National Networking First Responder Conference with Mission First Alliance

What if spiritual wellness was the key missing element in effective leadership, especially within demanding professions like law enforcement? Join us for a profound conversation with Jeremy Wade, the Executive Director of Mission First Alliance and a former Officer of the Year with the Seattle Police Department. Jeremy's journey from law enforcement to spearheading a national gospel-focused alliance offers unique insights into the critical role of spiritual support for first responders. In this episode, we uncover the often-neglected aspect of spiritual care within police departments and churches, and how Mission First Alliance is bridging this essential gap.

Discover the invaluable resources provided by Mission First Alliance, from free monthly Zoom calls and retreats to a national conference designed to empower and connect first responders and their families. Jeremy explains how the organization prioritizes support for its members without demanding much in return. We also discuss the benefits of joining this supportive community, including spiritual aid and networking opportunities. We wrap up by celebrating the transformative power of good news and the impact passionate individuals like Jeremy have in making a real difference. Tune in for an enriching discussion on the role of spiritual wellness in leadership and the importance of community in challenging professions.

We encourage you to contact our partner, Functional Medical Institute, for your wellness and health needs.  

Owned and operated by law enforcement, Dr. Yates credits the FMI team for his successful wellness journey.

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Transcript

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Spiritual Support in Leadership

Travis Yates 0:00

Welcome back to the show . If you're just now joining us and you haven't paid attention to our sponsors , check out today's sponsor , Safeguard Recruiting . If you're having recruiting issues with your law enforcement agency , this is the place to go . Check them out at safeguardrecruitingcom .

Speaker 2 0:19

Welcome to Courageous Leadership with Travis Yates , where leaders find the insights , advice and encouragement they need to lead courageously .

Travis Yates 0:30

Well , I'm excited about today's guest . He's a two-time guest now . He's been on the show before and today's episode is a special episode with a special event that's coming up , featuring Jeremy . Jeremy Wade is the Executive Director of Mission First Alliance and he brings awareness and support to existing gospel-focused ministries and he raises ambassadors in local churches to effectively engage and reach our nation's first responders . As you probably know , jeremy previously served with the Seattle Police Department , where he was a previous Officer of the Year and a winner of the Medal of Valor . Jeremy , I'm so pumped that you're here , man . How are you doing ?

Jeremy Wade 1:09

I'm doing great . Just thanks for having me again . I appreciate you and everything you do .

Travis Yates 1:15

No , and I just you know . I hope our audience has seen the previous episode with you . I want them to go back and listen to that , you know , at another time . But let's just bring them up to speed . You spent a number of years in Seattle and just talk about your journey as you left that agency and what you're doing now .

Jeremy Wade 1:32

Yeah , I was with Seattle PD for 13 years . I started in 2008, . Ended up leaving in 2021 . I loved everything about being a police officer . Loved everything about working for the Seattle Police Department as hard as our peer support unit , starting our wellness unit right before COVID and the riots hit , just having the opportunity to support officers in my department around the state and then even around the country with resilience and wellness and spiritual support , overseeing the chaplains program and so many things . Support overseeing the chaplains program and so many things and it was really out of all of that support for officers and seeing the need that God continued to grow that burden in me and my family and gave us just the desire to step out when we felt like God was calling us to step out in just a few years ago , which led to us starting Mission First Alliance just a year and a half ago as a national gospel-focused first responder alliance .

Travis Yates 2:51

Yeah , it's an incredible leap of faith , jeremy . I love stories like this . That's why we're completely behind you and supportive of you . I know I support the alliance . We're going to talk about how others can do it as well , because what you're doing and what you're touching on tends to be a taboo subject in law enforcement . It's the spiritual side , and I want to specifically talk about the spiritual side of leadership . It's a leadership podcast and I think oftentimes we ignore the importance of a higher calling right Working for something other than just your inner circle . I mean , in law enforcement , there's no other profession that really should be able to get that , like most people doing this successful , I believe , should understand they're doing this for the greater good , for a higher calling . Can you just kind of expand on why spiritual health , spiritual wellness , is so important in leadership ?

Jeremy Wade 3:43

Yeah , I do believe everything you said . I do believe that these jobs are a calling . I think that we are very mission driven . Everyone , from the top down on day one , is mission driven , accepts the calling , accepts the danger and the sacrifices that come along with it . But again , yeah , I agree that we get into this wanting to make a difference , you know , wanting to serve other people . And I think that even as the conversation grows among leadership around wellness which I love to see and for years I got to be a part of that as the increase for wellness grows , even psychologists recognize that there is mind , body and soul and I think that we're doing so much better in terms of support for mind and body , you know , recovering from traumas , the physical , you know , recovery , you know , and aspects of the job .

Jeremy Wade 4:40

But I think that where I saw , in law enforcement specifically , that we fall really short is in that spiritual support area . We acknowledge that there are moral injuries , we acknowledge that people do need to be supported in that way , but it's , like you said , almost taboo , almost like there's a fear of going there , a fear of support , and oh , that's the chaplain's job . But many departments don't even have a chaplain , or many departments Chaplain is only out there serving the community . They're not there serving the officers or don't have the trust and respect and support of the officers and their family members . So there's just a major shortcoming .

Jeremy Wade 5:15

And then I even saw that same shortcoming in churches across the country . There's many churches that have a heart for law enforcement and those that are serving but don't understand the culture , which is why I've been saying lately , over the last year , that I really believe that this is one of the greatest unseen mission fields in our nation today those that are out serving every single day . They're serving and they're sacrificing and they're putting it all on the line without this kind of support . And the churches and the pastors , church leaders , just don't understand the culture , don't know how to support . So that's where I'm excited to bring together so that there can be so much more effective support from chaplains , from churches , from ministries , from resources that want to provide the support but don't even know how .

Travis Yates 6:01

Yeah , I think it's fantastic and I think the ironic thing is , you're right , it's been such a taboo subject and when it comes to the job of a law enforcement officer you mentioned it , right Service and sacrifice , dedication , believing in something greater than you , typical , is crazy . It's kind of comical , right , and ? And so the fact we're not too far apart here . So the fact that it's a taboo subject when the job itself mirrors it , if you could be listening here and you could be a complete agnostic or atheist , you still have to acknowledge , historically , the job of a law enforcement officer is very , very similar to what you call historical books , right , you have to acknowledge that , and so it's not hard to bring faith into that . I've seen a struggle with that and a fear of that , which is extremely odd to me . I want to tell you how law enforcement also misses it . You don't know I'm going to bring this up .

Travis Yates 6:54

I've talked about this a few times in the capacity of a law enforcement commander and it didn't always go over well , even inside churches . But every department out there is doing every program . They're doing everything . They're trying to reduce crime , trying to reduce gun violence . You name the whiz bang gadget , the whiz bang technology , the program , you name it , the youth programs , you name it . We've thrown it all on the wall in the last 30 years . We've tried it all .

Travis Yates 7:17

Crime is not being impacted at a significant level . In fact , it's increased in recent years because the heart of the matter is it's a heart matter , it's a sin matter . Crime is a sin issue . It's not a program issue . It's not pull yourself up in your bootstraps issue . It's not let's throw all this overtime money in high crimes area issue . Let's not do a drug war . Let's go after all the drug users . Oh , let's go after all the fentanyl users . Let's do this , let's do that , let's go to the border . I could go on and on . It's never going to change , jeremy , unless we get to the heart of the matter , and I'll just leave that word salad with you and let me know what you have to say about it .

Jeremy Wade 7:58

Yeah , I agree completely . And I just say from my experience where my faith was important to me even when I got hired but I struggled because I didn't have the examples to follow . It took me over two years before I met another Christian police officer in the Seattle Police Department . I didn't know how to live that spiritual support and I could just see the toll , the job was taken on me in those first couple years as I was wrestling with this and , and I think that we can begin to lose hope and I think that hope is a huge factor . It's like okay , so this is September , suicide Awareness Month and we're talking about it and we're trying to address , you know , ptsd and suicide and so many things among law enforcement . What if we're missing the mark in this spiritual component in terms of support ? And then for me , once I had support and I had support , I had examples to follow , I had hope myself .

Jeremy Wade 8:56

I was a different officer to my community . I mean not that I wasn't serving , not that I didn't care , but I was . My eyes were open to different opportunities . I was able to go above and beyond . I was able to share that same hope that I had , that I had not lost with the community . I was serving when I had hope , and I want that same thing for my fellow brothers and sisters out there . Serving and sacrificing every day is to not lose hope , and these jobs will change you if you don't do something proactively .

Travis Yates 9:29

Yeah , that word hope is so powerful . I would recommend everybody look at . There's actually been research about hope , right , when you give people hope , I mean the research has been pretty phenomenal . There's a couple of pioneers out there that have really been pushing that research . But when I did my dissertation I ran across a lot of that and that is powerful .

Travis Yates 9:47

Like you said , that is extremely powerful and you put hope in somebody , whether it's a police officer or a kid or somebody in a deadbeat job . It changes them , right , it changes generations , and so I think that's what's so powerful and what you're trying to do for the profession , Jeremy , because this is not a one shot and we're done . I mean , you're trying to literally change generations of law enforcement officers and you're doing it through the hope of Jesus Christ , and you formed Mission First Alliance to collaborate with that , because I think you're right . I think , if I were to look in the landscape , we've got a lot of independent people out there trying to do some good things . Right , they're all trying to do some good things in their own little niches . What I love about what you're doing is you're trying to bring all of them together in a non-selfish way , right , non-political way , just to go . Let's all move in the right direction , and that builds synergy . Tell us a little bit about Mission First Alliance .

Jeremy Wade 10:42

Yeah , that was exactly . My experience is that once I started trying to reach for resources myself , trying to reach out , trying to find some number one , initially as a police officer I couldn't find any . Locally , nationally , I couldn't find any . And then , over the years , I realized there were a lot of resources out there Christian resources for law enforcement and their family members but they're all doing their own thing and then there's just a lack of awareness on the street level that these even exist . So that was the goal behind Mission First Alliance is how can we be uniting them all and then supporting them all to be more effective , so that , in the end , and then supporting them all to be more effective , so that , in the end , the end result is that the law enforcement and their families around the country are better supported , more effectively supported .

Jeremy Wade 11:34

So in the first year and a half of starting Mission First Alliance , we've already had over 90 members join in 27 different states .

Jeremy Wade 11:38

We've done three Leaders Summit retreats in Idaho , arkansas and Florida , and then we're just leading up to our first national networking conference , which is going to be kind of like two events in one , because we're doing a big kickoff event on the Friday night , September 20th in Chattanooga , tennessee , where we're inviting local first responder families as well for a big kickoff fun event and then highlighting all of these resources that are available to them all over the country and then leading into our one day national networking conference on September 21st inside the church at Ridgedale Baptist Church , chattanooga , tennessee .

Jeremy Wade 12:17

And we already have leaders coming in from I believe it's close to 20 states now around the country for this networking conference Leaders , whether they're chaplains , whether they're church leaders , whether they're business leaders , whether they're ministry leaders , whether they're active or retired first responders , and spouses themselves . There are some amazing leaders that are coming in and coming together that want to learn from each other , want to support each other and encourage each other , and I'm excited just to bring them all together , to encourage them , support them and just see what God will do , you know , through uniting them all .

Travis Yates 12:54

Let's talk about the conference you have coming up . So they've got a Friday night event and they've got a Saturday event . Tell people kind of what the , I think , kind of get specific about each event and then kind of you know what type of things you're going to hear about , and then how can they register things like that ?

Jeremy Wade 13:10

Yeah , On our website , missionfirstalliancecom . Both are free to attend . You can register online for free . We want to reduce the barriers so that people can just come out . On Friday night it's going to be a fun event for the first responder leaders , but also for local first responder families . We'll have emergency vehicles out , like touch a truck . We'll have activities for the kids . We'll have a free hot dog dinner . We'll have live worship and then highlighting all the resources around the country so that they know that they exist and they know that they're supported .

Jeremy Wade 13:46

On Saturday it's a full day conference from 8 to 4.30 . And this is going to be a leader-driven conference , Unlike any other conference I've been to . I've been to so many wellness conferences , so many law enforcement conferences , which are great , great speakers , great information , but sometimes I walk away feeling like it's information overload and wishing I could just connect with the other leaders and learn from them and build relationships with them . So this is going to be a leader-driven conference . We're going to have one main speaker , but really it's going to be interactive and opportunities for leaders to learn from leaders and hear what everyone's doing around the country and learn how we can work together , collaborate with each other to be all more effective together .

Travis Yates 14:28

Yeah , it really is a must

Empowering Leaders Through Spiritual Support

Travis Yates 14:30

. Go to event 2024 . I can't recommend it high enough . Jeremy , you've made it completely free . You just got to get to Chattanooga . You got to get there . I'm sure on your website you're going to . You know if they need hotels , they need advice , they can contact you . The website's , of course scrolling . If you're listening , it's missionfirstalliancecom . But back to Mission First Alliance . You mentioned membership . Talk to us about how people can get involved with that . The different levels of membership just kind of take us through there and I want to give an offer at the end that I think will convince some folks to go there . So tell us about Mission First Alliance , how people can get involved .

Jeremy Wade 15:04

Yeah , same thing on our website . Membership is free . We just want people to jump on our website , see our short application , just apply . So we have a little bit of background information . There's a short statement of faith . So we're all coming together as like-minded leaders , but the membership is free and with that , it's not what you , by signing up , have to do .

Jeremy Wade 15:29

By joining into Mission First Alliance , it's not really like that at all . What I'm sharing with leaders around the country is that it's more what Mission First Alliance can do for you . How can we support you ? How can we connect you ? How can we come alongside you ? How can we provide the spaces whether it's a monthly Zoom , whether it's a retreat for free , whether it's a national conference for free what can we do to connect you , to support you in what you're doing and what you've been called to around the country ? So we just encourage people to join and they're just more aligning with the need , aligning for more spiritual support for our nation's first responders and their family members , and seeing that Jesus is the answer . And how can we come alongside each other to all be more effective together ?

Travis Yates 16:17

Yeah , I'll speak from personal experience . Don't be scared away about a membership . I'm a member and Jeremy is so kind . Like I don't get many emails , he invites me to his monthly calls , jeremy , I think we got one tonight , don't we ? So you don't have to go . If you don't go , no one's calling you .

Travis Yates 16:33

I've been a part of other things where it's like come on really . I mean , he is really going to respect your privacy and your space . It's not cumbersome , he's not blowing your phone up , but you want to plug in . You want to plug in . There is no cost . If you are a leader in any space law enforcement or anything else don't fool yourself . Don't kid yourself . You need support , you need other brothers and sisters with you . That makes you a better leader and I can't encourage you enough .

Travis Yates 17:02

The first five people that sign up at Mission First Alliance once again , there's a free version of it . I think we would both love you to sort of help with the ministry . I help with the ministry , but you could sign up for free and I'm going to send you a free book called Take Up the Shield . This isn't some pamphlet , this is a real book . It's on Amazon . A good friend of mine , tony Miano , former chaplain Los Angeles County , wrote the book . The book is full of cool stories from his time at the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department . I have a few copies here at the house . So when you sign up , let Jeremy know you heard about it on this show . The first five are going to get a copy . I may have more than five , so I'll do it till I run out , jeremy and he can just come back to me with your address and I'll just ship the book to you , not on any email list . You're just going to get that free resource .

Travis Yates 17:47

But you need to get involved and if you can make this networking conference , folks , there's not a better deal than that . I mean , it's incredible to me that Jeremy , he does all these things no charge . His retreats are no charge and I keep telling Jeremy that's not a good business model . And Jeremy will always say what , travis , it's not a business All right . So we're on two different levels here . But , folks , this is a gym that I'm trying to inform people about and you can be sitting there and you can go . Well , I'm good , or I go to church or I don't believe this . I don't believe that this is for you . You need the support . Ok , you need the support of other servant leaders , people that believe in that higher calling . They're not going to preach to you , they're going to assist you in your daily duties . Jeremy , just kind of kind of talk to us about that .

Jeremy Wade 18:35

Yeah , exactly , I know firsthand I needed the support and I was struggling , my family was suffering , until I finally had that support and struggled with it for a while . I'm just excited to have this opportunity to have walked that road , to be in a good place myself now , to be in a good place myself now , but to have so many examples around the country now of solid leaders in law enforcement that I'm excited to call friends and I'm excited to be a part of this network . There are active officers as sergeants in Arizona , a lieutenant in Alabama , a lieutenant in Florida , a captain in Colorado it's like I am on the phone with regularly and they are living out their faith . They are solid officers in law enforcement and leaders and I just I'm excited for what that support can do , what that can mean , and there's so many of these active officers that will be at our national conference . We're just now about to launch our first five regional reps for Mission First Alliance . Three of those five are still active in law enforcement . Two of them are former law enforcement in Texas , louisiana , north Carolina , arizona and Washington State , and I'm excited to grow that as well too , to just grow this network and grow the support so that we're not alone .

Jeremy Wade 20:02

I think that the myth of we're alone and feeling alone is is a dangerous place to be and I felt that and that other just losing hope , of just not knowing how to move through something . And you know , feeling alone and we all get burnt out . We all get worn down . We're serving and sacrificing and putting others above ourselves . We're not the ones to ask for help , but we get burnt out . I've been there many times . I'm first one to go above and beyond to help others and all of a sudden it comes at a cost and I'm just burnt out . I need the support from others . So I'm excited to grow this so that we can all have that together .

Travis Yates 20:40

Yeah , jeremy , it's so fantastic . And , you know , I think our personalities lend us to believe that we can do these things on our own . But I tell you , when it comes to leadership and and you may not be a believer , but if you read anything on leadership that you've enjoyed , trust me , it's directed right back to the best leadership book out there , called the Bible . You can kid yourself and say it doesn't , but that's exactly what it does . You know , if you're in my seminars , I may not be preaching to you , but , trust me , those principles are ingrained in biblical scripture because they have been given to us for a reason , and this is an opportunity to . If you want to be a better leader , you want to be a better husband , a better father , a better police , whatever it is , you're going to be able to leverage these men and women .

Travis Yates 21:21

And I wanted to close with this , jeremy , because Jesus Christ saved me . He changed my life . I know he did the same for you , and the people that know me know that I'm a critical thinker . Ok , I don't just make willy nilly decisions . I'm not just shooting from the hip here . I'm telling you right now if you don't know Jesus , you don't know what you don't know , and it doesn't make me a better person . It makes me , what I've done , forgiven . Ok , it doesn't make me better than anybody else , it just makes me forgiven with grace . So just talk about the impact Jesus has made on your life , jeremy , and what the power can do on others .

Jeremy Wade 22:01

Yeah , jesus transformed my life . I grew up going to church . I knew what it meant . I grew up going to church . I knew what it meant . I knew what the Bible said , but I didn't know what it meant to have my life transformed and again going back to starting and getting hired on at 2008 in the Seattle Police Department 26 years old , married for five years , with two kids jumping in with both feet . I loved everything about the job , but I struggled until I surrendered my life to the Lord . I struggled and I was trying to do it on my own , which I think I've seen so many others in law enforcement do .

Jeremy Wade 22:40

We want to control everything . We want to do everything on our own , as much as we can , as long as we can , but once I surrender my life to the Lord , jesus transformed my life in a way that with hope and peace and joy that's not dependent on the circumstances and you know what I know the circumstances aren't easy in law enforcement and they're not getting any easier . But in the midst of even the riots in 2020 in Seattle , I still had a peace that surpassed all understanding and people were turning to me and looking at me like how can you be ? How can you have so much peace , how can you still be , you know , just so solid in the midst of this ? And it was only Christ in me and it was nothing about me . So I want that same for everyone else . Jesus came , jesus died for us that we might have hope , that we might have eternal salvation , that we might have someone to comfort us and walk through this life with us . And I want that for all my brothers and sisters out there serving every day .

Sharing the Good News

Travis Yates 23:50

Yeah , I can't say anything other than that , jeremy , you're right . People are , I think , hesitant to acknowledge that or talk about that , but it should be the greatest news we've ever heard and we should want everybody to know it . So I appreciate you being on the ledge , brother . I appreciate you doing this . I appreciate everything you're doing with Mission First Alliance . We need people at this networking group . Trust me , you won't be disappointed . I would say a money-back guarantee , but it's not costing you any money . Jeremy Wade , thank you so much for what you do and if you've been watching and you've been listening , thank you for spending your time with us today .

Speaker 2 24:25

Thank you for listening to Courageous Leadership with Travis Yates . We invite you to join other courageous leaders at www . travisyates . org .