Welcome to the conversation

Jesse and I are both pastors who've been leading revitalization and change in our churches for nearly 15 years. Our conviction is that God isn't done with our historic, denominational churches (despite their serious decline). However, it's going to take serious change to translate the never-changing message of Jesus into the ever-changing language of culture.

But, change is hard. It takes incredibly strong and courageous leaders. That's where you come in. You are doing the most important work in the world, and we want to equip and encourage you for the journey.

Ministry is hard. It's so much better when we do it together!

What does The Reclaimed Leader mean?

Antique tables typically go one of two ways:

1. They are stored in the attic or garage and eventually collect dust and rot away
2. They are given a shiny lacquer and no one is allowed to set their drink on them

Either way, the tables become unusable.

This has been the story of many of our historic, mainline, denominational churches. They are either crumbling or have become museums of Christendom (or both). The result is the same: they've been deemed unusable by those outside their walls.

They have to be reimagined.

Like removing a door from a rotting, 100-year-old barn, then repurposing and reimagining it as a dining table. It's still a barn door, but now it's usable.

Our churches need to be reclaimed. They need to hold on to who they are, but become usable for future generations. They must learn how to effectively translate the never-changing truth of Jesus into the ever-changing language of culture.

And, it will take the right kind of leaders: reclaimed leaders.

A little more about us

Jason Tucker

Hey there, I'm Jason. I'm the founder of The Reclaimed Leader, LLC and a full-time pastor in Red Bank, NJ. After 14 years of youth ministry, I finally stopped fighting God and enrolled at Princeton Theological Seminary, where I received an M.Div. in 2009, and was ordained as a Presbyterian minister shortly thereafter.

From the start, I was never much of a status quo kind of pastor. So, revitalization has always been a foundational part of my call to ministry. But, as I began to lead change, I realized that while seminary did an excellent job of training me theologically, there were some significant gaps in how to land that theology into actual leadership.

So, in 2012, I enrolled at Fuller Theological Seminary, where I studied church revitalization and received a D.Min. It was also where I met Dr. Bob Whitesel, an adjunct professor who was also a well-regarded church consultant. Eventually, I trained with Dr. Whitesel (shadowing him on consultations across the country) and became a certified Missional Coach.

Coaching churches, however, started organically. As our church in Red Bank started flourishing, many area pastors started asking: what are you guys doing?  And, I began to realize that there was another significant gap that needed to be addressed: the majority of revitalization resources come from megachurch leaders who don't really understand the nuance of leading a small, mid-sized, or even large historic, denominational church.

This is why we started The Reclaimed Leader Podcast in 2017. We wanted to bridge the gap, and help the 385,000 non-megachurch churches in America succeed. Now, we offer coaching, consulting, and other renewal resources to help pastors and their churches take action and move their mission and vision forward.

Jesse Skiffington

Hey fellow leaders, allow me to introduce myself.

After graduating from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2009 (where Jason and I became friends), I began to work as an Associate Pastor at Marine View Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, WA.

In 2013, our Senior Pastor of 25 years retired and I was asked by the congregation to serve as the Interim Pastor. Over the next several years in that role, I led our church through the challenge of changing denominations and into the hard work of revitalization, building on the legacy of our past. During that time, we changed just about everything from our vision and mission, to our staff structure, our physical campus, and even the way we gathered for Sunday morning services. When the dust settled, I had learned a lot, was still on my feet, and, by the grace of God, the Marine View congregation was moving forward with renewed purpose.

Fast forward to today, I have served in my current role as Lead Pastor at Marine View for the past 9 years and am still passionate about leading change in the local church. I am married to my amazing wife, Callie, and together we enjoy life in the Pacific Northwest with our two children.

When Jason and I discussed the possibility of a leadership podcast to help pastors and leaders navigate change, I was in. I believe leadership matters immensely and is worth the energy and effort we put into it. Leadership is HARD and comes with bumps, bruises, and scars along the way. We need a community that cheers us on in our leadership adventures.

Reviews

What some of our listeners say about us

Apple Podcasts
The Best Podcast for Church Revitalization

Jason and Jesse are so dialed in to the challenges facing presbyterian, Methodist, Lutheran, episcopal, and other church leaders seeking to bring transformation to traditional denominations. There are many wonderful podcasts and gurus on church growth - but Jesse and Jason have made a ā€œtailored suitā€ that perfectly add...

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Apple Podcasts
Not just for pastors

Iā€™m not a pastor but I am a leader. I find a lot of similarities between what Pastor Jason and Pastor Jesse experiences and my own experiences as an educational leader. Their insights have been useful to me.

Apple Podcasts
Universally appealing!

Jason and Jesse are amazingly enlightening, engaging and energetic!! As an organizational and leadership development professional and practicing Presbyterian, this duo melds the two worlds seamlessly! This is for anyone looking to ā€œbe the changeā€ at work or at home by putting into practice the strategies highlight...

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