Pastoring on Purpose

GA2026 - Francis Rodriguez

July 31st, 2026  |  Season 8  |  16 mins 37 secs

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

Our booth is packed, the crowds are gone, and the final worship services have begun here at the Church of God General Assembly 2026. As we prepare for the trip home, we're proud to share our last mini-episode recorded here in Orlando. Dr. Tim Maness welcomes Francis Rodriquez to Pastoring on Purpose. Francis is a young man attending Lee University who has a powerful story of sacrificing his own interests to care for his family as he pursues his degree in ministry.

GA2026 - Dennis Laughlin

July 31st, 2026  |  Season 8  |  21 mins 7 secs

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

Dennis Laughlin is the lead pastor at Starkville Church of God in Mississippi. Dennis visited Pastoring on Purpose at the Church of God General Assembly 2026 to join Dr. Tim Maness and share his pastoral journey. He talks about his experience pastoring over the last 25 years, and gives insight into how he maintains healthy boundaries to protect his family relationships and his hobbies.

GA2026 - Shea Hughes

July 31st, 2026  |  Season 8  |  14 mins 32 secs

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

Shea Hughes is the Administrative Bishop for the Pennsylvania Church of God. Shea has written a book, Toy Soldiers, about his childhood trauma caused by his father's abandonment and his path to overcoming that past through God. Dr. Tim Maness and Dr. Jeff Sargent spent some time at the Church of God General Assembly 2026 talking to Shea about his experiences, the book, and how his past has shaped his life to his current role.

GA2026 - Lisia Malcolm Burnett

July 31st, 2026  |  Season 8  |  17 mins 1 sec

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

Lisia Malcolm Burnett visited the Ministerial Care team this week at the Church of God General Assembly 2026. Lisia is a wife, mother, church planter, and businesswoman serving on the Regional Youth board and the Evangelism and Church Plant board for Ontario/Eastern Canada. Lisia received counseling from Dr. Tim Maness and wanted to share her story of strength and recovery through our pastoral counseling program on this episode of Pastoring on Purpose.

GA2026 - Jess Bradley

July 31st, 2026  |  Season 8  |  18 mins 30 secs

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

Dr. Jess Bradley is a psychologist and the wife of Ryan Bradley, student pastor at Lifeline Church of God in Princeton, West Virginia. She spent some time with Dr. Tim Maness at the Church of God General Assembly 2026, joining our podcast to talk about her research on the mental health of ministers and her hopes for utilizing that information to improve the lives of Church of God ministers everywhere.

GA2026 - Joseph Richardson

July 30th, 2026  |  Season 8  |  14 mins 32 secs

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

The Evangelist Joseph Richardson joined Dr. Tim Maness and Dr. Jeff Sargent at the Ministerial Care booth in the Church of God General Assembly 2026 exhibitor hall. Joseph is the youngest credentialed minister of all time in the Church of God. Joseph is 15, and joined our podcast to share his fire for the Lord and what it's like to be a young man in ministry.

GA2026 - Sarah Glover

July 30th, 2026  |  Season 8  |  17 mins 58 secs

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

Eighty-two-year-old author Sarah Glover stopped by the Ministerial Care booth at the Church of God General Assembly 2026 visit with Dr. Tim Maness and Dr. Jeff Sargent. They talk about Sarah's 42 years of youth ministry leadership and the trials and lessons she encountered along the way. Sarah is the author of Building a Youth Ministry and Well, I Declare, God, both available from Pathway Press.

GA2026 - Lesa Henderson

July 30th, 2026  |  Season 8  |  18 mins 25 secs

Our next Pastoring on Purpose episode from the Church of God General Assembly 2026 exhibit hall features author Lesa Henderson. Lesa speaks with Dr. Tim Maness and Dr. Jeff Sargent about her son's childhood trauma and resultant addiction and how it affected her family. She shares the journey her family took helping him to recovery and also talks about her book, Armed & Victorious.

GA2026 - Justin Walker

July 30th, 2026  |  Season 8  |  16 mins 44 secs

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

Our next mini-episode of Pastoring on Purpose, recorded live at the Church of God General Assembly 2026, featured Dr. Justin Walker. Justin is the new Dean of Theology and Ministry at Lee University. Dr. Tim Maness and Dr. Jeff Sargent get to know Justin, learn how his life as a PK shaped his journey, and gain insight into his perspectives on his role at Lee.

GA2026 - Bill Woodruff

July 29th, 2026  |  Season 8  |  19 mins 34 secs

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

Continuing our podcasts recorded live from the Church of God General Assembly 2026 in Orlando, Dr. Tim Maness is joined by Bill Woodruff, Director of the Flourishing Congregations Project. PTS Flourish is based out of the Pentecostal Theological Seminary and is a grant-funded program offering conferences for church leaders and their congregations to help develop healthier churches through training and discipleship.

GA2026 - Mitch Maloney

July 29th, 2026  |  Season 8  |  12 mins 55 secs

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

Mitch Maloney was pastor of North Cleveland Church of God for more than two decades, and has been in ministry for over fifty years. He dropped by the Ministerial Care podcast to talk to Dr. Tim Maness and Dr. Jeff Sargent about how his experience raising two autistic children inspired his current project, Real Life Village, a live-in care facility in Cleveland, Tennessee, for individuals with intelectual and developmental disabilities.

GA2026 - Mark Taylor

July 29th, 2026  |  Season 8  |  16 mins 43 secs

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

Recorded live at the Church of God General Assembly 2026, Dr. Tim Maness and Dr. Jeff Sargent speak with Dr. Mark Taylor. Mark is the Ministerial Care Director for the California/Nevada Church of God, and is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor. He is also the author of Beauty from the Ashes: Breaking Through the Pain Where Grace Will Sustain, a powerful and hope-filled resource for anyone walking through pain, trauma, or life’s unexpected challenges.

GA2026 - Phil Cook

July 28th, 2026  |  Season 8  |  16 mins 37 secs

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

Dr. Phil Cook, the president of Lee University, visited Dr. Tim Maness and Dr. Jeff Sargent in the exhibit hall at the Church of God General Assembly. They discussed Phil's experience as a student whose life was changed by (then) Lee College and how that influences him today in his current role as president. He also shared the vision Lee has, and how he is leading the university forward.

GA2026 - Giovy Sanders

July 28th, 2026  |  Season 8  |  22 mins 2 secs

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

Dr. Tim Maness and Dr. Jeff Sargent welcome Dr. Giovy Sanders to Pastoring on Purpose, live from the Church of God General Assembly. Inspired by her own experience as a pastor's wife, Giovy's doctoral research was on the mental health referral practices of clergy in the Church of God. Her research revealed a critical gap in how ministry leaders are equipped to recognize emotional and mental health challenges within their congregations. She talks about her research, as well as her new book, Navigating the Maze of Mental Health and Ministry.

GA2026 - Dennis Sanders

July 28th, 2026  |  Season 8  |  20 mins 43 secs

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

Terre Haute Church of God Senior Pastor Bishop Dennis Sanders stopped by the Ministerial Care booth at Church of God General Assembly. On this episode, Dennis tells Dr. Tim Maness his story of dealing with pride, divorce, and remarriage as a visible church leader. From his ex-wife's infidelity to his own decision to not get counseling during difficult times, to the challenges of carrying baggage into his new marriage, Dennis is honest and open about how God has given him a new season of greater emotional and mental health.

GA2026 - David Gosnell

July 28th, 2026  |  Season 8  |  20 mins 21 secs

church, faith, god, ministers, ministry, pastors, self-help, self-improvement

Recording live from the Center for Ministerial Care booth in the exhibit hall of General Assembly 2026, this episode of our official podcast finds Dr. Tim Maness and Dr. Jeffrey Sargent welcoming David Gosnell. David is the General Director of Church of God Publications. He's brought by a selection of new books that are available on the Pathway Press Bookstore website (and in their store here at General Assembly), and shares his passion for helping guide others who are inspired begin their writing journey through Pathway.