A 30-year NFL chaplain shares what he learned about going deep instead of going wide
After three decades as chaplain for the Indianapolis Colts, speaking to millions across the globe, and building what many would consider a wildly successful ministry career, Pastor Ken Johnson made a radical decision that would surprise most people: he walked away from the spotlight to focus on just 20 people in a small urban church.
His reason? A divine encounter on an airplane that forever changed how he viewed ministry, relationships, and what it truly means to make an impact.
The Man Behind the Platform
At 64, Pastor Ken Johnson has worn more hats than most men could manage in two lifetimes. Husband of 42 years, father of three, grandfather of six, great-grandfather, former police officer, recording artist, and yes—chaplain to professional athletes for three decades. That jersey hanging in his office represents 30 years of service to the Colts organization, but it’s what happened after he stepped away from that world that reveals the heart of his message.
“You can do all the ministry in the world from the stage,” Johnson reflects, “but it’s when you come off the stage and you really linger with people and you go deep with them that you really make an impact.”
The Airplane Encounter That Changed Everything
The turning point came during what seemed like an ordinary flight to a Colts game. Johnson, exhausted from speaking engagements and looking forward to some quiet reading time, found himself seated next to a man whose face was disfigured by chemotherapy treatments. His initial reaction was one many of us might recognize—discomfort, a desire to avoid conversation, to retreat into his book.
But this man had won his trip through Make-A-Wish. He had stage four cancer. And he asked Johnson to pray for him.
What followed was a conversation that lasted the entire flight. Johnson prayed with the man, led him to faith, and put him on his daily prayer list that went out to 300 people. Weeks later, when the man stopped responding to texts, Johnson feared the worst.
Then came the moment that shattered his understanding of ministry impact.
At a men’s conference, an elderly woman approached Johnson. She was Charles’s mother. Charles—the man from the airplane—had spent his final weeks telling everyone about the pastor who had prayed with him, sharing the daily prayers Johnson sent, and leading his own friends to faith because he wanted to see them in heaven.
“All he talked about was that trip and you leading him to Christ,” she told Johnson. The prayers he’d been sending? Charles had been forwarding them to all his friends and family.
The Philosophy That Changes Everything
This encounter crystallized what Johnson now calls his life philosophy: “Dream big, start small, and go deep.”
Instead of chasing the next big stage or speaking engagement, Johnson made a radical pivot. He turned down 250 speaking events and planted a small church in Indianapolis. On a good Sunday, they might have 20 people. But Johnson isn’t measuring success by attendance anymore.
“I started getting to know people through covenant and contractual relationships,” he explains. “Covenant is simply: who are you? What are you going to do? What do you say? What do you mean when you say it?”
This approach to relationships—taking time to truly know people before going deep with them—stands in stark contrast to our culture’s tendency toward transactional interactions, especially in business and ministry circles.
Lessons from the Locker Room
Johnson’s three decades in NFL locker rooms taught him something profound about masculinity and success. These athletes—men with power, money, and fame—were, at the end of the day, just men dealing with the same fears, insecurities, and relationship challenges as anyone else.
“You first are enamored that you’re in a locker room with all these pros,” Johnson recalls. “And then you figure out, dude, he’s just another dude. He’s just another dude that’s got to go home to his family, that’s scared to death he’s going to get cut.”
The lesson? External success doesn’t guarantee internal fulfillment. When your identity is tied to performance—whether on a football field or a speaking stage—you’re building on sand.
Coach Tony Dungy, whom Johnson considers one of his greatest role models, understood this principle. When Dungy led the Colts to a Super Bowl victory and reporters called it the greatest day of his life, Dungy’s response was telling: “This doesn’t even rank in the top 10 of experiences in my life.” His greatest accomplishments? Marrying his wife, having his children, moments that had nothing to do with football.
The Hardest Season: When Children Choose Their Own Path
Johnson’s wisdom about relationships wasn’t formed in a vacuum. He’s walked through seasons that would break many fathers. His son went to prison. His daughter married a woman after divorcing her husband. For a pastor whose public persona was built on having it all together, these were devastating blows.
“I felt like a failure,” Johnson admits. “I thought, ‘What? What did I do wrong?'”
But through these trials, Johnson learned one of his most important lessons: children, like all of God’s children, have free will. “You can show up. You can be there. But kids, like Jesus, like God’s kids, have free will.”
Instead of withdrawing, Johnson chose to love deeper. He visits his son in prison regularly, watching him disciple over 2,500 individuals and serve as a pastor behind bars. He blessed his daughter’s house and embraced his new grandson, refusing to let theological differences prevent him from showing up with love.
“You can’t love people if you don’t show up,” he says simply.
The Criteria for Going Deep
With limited time and energy, especially in his 60s, Johnson has developed clear criteria for who gets his deepest investment: “Show up for people who show up for you, and feed people who are feeding you.”
He’s learned to distinguish between people who come into his life for a reason, a season, or forever. The “forever people” are there through every season—winter, spring, summer, and fall. The takers only show up when it’s warm and sunny, disappearing the moment sacrifice is required.
Some of his deepest relationships have lasted decades. Clark Kellogg, former NBA player, has been his prayer partner for 35 years. They pray together every Thursday, have gone through life’s ups and downs together, and built what Johnson calls a “covenant relationship”—one based on who they are, not what they can do for each other.
A New Model for the Next Quarter
Now, as Johnson enters what he calls the next quarter of his life (ages 65-70), he’s focused on three things: restoring men’s spirit, mind, and body through his Wings of Hope Center; spending intentional time with his wife (“I spent so much time cheating her with ministry”); and creating systems that go deep rather than wide.
His upcoming podcast, “Chop It Up with Pop J,” won’t be about building a massive audience. It’s about connecting with men who are doing the hard work of going deep with other men in their communities.
“I want to find guys like you who are doing something and say, ‘Man, how can I come alongside and go deep with your men?'” Johnson explains. “I don’t want that big stage anymore. I want to go deep.”
The Challenge for Modern Men
Johnson’s message cuts against the grain of our performance-driven, metrics-obsessed culture. In business, ministry, and even relationships, we’re often focused on scale, reach, and visible impact. But Johnson’s story suggests that true influence happens in the quiet moments, the one-on-one conversations, the decision to show up when it’s hard.
For fathers struggling with children who’ve made difficult choices, Johnson offers this: “Give yourself a break while at the same time standing in the gap. Keep showing up. Keep showing up if you’re broken.”
For business leaders caught in transactional relationships, his challenge is simple: slow down and get to know people before you go deep with them.
For anyone building something significant, his philosophy remains: “Dream big, start small, and go deep.”
The Legacy of Going Deep
As our conversation wound down, Johnson shared a song he wrote for his children called “Who Was Dad?” The lyrics pose a haunting question every father should consider: “When life is over and journeys through, which one will they say of you?”
Was he a man who was always there? A man who always showed he cared? A man who loved his children and wife by the fruit of his life?
Johnson’s greatest accomplishment isn’t the 30 years with the Colts, the millions he’s spoken to, or the recognition he’s received. It’s being married to the same woman for going on 43 years. It’s the relationships he’s maintained for decades. It’s showing up, again and again, for the people God has placed in his path.
In a world obsessed with going viral, Pastor Ken Johnson reminds us of an ancient truth: the deepest impact happens not when we reach the most people, but when we truly reach the people right in front of us.
Pastor Ken Johnson’s ministry, Emerging Eagles, focuses on raising up the next generation of godly leaders. His podcast “Chop It Up with Pop J” launches soon. You can learn more at emergingeagles.org.