Many leaders secretly believe their value comes from what they do. But what happens when the title disappears, the ministry ends, or life takes a turn you never expected?

In this deeply personal conversation, Steve Cummings shares his journey through ministry leadership, addiction recovery, job loss, financial uncertainty, and ultimately discovering a deeper identity as a beloved son of God.

From sitting in rehab at age 55 to working at Home Depot and eventually launching Bringing Kingdom, Steve offers hope for anyone learning to trust God in a season they never planned for.

• Your identity is not determined by your title, income, or position.
• Hidden struggles become more dangerous when they remain isolated.
• Recovery begins when honesty replaces shame.
• God often uses seasons of transition to reveal deeper truths about who we are.
• Ministry is not confined to a church building or nonprofit organization.

00:00 Friendship, ministry history, and Steve's background

01:30 Seminary, missed opportunities, and unexpected career turns

03:45 Building a career in nonprofit ministry

06:00 Hidden struggles, addiction, and personal collapse

08:00 Rehab, recovery, and discovering the deeper issues

11:00 Losing a ministry position and starting over

12:30 Working at Home Depot and confronting identity

16:00 Launching Bringing Kingdom

21:30 The Father Eclipse and understanding father wounds

28:00 Helping men discover their identity

31:30 Financial uncertainty, faith, and trusting God's provision

40:30 Is there life after ministry?

If you're navigating a leadership transition or difficult season, start a conversation with a specialist at Ministry Transitions. Learn more about Steve's ministry at Bringing Kingdom.

Success in ministry can hide struggles that few people ever see.

While Will Acuff was helping build a nonprofit that would eventually launch thousands of entrepreneurs and transform communities, his family was walking through years of exhaustion, medical challenges, and uncertainty.

The contrast forced him to confront a difficult question: what happens when the strategies that helped you succeed no longer work?

In this conversation, Will shares the lessons he learned through leadership succession, personal suffering, and the unexpected journey that led him to write No Elevator to Everest.

For leaders facing transition, burnout, or uncertainty, this episode offers a hopeful vision for finding joy that is not dependent on circumstances.

• Succession works best when leadership development starts long before the transition.
• Healthy transitions require trust, coaching, and ongoing support after the handoff.
• High-capacity leaders often struggle to acknowledge their own pain and limitations.
• Joy is cultivated through intentional practices, not favorable circumstances.
• Faithful leadership requires both knowledge of God and honest knowledge of ourselves.

00:00 Welcome and Will's ministry background

03:45 Launching Corner to Corner and helping entrepreneurs escape poverty

07:50 Why the Church should lead community transformation

11:10 Succession planning and transitioning leadership as a founder

19:55 Parenting through complex disabilities and chronic hardship

24:00 Creating a "joy lab" in the middle of suffering

29:00 The story behind No Elevator to Everest

31:00 Advice for burned-out ministry leaders

35:00 Finding joy in the middle of hard

35:40 Resources, book, and final encouragement

If you're navigating a ministry transition or leadership challenge, start a conversation with a specialist at Ministry Transitions. Learn more about Will's work at Corner to Corner and his book at No Elevator to Everest.