughts

24:32 Conclusion and Benediction

People Over Programs: Lessons from Luke 15 In Luke 15:1–10, Jesus shares two parables that continue to speak to leaders today, the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin. On the surface, these are simple stories of something missing being found. But beneath that simplicity lies a challenge: God values people more than programs, systems, or even our best-laid ministry plans. Continue Reading at https://transformingmission.org/379