Life After Ministry

PODCAST

Turning transition into transformation.

Reclaim Your Identity

Fingerprint icon on a teal background

Redefine
Your Assignment

A white outline of a dart hitting the bullseye on a target inside a blue circular background.

Rediscover Your
Calling

Simple white line drawing of mountains on a teal circular background.

Listen to the Life After Ministry podcast on Apple, Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.

Matt Davis Matt Davis

Episode 88 - Mending the Fracturing Church (featuring Dr. Andrew Hale)

The Church is carrying more tension than many leaders know how to navigate. Political polarization, fractured trust, rising anxiety, and unrealistic expectations on pastors are reshaping congregations across the country. 

In this conversation, Dr. Andrew Hale shares why he believes the Church is not collapsing but entering a moment of reformation. 

Together, we explore how ministry leaders can stop treating non-essential issues as ultimate ones, rebuild authentic community, and lead congregations toward healthier relationships rooted in Christ instead of cultural division.

Read More
Matt Davis Matt Davis

Episode 87 - The Imperfect CEO (featuring Jim Brown)

Leadership transitions often expose something many leaders spend years trying to hide: the fear that they are not enough for the role they carry. 

Whether it is a pastor navigating succession, a nonprofit executive facing organizational change, or a CEO realizing old leadership methods no longer work, the pressure to appear confident and certain can quietly isolate leaders from the people they serve. 

In this conversation, Jim Brown shares why healthy leadership begins when leaders stop trying to be the hero of the organization and start building collaborative cultures where people feel valued, empowered, and trusted.

Together, we explore the emotional realities underneath leadership transitions, difficult staffing decisions, and organizational change. 

They discuss why so many leaders stay too long, how fear often disguises itself as faithfulness, and why humility and vulnerability are becoming essential leadership qualities in today’s world. 

The conversation offers practical wisdom for ministry leaders who want to navigate transition seasons with greater clarity, courage, and care.

Read More
Matt Davis Matt Davis

Episode 85 - Missing Links in Ministry Successions (featuring John Pearson)

Leadership transitions often don’t fail in the moment they happen. They begin to unravel long before that. 

In unclear expectations, undefined roles, and decisions made without discernment. 

This episode explores how fear, lack of clarity, and misaligned leadership structures quietly shape outcomes. It offers a clearer path forward for leaders and boards navigating change.

Read More
Matt Davis Matt Davis

Episode 81 - Leadership Was Never My Calling (featuring Eric Reid)

Many ministry leaders begin their journey with a genuine desire to serve. But somewhere along the way, leadership can quietly become something else. 

Platforms grow. Expectations rise. Applause becomes affirmation. And before long, influence begins to shape identity.

Eric Reid spent years traveling the world teaching leadership alongside John Maxwell. From the outside, it looked like success. But internally, Eric began to notice a troubling pattern. 

Leadership had become a performance, a way to earn approval rather than simply serve people.

In this conversation with Matt Davis, Eric reflects on the personal awakening that led him to write Leadership Was Never My Calling

Together they unpack the deep tensions many leaders carry: the pull toward platform, the pressure to perform, and the quiet invitation of Jesus to step down the ladder and serve with humility.

Read More
Matt Davis Matt Davis

Episode 71 - The Fourth-Quarter Question (featuring Dr. Nathan Baxter)

Dr. Nathan Baxter loved ten hours of his job. 

Those one-on-ones with staff fueled him. The rest slowly emptied him. Naming that truth started a two-year journey out of a role he’d held for decades. He didn’t abandon ministry. He changed vehicles so his calling could breathe again.

In this conversation Nathan walks through a practical runway. He set a modest income target, built a small savings cushion, and launched a coaching practice with a pastor’s heart. He also shares the moment his elders asked him to leave sooner than planned and chose surprising generosity, a gift that humbled him more than any pain.

Now coaching CEOs and pastors alike, Nathan talks finishing well, clarifying a “particular purpose,” and the three anchors every leader over 50 needs: margin, influence, and hyper-intentional living. 

If transition feels like free fall, this episode will help you steady your soul and take the next right step.

Read More
Cover image for the podcast titled 'Life After Ministry' with subtitle 'Turning Transition into Transformation.' The background features a landscape with a grassy field, distant mountains, partly cloudy sky, and a church building with a cross on top on the left side. The lower right corner displays the podcast logo.

Facing Life After Ministry can feel hopeless, but it doesn’t have to be.

Whether you've stepped away from the pulpit by choice, or circumstances have forced a change, it's a monumental shift that leaves many wondering, "What's next?" If you're at this crossroads, you may feel alone, overwhelmed, and unsure about the road ahead.

We want you to know that you're not alone in this transition. There's not just life after ministry - there's a chance to thrive.

Sharing is caring.

Listen to an episode and help us spread the word by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts.

“Just listened to Matt and Marilee unpacked their own story in episode one. So generous, honest, and invitational. Thanks for meeting a "gap" in the ministry world, and by that I mean the shattered heads and hearts wandering the land like Christendom's own take on the Walking Dead. I pray this resurrects many, opens eyes for their families and communities, causing an increase in empathy among God's people.”
- Scott White

David, Former Pastor

"I felt lost after leaving the ministry. This podcast showed me a way forward."

Sarah, Ex-Missionary

"Life After Ministry Podcast was a lifeline during my transition. Now, I'm thriving in my new chapter!"

A weathered wooden bridge extending into a wooded area at sunset with leafless trees and a forest background.

The Struggles of Transitioning

Stepping away from pastoral service can be a lonely journey filled with uncertainties. What will your new identity be? How do you make sense of the changes? The stakes are high - but you don't have to navigate this alone.