In this powerful episode of T Time: Spiritual Conversations For, With and About Women, host Twanna Henderson sits down with Cassie Beyer — ministry director, regional coach, wife, mom, and passionate discipler of women. Cassie opens up about her transformation from a young, overwhelmed mom to a ministry leader who’s committed to equipping others to live out the gospel.
From stories of contagious worship to how she builds strong, surrendered leadership teams, Cassie shares practical insight, real-life transparency, and deeply moving testimony that will inspire you to step boldly into your calling. Whether you’re in ministry, exploring faith, or leading in any capacity, this conversation will stir your heart and equip your hands.
Transcript
Twanna Henderson: Welcome to T Time: Spiritual Conversations For, With and About women. I’m your host Twanna Henderson, and as always, I want to remind you to like this broadcast and definitely to share it with everyone that you know. Well, as you are aware, we have been continuing in our focus on the theme of evangelism this year, and I’m really excited about our guest on today.
Our guest is Cassie Beyer. Cassie has dedicated her life to equipping others for ministry and for sharing the transformative love of Jesus Christ. She currently serves as the director of ministry at Hope Community Church in Shawano, Wisconsin, where she helps guide the church’s mission to bring hope and freedom through faith.
With a heart for discipleship and leadership, Cassie has been part of the coaching team for IfGathering for the past eight years and now serves as a regional coach, empowering women to step boldly into their God given callings. In addition to her ministry work, Cassie is pursuing a degree in biblical studies, deepening her understanding of scripture and its application in today’s world.
She is a devoted wife of 12 years and mom to three children and she balances the fun and challenges of family life of her passion for helping others experience the hope, joy and freedom found only in Jesus when she’s not leading or learning, she enjoys downhill skiing. Oh, that’s interesting. Running and car worship jam sessions, her favorite way to reset and to recharge through every season.
Her mission remains the same to inquire, inspire, I’m sorry, and equip others to know and live out the gospel, in their everyday lives. Cassie, welcome to T Time.
Cassie Beyer: Thank you. It’s so good to be on today.
Twanna Henderson: So good to have you. Well, I think it is so cool that you’ve really dedicated your life to equipping others especially the next generation. And so I want to kind of start there because I know you have a passion there and that can sometimes be kind of challenging. So talk to us about what that looks like and what that, you know, what that looks like in your context.
Cassie Beyer: Yeah, you know, we’re, we’re in rural Wisconsin.
And so we don’t have universities by us. And so this a passion sometimes of mine to reach the next generation, is sort of a launching place, right? So they, they go away to college. But the cool thing about our areas, they often come home. And so that really gives an opportunity as, as young women specifically come back, sometimes that means there’s lots of questions. Sometimes that means there’s even fear or what did I learn growing up? And so it has been a joy to get to walk through that process. You know, specifically with that college age or, or right out of college, coming back and, and in that stage of trying to make their faith their own.
Twanna Henderson: Yeah, yeah. So how did for you, you know, growing up, you know, in your college years, what was that experience like for you?
Cassie Beyer: Oh, yeah, my college years were interesting. I gave my life to Jesus at 22. And so I actually was a young mom. I got pregnant at 18 I had my son at 19 And, made quite the mess of, of things, you know, but luckily, talk about evangelism and how living out our faith matters.
It was really just the way in which a couple talked about their church that ultimately was that launching point to lead me to the Lord. I was like, I’ve never heard anybody talk about church as like, enjoyable. I want to go. I want to see what this is about. And so I’m really, I’m really grateful for that couple and how their love of the church is what brought me to Jesus.
Twanna Henderson: Yeah, you know, and it really speaks to how, you know, in this whole, theme of evangelism, how important it is to really share our stories, to share our faith, to share the good news. And a lot of times we think that’s kind of hard to do, but just like you said, as a young girl, just having them to share with you and it being so impactful for you, and to be able to know, hey, this is not the church that I, you know, knew about, or this is not what I thought church was, but this is something totally different.
Cassie Beyer: Yeah, yeah, it was great.
Twanna Henderson: Yeah. Now I know you serve as director of ministry for your church. so you probably encounter a lot of different people, doing that. What is it about serving in the local church that, that you really enjoy. What are one of the favorite things about serving in the local church?
Cassie Beyer: Yeah, I mean my favorite thing is equipping the Saints for the work, right? I love what I get to do and and I love working myself out of a job in that man when I get to see other women’s gifts coming alive because they’ve been giving an opportunity to serve whether that is making an incredible coffee drink in the cafe or, you know, trying out teaching gifts up front.
It’s just really cool to watch other women use their gifts for the glory of God and see a path forward of like, wow, no matter what my gift mix is, the Lord wants to use me.
Twanna Henderson: Yeah, I think that is so wonderful. And yeah, just to be able to see other people and other women, particularly to blossom, you know, able to come alive and to really how the Lord is working in their lives. Are there any stories that about women that you’ve seen that, that that blossoming, you know, occurring that stand out to you?
Cassie Beyer: I mean, you know, one of my favorites is probably, you know, my friend, Jenny, we weren’t close friends when I met her, but she, she came from a different church background and, and she came in with curiosity, and, and she loved God, But she was kind of confused by the Old Testament, of like, wait, he seems mean.
I don’t get it. And, to get to walk with her through scripture and to see the Lord’s kindness, in the context of the Old Testament and how that’s filled over and, and to see her now, I mean, she, she’s leading our women’s, scripture study ministry that, you know, we have anywhere from 40 to 100 women showing up, to worship and dig into scripture on their own.
That, that stuff’s my favorite, you know, to get to see people who’ve maybe loved God in some way really cross that line into surrendering their entire lives to serving Him.
Twanna Henderson: Yeah, now I don’t want to skip from, you know, you being this, this person, this teenager who has this story from this couple to the staff person.
Tell me something about the in between because there had to be some things that got you from there to here.
Cassie Beyer: Yeah.
Yeah. I mean, there’s a lot, but you know, the, the short end of it is, you know, in the midst of being a young mom, I turned to drinking. And so I now have, celebrated 14 years of sobriety.
You know, and quitting and surrendering my own life to Jesus is certainly the thing that changed everything. And so I started coming to this church that was fun, that I had heard about. And, you know, really started slowly getting involved. I was a domestic violence and sexual assault counselor at the time.
And actually, I was on a walk with a friend, and our church was a little bit smaller then, and I had said to my friend, you know, if I could do anything, I would love to be the church secretary. And, and no lie, the next week it was in the church bulletin that they were looking to hire the church, you know, I think they called it office manager then.
And so, you know, by the grace of God, You know, I applied, I got it and, and grateful for the leadership around me that, early on just gave me opportunity to study, gave me opportunity to, try different things and ultimately just affirms leadership giftings that they saw in me, to really help try and be a leader of leaders here within our local context.
Twanna Henderson: Yeah, that’s an amazing story. I’m sure there have been people, other people in your life as well along that journey who’ve been impactful. Can you share about anybody else who has just sort of, you know, been instrumental in that, that journey for you?
Cassie Beyer: Yeah, I mean, I’m so grateful for, you know, my, Pastor, the pastor, he’s, he just recently moved on from here, but Pastor John, the one who hired me, really, him and the, the other pastors here, just being a woman in a rural context, there weren’t other women in full time ministry.
And so for them to, answer my questions and for them to be patient with me as a young person at that point in ministry was a gift. But also they pulled a chair up for me at that table And, and I know that that’s not every woman’s experience in ministry, and so, I am so grateful, that I, I, you know, I’ve never had to ask, I’ve never asked for opportunity.
The Lord has just been kind and surrounded me with really godly men, and now that our staff has grown, I’m so grateful that there are, godly women too, surrounding me too. That we get to do a lot of ministry together.
Twanna Henderson: Yeah, that’s, that’s really awesome. That’s a blessing. I know part of your role is to also, to lead and run a women’s, annual event.
What has that been like and have you seen God move through it, with women?
Cassie Beyer: Yeah, I mean, I, I have loved hosting. We’ve hosted IF GATHERING for many years and, you know, it’s really morphed into a lot of our own stuff too. But, my favorite thing has really been forming that leadership team and watching them use their gift mix.
That has been incredible, but, but one thing specifically this last year that happened was, we got a testimony from a woman who came, a younger woman, who said, you know, I came because I wanted to feel this feeling that other people have talked about, this like spiritual high of like feeling Jesus.
And she said, you know, that never happened. But she said, I watched all of you worship God and something in me changed. It wasn’t that she had a feeling. It wasn’t that someone said the right thing. It wasn’t that the worship music was perfect. She watched people worship and pray and the Lord just used that to minister to her in such a way.
And now she’s here and she’s serving and she loves the Lord and her husband’s here. She just joined. We’re launching a women’s leadership cohort that she’s jumping into. And so, getting to see those sorts of, you know, both leaders getting to, to live out their gift mix, but then how that’s impacting people who are brand new to their faith or brand new to all of this.
Man, getting to do a conference like that, it just, it really opens those doors to get to be a part of what God’s doing.
Twanna Henderson: Yeah. And how amazing that the worship was contagious.
Cassie Beyer: Yeah.
Twanna Henderson: It was contagious worship. I mean, her seeing the worship was the thing that really spoke to her and, you know, just really opened her eyes to a different level of experience.
That’s, that’s, that’s amazing. And I know if putting something together, cause you keep talking about leaders and, and developing leaders, how, how, how did you go about building, just a leadership team, for, for this, or how would anybody go about doing that? Yeah.
Cassie Beyer: Yeah, I mean my first go around I just grabbed a bunch of people and that didn’t necessarily Yeah, that didn’t necessarily work out the best because sometimes that’s just you know, it’s just hard But it was actually your teaching
I had heard a while ago man. It was years ago.
Twanna Henderson: Oh,
Cassie Beyer: Yeah. Yeah. Where you had mentioned these leadership qualifications you look for, which was, you know, just observations, right? We’re not trying to be super legalistic, but do we observe these qualities and people around us? And it was, you know, do they attend worship regularly?
Do they serve faithfully, do they give generously? And then do they just kind of help out? Like, you know, when they see a need, do they jump in? And so. I started forming my team using those qualifications and honestly, some of these people weren’t even my friends at the time. I’m just like, you check the boxes, so I’m just going to trust that your, your life is surrendered to the Lord and that you’re going to make a great teammate.
And I don’t even know what your gifts are. And, and the Lord has just blessed that and surrounded me with such an incredible group of women who, you know, are just surrendered and they’re easy to work with and it’s just been a game changer and so much so that our church has really adapted those same principles when it comes to when we’re looking for key leaders within the church, like, you know, are these qualities just an observable part of their life?
And I think they just demonstrate that surrender heart, soul, mind, you know, time finances, all of it is just surrendered to the Lord.
Twanna Henderson: Yeah. And unless others know anybody who’s listening, you know, cause sometimes you think, you know, Oh, I’m not a leader, but you are a leader. And I think you have to just recognize that.
If you do have a surrendered heart and you’re, you’re willing to just step in there and to be, to be led and to be coached and all those different things that you can become that leader that God, you know, may really be calling you to. And so, you know, for anybody who’s listening, who’s wondering, you know, am I, am I that person, you know, can I be, cultivate those things in myself?
You can. because if you’re once you’re willing, the Lord will, will do the rest. He really will. And we just have to be, surrender to him as you say, and be obedient to what God really wants us. You know, I really love how you, have given other women the opportunity to, to, to teach and to, to lead and, and, and to really cheer them on, because that’s so important to be able to, to cheer them on and to feel cheered on.
How has God grown Cassie through that?
Cassie Beyer: Yeah, yeah. It was, it’s funny. Sometimes we delegate too much. And you know, it was really this last year we knew might be our last sort of conference in the way in which we’ve known it. And I really felt like the Lord was like asking me to be the one to speak that year.
I had delegated that out every other year to somebody else. And, man, I just felt so sure. I wanted such a clear presentation of the gospel. And, You know, in that, it was paired with this other conviction, you know, being on staff, being on stage some weeks. I really felt like the Lord said, that’s, that’s great, Cassie.
But you had better be sharing Jesus in your real life then too. Not, not just with a microphone from a stage and, man, that was humbling and convicting and honestly led me to, to the one of my favorite, discipleship groups, you know, I just went out on a limb and messaged some people that, you know, one had attended our conference but never really come to church and, and, another was a softball mom that was a friend of my daughter’s and I’m like, I’m just, and one was somebody who hadn’t really been coming to the church anymore but thought I’d reach out cause they were just busy and everyone said yes.
And it was such a joy to get to walk through, really the gospel from day one. we did the, I love Blackaby’s “Experiencing God” study. And so we did the condensed version of that one. And to get to see these girls say yes to Jesus, and then these little faith steps of like praying out loud, which can be so scary.
And just a couple months ago, Danielle, my friend, had an opportunity to pray out loud in front of our whole women’s ministry, which she was terrified, but it was so cool to see how God had grown her from that initial Bible study to now where she’s. But she’s doing it, praying for a whole group of women.
It was, it was beautiful. And so I’m just grateful for how the Lord, keeps me humble. I try, I try to pray that prayer a lot. but sometimes I regret it. So he, he answers it always.
Twanna Henderson: Yeah. Yeah. What would you say to someone who, you know, who is working in an area of ministry and really wants to, to be impactful to others, who really wants to know how to influence others for, for the Lord.
What would you say to them?
Cassie Beyer: I mean, I think I’m just constantly reminded that I have to be right with the Lord first. The, the second, the second I’m not, I’m in trouble. not trouble like discipline, but trouble like I’m, I’m just going through the motions.
Twanna Henderson: Yeah.
Cassie Beyer: Because I, I think influence comes from the Lord.
It does. I mean, we can’t, we can’t buy it. You know, you can have any title you want, but the reality is, whether or not people see us favorably, is really dependent on God. I just got to teach, about Daniel at, at our Women’s. Night, just a few days ago. And then, and that’s his life, right? It was, I can’t interpret these dreams, but the Lord can.
And I think we just have to stick with that posture. And to like, recognize it’s always for the one. I remember my first Bible study. I was so excited. I had like 25 women show up and I felt real cool and really like, Oh my gosh, people like me and they want to learn about Jesus and I’ll take one or two now any day. I just, I just, to be up close and real life and hard conversations, that’s for me in this season of ministry, like that’s, that’s where it’s at.
Twanna Henderson: Yeah. Yeah. How has your own testimony allowed you to be able to reach other women and to impact them?
Cassie Beyer: Yeah. I mean, I just, I believe so much in vulnerability and transparency.
You know, and so whether that’s my, being a young mom, whether that was a history of, of drinking, you know, whether that was living with my boyfriend, before we got married and the church correcting that and walking through some of that in a really positive healing way. Like it just feels like the Lord has done so much in my life that, I’d hope I could be that, be that bridge for somebody who maybe doesn’t feel like they fit the church.
The church girl, sort of mantra, through that transparency.
Twanna Henderson: Yeah, I think that is so huge to the transparency part because, you know, there are people listening to this podcast and they were thinking, gosh, you know, I’ve got this past or whatever. And we all have a past, you know, and they’re saying, you know, here’s this woman who, you know, she has a past, she has a testimony, but now here she is the, you know, on staff as the, you know, director of, of, of ministry at a church.
And I think that the Lord, I heard a pastor say that the Lord brings blessings out of brokenness, and I think when we allow him to do that, he, he’s able to, to, to use us, you know, even greater cause we, you know, we were stripped down to everything. that’s, that’s, that’s not useful. And then he takes it and shapes it and makes it what he wants it to be.
And so I think definitely sharing our story and sharing, what the Lord has done. It’s so important. It’s so important. and so impactful. you know, I think the Lord has certainly gifted you to be an equipper. And I believe an encourager as well to other women and, and, and really, you know, really, trying to, to, to, connect in a way, that may be different from others.
There are those who are listening today, especially women who need to be encouraged. To, to live out the gospel in their everyday lives. You know, before we close, I want to just ask you to just pray for them as well as for all of our listeners that that we will step into our God given callings, in order to impact the world for Christ.
Cassie Beyer: Yeah. Yeah, I’d love to.
Twanna Henderson: Yeah.
Cassie Beyer: Father, we, goodness, we are so grateful for, the plan that you have for all of us. God, that you, man, before we were born, you predetermined our days, our location, our families, our ministry. And so God, would we lean into that? Would we, be so grateful for the opportunities that you put in front of us?
And would we dream? Would we dream about the opportunities maybe that you have for, for everyone in their future? And Lord, for those, for those women who are questioning, God, what is my calling? What is it you want me to do? Lord, would you help them rest? That their first job is to love you, God, to love you with their heart and their mind and their soul and to put you first and everything else really, really will be added.
God, it truly will be added and so God, I pray that there’s a, there’s a surrender. There’s a surrender of what maybe they thought life would look like, what they thought ministry would look like. And there, there’s a holy submission, God to you and your will and your plan and God for the women who are tired, God, I pray that you would encourage their spirit.
God, would you, give them rest if they need rest? But God, man, sometimes when you show up with your glory, that is, that is the rest we need. We need to see you move. We need to see a miracle. We need to see something change. We want to see how, how you are moving in and through each one of us. God, we’re so grateful that we get to be a part of your plan, to reach the world with the hope of Jesus.
And it’s in his name I pray, Amen.
Twanna Henderson: Amen. Cassie, it’s been great chatting with you and I’m really excited about what the Lord, is going to continue to do in your life as you serve and guide others. I believe there’s still some greater things in store for you.
Cassie Beyer: Thank you. It’s been great.
Twanna Henderson: Yes. So to all of our listeners, I’m Twanna Henderson.
Until next time, be blessed of the Lord.
