Before You Quit

In this podcast, Dr. Richard Kronk and I discuss his book, Not Called. Do you remember being called into ministry? How do you look back at that now? I'll be honest, when I sat down to be interviewed for licensing I felt I had to come up with a dramatic, mystical experience, a supernatural finger […] The post Podcast Ep.95: Not Called (Dr. Rick Kronk) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Why do pastors quit? Perhaps a positive way to frame this is, what keeps pastors from quitting? The pressures to quit is great. Pastors probably face more pressures than people do in other occupations. The reasons are many and the reasons, and motivations, to not quit are also great. I had the opportunity to speak […] The post Podcast Ep.94: What Keeps Pastors From Quitting appeared first on Before You Quit.

You're in college and life is good. You get a phone from your brother that turns your world upside down. You father murdered his wife, your mom. What do you do? How do you process this? Where do you turn? All this happened to Peter Yang only a few years ago. Now an unwelcome participant […] The post Podcast Ep.93: When Tragedy Hits Home (Peter Yang) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Noelle Moore lost her father, her only child and her marriage in a matter of months. Each of these trials alone can bring even the strongest believer to a place of despair. In this podcast Noelle speaks about the heartache of losing her daughter, Finley, and how God brought about healing and ministry through the […] The post Podcast Ep.92: Losing a Child (Noelle Moore and the Finley Project) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Legacy matters. Godly legacy matters more. I had a wonderful opportunity recently to sit down and have a great conversation with my nearly 92 year old father, John Schultz. I mainly wanted to leave something for our family. My mom and dad currently have sixteen grandchildren and thirty great-grandchildren. I hope one day they will […] The post Podcast Ep.91: Conversation With My Dad (John Schultz) appeared first on Before You Quit.

I reflect often on how the church is as healthy as it's families. And a healthy family is where there is a man, a husband and father who loves Jesus, and the gospel is the basis of his commitment to marriage. (I also know many single moms who experience health as they rely on Jesus […] The post Podcast Ep.90: Being A Loving Husband (Dan Stegeman) appeared first on Before You Quit.

In this third podcast with Prof. Rich Griffith, I talk about Gen Z and sexuality. Gender issues continue to push at the door of the Christian community, institutions and the Church. The Gospel is our defense, but also our banner of hope. Developing a deeper awareness of what is happening to culture around us, encourages […] The post Podcast Ep.89: GEN Z and Sexuality (Prof. Rich Griffith) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Today I interview Marci Renée who “accidentally” found herself working at a safe house in Spain. We discuss her work, her book and the tragedy of human trafficking. By listening to this podcast, you will never be the same. Marci Renée is a global nomad, who has traveled to more than 30 countries and has […] The post Podcast Ep. 88: RESCUING THE TRAFFICKED (Marci Renée) appeared first on Before You Quit.

I had the privilege of being a guest on another podcast. I include this podcast here where Pastor Dan Samms interviews me on my experience of following a pastor who experienced moral failure. This is the description of that conversation on Dan's website: Years ago Mitch Schultz was asked to step in to pastor a […] The post Podcast Ep. 87: MORAL FAILURES & CHURCH RECOVERY (Mitch A Schultz) appeared first on Before You Quit.

In today's podcast we are going to look at the challenges and opportunities that happen when someone in ministry enters what many refer to as the second half season of life. Many pastors, missionaries and ministry leaders find themselves in a unique place particularly when they have a couple decades under their belt. Different questions […] The post Podcast Ep.86: Adapting to the 2nd-Half of Ministry-Life (Jamey Lewis) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Parents are often ill-equipped for the challenges that come when their children become adults. Increasingly I have conversations with friends who's adult children are either struggling with their faith and/or struggling in their relationship with the parents. This can be deeply disenchanting for parents particularly when they feel they did everything “by the book” in […] The post Podcast Ep.85: Disarming Rebellion With Adult Children (Tedd and Margy Tripp) appeared first on Before You Quit.

I Want to talk on this episode on how a church transitions well. I remember sitting down with a friend processing a tough church and he made a comment I could never shrug. “Mitch you need to start your transition now. It might need to take you several years, but start your transition”. Unfortunately certain […] The post Podcast Ep. 84: Passing the Baton (Pastor Brian Dainsberg) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Often in summer I put out fewer podcasts, but I have also had a number of personal challenges that have led me to focus more on family than my other responsibilities. It's actually fitting I am doing this podcast on the subject of Scripture and prayer as this has been a sustaining discipline for me […] The post Podcast Ep.83: The Scripture and Prayer (Dr. Ken Boa) appeared first on Before You Quit.

One of my hero's of the faith, and go to guy, is Charles Spurgeon, the famous pastor from London in the mid 1800's. I even have a first edition of his devotional book, Morning By Morning. We have so much to learn from past spiritual leaders. I am not sure we really appreciate how their […] The post Podcast Ep.82: Jonathan Edwards, The Pastor (Pastor Dan Stegeman) appeared first on Before You Quit.

I have the privilege today to interview Sam Thompson, a pastor who happens to also be blind. Before I go to that interview I want to draw your attention to something Sam and I talk about in the closing of our interview. I thought it would be wise to emphasis it again here in the […] The post Podcast Ep. 81: Pastor and Blind (The Story of Sam Thompson) appeared first on Before You Quit.

 It’s not often I have had the opportunity to talk so openly with someone suffering a terminal illness. I think we would all agree that the church and even our culture is ill prepared to have hard and honest conversations about death and dying. In this podcast my goal is to help the church, help […] The post Podcast Ep. 80: Living With Terminal Illness -Scott Borderud appeared first on Before You Quit.

I have to admit, as I get older I stand back curious and some times burdened as I watch the up and coming generation navigate perhaps some of the same challenges we grew up with, but perhaps with different world views. I have also observed with keen interest, and equal concern how progressive Christianity is […] The post Podcast Ep. 79: GEN Z and the Gospel (Dr. Rich Griffith) appeared first on Before You Quit.

For some time I have been wanting to talk about the pastor and his money. One of the stresses in ministry is the pastor’s need for security which can add to the tensions in his life. A low paying ministry. Debt. Moves. Unexpected change. THis is an important topic because it is also a kingdom […] The post Podcast Ep: 78 The Pastor and His Money (Russ Crosson) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Today I have the privilege of interviewing Jim Newheiser on the topic of Pastors, Parents and Prodigals. I’ve been wanting to do this podcast for some time but wasn’t sure how to approach it. Increasingly, with my ministry, and even out of my personal friendships, I am becoming burdened for parents navigating the reality that […] The post Podcast Ep.77: Pastors, Parents and Prodigals (Dr. Jim Newheiser) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Since last podcast we need something lighter. Let me give some context. I grew up in Papua, Indonesia and have the fondest memories of traveling from one village of town to another thanks to a mission organization called Mission Aviation Fellowship. Like many missionary kids I longed to one day become a pilot, and while […] The post Podcast Ep:76 The Legacy of MAF (Dave Fyock) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Like many of you I have been reeling from the stories that have come out in the last years of great Christian leaders, mostly men, who have fallen hard. How do we respond to these events? What is it doing for the church or to the church? Why does this even happen to people we look […] The post Podcast Ep.75: When Christian Leaders Fail Us (Nick Stumbo) appeared first on Before You Quit.

I picked up and read best selling author Dave Harvey’s popular book “When Sinners Say I Do” about a year ago, and I loved it. How important it was to be reminded that problems happen in marriage because we are sinners, but there is hope because we have a Savior. Not long ago, I connected […] The post Podcast Ep. 74: When Sinners Say ‘I DO’. (Dave Harvey) appeared first on Before You Quit.

 I want to talk today about the gospel and the right kind of anger. Much of this comes from my own personal reflection on how we are to respond when so much seems so wrong around us.  Is it possible to act in love, to respond in love, motivated and driven by the gospel and […] The post Podcast Ep.73: The Gospel and Right Anger (Dan Samms and Eric Anderson) appeared first on Before You Quit.

With so much changing in our church, as we seek to reach each other and reach culture around us what we want to talk about today is the role of biblical education in our church life. My encouragement to you as a pastor and church leader, is as you make changes, as you adjust, as […] The post Podcast Ep.72: Keeping Biblical Ed. In Your Church (Rev. Alan Wilson) appeared first on Before You Quit.

I recorded this podcast in February, just before COVID. Have a good laugh at my reference to the primaries in Maine. Seems like years ago, doesn’t it? I interview pastor Steve about his involvement with IPM (Intentional Pastoral Interim) and how best to help troubled churches. We don’t just talk about the role of the […] The post Podcast Ep.71: Troubled Church and the Interim (Pastor Steve Kerhoulas) appeared first on Before You Quit.

I have a question. Maybe two? What is happening to the church during COVID? What will happen to the church? We are hearing a lot about what COVID is doing to the church and to believers. (I A study done by The Barna Group suggests that because of this reason one in five churches will […] The post Podcast Ep.70: Seeing Church Matter Again: Post-COVID (Eddie Cole) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Today is a hard topic but a necessary one. I want to talk about something the church needs to be more aware of than I think we are and that is the topic of opioid addiction. You will also find later in the podcast that this is a very personal subject for me as I […] The post Podcast Ep. 69: Opioid Addiction and the Church appeared first on Before You Quit.

In this podcast I muse over the state of the gospel, post-Covid. I also encourage the pastor to commit to gospel-centered, Biblically-solid expository preaching. My suggestion is; the church that will remain strong are those who are committed to the gospel. I also look at some of the pressures threatening the church, distracting her from […] The post Podcast Ep.68: The Gospel Post-Covid (My own musings) appeared first on Before You Quit.

It’s Interesting how this podcast turned out. I asked around for someone I could interview on the subject of addiction, mainly the issue of addictions to opioids and how the church should understand it and respond and so someone was recommended to me. His name is Mark Danzey. I sat down with Mark and as […] The post Podcast Ep.67: The Pastor and Pornography (Pastor Mark Danzey) appeared first on Before You Quit.

What exactly is being asked of us? Why should I be responsible for the sins of my ancestors? I’m not racist, but why am I made to feel like I am? What do you mean, ‘unless I am anti racist, then I am racist? It feels you’re asking for penance, not repentance? Can there really […] The post Podcast Ep.66: A White and a Black Pastor Talk Race and Social Justice appeared first on Before You Quit.

In today’s conversation with Rev. Mark Barnard and Dr. Kenneth Quick we are going to talk about dancing in church. Okay, now I know I have your attention. But no, not that kind of dancing. We will be discussing the dance of gifts in the church. Here’s what the conversation will be about: Much has […] The post Podcast Ep.65: The Dance of Gifts in the Church (Mark Barnard and Ken Quick) appeared first on Before You Quit.

 Let me start with a question, maybe a bit tongue in cheek. What if during this Covid 19 season while the church has been fasting from meeting corporately that the antagonist in the church have had a huge change of heart and are now determined to come back fully supporting the pastor and the church […] The post Podcast Ep.64: What Makes for Toxic Churches (Dr. Chris Creech) appeared first on Before You Quit.

During this Covid 19 season (I’m sure it will have a better name down the road) I have been thinking a lot about what this will do to or for the church. Will we be stronger for it? Is this one of those events that God will use to sift the church, from those who […] The post Podcast Ep.63: The State of the Gospel in America (Brandon Kimber) appeared first on Before You Quit.

What a time we live. Who would have thought even three months ago that this would be our story. Stay at home. Places closed. People lose jobs. During this time my heart has mostly gone to the pastor who longs to continue shepherding his people who are severely being tested. Yet here we are. To […] The post Podcast Ep:62 Pastoring During The Coronavirus appeared first on Before You Quit.

Aside from the Bible, one other book served as my lifeline during the hardest period of my life; my wife’s brain surgery and subsequent struggle to recover her speech, reading/writing skills, and my son’s passing to cancer just months after. That book was A Grace Disguised by Dr. Gerald Sittser. I’ve read the book probably […] The post Podcast Ep. 38: How the Soul Grows Through Loss (Dr. Gerald Sittser) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Oh, the great stuff we can gain from the previous generations. But how will we ever do that unless we pause long enough and listen to their stories.  When is the last time you sat down with an elderly saint in your church, or even sat down with your parents or grandparents and listened to […] The post Podcast Ep.25: Leaving A Godly Legacy! (John and Janine Schultz) appeared first on Before You Quit.

We live in a day when increasingly people are living in a vacuum, many around us not sure what to believe or even not sure what they believe. This is why it is so important that the pastor and church leaders and even those who are part of the body of Christ own what they […] The post Podcast Ep.61: The Pastor and Good Doctrine (Pastor Dan Samms) appeared first on Before You Quit.

The post Podcast Ep.60: A Theology of Suffering (Michelle Bates) appeared first on Before You Quit.

And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Eccl.4:12 Some have asked me when we will tell our story of loss and recovery in our family. And what was it like on our marriage. If you listen to this podcast enough you […] The post Podcast Ep.59: The Third Cord in Our Marriage (Our Story-Mitch and Elaine Schultz) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Some of the most beautiful stories that we hear today are those kind of stories that help us understand the gospel. The gospel story is simply the story of us, people made in the imagine of God who rebelled against him, but he because of his great love pursued us by dying for us, Jesus […] The post Podcast Ep.58: The Story of Being Adopted (Tatiana Fortney) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Did you know that 30 million people in our nation suffer from some kind of eating disorder? If this is true, than there is a good chance that a good number of people who attend your church struggle with this? We want to help you today not just to understand the scope of this reality, […] The post Podcast Ep.57: What the Church Should Know About Eating Disorders (Heather Lenox) appeared first on Before You Quit.

I know that today’s topic is touching on something that is not talked much about. However, in my over 34 years of pastoring it’s an issue that is all to real in the church community and it is the subject of sexual abuse. Through my counseling and pastoral ministry I have met countless people who […] The post Podcast Ep.56: The Impact of Sexual Abuse on the Marriage (Dr. Bill Ronzheimer) appeared first on Before You Quit.

“It is God’s love for us that He not only gives us His Word but also lends us His ear…So it is His work that we do for our brother when we learn to listen to him. Christians, especially ministers, so often think they must always contribute something when they are in the company of […] The post Podcast Ep.55: The Gospel and Listening (Pastor Darryl Handy) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Today we are going to talk about adoption. It has amazed me to observe through the years how often I’ve seen pastors adopt children. Today I have the privilege of interviewing two young pastors and their wives about their experience with adoption. You will find that the journey for them was hard, real, and full […] The post Podcast Ep.54: The Pastor and Adoption (Mosser and Santor) appeared first on Before You Quit.

It’s been some time now that I have wanted to tell our story, in particular my wife, Elaine’s story. Twenty years ago our family faced a trial that I know was survivable only because of the help of our Lord Jesus. As we were wrapping up a season of ministry in England, Elaine fell into […] The post Podcast Ep.53: Grace and Grit. (The story of Elaine, my wife.) appeared first on Before You Quit.

I have always been moved by the story of William Wilberforce the parliamentary figure who fought his whole career as a politician and Christian to see the abolition of slavery in the British Empire in the early 1880s. Amazingly, just three days after hearing that he passage of the act had been assured, he died; […] The post Podcast Ep.52: Speaking for the Unborn – A hard conversation about abortion. (Jenny Golding and Beckie Langtson) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Today’s topic will be raw and very real. The title was given to me by the person I am interviewing, Todd Adams. The power of the gospel that transforms lives in tragedy. This is the story, the testimony of a man who’s trust in Christ has been deepened by the hardships of serving Jesus in […] The post Podcast Ep.51: Transforming Power of the Gospel in Tragedy (Todd Adams) appeared first on Before You Quit.

 For years as a pastor and even since, I have loved counseling because I love to see people change. I love fighting for marriages. I do everything I can to keep couples from divorcing. I rejoice when couples who’ve been fighting and angry at each other now embracing with a new love. I absolutely love […] The post Podcast Ep.50: You Can Counsel Too! (Dr. Harold Rhoades) appeared first on Before You Quit.

It strikes me sometimes, that the generation that we now call, Gen Z will be making decisions for people in my generation in the future. Having a granddaughter who is in the next generation makes me extremely motivated to understand all the generations that follow me. The church has a tremendous privilege and responsibility to follow […] The post Podcast Ep.49: The Gospel and GEN Z (Dan Boal, Director of Youth – The C&MA) appeared first on Before You Quit.

CLICK HERE OR ON THE BOOK COVER ON RIGHT TO ORDER BOOK This will be a first for this podcast. But it will fit the vision of bringing courage and perspective when serving gets hard. I have the privilege today to discuss a portion of the Bible called the Beatitudes with an author who wrote a book about […] The post Podcast Ep.48: Pastor, Let’s Talk Beatitudes (Pastor John Fogal) appeared first on Before You Quit.

Let me start with an analogy that will help lead us into this conversation about disorientation in ministry. As a a pilot, one of the things I had to learn early on in my training was how to recover from a situation in flying called Spatial Disorientation, define as the inability of a person to […] The post Podcast Ep.47: Learning Resilience in Ministry (Phil Howard and Jeff Gangel) appeared first on Before You Quit.