Lauren Pinkston is a Missionary Mom of Four and the Most Courageous Gubernatorial Candidate in Tennessee.
Connect With Our Hosts & Guest:
Kevin Beasley — Co-host, Kingdom Effect Podcast & Discipleship Network Leader
🌐 Website: kevinebeasley.com
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/kevinebeasley
Glenn “Buckshot” Buckley — Co-host & Former Law Enforcement
📘 Facebook: facebook.com/rambler113.6
Lauren Pinkston — Independent Gubernatorial Candidate, State of Tennessee
🌐 Campaign Website: pinkstonfortn.com
📞 Schedule a Call with Lauren: Available Tuesdays at pinkstonfortn.com
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👥 Facebook Group: facebook.com/groups/472921304143638
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Show Notes
What happens when a woman who spent years on the mission field, working with trafficking survivors on three continents, begging God to make her good at baking sourdough, finally stops running from the one thing she was built for? You get one of the most unexpected political stories in Tennessee history. Lauren Pinkston isn’t your typical candidate. She’s a seventh-generation Tennessean, a faith-driven independent, a mom of four, a former missionary, and a woman who has said yes to Jesus every single time He’s asked, even when the ask made zero sense on paper.
In this episode, Kevin and Buckshot sit down with Lauren Pinkston for a conversation that starts with politics but quickly becomes something much bigger, a raw, honest discussion about obedience, identity, calling, humanizing our enemies, and what it actually looks like to let God write a story you could have never written for yourself.
🎯 What You’ll Discover:
The Woman Behind the Campaign
Kids born on three continents, a PhD pursuit in international development, and a desk at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
The prayer that broke her: “Lauren, it’s cute that you want a flashy ministry, but if you haven’t learned to love the people you come from, you haven’t learned to love at all”
Why an Independent? Why Governor? Why Now?
The math that made her angry: how a potential new governor could win office with as little as 7-8% of the popular vote, and why that felt like an injustice she couldn’t ignore
Why she tried everything else first, county office, state legislature, jobs that “made more sense,” and how every door closed except this one
What Kevin asked her over coffee that reframed everything: “How do you define success?”
Faith, Obedience, and Running the Improbable Race
The Abigail principle: why Lauren doesn’t have to be the best man in the room, just an obedient woman
What the Enneagram revealed about her marriage and her ministry (and the legendary comeback her husband gave her in Laos)
God doesn’t call us to the finish line; He calls us to the starting line.
Healing a Divided State (and Nation)
The grassroots plan to host 510+ living room events across Tennessee before November
Why the cul-de-sac was a tragedy for American connectedness, and what we’ve lost without our front porches
The legislative accountability tool Lauren plans to launch from the governor’s office to make every vote public and every citizen heard
Grace, Politics, and Speaking Truth in Love
Lauren’s response to people who say politics is too ugly for Christians to touch
How she holds firm on her beliefs while building some of the deepest relationships of her life, including with people who disagree with her completely
Why stripping people of dignity strips you of the authority to speak love into their lives
💡 Standout Moments:
“I tried so hard to be a quiet, meek Southern woman. I even tried to bake sourdough through COVID. God refused.” — Lauren Pinkston
“I don’t think God cares who’s governor of Tennessee. But I do think that who is better for us to serve than the image-bearers of God around us every day?” — Lauren Pinkston
“He doesn’t call us to something and show us the outcome. He calls us to the starting line.” — Glenn “Buckshot” Buckley
🔥 Key Moments in the Conversation:
Lauren described the first week she’d spend in the governor’s residence if elected, inviting every legislator in Tennessee, their spouses, their kids, and making sure every person at the table sits next to someone from across the aisle. Not a policy meeting. Not a debate. A meal. Because you cannot write legislation together if the only time you talk is inside a debate circle. You have to humanize each other first.
That one image said more about Lauren Pinkston’s vision for Tennessee than any policy platform ever could.
📚 Resources Mentioned:
Book: The Great Good Place — Ray Oldenburg
Book: Bowling Alone — Robert Putnam
Campaign Website & Open Office Hours: pinkstonfortn.com
Policy Positions (all 91 of them): pinkstonfortn.com
Want to Get Involved?
Schedule a personal call with Lauren on Tuesdays at pinkstonfortn.com
Host a living room event in your community
Share this episode with someone who feels like they have no one to vote for
“I am not okay if someone doesn’t vote for me because of how I’ve used my faith among them. That’s something I have to answer to God for.” — Lauren Pinkston
Kingdom Effect Podcast — Where ordinary people say yes to extraordinary things. Available on all major podcast platforms.
