The RISE Leadership Podcast

Luke Humphrey showed up at the University of Arkansas as a "good Christian kid" and was at his first college party within 48 hours. A few months later, sitting in a strip mall on Weddington at C3, he realized he knew about Jesus but had never surrendered his life to Him. 
Today Luke is the Discipleship Pastor at Cross Church Fayetteville. He's also one of the easiest people on our team to develop. In this episode, Jeremy and Phil talk with Luke about what it looks like to receive feedback without getting defensive, why humility has to come before growth, and how he defines discipleship in two phases: transformation and multiplication. Luke also gives practical next steps for anyone who wants to become more like Jesus, whether you're brand new to serving or have led a small group for 30 years. 
Whether you're on the Dream Team, a seminary resident, on staff, or leading at a network church, this one will help you take a hard look at how you grow and who you're pouring into. 
Want to start serving at Cross Church? Text SERVE to 479-343-8777. 
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Eleven years ago, Pablo Daut and his wife Flor moved from Spain to Northwest Arkansas to start a Spanish-speaking ministry inside Cross Church beginning with one couple and a cup of coffee. Cross Church Español has since grown to 1,000+ on a Sunday, and now a second campus is launching. Pablo, the Espanol Teaching Pastor, talks with Jeremy and Phil about the early years with no model to follow, losing five years of momentum to COVID, and the mentor in Argentina who taught him small-group multiplication. He also shares the tools behind the growth (Casas de Paz, Grupos de Vida, Invasion of God's Love), what leading bilingually has taught him about love and humility, and the Rogers launch.
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Buster Pray has served at Cross Church for almost 33 years — as worship pastor, as campus pastor at Pinnacle Hills, and now leading our Legacy Ministry. Along the way, he buried his father at 20, lost his son Andrew in a cycling accident the day before Thanksgiving 2012, and survived a heart attack seven years ago, all while leading at a high level.  
This episode isn't about frameworks or five-step plans. It's a conversation about what actually holds a leader together when life falls apart — how to grieve without faking it, how to show up for someone else's pain, and how real hope in heaven changes the way you lead on an ordinary Tuesday. 
Dr. Jeremy Dixon, Fayetteville Campus Pastor, and Phil McMichael, Executive Pastor, sit down with Buster to talk revival, tragedy, the "God factor," and 33 years of Cross Church and choosing to keep leading, keep following, and keep hoping. 
Mentioned in this episode: Courtney Pray Duke's book, And She Got Up: Shattered by Loss, Restored by Jesus — and Cross Church's Call to Lead Conference. 
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The Pipeline series ends where leadership development reaches its highest calling — not just leading a team, but developing the leaders on your team. In Part 4, Dr. Jeremy Dixon and Phil McMichael sit down with Tony Cobb, Director of Training and Development at Black Raven Group and coach at Cross Church's Highway 62 campus. Tony brings a rare perspective: he's been a student pastor in Oklahoma, Florida, and Texas, and now he'scoaching leaders of dream teamers— including the setup and teardown crew when Hwy 62 was still meeting in a high school gym. In this conversation, they break down what a coach actually does, the shift in mindset required to move from producing outcomes to producing people who produce outcomes, the 3C coaching framework (Care, Communication, Coaching), and how Proverbs 20:5 anchors the whole philosophy. If you lead anyone at any level, this episode is for you.
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She's the better half of our senior pastor at Cross Church — and today she's finally on the podcast. 
Meredith Floyd joins Dr. Jeremy Dixon and Izzy Hoffarth for a fun, personal conversation about growing up on a farm in Florida, meeting Nick at Liberty University, and what life with the cookie-baking, song-singing Pastor Nick actually looks like at home. 
She also shares her heart for the women of Cross Church, what it means to keep your priorities in order, and what's on her heart for our upcoming Women's Gathering. 
If you've ever wanted to sit down with Meredith over coffee — this is the next best thing. 
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