The Saturate Podcast

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt talks with Jesse Bradley, who shares his journey from professional soccer goalkeeper, to a career-ending health crisis, and how Jesus met him in an extremely difficult season. This experience has given him a passion to empower everyday disciples to bring the good news of Jesus to their own homes and neighborhoods. Looking forward, Jeff and Jesse talk about the upcoming World Cup as a pivotal missional opportunity to reach the global community. This conversation offers hope for the ways Jesus wants to give us all that we need in difficult and painful circumstances, and how He invites us to share that same hope and good news to those around us.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt talks with Brett Donald, one of Saturate's Disciple-Making Lab coaches.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt talks with Josh Benadum about his book, A Life That Leads, which explores the foundational role of character in leadership.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt introduces Abe Meysenburg as the newest member of the Saturate team, providing oversight to Leader Health initiatives.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt talks with author and professor Chuck DeGroat, who proposes that true transformation requires moving beyond habit formation.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt talks with Ben Connelly about his newest book, Sent Churches, Sending Churches.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt introduces Todd Engstrom as the new Integrator for the Saturate team.

In this episode of the Saturate Podcast, Jeff Vanderstelt and Peyton Jones discuss the urgent need for a shift from simply attending church to a mobilization movement centered on active disciple-making.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt interviews three key leaders about their collaborative ministry initiative, Charleston United, bringing together kingdom-minded leaders from pastoral, non-profit, and marketplace sectors for the sake of gospel saturation. Craig Tuck, Jamie Jordan, and Elijah Melendez share how their strategy centers on mobilizing the Church through five "gates," including connection, prayer, serving the city, mentoring, and healthy leadship. Ultimately, their goal is to see everyday followers of Jesus equipped and mobilized to live as His people on mission in their own spheres of influence so that every person in their city can meet Jesus.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt and Matt Broweleit, the Executive Director of Together for Seattle, discuss how this collaborative movement emerged, forming trust and connection among siloed churches and ministries.

Listen in as Soma Tokyo pastors Yoshito Noguchi and Jon Cole share with Jeff Vanderstelt the vision and challenges of church planting in one of the world’s most spiritually resistant landscapes: Tokyo, Japan.

In this last episode of the "Disciple-Making Pathway" series, Jeff Vanderstelt pulls back the curtain on the often-neglected later stages of spiritual growth...

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt unpacks the “spiritual young adult” stage of the disciple-making pathway, where mentoring and apprenticeship become essential. A development culture is key for this stage, with opportunities for hands-on ministry experiences, and the freedom to fail and learn. Spiritual young adults also need to discover their unique GPS (Gifts, Passion, Story), how to stand firm against the enemy’s schemes, and step into leadership with both resilience and grace. If you’d like to explore your own journey as a disciple of Jesus, check out the free Disciple’s Pathfinder here: https://saturatetheworld.com/explore-disciples-pathfinder/

Jeff Vanderstelt continues to examine the stages of the Disciple-Making Pathway. In this episode, he unpacks how to lead spiritual children to grow up in their faith through learning to obey the commands of Jesus and practicing the “One Another's” in community. During this stage, spiritual children also learn to feed themselves through prayer and Bible study, grow in gospel fluency, and take responsibility to serve others in their spiritual family. You’ll be encouraged to consider your own personal faith journey while you also contemplate how you might develop others in their own journey.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt explores what it means to establish spiritual newborns in their faith, drawing powerful parallels to caring for a physical infant. He unpacks five essential practices—from affirming identity in Christ to nurturing growth through community, being spiritually fed and learning to give voice to one’s spiritual needs—that help new believers become rooted and thriving disciples. Listeners are invited to reflect on their own spiritual foundation and consider how to better support others in this vital stage of the disciple-making journey.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt unpacks the very beginning of the Disciple-Making Pathway, focusing on those who are spiritually unborn. He emphasizes the power of radical hospitality—creating non-pressured, authentic spaces where people can experience God’s love through listening, presence, and tangible acts of service. This lifestyle of welcome and care naturally opens the door to sharing the hope of Jesus and inviting others to follow Him.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt gives an overview of the Disciple-Making Pathway. More like a journey up a mountain than a linear pipeline, this is the process by which people move from being "spiritually dead," to being born again as "spiritual infants," and eventually growing up to become "spiritual grandparents," raising up new generations of disciples. As you listen, consider your own journey and what you may need for your current stage on the Pathway. It may also provide some insight around how to frame up the developmental stage and needs of those you are leading as well.

In this episode of the Saturate Podcast, Jeff Vanderstelt and Chuck DeGroat explore the profound journey of healing spiritual and emotional trauma. Chuck offers a reframing of God’s questions in Genesis 3 as compassionate invitations to self-reflection and growth. Discover practical insights on vulnerability, self-compassion, and the restorative power of God's presence to address trauma holistically.

Join Jeff Vanderstelt and Doug Paul this episode of the Saturate Podcast as they explore the art of kingdom innovation and its transformative impact on Christian leadership. Discover how to overcome barriers like fear and the "curse of knowledge" through practical, time-bound experiments that drive change. Learn actionable steps from Paul’s five-phase innovation process to help leaders adapt, grow, and embrace cultural relevance.

Discover how churches can ignite true spiritual growth by engaging both the mind and heart in this conversation with Michel Hendricks and Jeff Vanderstelt. Learn why joy is essential for character formation and how a discipleship model can help communities thrive. Packed with practical insights, this episode will inspire you to cultivate a culture of love and emotional maturity that mirrors Jesus.

Join Jeff Vanderstelt and Mindy Caliguire of Soul Care as they explore how leader health fuels gospel saturation, and share insights from Mindy’s new book, Ignite Your Soul. Discover how to thrive amidst burnout, embrace spiritual formation, and foster collaboration in ministry. This powerful conversation will inspire you to balance soul care with impactful leadership.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt sits down with Neal McGlohon and Craig Tuck to explore the powerful vision of gospel saturation in Charleston, South Carolina. Together, they discuss the Cypress Project’s mission to equip church leaders and planters for Kingdom work that extends beyond their individual churches, fostering collaboration across the city. This conversation dives into the five key initiatives driving gospel city movement in Charleston, from citywide prayer to new Kingdom initiatives, and the transformative impact of a unified, city-wide effort to bring the gospel to every woman, man, and child.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt and Jennie Allen dive into the topic of emotional health, revealing why true vulnerability and processing emotions in community are essential—especially for leaders. Jennie opens up about her personal journey toward emotional wholeness, sharing insights from her book Untangle Your Emotions. She also sheds light on a remarkable movement among college students and young adults, showing how God is powerfully at work in this generation. Plus, Jennie extends an exciting invitation to Gather 25, a transformative 25-hour global church event on March 1, 2025, focused on prayer, worship, repentance, and uniting to make a lasting impact in the world. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation on emotional healing, leadership, and what God is doing today!

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt and John Mark Comer discuss what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. True discipleship of Jesus is a relational process of deep, loving attachment with God and others. People can tend to emphasize one aspect of being a disciple, whether that is correct theology, spiritual practices, small groups, or church attendance, but at its most basic level, it's about being formed through deep relational connection with God and healthy, meaningful, vulnerable relationships.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt and Hugh Halter discuss Brave Cities, a way of being the Church in a small, covenant community of friends who live in close proximity, who build works of justice, and whose businesses bless the city they are in. The conversation centers around what it means to build a kingdom ecosystem rather than Sunday-centric, formulaic versions of church. They emphasize the importance of understanding the context, cultivating relationships, and organically developing structures over time.

In this episode, Daniel Yang and Jeff Vanderstelt discuss the need for the Church to make shifts in light of changing demographics and the unique needs of younger generations. Daniel believes that the traditional approach to church planting, while effective in the past, may no longer be sufficient to reach the next generation. They talk about the importance of embracing new models and perspectives, with emphasis on attachment and connection. Daniel Yang's new book, Becoming a Future-Ready Church, can serve as a guide for leaders seeking to equip and empower the next generation with wisdom and hope.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt talks with Sharon Hamill about the story of Pray Seattle, a movement that seeks to transform the heart of the city through prayer. Sharon describes how they've seen God leading and going before them, uniting the Church in the city through times of prayer, and moving in beautiful and unexpected ways.

In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt and Nic Harding, Director of Kairos Connection, a city-reaching network in the UK, discuss the importance of unified gospel city movements and explore how churches can work together to reach every person in their communities with the gospel. Nic also shares his personal experience establishing a church in Liverpool, where he saw the vital role of missional communities in fostering community and living on mission. Ultimately, Nic encourages us to believe in the possibility of completing the Great Commission through intentional collaboration and shared vision, highlighting the importance of humility, honesty, and a shared passion for the gospel.

What does it look like to create simple, Kingdom expressions of Jesus that form into disciple-making microchurches? How do we lead people to be on mission in their unique context? How can you create space at your table for people to meet Jesus in community? Steven Barr was led by Jesus to help Disney cast members around the globe develop Kingdom expressions where people get to meet Jesus in the context of their everyday life. In this episode, join Jeff Vanderstelt and Steven Barr down imagination lane. What might Jesus be calling you to discover right where you live, work, learn, or play?

aul instructed Timothy to keep a close watch on his life and doctrine so that he would save both he and his hearers. Today we are seeing both a growing awareness and openness from leaders to care for their own soul. In this episode, Jason Kovacs, Executive Director and Counselor with the Gospel Care Collective, shares with Jeff Vanderstelt some very helpful and practical processes. He uses these to engage with leaders and churches to help them both care for their own soul and create cultures of care in the church, centered on Jesus.

Has the mission of Jesus ever felt more like striving and less like thriving? The culture we create is connected to the kinds of leaders we are. If we are not emotionally and relationally healthy, we will make disciples who are emotionally and relationally unhealthy as well. In this last episode of the 180 Series, Jeff Vanderstelt shares some of his own personal journey toward emotional and relational health with the hope that you will take your journey seriously as well.

Have you ever found yourself getting worn out and weary trying to live out the mission of Jesus? Continuing with our 180 Series, one of the shifts we need to make back to disciple-making is from striving to thriving. In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt considers how this involves moving from flesh to Spirit, from working with only our power and skills to living from the power of the Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead.

Disciples become like those they are following. As we make disciples of Jesus, the ones we lead can take on our character and practices. This is an important reason why a leader's journey toward spiritual and emotional health matters. In this episode, David Achata shares with Jeff Vanderstelt his journey of heart transformation and its significant impact on the key relationships around him. Listen to this episode and consider your journey: are you taking steps for your own spiritual and emotional health?

In order to return to disciple-making, we must make a shift from merely attending events and programs, to attaching to God, self, and others through our disciple-making spaces. This requires mindfully engaging in spiritual practices with the goal of lovingly attaching. During this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt describes practical ways to engage several spiritual practices that invite attachment.

So many things have changed in our post-pandemic world, including the Church, how we make disciples, and lead others to do the same. How does the Church become stronger, healthier, and more engaged in everyday mission? Daniel Im addresses this question in his new book, The Discipleship Opportunity: Leading a Great Commission Church in a Post-Everything World. During this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt invites Daniel to unpack some of the key ideas of the book, giving listeners some ways to frame up our context and consider how to lead others on mission more effectively.

In order to return to disciple-making, we must make a shift from attending to attaching. Merely attending events and meetings will never develop disciple-making disciples. We need to lead people to attach to God and others in significant, transformative ways. Working from an understanding of social spaces, Jeff Vanderstelt looks at the ministry of Jesus and discerns five key spaces that He engaged very intentionally. This episode will help you discern where you are strong and where you might need to grow in your own disciple-making strategy.

Jesus was clear that we are to make disciples who make disciples. However, many of us don’t feel skilled or effective at it and often feel like we’re getting in the way. Kirk Freeman wrote the book Threads to show how anyone can weave everyday disciple-making into the fabric of their life and ministry. In this episode, Kirk shares how we can make space and create opportunities for people to meet and interact with Jesus in very personal and transformative ways. Disciple-making doesn’t have to be as hard as many of us have made it to be. Listen and learn how you can join Jesus drawing your friends and family to Himself.

If we are going to return to disciple-making, we need to make a shift from merely informing people to equipping ministers. So much of our training merely gives people ideas or concepts. However, research shows this is not the most effective way of training people. Informing is a necessary part of equipping but it is only one part. We need to create much more holistic forms of equipping that are D.E.E.P.E.R.

If we are going to return to disciple-making, we need to make a shift from merely informing people to equipping ministers. Part of that process is considering the diversity of our equipping. Are we equipping people in the way Paul instructed the church in Ephesus? He was clear that if we are to grow up into a full expression of who Jesus is, we need to be equipped by apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. One person equipping the many will never lead to a full expression of Jesus. We need all the people gifts equipping all of the people of God.

In this second of ten episodes, we consider the first of the five shifts we must make to return to disciple-making. We need to shift from just reaching people to making disciples who make disciples. To accomplish that, we must build an effective disciple-making pathway that leads and develops people through a formation process. We'll explore the various stages, starting with moving from spiritually dead to becoming a spiritual infant in the faith. Next, we help spiritual infants grow up into spiritual children who will mature to spiritual young adults and eventually be sent out to be spiritual parents who can lead their own spiritual families. This kind of pathway requires spiritual grandparents who create equipping environments for multi-generational disciple-making disciples. Listen in and consider how you might build and strengthen a disciple-making pathway in your context.

In this, the first of ten episodes, we consider the first of the five shifts we must make to return to disciple-making. We need to shift from just reaching people to making disciples. However, we cannot make what we cannot state. What is your definition of a disciple? Does it sound like what Jesus called His first disciples to? In this episode, we consider the essence of what a disciple of Jesus is, with the goal of helping you clarify your own definition for your context.

Can you dream of a day when every man, woman, and child in your context has repeated opportunities to meet Jesus through His people on mission everywhere, everyday? In this episode, Jeff Vanderstelt walks through the biblical vision for gospel saturation and the key elements on which we must unify and collaborate to see it realized in our context.

Jesus never commanded us just to reach people so that our church or group would get bigger. Jesus commanded us to make disciples who make disciples. In order to do that, we need to think through how to lead people from becoming spiritually alive to growing into being a spiritual parent. Jay Pathak and Jeff Vanderstelt had a wonderful conversation about how Jay organically creates disciple-making pathways in his context. In this episode, you will be inspired to consider how to create hospitable space for people to show up just as they are, offering opportunities for you to lead them toward following Jesus, and eventually becoming disciple-makers themselves.

So many leaders want to see more disciples of Jesus equipped to make disciples in everyday life. However, far too much of our so-called equipping is only informing people. And sadly, we are not equipping with all the gifts. Evan Mawarire has a compelling life story that serves as a remarkable example of one whose life was dramatically changed through Jesus mobilizing His people as gifts to minister, equip, and send. This episode will inspire, encourage, and convict you to step out as the gift God has also called you to be in the world.

Many leaders and churches have given church planting a try but have not always experienced great success. In many cases, it is because they were trying to do it all alone. We all need greater collaboration leading to planting churches in partnership with others. In this episode, Jordan Elder shares the origin story of the Redeemer Network of Churches, the key initiatives that have shaped them, the struggles they’ve faced, and the breakthroughs they’ve experienced as they have grown from seven church plants to thirty in the past ten years. If you are hoping for greater collaboration around planting churches, this episode will provide some great next steps.

People simply attending events or groups will not lead to disciple-making disciples. People need to engage in genuine loving attachment to God and others in order to experience true transformation into the image of Christ. In this episode, Danielle Strickland shares some incredibly insightful and helpful ways we can lead people to truly attach to God through spiritual practices. If you want to shift your ministry from people just attending to truly attaching to God and others, this episode will serve you well.

Have you found yourself regularly giving yourself away to the degree that you wonder if you have any self left? Are you tired, weary, and worn out? God is present with you, lovingly waiting for you to come home to yourself so you can abide with Him there. Chuck DeGroat and Jeff Vanderstelt have an honest and open conversation about their own journeys and ways you can also practice being present yourself. The content in this episode is a must for all of us.

It’s far too common to care for everyone else in need around you and neglect yourself until it's too late. Yet Jesus calls us to take care of and find rest for our souls. Mindy Caliguire shares her own journey toward taking the care of her soul seriously and how she and Soul Care, the organization she started, are helping others slow down and care for their souls as well. Your soul needs to hear what Mindy shares in this episode.

As the culture grows more secular and people are less open to the gospel, many struggle to effectively make disciples of Jesus. Victoria, British Columbia, with its affluence and religious skepticism, represents the epitome of this challenge. And yet, thirteen years ago Chris and Kellee Synesael effectively planted a church of missional communities that are finding ways to engage their context and make disciples. Listen in as Jeff Vanderstelt interacts with Chris around their story. Chris provides some very helpful insights that can be applied to any context.

What do ice cream and disciple-making have in common? Marc and Alissa Zera. Marc left Wall Street and moved to Charleston, SC to start a craft ice cream shop. They weren’t following Jesus back then, however, Jesus had bigger plans for their lives and business. Marc shares how Jesus stepped into their brokenness and is now redeeming their marriage and business to write a far better story. Are you wondering if Jesus might want to redeem your story for His glory? This story will inspire you to dream with God about the story He wants to write with your life.