Why Kingdom Factor Became My “Concierge Pastoral Group” for Leadership

If you’d asked me a few years ago whether I had time to carve out a half day each month for something new, I probably would have laughed. Between business, family, and everything else on the calendar, time isn’t exactly in surplus.

And yet, here I am—two and a half years into Kingdom Factor—still showing up, still learning, and still grateful I made the decision.

A Little About Me and What We Do

I’m part of Conner Insurance, a third-generation, independent insurance agency. In 2024, we’re celebrating 75 years in business. We’re multifaceted—handling group benefits, property and casualty, home and auto—“all that stuff people find real interesting,” as I like to joke. But we genuinely enjoy the work, and we’ve built a strong team.

We have 51 team members today. When I started in 2005, we were in the 16–18 range. We’ve grown steadily every year, just continuing to expand the organization a little at a time.

On the personal side, I’m married and have two kids who are at the tail end of high school. We’re staring down that next chapter—college decisions, new rhythms, and a changing family dynamic. And I can tell you confidently: half of our family is excited about it, and half is not. I’ll let you guess which half is which.

Why I Joined Kingdom Factor

I joined Kingdom Factor right when it was getting started.

My reason wasn’t because I had some big crisis I couldn’t handle. In fact, I didn’t come in thinking, Oh my gosh, I have this major issue—can’t wait to join a group so I can unload it.

My situation was different. I grew up in the business with my father-in-law and his two brothers. They were essentially our board of directors—men with 40 years of experience in business and in life. But they were reaching retirement age and coming into the office less and less.

My brother-in-law and I looked at each other and said, It’s probably time to join some kind of peer network group.

Our industry offers plenty of industry-specific peer groups, and we’ve been involved in those too. They’re valuable—especially because they’re national, so you can talk honestly without collaborating directly with your competitor down the street. But at the same time, I’d also been involved in small groups and other Christian business groups, and if I’m being candid, “sometimes they feel a little thin.”

So Kingdom Factor resonated. The timing was right—and the model felt different.

What I Found Wasn’t What I Expected

I knew of probably half the people in my first cohort. I didn’t know them well, but I knew their names or their businesses because of the line of work I’m in.

What surprised me was how meaningful it became to go deeper.

In Kingdom Factor, relationships aren’t transactional. You’re not just exchanging contacts. You’re actually learning people. You’re hearing stories. You’re seeing what pressures they carry, what they’re praying through, and what they’re trying to steward.

And then this unexpected thing happened: I realized that about half the group either had kids currently in the same school as my kids—or had kids who had been there before.

When our family ran into challenges connected to that school, it was incredibly valuable to have a trusted group of people who could “listen, pray, provide insight, and provide background.” That wasn’t a business problem. It wasn’t even fully personal. It was what I’d call a “third place”—a space where you build community beyond the narrow lanes life tends to shove you into.

Because here’s something I’ve noticed as you get older: “your sphere sort of narrows as you age.” My father-in-law warned me years ago, Your friends are going to become your kids’ friends’ parents. And honestly? That’s been pretty true.

Kingdom Factor created space for relationships that didn’t depend on a transaction or a kid’s schedule. It was dedicated time to know people in a meaningful way.

The Content Was Different—And That Matters

One of the things that stood out to me early was the curriculum. It wasn’t just a Bible study repackaged for business leaders.

“The content of Kingdom Factor…I felt was different than anything else I had seen.”

It was introspective. Practical. And surprisingly balanced.

For example, I didn’t expect to begin with personality profile tests, but when that came up, I was excited because we use the same kind of tools in our agency. We want people to understand themselves and how they’re wired—because if there’s not alignment, things end one way or another.

I’ve literally had prospective employees cry in interviews because we walked through their profile and they said, “I wish somebody would have told me this a long time ago.”

So when you bring those kinds of tools into a faith-based cohort, it becomes even more powerful. You start to understand not just how people behave, but why. You gain empathy. You gain context. You learn to lead better.

The “lifeline” exercise was another foundational moment—seeing where people had come from, the tragedies some had endured, and the way they moved through it. It created understanding and perspective that I still draw from.

It built a foundation where later discussions didn’t happen in a vacuum. Instead, you could say, Oh, that makes sense why they’re responding that way. That makes sense why that situation is triggering something.

It was a framework for better leadership and better relationships.

It’s a Holistic Model—and My Wife Knows It Too

Kingdom Factor isn’t just for the person who attends. It affects the home.

Over time, my wife began to rely on the group in her own way. She’ll ask me, “What does your Kingdom Factor group think about that?” And sometimes my answer is, “I haven’t told them yet.” Or, “We haven’t met yet.” And she’ll respond, “Why don’t you share that with Kingdom Factor and see what they say?”

That’s when you realize the value isn’t just business counsel—it’s outside voices you can trust. It’s a support structure that doesn’t replace the church or family, but complements them—especially for leaders who carry a unique weight.

And I appreciate that Kingdom Factor creates opportunities throughout the year that involve families too—ministry experiences, education, social connection. That matters. We’re not meant to do life alone.

How Do I Justify the Time?

If someone tells me they’re too busy, I understand. But I’d challenge them to think of it differently.

As life has gotten busy, we’ve watched the rise of the concierge medical model—where a family pays an upfront premium to have better access to a doctor, because the traditional system only gives you six or seven minutes before you’re out the door.

In many ways, Kingdom Factor has become something similar for leadership and faith.

“This is a concierge pastoral group, if you think about it like that.”

It’s a place where someone is genuinely invested in your spiritual health, relational health, leadership health, and the well-being of your business. In a world where churches are often large and connection can be difficult, this model fills a gap many leaders feel but don’t know how to address.

And there’s another factor that matters: commitment.

“You’re paying for it. If it’s free, it doesn’t mean much.”

When you invest real dollars and commit to a core group of people, you take it seriously. You show up. And you get real outcomes.

The Bottom Line

If you’re considering Kingdom Factor and wondering if it’s worth the time, I’d ask you a question:

Why are you doing this?

For me, it comes down to stewardship.

God has entrusted me as a leader in my home, in my business, and in my community. And “all those people that God has entrusted me to lead deserve a better version of me.”

Kingdom Factor helps me become that.

And that’s worth carving out time for.