In this Bonus episode of The Thread from Leadership Conference 2025, we hear from multiple Emmy and BAFTA Award winner Bear Grylls. Bear joins Nicky Gumbel live from the Royal Albert Hall and shares about his new book "The Greatest Story Ever Told", the process of writing it, and how deeply it has impacted his life.
In this episode of The Thread, Stephen sits down with Director of the Chinese Alpha Film Series, the Alpha Youth Series and the upcoming new Alpha Series, and the CEO of SignalFlare Productions, Steve Chao. Steve shares incredible insights into leading with faith in creative spaces and how his background in journalism at the heart of war zones across the globe shaped his passion for storytelling.
Content Warning: This episode contains several mentions of topics associated with warfare.
In this Bonus episode from Leadership Conference 2025, Patricia Lau, Executive Director of Alpha Hong Kong, is joined by global business leaders to look at how we can transform everyday work into patterns of Kingdom impact in the workplace.
Jacintha Tagal leads HTBB Church in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with her husband, Abel Cheah. In this episode, she shares with Stephen how her father’s headhunting Lun Bawang tribe in East Malaysia received the gospel and experienced the miraculous. She and Stephen discuss revival, spiritual inheritance, ministry, grief, and doing succession well.
In this Leadership Conference 2025 bonus episode, Rachel Gardner, Youth Innovation Lead at St Luke's church in Blackburn, is joined by emerging young leaders for a conversation on how we can reshape our thinking on social transformation, justice and God's kingdom, looking at how we can partner with God's work in bold new ways.
In this episode from Leadership Conference 2025, Amy and Rachel Hughes are joined their husbands Tim and Jonny Hughes alongside Priscilla Shirer for a conversation on how we wear the dual hats of both parenting and leadership and how we navigate the challenges and the joys of wearing those two hats together.
In this episode of The Thread, Stephen sits down with Abel Cheah, Vicar of HTBB Church in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to explore topics like the hunger, not for more leadership content, but for authentic examples of leadership, the raising up of new leaders, and what it takes to be a disciple-making disciple.
In this bonus episode from Leadership Conference 2025, Al Gordon and Farida Matthews explore the biblical and psychological aspects of the imagination and look at how you can unlock the creative potential of your mind.
This episode brings you Rachel Gardner's mainstage talk from the Leadership Conference 2025. Rachel looks at what God is doing amongst younger generations today, and how we as the Church must respond in this particular cultural moment.
In this episode, Stephen is joined by Alpha’s Global Youth Director, Dan Blythe. Dan works alongside young people and youth leaders globally to inspire, innovate and support the mission of Alpha to bring the gospel to young people around the world. In this conversation, Dan shares his own journey into faith at a young age, the values and priorities of the ‘now’ generation and his own tips for fighting fear, dismantling pride and living out the ‘new thing’ that God has for your life.
In this next bonus episode from Leadership Conference 2025, we feature a seminar presented by those currently stewarding moves of God among young leaders in various global contexts. With a surprising and significant openness to faith among the rising generations in many places around the world, how can we – as emerging and established leaders – seize the moment, prepare for awakening, and respond to what God is doing?
This bonus episode brings you a seminar from the Leadership Conference 2025 in which Jon Thompson and Tammy Comer join Pete Hughes to examine the influence that the demonic can have within our lives as Christians. Nothing of the kingdom goes uncontested. As we lead people into God’s purposes, we should expect spiritual resistance and opposition. What does this look like? How do we navigate and overcome it? Jon, Tammy and Pete share a theological overview, real stories, and what we can do about it.
In this episode, Rachel shares her journey from a theology dissertation on the Spice Girls to grassroots youth ministry in Blackburn. She explores the spiritual hunger of today’s teens, the most irreligious generation in history, yet simultaneously marked by a powerful spiritual hunger, and how the church can meet them with authenticity, hope, and the transformative presence of Jesus.
This episode brings you Dr. Johannes Hartl's seminar from the Leadership Conference 2025, exploring how we can find clarity and rest in an age of distraction. To work creatively and to rest deeply, both need something our world seems to lack more and more: the willingness and capacity to focus on one thing. In this seminar, you will learn why focus is the crucial skill for our time, how to understand the deeper spiritual dimensions of it, and how to strengthen your own focus.
In this mainstage talk from the Leadership Conference 2025, Harvard professor, PhD social scientist, #1 bestselling author and columnist of The Atlantic's popular "How to Build a Life" column, Dr Arthur Brooks studies and teaches on the art of happiness. He shares data-backed methods for finding deep purpose and happiness at every stage of life.
In this episode, Stephen is joined by Keithen Schwahn, who is Pastor of Young People at Church of the City New York. In this conversation, Stephen and Keithen dive into what is rising in young people today – from boldness to a spiritual openness and a hunger for truth. Keithen shares from his own journey about the importance of protecting the hope in your own spirit, building on truth and how to become a person of intercession and be set on fire with a contending heart of prayer.
This episode brings you Priscilla Shirer's mainstage talk from the Leadership Conference 2025. Priscilla speaks on how to remain steadfast, immovable and always abounding in the work of the Lord through the course of time and different seasons of life.
This episode brings you Pastor Andrés Spyker's mainstage talk from the Leadership Conference 2025. Andrés Spyker is the senior pastor of Masvida Church in Mexico City. In this talk he addresses the insecurities of a leader, the threat they pose to the church today and how we can overcome them.
In this episode of The Thread, Stephen Foster speaks with New Testament Scholar, thinker and theologian, N.T. Wright. This conversation centres on the resurrection of Jesus, looking at both the historical evidence supporting its truth and the significance it marks for God’s new creation on earth. Talking about being identified in Christ, the role of the Church today and the importance of imagination in the life of a follower of Christ, we hope you this episode.
Opening the Leadership Conference 2025, Nicky Gumbel makes a rallying call to the Church, to resist the spirit of the age and to embrace the Spirit of Jesus.
Drawing from Revelation 22:1-2, Nicky speaks about God’s plan to use His Church for the healing of the nations and he encourages us all to lead with integrity, courage and a Kingdom mentality as we share the unchanging gospel of Jesus Christ.
