Soulman's Bar-B-Que and Lifeway Christian Resources bring leadership and life lessons to children. July 16, 2026 · · Inside the heartwarming partnership of Soulman's Bar-B-Que and Lifeway Christian Resources. For over five decades, Soulman's Bar-B-Que has believed that great barbecue does much more than just satisfy a craving - it brings communities together. Now, the North Texas staple is taking that philosophy a step further by partnering with one of the nation's leading Christian publishers to help share important life lessons with children across the country. The brand recently welcomed the production team from Lifeway Christian Resources to film an episode of its popular children's ministry video series, Explore the Bible on Location, inside a local restaurant in Red Oak, Texas. This special educational series is designed specifically for churches and Sunday School programs, helping kids connect timeless biblical principles with everyday, real-world experiences in settings they can easily recognize. Exploring leadership and teamwork at Soulman's Bar-B-Que. During the episode, CEO Brett Randle joined show host Joel Mylin on camera to explore key values like leadership, following instructions, learning from experienced mentors, and working together as a team. The twist? They explained all of these concepts through the real-world lens of preparing great barbecue and serving hungry guests. "Our restaurants have always been about more than food - they're places where people learn, grow and build relationships," says Brett Randle, CEO of Soulman's Bar-B-Que. "We were honored to partner with Lifeway to help create something that teaches children positive values while showing how teamwork, leadership and service play out in everyday life." The resulting video is now available to churches nationwide as part of Lifeway's structured children's curriculum. Filming inside an authentic, busy restaurant helped illustrate these important lessons in a practical, memorable way that children can relate to easily. A longstanding commitment to faith, food, and family. This unique partnership perfectly reflects the brand's ongoing commitment to supporting organizations that strengthen families, invest in young people, and serve local neighborhoods. Throughout its fifty-year history, the company has regularly partnered with schools, nonprofits, churches, and community organizations across North Texas, believing that businesses should play an active role in their communities. "We're grateful for opportunities like this that allow us to give back in meaningful ways," Randle says. "If a child learns an important lesson about leadership, responsibility or serving others while watching this video, we're proud to have been part of that experience." Since founding its very first spot in Pleasant Grove, Texas, back in 1974, the family-owned and operated company has focused on serving authentic, slow-smoked Texas barbecue and offering friendly, sincere service. By sticking to time-honored family recipes, they smoke eight different types of meat "low and slow" over pure hickory wood, alongside homemade sides like ranch house beans and Texas-style cream corn. With 21 locations operating across North and East Texas, the brand continues to pair its dedication to great food with a strong focus on community values. To find your nearest location or explore their award-winning menu, visit Soulmans.com. Discover more Restaurant Family Law

Lifeway discipleship micro-conference equips, encourages church leaders. Metadata: ORLANDO, Fla. - In partnership with the Southern Baptist Annual Meeting Pastors' Conference, Lifeway Christian Resources hosted a free, one-day micro-conference on discipleship. The organization also unveiled a free tool to assist church leaders in their task of making disciples. More than 500 registered for the micro-conference on Monday, June 8. Chad Higgins told those gathered at the Orange County Convention Center they were there because of a legacy of discipleship. "Someone poured their life into you to help you grow as a disciple," said Higgins, senior manager of church equipping at Lifeway. But now, he noted, many church leaders are frustrated with the discipleship efforts in their congregations and asking, "How do we get people to engage more?" He and others at Lifeway organized the event to equip and encourage pastors and leaders in making disciples within their churches and communities. "As we thought through this mini-conference, we knew the room would include people from all different types of churches," Higgins said. "There would be people who were discouraged about discipleship in their congregations, and there would be those who are excited about what God is doing and looking to take the next step." Higgins said he wanted attendees to gain both practical teaching on discipleship but also encouragement in their calling. "We want them to leave feeling encouraged on their discipleship journey," he said. "We want them to know God is with them, and He has more for them." During the conference, Lifeway announced the launch of DisciplesPath, a free discipleship assessment tool for churches. "This isn't prescriptive. This isn't Lifeway telling you what you need to do," said Higgins. "God placed you in your church for a reason." Instead, Higgins said DisciplesPath is a tool to assist church leaders in understanding what discipleship currently looks like in their congregations and discovering how they can take the next step on a pathway toward growth. Morning session In the first session, John Paul Basham, Lifeway's director of adult ministry, shared on building a disciple-making culture. "Discipleship doesn't start with another task," he said. "It starts with a longing to become like Jesus and to help others do the same." Basham warned leaders that many ministry tasks can crowd out the ultimate call Jesus gave His disciples in the Great Commission to make disciples. "We are not commanded to grow our ministry or build our platforms or establish systems," he said. "We are commanded to 'Go and make disciples.'" The goal of a Christian and a church should be reproduction, Basham said, but that is also the gap. "Only 8 percent of pastors strongly agree they are satisfied with discipleship in their churches," he said, referencing Lifeway Research's recent State of Discipleship study. Mark Croston, national director of Black church ministry at Lifeway, told attendees, "Faith comes by hearing, but discipleship comes by doing." Walking through Jesus' life and actions in Mark 6, Croston walked church leaders through four phases of intentional discipleship - teaching, training, tutoring and testing. First, Croston stressed, "You cannot be what you do not have." He said the disciples had to walk and learn from Jesus before going out themselves. "You have to be a follower of Him before you can be a fisher of men." Next, disciples should move to the application phase of training. After they gain the information, they must put it into practice. Then, they are tutored in the adjustment phase, before finally moving to the assessment phase for testing. He said disciples never graduate from disciple making. "Discipleship is a continuous cycle," Croston said. "We are growing as disciples who make disciples." Ken Braddy, director of Sunday School and strategic partnerships at Lifeway, shared the story of the first person to disciple him - his mother. It wasn't until after she passed away that he first heard the name Helen Jensen. She was the 22-year-old Sunday School teacher who had led his mother to Christ when she was 11 and continued to disciple her. Braddy stressed the importance of discipleship, because many grow up in imperfect families and difficult environments, but he said lives are changed when Christians are obedient to make disciples. "This room is filled with people who were impacted by unknown but faithful people," he said. "What you do makes a difference, but you may not see the full impact before glory." Afternoon session After a lunch break, Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, went into more detail about the State of Discipleship study, which served as a foundation for DisciplesPath. Despite Jesus' final command to His followers to make disciples, only 11 percent of U.S. Protestant pastors say discipleship is the aspect of church ministry they are doing better than any other, McConnell said. Much of that gap comes from a lack of intentionality, according to McConnell. "Accidental discipleship is not biblical," he said. "Programs are not the solution, but they are a piece to set up what matters most for discipleship - intentional relationships." McConnell called attendees' attention to the free State of Discipleship Insights Report given out at the conference and told them they could also download a free digital version at LifewayResearch.com/Discipleship to share with leaders and disciple makers at their churches. Additionally, other Lifeway leaders gave brief talks on specific aspects of discipleship. Braddy highlighted practical ways to recruit ordinary people to be extraordinary group leaders. Neftali Alverio, vice president of technology and digital innovation, shared about making disciples in the age of AI. Zac Workun, student ministry specialist, addressed discipleship of students, specifically in the context of the proliferation of screens. Carlos Astorga, senior manager of global publishing, spoke about discipling the nations. Croston closed the micro-conference on Monday afternoon by asking attendees, "Who are you pouring into so they become a fully devoted disciple of Jesus Christ?" If no one came to their minds, he challenged attendees to pray and ask God to direct them to that person. Additionally, in the Lifeway Village in the SBC exhibit hall, the organization made the State of Discipleship Insights Report available to messengers and offered demonstrations of DisciplesPath.