Dustin Kleinschmidt - Where Else Would I Go?

After 25 years in pastoral ministry,  spanning student ministry, worship, lead pastor, and church planting ,  Dustin Kleinschmidt found himself stepping into what he thought would be a redemptive season, only to discover it would become the hardest of his life. In this deeply honest conversation, Dustin walks us through the perfect storm of circumstances that led to his burnout: the relentless pressures of rebuilding a fractured church in the wake of pastoral moral failure, a global pandemic, and years of accumulated exhaustion. He shares how a chance encounter at a new church brought hidden wounds to the surface, leading him to seek counselling and face the uncomfortable truth that his identity had become inextricably tangled with his vocation, and that the unspoken deal he thought he had with God had never really existed.

Dustin's journey through what he calls his "wilderness season" has given shape to his new book, The Wilderness Way, and to his ongoing work as a companion for people who are spiritually exhausted, disillusioned, or quietly pretending they're fine. Drawing on the parallel of Israel's 40 years between slavery and the Promised Land, Dustin offers a compelling and compassionate reframe: the wilderness isn't something to escape, but a place where beauty and brokenness exist side by side, and where God is quietly, faithfully present. This episode is for anyone who has felt the gap between the faith they expected and the life they're actually living.

 

WEBLINKS
Dustin Kleinschmidt Website
The Wilderness Way (Book)
Dustin’s Substack
Dustin on Instagram
Dustin on Facebook