I sat down with Pastor John Ware Jr. from Lifehouse Church in Virginia for one of the most honest conversations I have had on the ChurchCandy Podcast.
John did not hold back. He talked about planting a church, battling burnout, protecting his soul health, building a diverse congregation, running a portable church, and how digital outreach helped his ministry reach more people than ever before.
If you are a pastor who has ever wondered whether the pressure to grow your church is actually healthy, this conversation will speak directly to you.
From Youth Pastor to Church Planter
Pastor John shared how he transitioned from youth ministry to church planting. He spent years serving as a youth pastor, learning the rhythms of ministry and developing his leadership.
When the time came to plant Lifehouse Church, he stepped out in faith knowing that the experience he gained in youth ministry would serve as a strong foundation. But he was honest about the challenges that came with it.
His advice for youth pastors considering church planting? “Don’t rush it. Make sure you’ve been tested and proven in the role you’re in before you jump into planting.”
He believes that too many young leaders rush into planting before they have been through enough seasons to truly understand the weight of leading a church.
Why Soul Health Matters More Than Church Growth
This was the part of our conversation that really hit home.
Pastor John was candid about a season where he hit a wall. The demands of ministry, the pressure to grow, and the constant hustle took a toll on his mental and spiritual health.
He told me, “There was a point where I was so focused on building the church that I forgot to take care of my own soul. I was leading people to a place I wasn’t even going myself.”
That moment of honesty is something every pastor needs to hear.
John discovered Soul Shepherding, a ministry focused on helping pastors and leaders cultivate spiritual and emotional health. It became a turning point for him.
He now prioritizes his own soul health before anything else in ministry. And he believes that is exactly why Lifehouse Church has been able to grow in a sustainable way.
COVID, Identity, and Pastoral Burnout
Like many pastors, John walked through the COVID season and came out the other side with hard-won wisdom.
He talked about how the pandemic forced him to confront questions about his identity. When the church stopped meeting in person, when attendance dropped, when everything he had built seemed to pause, he had to ask himself: Who am I without the Sunday crowd?
John said, “COVID stripped away a lot of the things we hid behind as pastors. It forced me to deal with things I had been avoiding for years.”
That kind of transparency is rare. And it is exactly what pastors need to hear from other pastors.
The burnout was real. But instead of pushing through it, John chose to get help. He leaned into counseling, into Soul Shepherding, and into trusted relationships.
How Soul Health Changed His Family and Staff
One of the most powerful parts of our conversation was when John talked about how his personal transformation impacted his family and his team.
When he started prioritizing his own health, his marriage improved. His relationship with his kids got better. His staff noticed the difference.
He told me, “When I started getting healthy, the people around me started getting healthy too. It was like the culture of the whole church shifted because I shifted.”
That is a lesson every church leader needs to take seriously.
Your church will never be healthier than its leader.
Building a Diverse Church in Virginia
Lifehouse Church is a beautifully diverse congregation. And John did not stumble into that by accident.
He shared how intentional they have been about building a church that reflects the diversity of their community. From worship style to leadership structure to the way they communicate, everything is designed to make people from all backgrounds feel welcome.
But he also did not sugarcoat the challenges. Navigating racial tension and building genuine unity takes work. It takes hard conversations. It takes a willingness to listen and learn.
John believes that the local church should be the most diverse place in any community. And he is putting in the work to make that a reality at Lifehouse.
Running a Portable Church
Lifehouse Church is a portable church, which means they set up and tear down every single Sunday. John talked about the pros, the cons, and the practical strategies they use to make it work.
The biggest advantage? Lower overhead. You are not paying a mortgage on a building you only use a few times a week.
The biggest challenge? It is physically and emotionally exhausting. You need a committed team of volunteers who show up early every Sunday to set up chairs, sound equipment, kids check-in stations, signage, and everything else.
John’s advice for portable church pastors:
- Invest in your setup team. These are your MVPs. Take care of them, appreciate them, and do not burn them out.
- Systematize everything. Create checklists, assign roles, and train new people constantly so you are not depending on the same handful of volunteers.
- Do not let the setup become your identity. The setup is a means to an end. The end is reaching people.
Digital Outreach and Partnering with ChurchCandy
John shared how Lifehouse Church started using digital advertising to reach new people in their community. Before working with ChurchCandy, they were relying mostly on word of mouth and community events.
When they started running Facebook and Instagram ads through ChurchCandy, they saw an immediate difference. New faces started showing up on Sunday mornings. People who had never heard of Lifehouse Church were finding them online and deciding to visit.
John talked about specific stories of people who came through their doors because of an ad they saw on social media. Families who were searching for a church home. Individuals who had walked away from faith and felt drawn back.
That is what digital outreach is all about. It is meeting people where they already are and inviting them into something real.
Real Stories from ChurchCandy Ads
Some of the most encouraging moments in our conversation came when John shared real testimonies from people who found Lifehouse Church through our ads.
There were families who had been searching for a church for months. There were individuals who were going through hard seasons and felt like the ad showed up at exactly the right time. There were people who had never stepped foot in a church before.
Those stories remind me why we do what we do at ChurchCandy. Every click, every impression, every ad is an opportunity for someone to encounter the love of God through a local church.
If you are curious about how other churches are using Facebook ads to grow their attendance, Pastor Sherman Dumas saw 300 guests on his launch day using a similar strategy.
Launching a Second Campus
John also shared about Lifehouse Church’s plans to launch a second campus. After years of building a strong foundation at their original location, they felt it was time to expand.
He talked about the leadership pipeline they built, the systems they put in place, and how they are preparing their team for multi-site ministry.
For pastors thinking about launching a second campus, John’s biggest piece of advice was to make sure your first location is healthy and self-sustaining before you try to replicate it.
What Pastors Can Take Away
Here are the biggest takeaways from my conversation with Pastor John Ware Jr.:
- Prioritize your soul health. You cannot pour from an empty cup. Get a counselor, join a group like Soul Shepherding, and invest in your own spiritual and emotional well-being.
- Be honest about burnout. Pretending you are fine when you are not will only make things worse. Get help before you crash.
- Build diversity intentionally. If you want a church that reflects your community, you have to be intentional about it in every area of your ministry.
- Leverage digital outreach. People are searching for churches online every single day. Make sure they can find yours.
- Do not rush into expansion. Build healthy before you build big.
Pastor John Ware Jr. is the real deal. His honesty, his vulnerability, and his commitment to healthy ministry are an example for every church leader.
If you want to connect with Pastor John, follow him on Instagram @stutteringpastor or visit Lifehouse Church online.
And if you are ready to start reaching more people in your community through digital outreach, schedule a discovery call with our team at ChurchCandy.
What are you doing to protect your soul health as a pastor?
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