Show notes
Brandon and Lindsy invite Britton Smith, host of Pastor to Pioneer to share his journey from traditional church leadership into simple church and disciple-making movements—and the deeper transformation he discovered along the way. Britton opens up about the personal cost of leaving the institutional model, the impact on his marriage and identity, and the realization that simply changing church structures and discipleship tools doesn’t necessarily change the heart. The conversation explores performance-based Christianity, relational discipleship, dependence on the Holy Spirit, and the difference between doing the right things and actually becoming more like Jesus. Britton also shares a powerful supernatural encounter from his years in ministry and explains why true pioneering begins with what God is doing within us.to share his journey from traditional church leadership into simple church and disciple-making movements—and the deeper transformation he discovered along the way. Britton opens up about the personal cost of leaving the institutional model, the impact on his marriage and identity, and the realization that simply changing church structures and discipleship tools doesn’t necessarily change the heart. The conversation explores performance-based Christianity, relational discipleship, dependence on the Holy Spirit, and the difference between doing the right things and actually becoming more like Jesus. Britton also shares a powerful supernatural encounter from his years in ministry and explains why true pioneering begins with what God is doing within us.https://pastortopioneer.com/Timestamps 00:02:50 – Britton’s Journey 00:05:19 – Discovering the Supernatural 00:07:40 – An Unexpected Deliverance Encounter 00:09:43 – Are We Actually Making Disciples? 00:11:13 – Experimenting With House Church 00:13:37 – Discovering DMM & a Different Approach 00:15:55 – Why Changing the Model Wasn’t Enough 00:18:20 – COVID Exposes Dependency in the Church 00:20:47 – Church Split & Losing 90% of the Congregation 00:22:47 – Learning to Be the Church Without the Leaders 00:24:59 – Beyond Changing Models & Methods 00:27:26 – Marriage, Ministry & Facing His Own Brokenness 00:29:30 – When Ministry Relationships Become Transactional 00:31:54 – Realizing You Can’t Change People 00:34:16 – DMM Tools Without Heart Transformation 00:36:40 – Relational vs. Programmed Disciple Making 00:38:50 – Following Jesus Without Forcing the Outcome 00:41:11 – Are We Making Disciples or Gospel Spreaders? 00:43:30 – How Does Real Spiritual Maturity Happen? 00:45:50 – Obedience as Fruit, Not the Mechanism 00:48:09 – Identity After Leaving the Church System 00:50:12 – The Idol of Impact 00:52:35 – The Story Behind Pastor to Pioneer 00:55:01 – Helping Others Navigate the Transition 00:57:29 – The Internal Journey of a Pioneer 00:59:51 – The Wilderness Between Pastor and Pioneer 01:02:13 – A Powerful Lesson About God’s Love 01:04:17 – Britton’s Wildest Supernatural Encounter 01:06:39 – The Power Is in Jesus’ Name, Not Your Volume 01:09:01 – An Angel With a Flaming Sword 01:11:26 – Bringing Heart Transformation Into Discipleship 01:13:48 – You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have
