What happens when the next wave of church leadership arrives faster than the handoff? In this episode, Daniel and Norival wrap up their conversation on Carey Nieuwhof's church leadership trends for 2026 by diving into two urgent realities: aging senior pastors and the accelerating AI revolution.

You will hear why many leaders feel a growing tension around succession, trust, and readiness, along with a candid look at why some older leaders struggle to release responsibility and why younger leaders often need real opportunities to grow. The conversation explores mentoring as a missing link, the need for safe spaces to learn through experience, and how the church can honor what previous generations built while still adapting to rapid cultural change.

They also tackle the opportunities and risks of artificial intelligence, asking how Christian leaders can approach new technology with wisdom, courage, and integrity while keeping the gospel deeply relational. Tune in to gain insights on developing leaders who can navigate both generational transition and the AI moment with faithfulness and clarity.

Resources:
- 7 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2026 - https://careynieuwhof.com/church-trends-2026

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Join a community of leaders who are ready to change history and make an impact in this world. When you take part in ILI training, you will discover how ILI's Eight Core Values will help you transform your leadership. Discover more at ILITeam.org/discover.

What if the biggest threat to discipleship is quietly living in your pocket? In this episode, Daniel sits down with Norival to continue their conversation around Carey Nieuwhof's seven church trends for 2026, focusing on three pressure points every Christian leader is feeling right now: evangelism, discipleship, and preaching.

You’ll hear why evangelism is becoming bolder and more personal, and why inviting someone to church is good but not the same as sharing the gospel. They unpack how algorithms are shaping what people believe, and why pastors cannot compete on content alone when the world’s best communicators are always one tap away. The answer is not more output, but deeper relationship.

Norival and Daniel also explore the shift in preaching from presentation to encounter, the growing hunger for authenticity, and the call to return to practices that cultivate intimacy with God. If you’re leading in a church, business, campus, or community, this conversation will help you respond with courage, clarity, and the next faithful step. Tune in to gain insights on leading people into real transformation in a noisy world.

Resources:
7 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2026 - https://careynieuwhof.com/church-trends-2026

Support the show

Join a community of leaders who are ready to change history and make an impact in this world. When you take part in ILI training, you will discover how ILI's Eight Core Values will help you transform your leadership. Discover more at ILITeam.org/discover.

Something unexpected is happening in the church, and thoughtful leaders are paying attention. After years of decline, Gen Z is beginning to re-engage with faith, while long-standing models of church and discipleship are being quietly reshaped.

In this episode of the History Makers Leadership Podcast, Daniel is joined by Norival Trindaji, ILI Vice President of Training, to explore key church trends shaping 2026 and beyond. Drawing from current research and lived leadership experience, they unpack why authenticity, spiritual family, and relational discipleship are resonating deeply in a digital world marked by noise, misinformation, and isolation.

The conversation also addresses a surprising demographic shift within the church, with more men remaining engaged while fewer women are staying connected, and what this means for leaders who want to respond with wisdom, compassion, and intentionality. Throughout the episode, Daniel and Norival return to a simple but powerful truth: lasting transformation happens through relationships, not programs.

This episode will encourage pastors, Christian leaders, and emerging influencers to rethink how they invest in people, form disciples, and lead faithfully in a rapidly changing culture. Tune in to gain insights on how to lead with clarity, courage, and hope in this moment.

Resources:
7 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2026 - https://careynieuwhof.com/church-trends-2026

Support the show

Join a community of leaders who are ready to change history and make an impact in this world. When you take part in ILI training, you will discover how ILI's Eight Core Values will help you transform your leadership. Discover more at ILITeam.org/discover.

Most leadership failures do not begin in public moments. They start in the quiet places of the heart.

In this episode, we explore why lasting, Christ honoring leadership must be rooted in a healthy inner life. You will be invited to reflect on the alignment between your spiritual walk and the way you lead others. The conversation challenges leaders to consider a powerful question: when you enter a room, do people experience peace or pressure?

This teaching unpacks the hidden struggles that quietly undermine leadership effectiveness, including unprocessed fatigue, unresolved resentment, insecurity, and ego driven motivation. You will learn why skills and strategies alone are never enough when the heart is misaligned, and how inner brokenness eventually impacts trust, culture, and relationships.

The episode also offers three practical spiritual practices leaders can begin immediately: naming what is true daily through God’s Word, bringing heavy burdens honestly before the Lord in prayer, and sharing appropriately within trusted Christian relationships. Together, these rhythms help leaders cultivate humility, integrity, and confidence rooted in Christ rather than performance.

If you desire leadership that flows from intimacy with God and produces long term fruit, this episode will encourage and challenge you. Tune in to gain insights on leading with peace, trust, and Christ centered character.

Support the show

Join a community of leaders who are ready to change history and make an impact in this world. When you take part in ILI training, you will discover how ILI's Eight Core Values will help you transform your leadership. Discover more at ILITeam.org/discover.

What happens when the Bible reaches one billion devices and why does it matter for your leadership today? In this episode of the History Makers podcast, host Shannon sits down with Daniel Drewski, president of ILI, to share powerful takeaways from the YouVersion one billion celebration and what it reveals about a growing hunger for truth. Daniel unpacks surprising insights about who is actually using the Bible app, why trust in institutions is fading, and how relationships are becoming the frontline for sharing truth with love.

You will hear why reports of skyrocketing Bible sales are fueling fresh urgency, and how leaders can respond with practical discipleship instead of passive consumption. Daniel also explains a simple framework for multiplying disciples, why you do not need to feel “qualified” to begin, and how finding a mentor can help you take your next faithful step.

Tune in to gain insights on leading with hope, building trust, and stepping into discipleship in this critical moment.

More information about YouVersion and the Bible App at https://www.bible.co

Support the show

Join a community of leaders who are ready to change history and make an impact in this world. When you take part in ILI training, you will discover how ILI's Eight Core Values will help you transform your leadership. Discover more at ILITeam.org/discover.

What if the pressure to move faster is actually holding your leadership back? In this episode, we explore a powerful and timely truth for Christian leaders navigating new seasons, complex decisions, and constant demands: hurry is not a sign of faithfulness, it is a liability.

This conversation invites you to rethink how urgency shapes your leadership and to embrace what Scripture points us toward again and again, a sacred pace rooted in trust, discernment, and intimacy with God. You will learn why speed is often mistaken for obedience, how data alone is never enough to make wise decisions, and why discernment must guide leadership choices in moments of uncertainty.

Through biblical examples, practical leadership frameworks, and reflective questions, this episode helps leaders slow down internally so they can act with greater clarity, emotional health, and spiritual confidence. You will be challenged to examine what emotions drive your decisions, where fear may be masquerading as urgency, and how faithfulness can reshape the way you lead teams, families, churches, and organizations.

If you are feeling rushed, stretched, or overwhelmed, this episode offers a grounded and hope filled invitation to lead from peace instead of pressure. Tune in to gain insights on leading with faith, wisdom, and sustainable impact.

Support the show

Join a community of leaders who are ready to change history and make an impact in this world. When you take part in ILI training, you will discover how ILI's Eight Core Values will help you transform your leadership. Discover more at ILITeam.org/discover.

What if the most powerful ministry you lead starts at your table and not your calendar? Today, we explore the biblical heartbeat of hospitality and connect it to real stories from around the world where unhurried welcome turned strangers into family.

We get practical about leading with a sacred pace in a culture addicted to speed. You’ll hear how a humble espresso machine became a discipleship tool, why margin is a spiritual discipline, and how to discern when an interruption is actually the plan.

We lay out concrete steps leaders can take to build a culture of welcome: protect margin, create a simple “door” into relationship, teach teams that not every interruption is a distraction, and institutionalize hospitality with rhythms of prayer and open invitations.

Whether you’re serving in a church or the marketplace, these practices make evangelism and discipleship relational again.

Ready to make space for transformation? Let’s practice radical hospitality together.

Support the show

Join a community of leaders who are ready to change history and make an impact in this world. When you take part in ILI training, you will discover how ILI's Eight Core Values will help you transform your leadership. Discover more at ILITeam.org/discover.

In this special best-of and revisted episode of the History Makers Leadership Podcast, host Daniel Drewski returns to a powerful conversation with David Daniels to highlight two essential leadership priorities: identifying future leaders and developing them through the Five C’s of Leadership.

One of the greatest challenges facing today’s Christian leaders is the ability to recognize, develop, and empower the next generation. Without a clear framework for identifying leadership potential and a process for intentional growth, organizations and movements risk stagnation and missed kingdom opportunities.

In this refreshed focus on a past conversation, David Daniels, a seasoned marketplace leader with over 35 years of experience at Chick-fil-A, shares his proven Five C’s framework for identifying and developing emerging leaders. Having overseen hundreds of team members, David brings practical, transferable wisdom that applies across business, ministry, and community leadership contexts.

Whether you are building a business, leading a ministry, or investing in people within your community, this episode offers timeless insights for cultivating a leadership culture marked by intentional development, accountability, and lasting legacy. This revisit will sharpen your ability to spot leadership potential and apply the Five C’s with clarity and purpose.

Support the show

Join a community of leaders who are ready to change history and make an impact in this world. When you take part in ILI training, you will discover how ILI's Eight Core Values will help you transform your leadership. Discover more at ILITeam.org/discover.