In this episode of The In-Between, I sat down with Kevin Rains—former pastor, business owner, coach, and author of Profits and Purpose. Kevin has lived multiple vocational lives. He’s pastored a small urban church, scaled and sold a multi-location auto body business, and now walks with leaders navigating transition and reinvention.
But what struck me most about Kevin’s story wasn’t the scope of his accomplishments—it was the honesty with which he’s wrestled with calling, identity, and grief.
Kevin was doing “everything right.” Ministry degree. Doctorate. Urban church planting. But when he stepped back into the family business—initially just to help with finances for an adoption—something unexpected happened.
I was trying my best at something I believed God called me to—and getting a very mediocre result. Then I applied those same skills in a business… and it just took off.
This isn’t a story about walking away from faith. It’s about learning how to hold it differently when your role shifts, when your title is gone, and when success feels like it’s happening in the “wrong” arena.
The Ache of Identity Loss
Kevin speaks candidly about what it felt like to leave ministry—and the unraveling that followed:
My identity got so tangled up in being a pastor. When I stepped out of it, it felt like God had demoted me. Was I abandoning Him… or was He abandoning me?
That season sent Kevin into therapy, depression, and what he calls a “spiritual anxiety” that he couldn’t shake.
He began to ask the deeper questions:
- Who am I if I’m not leading a church?
- Did I misunderstand God’s call?
- What does faithfulness look like when the fruit shows up in a different field?
A Pilgrimage That Changed Everything
The breakthrough didn’t come from a new job. It came during a pilgrimage to Ireland, England, and Scotland, where Kevin visited Celtic monastic sites and chased breadcrumbs of wisdom.
One story in particular—about Saint Anthony—stayed with him.
Saint Anthony was told by God that there was someone holier than him—a doctor in the city who gave generously and prayed often. That clicked for me. I could pursue God in the marketplace. I just needed to keep a generous and prayerful posture.
That realization reframed everything. His work could be sacred. His leadership could still be pastoral. And his calling hadn’t been lost—it was just unfolding in a new direction.
On Risk and Faith
Kevin shared a powerful connection between faith and risk:
How do you spell faith? R-I-S-K. You can do all the research… but there’s always that last piece that requires a leap.
This wasn’t a metaphor for reckless entrepreneurship—it was a reflection on what it takes to trust God when the path doesn’t look religious.
From Auto Body Shops to Wild Hospitality
After selling his business to private equity, Kevin didn’t retire. He stepped into coaching full-time and began building a retreat center with his son on family land they’ve owned for 20 years.
They call it Wild Hospitality—a name his son coined, and a value Kevin’s lived out for decades.
My parents modeled it. My wife and I carried it. And now my son’s building a business around it. It’s about making space—for people, for presence, for wholeness.
Kevin now coaches leaders using the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) framework, hosts roundtables in his home, and creates spaces—physical and relational—where clarity and transformation can happen.
What Legacy Really Looks Like
When I asked Kevin about legacy, he didn’t talk about money or reputation.
Legacy for me isn’t having my name on a building. It’s seeing the values of hospitality, generosity, and justice live on in my kids—and their kids.
For Anyone Feeling the Tension Between Calling and Change
This conversation is for:
- Pastors who wonder if stepping out of ministry means stepping away from God
- Entrepreneurs who are asking how their faith integrates with business
- Anyone in a vocational transition wondering if they’ve somehow missed their calling
- Leaders rethinking what legacy really means
Kevin’s story reminds us:
✨ You don’t have to stay where you started to stay faithful
✨ Your soft skills are sacred—don’t underestimate them
✨ Legacy isn’t platform—it’s values that last
✨ You can still be prayerful, generous, and holy—right where you are
Everything just changed, now what?
In a season of transition, it’s hard knowing what to do next. Finding Your Way to Flourishing is your free guide to crafting your Next Step Statement so you can move forward with clarity and confidence.