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