What if you didn’t get to choose where you served, but trusted the Spirit and the Church to send you?

In Part 2 of this conversation, Pastor Benji Van Fleet joins Tara Beth Leach and Mark Quanstrom to unpack the Methodist system of itinerancy and what it teaches us about obedience, humility, and trust. From matchmaker bishops to Methodist “March Madness,” Benji shares a vision of ministry rooted in submission rather than self-promotion, and a faith that follows wherever God leads.

🎙️ In This Episode:

• What the Methodist itinerant system teaches about calling and surrender
• How being sent shapes a pastor’s humility and courage
• The dangers of “pastor as CEO” and the freedom of not owning your church
• How diversity flourishes through a Spirit-led appointment process
• Why obedience to the Church’s discernment can deepen faith

00:00 – The theology behind being sent rather than hired

03:00 – Contextualizing mission: unity without uniformity

07:00 – The “matchmaker” role of bishops and discernment in appointments

11:00 – Fresh eyes and prophetic courage in short tenures

15:00 – Undermining the “pastor as CEO” model

20:00 – Methodist March Madness and the beauty of discernment

24:00 – Diversity and the Kingdom of God in appointment systems

32:00 – A phone call on Holy Week that changed everything

36:00 – Saying yes when it could’ve only been six months

38:00 – Submission, humility, and the Spirit’s surprising work

Ministry is not a career we climb; it’s a call we receive. Benji’s story reminds us that when we live as sent ones rather than stationed ones, we find the freedom to trust God’s wisdom over our own plans.