Rising Stars: Meet Josh Huisman of Nolensville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Huisman.

Hi Josh, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been in full time ministry for 22 years. It all began when I was a young man and the pastor of our home church shared with the congregation that he believed I would be a pastor one day. That didn’t sit well with me because my hearts desire was to be a professional baseball player. I set goals and did all I could to achieve that dream. But in the back of my mind I always knew that God was calling me into ministry to let people know about Him, and to help people overcome the daily struggles of life.

With that being said, you can’t help people overcome battles if you don’t know what it’s like to be a in a battle yourself. My life as a baseball player led me to play college baseball, and I was blessed enough to play for two years in the SEC at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). It was there that I learned how to play guitar and lead worship for our FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes). I always hoped that I would be drafted into professional baseball, but when that didn’t happen and that dream ended, I began to pursue a new dream, which was to become a Christian music artist. I joined a band and we began recording and playing concerts. After a year we began to get a little attention in the Christian music industry, but right when things were about to take off the band abruptly called it quits.

My wife and I then decided to move to Franklin, KY to be near some family, but during our three years there we struggled. It was clear that I was not doing what God had called me to do. I was working part-time for a Christian radio station, but one morning I was called into the office and was let go. My wife was pregnant with our first child and I felt pretty lost.

One evening my wife and I took a walk around the block and we prayed that whatever God wanted me to do, I would do it. Literally the next morning my mom called with an interesting question. She said, “I know you’re pursuing your dream in music, but our pastor asked me to call you to see if you’d be interested in becoming our church’s youth pastor.” I was shocked. I had been raised in church but the only experience I had with youth groups was visiting them when I was in FCA, and also performing concerts with my Christian band. But writing messages, walking with teenagers in their relationship with Christ? I didn’t know if I could do it.

Long story short, I accepted the call because I told God the night before that I would, and He has taken care of me ever since. The road has been extremely challenging on an emotional level, but the rewards are even greater. After 3 years of youth ministry on the south side of Chicago, I accepted a role as a youth pastor at New Hope Church in Brentwood, TN. After 7 years working with the youth there I was promoted to senior pastor of the church, and I have worked in that role since 2014.

In April of this year I led the church to a new season of ministry. We have changed our name to Crosswalk Church, with the mission to help people find hope in Jesus Christ by growing them stronger in their faith. We are all about following the greatest commandment, which is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

How did I lead the church through this transformation? It all started with my own transformation. In June 2021 I began to refocus my life on the important things. Daily Bible reading, prayer, and journaling became a new spiritual discipline hat brought me closer to the Lord. I then sought out ways that I could help others on a greater level to improve themselves, so I joined John C. Maxwell’s Leadership program and became certified in “helping add value to others.”

In December 2023 I tackled my greatest challenge. I was physically unhealthy and needed to make big changes. During my morning time with the Lord I prayed and asked for a plan to get healthy. I was tired, out of shape, overweight, and my heart had developed a strange rhythm. Something had to change.

That’s when God gave me a light bulb moment. I just needed to transfer the same principles and disciplines I had developed for my spiritual life to my physical activities and health. I mapped out a plan for my entire year. My goal was simple: I’m going to put in work everyday to become more healthy and “in shape” than I have ever been.

Over the course of one year I went from 265 pounds down to 190 pounds. I developed a daily workout plan and eating routine that helped me achieve my goal. To this day I still live with the plan, and just like my daily Bible reading time, it has transformed my life. (See pictures)

Today I continue to lead Crosswalk Church as the senior pastor. I have my own podcast called The Josh Huisman Podcast, and I do coaching and consulting for individuals and teams who want to see transformation take place in their lives. I have fought the battles and come out victorious. I want to help other people do the same.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As John Maxwell says, “Anything worth achieving is uphill.”

No, it has not been a smooth road, at all. In fact, there have been many days where I wanted to quit all that I am doing. A lot of times progress cannot be seen in the short term. But if we can stay committed to a process for the long term that is when the rewards become the greatest.

In my ministry I have had many setbacks. Most often with people who disagree with the decisions I have had to make in leadership. I like people and I want them to like me, but I have been shocked at how many times I have had to make decisions that were right for the organization that made people were very upset with me. In my 11 years as a senior pastor none of them have been smooth. But I can look back and see God’s faithfulness in every year!

The same goes for my personal journey. I can’t believe how awesome it has been to transform my life, both spiritually and physically, through changing my daily habits and disciplines. We all want to be comfortable, and comfortable is what we are used to. But comfortable is often what gets us into the mess in the first place.

I tell people it takes about 6 to 8 weeks of struggle to complete the transformation into new habits. Most people have no interest in that. They want a magic pill they can take, or some other quick fix. But real, lasting transformation involves a ROCKY ROAD for a while.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Okay, I’ve told you all about my ministry and my desire to help people with coaching. But here’s another cool thing.

In 2022 I recorded four songs for an EP called Seasons. It can be found anywhere music is streamed. Seasons was basically my journal of life through a difficult season of ministry. One of the songs is called Chase the Sunset, and although I have barely done any promotion for it, it has amassed a pretty cool following online.

As of today Chase the Sunset has been streamed hundreds of thousands of times. I don’t even know the exact number! But I have watched the song become an anthem for many people on TikTok, Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook as people use the song for Reelz.

So as I have pursued my life in ministry leadership, coaching & consulting, and writing devotionals for my website at JoshHuisman.com, I have music that is being heard throughout the world and I don’t even promote it!

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Yes, the key to everything is taking the time to “do the hard work” but you must be working hard on the right thing! Take the time to sit down and visualize what you want to accomplish. What are your dreams, goals, or things you know you have been gifted by God to accomplish? Once you have done that, you need to develop a plan for personal growth. The plan must include spiritual, physical, and emotional health!

Sit down, write it out, and commit to work toward the dream every single day. It will take discipline to stick to the plan! Showing up every single day and make progress. Some days it will feel like nothing has changed. In fact. some weeks it will feel like that as well. But remember, you’re playing the long game!

You will be shocked at how much progress you will make over the course of one year!

When I sat down and wrote out my personal health plan I knew I needed to lose weight, but if I did it too quickly and didn’t develop a plan to change my life, I would just end up back where I started (yo-yo dieting).

So my plan involved getting a calendar and writing down one pound lost for each week. I visualized my progress. I then wrote out exercise and small diet changes. I hit the goal each month.

You must have a plan. And you must stay committed to it. It takes discipline. Over time the results will be there!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://joshhuisman.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josh.huisman/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoshHuismanPodcast
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-huisman-b051357/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Josh.Huisman
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olJtck5q-dc