089: Pastor Noah Herrin on Learning How to Preach, the Key to Reaching Gen Z, and How a YouTube Sermon by Judah Smith Changed His Life

Feb 11, 2025

Noah Herrin, lead pastor at Way Church in Nashville and author of Holy Habits, shares his inspiring journey from bartender to evangelist. He discusses how a Judah Smith sermon on YouTube transformed his life, sparking his passion for church planting and reaching Gen Z. The conversation covers the importance of community within the church, effective spiritual habits, and the challenges faced during the pandemic. With nearly 500 lives changed in just 15 months, Noah emphasizes authenticity and communication for nurturing faith across generations.

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ANECDOTE

Conversion Story

Noah Herrin became a Christian after watching a Judah Smith sermon on YouTube.
His friend Tyler edited the sermon to include a golf story, knowing Noah's interest in the sport.

ADVICE

Public Speaking Tips

Expose yourself to great communicators to learn and grow.
Focus on incorporating their strengths into your own unique style, rather than imitating them directly.

INSIGHT

Small Group Strategy

Way Church prioritizes community by making small groups its central focus.
They foster connection through curriculum-based discussions and missional activities.

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YouTube changed Pastor Noah Herrin’s life when he listened to a Judah Smith sermon that led him to give his life to Jesus, start a Bible study, begin a college ministry that reached thousands, and now into being an evangelist, speaking over 100 times in a year. He’s the lead pastor at Way Church in Nashville, TN. To learn more about the podcast or the show notes, visit www.redletterpodcast.com.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Children’s HopeChest. This ministry is close to my heart and my family’s heart. We have had the privilege of traveling with them and witnessing their incredible work firsthand overseas and now each of our family members has the honor of helping sponsor a Guatemala child through this organization on a monthly basis.

HopeChest and Red Letter Living are teaming up with them for an epic Pastor’s Vision trip March 24-29, 2025. Only a few spots remain. Pastors, we want to invite you and a plus-one to join us on this trip. You’ll have the opportunity to engage in different activities including evangelism, home visits, and connecting with children at HopeChest’s CarePoints. Each day, I’ll also be leading inspiring devotions, guiding you some Red Letter Challenge principles, and empowering you to embody the teachings of Jesus in your everyday life. All the details are at www.redletterchallenge.com/hopechest. So, get in now to connect more with not only Red Letter Living, but hopefully to find a great mission partner overseas in Children’s HopeChest. To find more info and to register for this trip go to www.redletterchallenge.com/hopechest. I truly hope that I’ll see you there.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

Holy Habits by Noah Herrin

The Gathering

Way Church

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Key insights from the episode:

The closer you can be your genuine self on stage, the more anointed you become. – Pastor Noah Herrin

Expose yourself to great communicators. – Pastor Noah Herrin

If the community is strong, discipleship will happen. – Pastor Noah Herrin

Gen Z wants to be challenged. – Pastor Noah Herrin

Make church real and sustainable. – Pastor Noah Herrin

Conflict means a great opportunity for healthy relationships. – Pastor Noah Herrin

Noah Herrin’s Challenge: Go for a 10-minute walk outside with no music and let God speak to you.

Are you following Jesus?

Many want to be greater followers of Jesus but don’t know how. We extensively studied everything Jesus commanded of us and located five key targets to which Jesus invited His followers. The five targets are Being, Forgiving, Serving, Giving, and Going.

In partnership with LifeWay Research, we created a Red Letter Challenge Assessment that will measure you according to these five targets. And the best news of all: it’s free! You will receive your results immediately and be presented with the next steps to help you become an even greater follower of Jesus.

You can take the FREE Red Letter Challenge Assessment here.

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