In this inaugural episode of The Missional Leader, Rob Hoskins sits down with friend and longtime partner in ministry, Bobby Gruenewald, founder of YouVersion and one of the most forward-thinking leaders in the Church today.
While many are familiar with the global impact of Bobby’s work, particularly the Bible App, what often goes unseen is the resilience, risk, and Spirit-led discernment that made it possible. This conversation dives into the inner life of an innovator: the doubts, the failures, the hard-won lessons, and the deep conviction behind it all.
Together, they discuss:
- What it really means to take risks for the Kingdom
- The early learnings of YouVersion and how God used the process to reveal something better
- A framework for understanding risk that has shaped how Bobby leads
- Why your identity has to be rooted in who you are in Christ, not what you create
- How real innovation starts with people, not products
Bobby Gruenewald’s Framework for Evaluating Risk
Bobby Gruenewald shares a simple but powerful framework for evaluating the risk in any innovative idea. He breaks it into three essential questions:
1. Feasibility Risk
Can it actually be built?
Is your idea technically or practically possible. Do you have the ability, resources, and tools needed to bring it to life? Will you hit a wall that can’t be overcome? If the answer is unclear, this represents a feasibility risk.
2. Market Risk
Will anyone want or need this?
Even if you can build it, is there a real audience for it? Does this idea meet a clear need or solve a relevant problem? If not, it may fail to connect with the people you’re trying to reach.
3. Business (Sustainability) Risk
Can it be sustained?
Even if it’s feasible and people love it, can it survive financially or structurally? Is there a model or framework in place that makes it viable long term? Many ideas struggle at this stage—not because they aren’t good, but because they can’t be sustained.
Gruenewald explains that most innovative ideas carry at least one or two of these risks—and that’s normal. But if all three categories show high risk, it may be time to reevaluate.
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This episode focuses on what it means to innovate from a posture of abundance. Bobby models a life that is openhanded, generous with ideas, relationships, and leadership. He reminds us that we are not the fruit; we are the tree. Our calling is to stay rooted in Christ and keep producing fruit, even when some of it fails or goes unseen. God designed us to keep producing. That kind of mindset frees leaders to take risks, embrace failure, and keep moving forward.
Whether you’re leading a ministry or seeking to follow God’s direction in your work and calling, this episode will challenge and encourage you to lead and innovate with faith and purpose.
🎧 Listen now and explore what it means to lead with clarity, courage, and conviction for the sake of the Gospel.
Show Notes: The Technology Adoption Lifecycle
