Church for the Rest of Us Podcast

CFTROU 0211: KIDS: SPIRITUALLY SIGNIFICANT CAMPS | Camps & Events After months of focusing on our kids and youth ministries, we conclude this season's episodes with the spiritual significance of church-led events, specifically church camps. Pastors Zack Rickards and Cole Bearden join us to share their early childhood camp experiences, explain why camp is an essential part of the Family Church DNA, and highlight how it accelerates spiritual growth. They also offer best practices for attending another church's camp, powerful testimonies on camp's lasting impact, and a practical guide to starting your own. Tune in to learn how church camps can spark transformation, deepen faith, and create lifelong connections!  Key Points From This Episode: Why camps are an irreplaceable and vital cog of the Family Church wheel.   A short trip through Zack, Cole, Leslee, and Jimmy's childhood camp experiences.   Church camp: the great accelerator for relationships and culture.  A step-by-step breakdown of how we put our camps together.   Triumphant stories of how kids and adults have been impacted by our camps.   How to start your own church camp and use it to your best advantage!  CFTROU 211: KIDS: SPIRITUALLY SIGNIFICANT CAMPS | Camps & EventsClick To Tweet it's an accelerator for our church culture." username= "JimmyScroggins"]CFTROU 211: KIDS: SPIRITUALLY SIGNIFICANT CAMPS | Camps & EventsClick To Tweet literally have to this day formed when they went to kids camp in the third grade. That's pretty amazing!" username="LesleeDBennett"] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jimmy on X Leslee on X Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 210: Kids: Starting the Leadership Pipeline | 5th Grade Young Leaders Family Church is unique for many reasons, but one of the most prominent ones is its 5th grade young leaders program – where their leadership pipeline begins. Joining us to talk about our 5th grade young leaders are Zack Rickards and Tyler Hamilton. Tuning in, you'll hear all about the importance of having a leadership pipeline, why Family Church starts it at the 5th grade level, what the 5th grade young leaders program is, how to become a leader, and what their responsibilities are. We go on to discuss the family commitment that comes with being a 5th grade young leader before touching on the importance of making sure all members participate in the running of the church. We even hear about some of our guest's most excellent 5th grade young leaders. Finally, we discuss the benefits of young leadership programs. Key Points From This Episode: The importance of having a leadership pipeline and why Family Church starts in 5th grade.  What the 5th grade young leaders program is, how kids become leaders, and their roles.  The kinds of things parents need to commit to when their kids are 5th grade leaders.  Why we want everyone to be involved in Family Church through deliberate participation.  The benefits of young leadership programs and a reminder not to underestimate kids.  Don't underestimate just how valuable and how gifted these kids are.Click To TweetChrist should be the center of your life in all aspects.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jimmy on X Leslee on X  Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0209: Kids: Celebrating Life's Milestone Moments | Milestones KIDS: CELEBRATING LIFE'S MILESTONE MOMENTS | Milestones How do we guide children and families through life's significant moments with purpose and faith? In this continuation of our ongoing series about student and kids ministries, host Jimmy Scroggins and co-host Leslee Bennett are joined by Zack Rickards and Gina Carmichael, key leaders in the Family Church Kids Ministry. Together, they unpack the Milestone Program, a thoughtful framework designed to help families mark key spiritual moments, from Parent-Child Dedication to Baptism and beyond. You'll discover how intentional guidance and community support can significantly shape a child's faith journey and equip parents for their pivotal role. Key Points From This Episode: The importance of marking significant events in a child's spiritual journey. An overview of our Kids Ministry milestones: Parent-Child Dedication, Kids' New Believers Class, Baptism, and How to Have the Talk. Gina's perspective on how any church of any size could create a family program like this. Ensuring readiness for the baptism milestone and the importance of parental involvement. How to Have the Talk: equipping parents for key conversations on gender, sexuality, and tech. Practical tips and inspiration to help church leaders launch their own kids' ministry. Kids Ministry and Student Ministry – puts the “family” in Family Church.Click To TweetCFTROU 209: Kids: Celebrating Life's Milestone Moments | MilestonesClick To Tweet." username="LesleeDBennett"] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jimmy on X Leslee on X  Church for the Rest of Us Conference Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Full Circle Parenting Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0208: Kids: Leading Elementary Kids Worship Today, we're diving into Elementary Kids Worship at Family Church, known as The Treehouse. Joining us are Zack Rickards and Erica Brooks. In our conversation, we dive into the philosophy behind why we line up all our teachings on a Sunday, discuss what Kids Worship looks like at Family Church, and explain why we decided to have separate worship for adults and kids. We break down how the team outlines and plans Treehouse worship experiences, unpack the different elements incorporated to help share the big idea of the week, and share ways we ensure our kids build intentional Biblical literacy. Key Points From This Episode: Zack defines what Kids Worship looks like at Family Church.  What changed Pastor Jimmy's mind about having separate Kids worship.  Break down how they outline and plan the Treehouse worship experience. The intention behind Treehouse as a church for kids. We unpack the elements incorporated into Treehouse and how they help share the big idea. The different ways we ensure our kids build intentional Biblical literacy. How we'd advise other churches to begin their own Kids Worship.  CFTROU 208: Kids: Leading Elementary Kids WorshipClick To Tweet. — We want our Kids ministry to be an extension of the total ministry of the church, not an alternative" username= "JimmyScroggins"] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jimmy on X Leslee on X Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Church for the Rest of Us Conference Family Church Elementary | Treehouse Takeover Family Church Preschool | Heartland  Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0207: Leading Preschool Kids Worship | Preschool Today's topic of conversation centers around preschool worship, what we refer to as Heartland at Family Church, and is something that's near and dear to Pastor Jimmy's heart! We are fortunate to have the masterminds of Heartland joining us on the show today, Zack Rickards and Janelle Bannister. Join us as we dive into a typical morning at Heartland! Janelle breaks down the Gospel Project curriculum and we explain the what and why of preschool worship. We also share what our team's work week looks like in preparation for Sundays, express the pivotal role of volunteers in making Heartland happen, and delve into our use, production, and the behind-the-scenes of our Heartland videos. Key Points From This Episode: A typical morning at Preschool church. Janelle gives us a breakdown of The Gospel Project curriculum. What it would look like at a smaller church, with a smaller number of preschoolers. We dive into the what and why of preschool worship or Heartland worship.  More details about our Heartland program: ages, time frames, and format. The pivotal role of volunteers in making Heartland happen.  CFTROU 207: Kids: Leading Preschool Kids Worship | PreschoolClick To Tweet that we want to give kids a faith that they can grow into, not a faith that they grow out of. -Zack Rickards]CFTROU 207: Kids: Leading Preschool Kids Worship | PreschoolClick To Tweet curriculum, you make it as engaging and as intriguing as you can because, at the end of the day, you're trying to help these little minds grown in their knowledge and love for the Lord." -Janelle Bannister] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jimmy on X Leslee on X  Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Family Church Heartland Church for the Rest of Us Conference Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 206: Kids: Keeping Kids Safe | Child Safety Meeting Child safety is important for any church, not just ours, and we are thrilled to be joined by Family Church Kid's Ministry Pastor Zach Rickards and Wendi Serna, who walk us through the best practices for child safety on church grounds. We begin by explaining why child safety is such an important issue before learning why it sits at number one on Kid's Ministry's list of objectives. Then, we unpack the traits that make up the perfect Kid's Ministry volunteer, how we find and enlist them, other policies worth mentioning about child safety at Family Church, and why we hold an annual child safety meeting for the parents in our congregation. We end with helpful advice for improving child safety at your church, and Leslee shares her perspective on what parents look out for when bringing their kids to church for the first time.  Key Points From This Episode: Understanding why safety is number one on the Kid's Ministry's list of priorities.  The characteristics that define the perfect Kid's Ministry volunteer.  Kid's Ministry's protocol for finding and enlisting volunteers.  How to start improving child safety at your church.  Background checks and other non-negotiables for child safety on church grounds.  What parents view as important when taking their kids to church for the first time.  We need to be as vigilant; careful; and as aggressive as we can about creating a safe environment for the kids.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jimmy on X Leslee on X  Church for the Rest of us Conference 2025  Family Church Kids Elementary Family Church Kids Preschool Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0205: Kids: How We Engage Kids | Theology, Philosophy, Methodology Family is a big deal to God; it's a big thing in The Bible, and it's a big thing here at Family Church! So, we love to spend our time having intentional conversations about how we pass our faith on to the next generation. Today, we are joined by Family Church Kids Pastors Zach Rickards and Keenan Casteel to walk us through the theology, philosophy, and methodology of our kid's ministry. We discover why kid's ministry is a number one priority at Family Church before learning about how we show up for our youth, how we serve our kids through the kid's ministry mission statement, the role of parents in bringing their kids close to God, and how our theology impacts our philosophy and methodology. We also unpack how The Bible is communicated to our kids at Family Church, what it means to have childlike faith, and how we ensure that our kids are always having fun as they learn about Biblical foundational truths.   Key Points From This Episode:  Understanding why kid's ministry is so important to Family Church.  Our kid's ministry mission statement and how we serve them.   The role of parents in raising God-fearing kids.  Exploring the way our theology impacts our methodology.   How the way Family Church communicates The Bible to kids differs from others.  What it means to have childlike faith.   How we generate fun each week for our kids at Family Church.   Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jimmy on X Leslee on X  Keenen Casteel on Instagram Zachary Rickards on Instagram Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Family Church Kids Preschool  Family Church Kids Elementary  Church for the Rest of Us Conference 2025   Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0204: Students: Celebrating Life's Milestone Moments | Milestones As our children move through different stages of life, it's essential to give them tools that help them make sense of life and keep following Christ through it all. Today on the show, we're wrapping up the first half of this season, focused on Student and Kids Ministries at Family Church. This episode concludes the Student Ministry part of our series, and in our next episode, we'll shift our focus to Kids Ministry. In this conversation, we're exploring how to celebrate life's milestone moments, joined by Pastors John MacTaggart, Derek Simpson, and Todd Thomas. We'll talk about why we emphasize these milestone moments, what our current milestone path looks like, the impact of long-term commitment to these moments, and how they're adapted over time to meet our community needs and culture changes. Celebrating life's milestone moments is a valuable tool we use at Family Church, so tune in to learn more.  Key Points From This Episode: Why we emphasize milestone moments at Family Church. We unpack what our milestone path currently looks like. A look at what our 6th-grade milestone looks like and what we do there.  Pastor Todd shares his experience as a dad who took part in the 6th-grade milestone. Pastor John breaks down what our senior milestone includes. Why these milestones tend to adapt and change over time, and factors that influence them. The benefits that flow out from celebrating these milestones. We share stories of how our student milestones have impacted families. Milestones are a way that we celebrate an accomplishment. It's where we celebrate the changing of a season of life. It's where we celebrate a new season of growing up with our kids and with our families. And we've found this to be…Click To TweetOne of my favorite things about these milestones is that they help our kids celebrate good holy, wholesome, righteous things as they follow God's design. It's good that they're getting to choose over what the world has to offer.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Todd Thomas on X Jimmy Scroggins on X Leslee Bennett on X John MacTaggart on X Derek Simpson on X Church for the Rest of Us Conference Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0203: Students: Finding the Right Volunteers | Recruiting & Training Adult Volunteers Today, we're continuing our discussion on student ministry at Family Church by diving into practical matters—like how to recruit the right volunteers. Joining us on the podcast are Pastor John MacTaggart and Pastor Brian Stebbins to unpack our approach to recruiting and training adult volunteers, focusing on finding and retaining significant adults. As you tune in, you'll hear why we prioritize recruiting and training the right volunteers, what we look for in people to serve in student ministry, and the critical role significant adults play. We'll also share practical insights into our onboarding booklet, our seven-step process, and intentional training methods for our adult volunteers. Key Points From This Episode: Why recruiting and training student volunteers is so important.  The value and priority of retaining significant adults: setting high expectations. We talk about our onboarding booklet and the seven-step process.  Basic steps churches of any size can take to recruit and onboard student ministry volunteers. The importance of giving parents access to small group leaders and allowing them to get to know the person investing in their child's life.  How we do intentional training with our adult volunteers.  “IfClick To Tweet“EveryClick To Tweet“IClick To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jimmy on X Leslee on X John on X Brain on X Church for the Rest of Us Conference Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0202: Students: Sundays First | Strategy of Sunday Morning If your goal is long-term family formation and raising disciples, consider cultivating a student ministry that fully integrates students into the larger life of the church, and that starts with Sunday mornings. In this episode, we continue our series on how we at Family Church approach Student Ministry, focusing on our philosophy of putting Sundays first. Join Pastor Jimmy Scroggins and his co-host Leslee Bennett as they chat with Pastor John MacTaggart; who leads our Student Ministry across our network of churches, and Pastor Tyler Core; the campus pastor at Family Church Gardens and our former student pastor. In this episode, we dive into our 'Sunday's First' philosophy in Student Ministry, discuss how Pastor John applies this approach, the importance of integrating students into the broader church life, and the role of parents in this journey. We also touch on how this philosophy plays out across our campuses and unpack the purpose of our mid-week activities in supporting our students' spiritual growth. Key Points From This Episode: What we mean by our 'Sunday's First' philosophy in our Student Ministry. How the Student Ministry team plans their week with a focus on Sunday mornings. How we work out our Sunday morning philosophy throughout all our campuses. Why it's crucial to integrate our students into the life of the larger church. Our goal with mid-week activities. Leslee shares her perspective as a mom who has raised teenagers and the value of Sunday mornings.  One word of advice to pastors and leaders to change their course and focus to Sunday mornings.  If you want to build families, the center of the target has to be Sunday mornings.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jimmy Scroggins on X Leslee Bennett on X  John MacTaggart on X Tyler Core on X Church for the Rest of Us Conference 2025 Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0201: Students- Spiritual Habits Today, we continue our conversation on Student Ministry, focusing on the fourth leg of our Student Ministry philosophy at Family Church: Spiritual Habits. Although it's the last talked-about leg, it's certainly not the least important. Joining us are Pastor John MacTaggart, Pastor to Students and Families, and Tommy Lea, our Middle School Minister, both from Family Church Downtown. Tune in to hear about the essential spiritual habits we emphasize, why this aspect is so crucial to our Student Ministry, and the practical ways we help students build these habits. Key Points From This Episode: Tommy shares the spiritual habits we emphasize in our Student Ministry. John's thoughts on forming spiritual habits in students. Practical ways we help students form spiritual habits.  We share anecdotal stories about students who have gone through programs and the fruit we've seen. Advice on where to start to weave spiritual habits into your student ministries.  Spiritual habits are going to create the opportunity for people to become life-long self-feeding disciples of Jesus Christ.Click To TweetI do think the impact on parents is huge. And our goal is always to partner with parents — I do think the ways we challenge our students is so encouraging to parentsClick To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jimmy on X Leslee on X  John MacTaggart on X Church for the Rest of Us Conference 2025 Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0200: Students- Challenging Spiritual Experiences This season is all about our student ministry philosophy, and today, we unpack the third leg of our four-legged stool that serves as the sturdy base of truth we'd like to pass onto our student leaders: challenging spiritual experiences. Jimmy and Leslee are joined by Pastors John MacTaggart and Jake Kimbrell to explore how we at Family Church instigate challenging spiritual experiences for our students. We begin with why it's important to provoke our students spiritually, the three main events that serve as great foundations for this purpose, and how we ensure that our entire congregation is engaged and actively involved. We end with how adversity breeds success, confirming why we need to constantly challenge our students on a spiritual level, and our guests share some helpful resources for cultivating the right mindset in student ministries. Join us to discover how to create challenging spiritual experiences that foster growth in your students and empower your ministry to inspire the next generation! Key Points: How we create challenging spiritual scenarios for our students at Family Church.  Unpacking our biggest three annual events: ADVANCE, Camp, and Block Party. Understanding what motivates students to grow in their faith and share The Gospel.  How adversity breeds success and why we should be challenging our students at church. Success stories from when we challenged our students spiritually.  Helpful resources for provoking challenging spiritual experiences. Challenging spiritual experiences are the most unique thing that a student ministry has to offer.Click To Tweet What we're doing is we're saying to the students, ‘We believe you're not just the church of tomorrow; we believe you're the church of today.'Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jimmy on X Leslee on X John MacTaggart on X John MacTaggart on Instagram Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0199: Students- Significant Adult Relationships Our students are the leaders of today, not just tomorrow, and that's why our student ministry is so important to us at Family Church. Today is the second leg of our four-legged stool that defines how we approach our student ministry, and it's all about the importance of having significant spiritual leaders actively investing in their student congregations. We are joined by Campus Director Jaqueline Smail and Student Pastor John MacTaggart, and Jaqueline begins by sharing her journey into student ministry to become one of the most gifted student leaders that Pastor Jimmy has ever seen! Then, we discuss why spiritual leaders matter for students, why parents appreciate the presence of significant adults in the kids' lives, the responsibilities of adults who have students underwing looking up to them, and the characteristics of a great student leader. We end with some advice on how to support student ministries from the sidelines, what churches should be doing more of to enhance their student ministries, and some real-world examples of when spiritual leaders significantly impacted the lives of the students.   Key Points From This Episode: Why students need to have significant relationships with significant adults.  What Family Church is looking for when hiring a student leader – must-have characteristics. How to support student ministry when you're not directly involved.  What churches need to be doing more of for their student ministries.  Practical examples of when student leaders significantly impacted the lives of their students. CFTROU 0199: Students- Significant Adult RelationshipsClick To Tweet“We actually have a lot of people who are very gifted Bible teachers, and we have environments where we can create that. What we don't have is authentic, life-on-life disciple-makers.”Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode Jimmy on X Leslee on X Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook John MacTaggart on Instagram Jacqueline Smail on Instagram Family Church on Instagram Church For The Rest Of Us Conference 2025 Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0198: Students- Partnering with Parents Welcome to a new season of Church for the Rest of Us! Today we are joined by student pastor, John MacTaggart and student minister Christian Rodriguez to discuss student ministry and how to partner with parents. We then delve into ‘the four-legged stool' that they implement in student ministry at Family Church, where it came from, and how our guests use it in their ministry. Today we focus on the first ‘leg' of the stool; partnering with parents as our guests tell us how they create a sense of community within their student ministry, how they connect with parents and disciple their children alongside them, and so much more! We even discuss some important values we, at Family Church, like to instill in our children before John and Christian share advice for anyone in ministry wanting to connect with their students. Key Points: The biblical foundations of student ministry and why it's so important.  A breakdown of ‘the four-legged stool' and how Family Church developed it.  How they disciple the children in their church alongside their parents.  The milestones they emphasize for both children and their parents.  How John and Christian connect with the parents of the students the disciple.  The kinds of questions parents as student ministers and their potential solutions.  We don't just want kids showing up on Sundays and Wednesdays, this is a family affair!Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jimmy on X Leslee on X Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X John MacTaggart on LinkedIn John MacTaggart on X John MacTaggart on Instagram Christian Rodriguez on LinkedIn Christian Rodriguez on Instagram Axis  Faith for Exiles Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0197: A Simple Way to Share the Gospel In our final episode of this season, we delve into a simple method for sharing the Gospel. Joining us on the podcast today are Pastor Todd Thomas, who serves at Family Church Sherbrooke, Chris Kish, minister to the young adult's ministry, and Robby Christmas, campus pastor at Family Church in the Farms. Together, we unpack the Three Circles, a gospel-sharing tool developed by Pastor Jimmy and one that we frequently utilize. Tune in to learn about the genesis of the Three Circles, its evolution into a globally recognized gospel-sharing tool, and why we prioritize not only teaching but also training our community in its use! Key Points: Pastor Jimmy recounts the story of developing the Three Circles tool. How the tool has developed into a globally used gospel-sharing tool Why we don't just teach, but train people, in the Three Circles. Robby walks us through what a training session on the Three Circles looks like. Why you, as a church leader, should have this tool. Key Quotes:  “What I want to do is make sharing the gospel normal. For the Christian, it should be normal!” — Chris Kish “When you are training you are not just transferring content, you are transferring skills.” — Robby Christmas Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Family Church Three Circles Turning Everyday Conversations Into Gospel Conversations Jimmy on X Leslee on X Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Todd Thomas on X Chris Kish on Instagram Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0196: Building a Leadership Pipeline A leadership pipeline isn't a new trend that only applies to multisite or church-planting contexts. While it has its challenges and requires that we rethink ministry roles, building a church's leadership pipeline cultivates the God-given spiritual gifts and abilities of each person to accomplish ministry goals and intentionally develop ministry partners. Today on Church For the Rest of Us, we delve into one of our most asked-about topics with special guests Pastors Jose DaSilva, Christian Ramos, and Derek Simpson. Join us as we discuss the importance of people development, what goes into building a leadership pipeline, and how your church can create a better process for developing and multiplying disciples at all levels. Key Points From This Episode: What it means to be a “people developer.” Reasons that churches need more qualified, capable leaders to accomplish ministry goals. Some of the cultural challenges that come with developing people. Identify, recruit, train, and place: the process of leadership development. How to identify potential leaders in your community. One of our key leadership principles is that we want all of us to be people developers – Jesus was a people developer, all the best leaders in all the new testaments were people developers, and God is a people developerClick To TweetCFTROU 196: Building a Leadership PipelineClick To Tweet is not a function of budget, size, or scope of ministry. It's a function of intentionality by the pastors and believers at the church.” username="dereksimpson"] Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Christian on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/christianramos Derek on X — https://twitter.com/dereksimpson Jimmy on X Leslee on X Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0195: Embracing Meaningful Membership There are numerous aspects to embracing meaningful membership at your neighborhood church. At Family Church, we consider membership a privilege, but it also involves a specific process. This process is designed to guide our members toward God's design through fellowship, teaching, and accountability within their church family. Today, we're joined by Pastor Derek Simpson, who serves as the campus pastor for our downtown campus and provides leadership for all our ministry teams across all campuses; Pastor Todd Gaston from the North Stuart campus and regional leader of the Treasure Coast; and Pastor Jose DaSilva, the pastor of Iglesia Familiar Greenacres. Join us as we dive into a discussion on the process and purpose of church membership. With this conversation, we want to encourage listeners, not to simply do what we do, but to build a process, stick with it over time, and begin seeing the fruit of it. Key Points From This Episode: Pastor Derek further unpacks our First Connection tool. How we encourage people to attend First Connection. Why our number one metric is how many people are coming to First Connection. Pastor Derek drills down on what people can expect when coming to First Connection. Pastor Jimmy delves into what it takes to become a member at Family Church. Pastor Jose's thoughts on the difference between a member and an attendee. CFTROU 0195: Embracing Meaningful MembershipClick To Tweet the family. We open the gate for you.” username= "JoseDaSilva"]“OurClick To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jimmy on X — https://twitter.com/JimmyScroggins Leslee Bennett on X — https://twitter.com/lesleedbennett Derek Simpson on X — https://twitter.com/dereksimpson Todd Gaston on X — https://twitter.com/toddgaston Jose DaSilva Email — jdasilva@gofamilychurch.org The Three Circles Family Church — https://www.familychurchnetwork.com/category/3-circles-gospeling-tool/ Family Church Network — https://www.familychurchnetwork.com/ Family Church on Facebook — https://m.facebook.com/FamilyChurchVillage Family Church on Instagram— https://www.instagram.com/gofamilychurch/ Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0194: How to Count Wins In this episode, we dive into the numbers and metrics. While it's not always all about the numbers in ministry, metrics help us gauge our impact in taking the gospel to every person in every neighborhood across South Florida. Our guests are Derek Simpson, Campus Pastor of Family Church Downtown, Todd Thomas, Campus Pastor of Family Church Sherbrooke, and Scott Crawford, Business Administrator and CFO of Family Church. If you would like to learn which metrics we measure, the process we follow to develop our metrics, and the goals we set around these metrics, then tune in today. Key Points From This Episode: How metrics and dashboards are helpful reporting tools and help leaders determine strategy. The metrics and reporting tools used in different ministry areas. What the metrics mean to our Lead Pastor. The process of identifying and developing metrics used in our context. The importance of being good stewards of the resources that have been given to us. What we do if we see participation is waning. How metrics can help us look at the past to see what should happen in the future. How baptisms are a celebratory metric across our campuses. Building culture through a leadership development program for our kids. Cultivating our culture – our main goal. Lead measures vs. lag measures. The number one metric at Family Church. If you don't evaluate and measure, you can't tell the impact of certain things and whether they are succeeding or not.Click To TweetNumbers paint a picture of what God is doing and they help us know what's working and what's not.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Todd on X Scott on X Derek on X Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on X Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0193: How Meals, Meetings, and Retreats Build Culture Meals and meetings are an everyday occurrence in most organizations and workspaces, and retreats are also commonplace. However, did you know that there are three aspects of work life can help to grow your culture? In this episode, our guests include Pastor Christian Ramos. He leads our worship ministry across our family of neighborhood churches. We also welcome Derek Simpson, Campus Pastor of Family Church Downtown, and Todd Thomas, Campus Pastor of Family Church Sherbrooke, to discuss how meals, meetings, and retreats work to help build culture. We discuss how meals strengthen relationships, how meetings grow culture, how retreats expand the mind, among other benefits. Be sure to tune in! Key Points From This Episode: What it means to have meals that advance the church's mission. How meals strengthen relationships and how to navigate meals with the opposite gender. Ways that the various types of meetings at Family Church affect our culture. The importance of preparation and advice for structuring meetings to grow culture. Why we go on several retreats. How retreats lead to mindset shifts and changes of heart. Retreats as cultural, relationship, and product accelerators. Tips to get the most out of your retreats. A change of pace and a change of place means a change of heart.Click To TweetWe're big on accountability, so we have action items in all of our meetings.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Todd on X Genesis 3 Death by Meeting If it Ain't Broke... Break It! Todd on X — https://twitter.com/indiantodd Christian on Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/christianramos Derek on X — https://twitter.com/dereksimpson Jimmy on X Leslee on X Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0192: How Common Language Drives Culture In this episode our hosts and guests explore how common language in a church drives culture. Joining the discussion are special guests, Seth Carter, Creative Pastor of Family Church, who leads his creative team to disseminate common language throughout our family of neighborhood churches. Also joining us, special guests, Winner Olmann, Campus Pastor of Family Church Lake Park, and Todd Thomas, Campus Pastor of Family Church Sherbrooke. Our guests unpack the definition of common language. They discuss Relentless Pursuit – what it is and how the team developed it. They also talk about the ways to communicate common language at Family Church, and what it means to be a culture carrier. To listen to this and much more, tune in now! Key Points From This Episode: The importance of developing culture carriers as you develop common language. How we define common language. What Relentless Pursuit is and how we developed it. How common language has evolved in our context. Ways we communicate and deliver our common language. Informal ways we communicate common language. What it means to be a culture carrier using common language. The times it takes to embed culture in your organization. Being intentional about using common language. What common language needs to be–accessible, true, and real. The importance of culture in the Kingdom of Christ. Advice to pastors and ministry leaders looking to develop their common language. Common language includes the phrases, words, and terminology that are important to Family Church, and in many cases unique to Family Church.Click To TweetNot everything that we say becomes common language.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Todd on X Email Winner Seth on LinkedIn Seth on X Jimmy on X Leslee on X Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0191: Is It Time to Change Your Church's Name? Today on Church for the Rest of Us, we pose a question: Do you think it's time to change the name of your church? If this is something that you've had on your heart, then do not miss out on our conversation as we share insights on how to go about changing the name of your church! We're gladly joined by two incredible guests to dive into this subject, Todd Thomas, the pastor at Family Church Sherbrooke and leader of our campus pastors; and Winner Olmann, the pastor at Family Church Lake Park. We delve into three reasons why any church might think about changing its name, why we changed our church's name, what you could potentially lose by proceeding with the change, and what you can gain from the change! We trust this episode will inspire and encourage you in your journey to reach your community with the gospel of Jesus Christ! Key Points From This Episode: How and why we opted for a name change (implementing it gradually over some time). What it's like to change your name when you're planting something new. Winner speaks to the experience they underwent changing the name of their school. We discuss the potential things you can lose by changing your church's name. The importance of laying the right groundwork with the right leaders. Encouragements on changing your church's name. CFTROU 0191: Is It Time to Change Your Church's Name?Click To TweetIdeally, you want a name that accurately reflects the mission and vision you have for your church in your community.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Todd on X Email Winner Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on X (formerly Twitter) Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0190: Leading Change in a Tradition Church: Embrace a New Future As we continue our series on leading change in a traditional church, today we want to hone in on embracing a new future for your neighborhood church. We've asked some very future-oriented thinkers to join us on the podcast today! We're pleased to have with us Jose DaSilva; pastor at Iglesia Familiar Greenacres, Winner Olmann; pastor at Family Church Lake Park, and Derek Simpson; the campus pastor at Family Church Downtown. Our guests will share how Family Church's leadership principles are impacting the future of their neighborhood church. Key Points From This Episode: Each pastor shares their future plans for their church based on the culture of their neighborhood. How our Christian School in Lake Park is impacting that neighborhood. Leslee leads a discussion about how the leadership principles (like innovation) we're implementing connect to what we are doing in the neighborhoods. How to bring people along to the future you're embracing. The critical aspect of envisioning a potential future for your church. Click To TweetClick To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Derek on X Email Winner Email Jose Jimmy on X Leslee on X Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 189: Leading Change in a Traditional Church: Killing the Sacred Cows In this episode, we are sharing tips for recognizing and killing the sacred cows in your church to foster change and growth. Regardless of your organization's size, you may recognize the presence of sacred cows that need to go to the slaughterhouse. Now, you might be unsure about how to guide them there or whether you possess the courage to lead them. If you find yourself in this situation, you're in the right place and tuned into the right conversation! Today, we're happy to have some insightful guests back with us. Christian Ramos, Lead Worship Pastor who leads the worship ministry across our family of neighborhood churches; Derek Simpson, Campus Pastor of Family Church Downtown who provides leadership to all our ministry teams; and Kevin Smith, Campus Pastors of Family Church Village and also offers team leadership for Family Church. Join the conversation as we dive into why letting go of the past can be difficult in a church setting, some of the changes we've seen happen throughout the years, Derek shares a key component in the conversation about commitment, and we unpack some of the criteria to help you discern whether something is a sacred cow. Tune in as we share invaluable insights about leading through change! Key Points From This Episode: Pastor Jimmy sets the stage with a principle he garnered from The Three Box Solution. Letting go of the past, and why that's difficult in a church setting. Christian recounts some of the changes they've made in the worship ministry and platforms of Family Church. Reflecting the cultural diversity of our neighborhoods. We discuss the intentional changes in our language and communication. Killing the cows that aren't aligned with the vision God has given you. We unpack some criteria to help discern whether something is a sacred cow. CFTROU 0189: Leading Change in a Traditional Church: Killing the Sacred CowsClick To TweetCFTROU 0189: Leading Change in a Traditional Church: Killing the Sacred CowsClick To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Christian on Instagram Derek on X Kevin on X Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on X (formerly Twitter) Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0188: Leading Change in a Traditional Church–Start Where You Are Change is an inevitable aspect of church work, especially when your goal is to effectively reach your neighborhoods with the gospel of Jesus. In today's discussion, we are joined by Pastor Christian Ramos. He leads our worship ministry across our family of neighborhood churches. We are also joined by Pastor Derek Simpson, who serves as the Campus Pastor of Family Church Downtown and also provides leadership to our ministry teams. Also, Pastor Kevin Smith joins the conversation. He serves as the Campus Pastor of Family Church Village and also offers team leadership for Family Church. The discussion in this episode is about leading change. No matter which business or ministry you are in, the type of organization you lead, the size or location of the organization, all of us at some point have to lead through change. Our guests talk about what it was like going through a time of decline, our thoughts on the cultural climate, the mindset shift toward Christianity, and the job of pastors to define reality. We talk about starting where you are and look at a couple of key aspects when leading through change. Tune in today! Key Points From This Episode: Leading ministry teams in times of decline. Unpacking the context of Family Church today. Looking at the big picture to ask the right questions when leading change. The importance of theological confessions that guide your church. Taking a hard look at your membership process. Pastor Jimmy speaks to the idea of starting where you are. Growing on Sundays and the importance of getting your team on the same page. Making changes sometimes comes at a cost, and sometimes it doesn't. How to propose change as a leader. Change is inevitable in church work if we want to effectively reach our neighborhoods with the gospel of Jesus Christ.Click To TweetI've realized when people say they don't like change often times they don't like the change that others initiate.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Christian on Instagram Derek on X Kevin on X Junior Hill Jimmy on X Leslee on X Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0187: Get to Know Your Neighbors In this episode, we are talking about building a family of neighborhood churches. These churches draw people in and they get to see the genuine connection the neighborhood pastor has with their community. Our guests are neighborhood pastors and share their approach in reaching diverse communities. They also talk about the impact neighborhood schools make in the community, as well as the homes in those communities. Our guests also share how they motivate their congregations to go be the church out there. Our guests are Jose DaSilva, Campus Pastor of Iglesia Familiar Greenacres, Winner Olmann, Campus Pastor of Family Church Lake Park, Jose DaSilva, and Todd Thomas, Campus Pastor of Family Church Sherbrooke. Pastor Todd also leads our team of campus pastors across our family of neighborhood churches. Tune in for a great conversation! Key Points From This Episode: Pastor Jimmy reminds us of the 1% rule for reaching our communities. What our guests love about being neighborhood pastors. How they each connect with different communities. The powerful influence of schools and the partnership that exists between schools and the surrounding communities. An idea championed by one of our neighborhood churches, Family Church North Stuart. How to motivate and equip your congregation to be the church out there. We see the neighborhood church as a missionary outpost for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the neighborhood pastor serves as the lead mission strategist.Click To TweetI realized that one of the fastest ways to build friendships with other men was to coach baseball and basketball with my son on his teams.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Todd on X Email Winner Email Jose Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on X (formerly Twitter) Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0186: Keeping Vision & Mission Aligned In this episode, we discuss how to align the vision and mission of your church. Our guests are Derek Simpson, Campus Pastor of Family Church Downtown, Todd Thomas, Campus Pastor of Family Church Sherbrooke, and Scott Crawford, Business Administrator and CFO of Family Church. We unpack multiple aspects aligning our vision and mission, building common language into every conversation we have with one another. We talk about how our statements influence our work, how we use our resources, and much more. There is no limit to how often you can reinforce your vision and mission. We also discuss how we prevent vision and mission leaks. To learn more, tune in. Key Points From This Episode: The process of developing our mission statement. What our core values are. How often we change our mission, vision, and core values. How your mission and vision statements can influence how you use your resources. The purpose of our vision and strategy meeting. The significance of meals, meetings, and retreats. What we do to maintain alignment with our mission, if we see alternatives start to develop. Vision, mission, and core values: how much is too much and how much is enough? We filter everything through our mission statement and our core values, so it comes out in everything that we produce.Click To TweetLanguage is powerful in creating and disseminating culture.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Derek on X Scott of X Todd on X Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on X (formerly Twitter) Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0185: How Family Church Does Multisite In this episode, we discuss a trend among churches – moving from a megachurch model to a multisite model. We delve into why, at Family Church, we are committed to the multisite strategy. Our guests include Todd Gaston, Campus Pastor of Family Church North Stuart, Scott Crawford, Family Church Business Administrator and CFO, and Todd Thomas, Campus Pastor of Family Church Sherbrooke. Our Lead Pastor, Jimmy Scroggins, casts vision and discusses our multisite strategy, reasons for departure from this strategy, insights from our campus pastors, and what makes us a unified organization. We explore the benefits and challenges. Tune in now. Key Points From This Episode: Pastor Jimmy gives listeners an in-depth overview of Family Church's team structure. The importance of agility. What our pastor's weekly meeting schedule and agenda looks like. The focus of meetings as a means to provide support. Insight into the workings and meetings of the content production team. Removing obstacles and adjusting expectations. Navigating frustration. Making sure policies and systems are a help and not a hindrance. Making changes and restructuring. Changes made to address our growth. Regionalization as replication for the support team. To do multisite, the way that we do it, you are going to have to care for some chaos.Click To TweetA lot of what we say around here is–policies work for us we don't work for them.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Todd Gaston on X Scott of X Todd Thomas on X Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on X (formerly Twitter) Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0184: How Family Church Does Mergers This episode covers a topic that generates many questions and is the topic of many conversations – church mergers. We are guided by teachings in the New Testament, that advocate stronger churches supporting other churches that are new or may be facing challenges. We call these strategic partnerships.  Our guests include Pastor Todd Gaston, Campus Pastor of Family Church North Stuart and provides leadership to our Treasure Coast neighborhood churches. We also welcome Pastor Scott Crawford, our Business Administrator and CFO, and Pastor Keith Albert, who leads in the area of human resources. Our guests engage in discussion regarding the church mergers and strategic partnership they have participated in while at Family Church. They talk about navigating the intricacies of church mergers, how strategic partnerships take shape, and the process of making two parts into one whole. Tune in for a helpful conversation on strategic partnerships and how they can help you advance the gospel. Key Points From This Episode: Why we have adopted the term, strategic partnership. The evolution of Jog Road Baptist Church, now Iglesia Familiar Greenacres. How they approached the change in their community demographics to better reach their community. Navigating church mergers. The importance of having a kingdom-focused vision. How strategic partnerships form at Family Church. Thinking through strategic partnerships. Discuss back-end aspects of a strategic partnership, including systems and structures. The evolution of North Stuart Baptist Church, now Family Church North Stuart. Leading your congregation into a strategic partnership. Advice to those considering or pursuing strategic partnerships. At Family Church, we believe that stronger churches should strengthen and fund struggling churches and new churches.Click To TweetRelationship and vision are the two keys to successful strategic partnerships.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Todd Gaston on X Scott on X Scott via Email Keith on X Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on X (formerly Twitter) Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0183: Why We're More Committed to Multisite In this episode, we discuss a trend among churches, abandoning the multisite strategy. We delve into why, at Family Church, we continuing with our commitment to the multisite approach. Our guests include Scott Crawford, Family Church Business Administrator; Todd Gaston, Campus Pastor of Family Church North Stuart; and Todd Thomas, Campus Pastor of Family Church Sherbrooke. We discuss our Lead Pastor, Jimmy Scroggins, vision for our family of neighborhood churches, reasons for departure from this strategy, insights from our campus pastors, and what makes Family Church a unified organization. We explore the benefits and challenges. Tune in now! Key Points From This Episode: The logistical and relational challenges faced in the multisite approach. Our campus pastors detail the why behind the multisite campus strategy. Why the multisite strategy is working for us and the benefits we see. Pastor Todd Gaston highlights the power of being a family of neighborhood churches. We delve into the challenges and complexities that come with the multisite strategy. Leading and managing high-level leaders. Words of encouragement to those on the fence about multisite. The work that it takes to maintain the relationships that are required to move forward as one church organization with many expressions across varying neighborhoods, it takes a lot of face time.Click To TweetOur vision, our mission, and our values are clear. We live them out and they also provide clarity and alignment for us to stay connected.Click To TweetWe decided to lean into neighborhood churches with neighborhood pastors, who know their neighborhoods well and know their people well.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Todd Gaston on X Scott of X Todd Thomas on X Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on X (formerly Twitter) Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0182: Adding Neighborhood Schools In this episode, we take a look at schools and the way they have operated alongside churches. In the past, schools and churches operated harmoniously serving the one another. However, cultural institutions in the present day are actively resisting Biblical principles and values, which has created a divide between church and school. At Family Church, we believe having a strong home-church-school relationship is the best way to pass down Biblical principles and values to the next generation. This is why we are working towards every single one of our neighborhood churches to have their own school. This episode's guests include Scott Crawford, CFO and Business Administrator of Family Church and Jay Boggess, Superintendent for Palm Beach Christian and Treasure Coast Christian Academies. They are also members of Family Church. After speaking about the motivation behind the drive for more neighborhood schools, our guests outline the four vital distinctives of our neighborhood schools concept. These include why accessibility and affordability are non-negotiable, factors that set our project apart from others, and ideas for how churches can go about starting their own schools. We also explore how to assess the needs of a new school, the first steps to starting one, and what we can learn from the other neighborhood school success stories. Key Points From This Episode: The importance of accessibility and affordability of schools. Factors that do not influence our project that may affect other schools. Some ideas for how churches can start their own schools. How to assess what your new school needs in relation to your values. The first steps when forming your own Christian school. Final words of encouragement for prospective Christian school founders. Creating a partnership between the home, the church, and the school is the best way for us to pass our faith on to the next generation.Click To TweetWe are trying to instruct kids, as they learn and grow and develop and experience the world around them, to look at everything through the lens of Scripture.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Scott on LinkedIn Scott on X Jay at PBCA Palm Beach Christian Academy Treasure Coast Christian Academy Jimmy on X Leslee on X Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on X Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0181: Neighborhood Church, Building, Pastor & Language In our last episode, we discussed the transition from the megachurch model to the neighborhood church model. In this episode we will continue to get to know Pastor Todd Gaston, Pastor Kevin Smith, and Pastor Jose DaSilva and get to know more about the expression of our neighborhood churches. You will learn how the neighborhood church draws people in. Our guests also talk about the four components of this model and how to maintain a balance between the individual expression of the congregation of each neighborhood church with the standardization of the Family Church experience at each location. Our guests also talk about how a pastor launches a new Family Church campus. Lastly, we are reminded to take joy in the church families we are part of and do life with. Key Points From This Episode: A recap of our last episode and continue the conversation. Our guests allow us to get to know some of our neighborhood churches and what makes each of them distinct. The strength of the neighborhood church model. The four components that make up the Family Church family of neighborhood churches. How to balance standardization and personalization as a neighborhood church pastor. What a pastor needs to do to lead the launch of a new campus. In our metropolitan environment, we think starting small, neighborhood churches is the best way for us to use our resources, to do our part in pursuing the great commission.Click To TweetAs I heard Pastor Jimmy's vision about the power of the neighborhood church, something in my spirit leaped.Click To TweetThe neighborhood church gives you great enthusiasm for church planting and for sending your best. It's a model you're committed to versus an accumulation.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Todd on X Kevin on X Jimmy on X Leslee on X Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0180: We are Abandoning the Regional Megachurch Model In this episode of the Church for the Rest of Us Podcast, in addition to our Lead Pastor, Jimmy Scroggins, and Communications and Executive Staff Director, Leslee Bennett, we are joined by pastors Todd Gaston, Kevin Smith, and Jose DaSilva to discuss our experience with abandoning the megachurch model in favor of the neighborhood church. You will hear about what a megachurch is and what the operation of megachurch model entails, the challenges associated with this model. They also discuss the power of the neighborhood church and the transition from one to another. Key Points From This Episode: Get to know our guests, Pastor Todd Gaston, Pastor Kevin Smith, and Pastor Jose DaSilva. Understand what a megachurch is and what the idea of a regional megachurch entails. Our guests share their experience of running megachurches. The power of neighborhood churches. How to change your ministry strategy from come and see to go and reach. The vast majority of global churches are small, neighborhood, village churches. This is the way the Christian movement sustained itself and spread over the last two millennia.Click To TweetI think there is a strength to the scale of a megachurch, but it ends up creating other challenges.Click To TweetI am, by instinct, a preacher, so to preach to services of 4,000 people overall is a wonderful thing.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Todd on X Kevin on X Jimmy on X Leslee on X Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0179B: Bonus Episode – Salvation Has Come: 25 Christmas Devotions in Luke In this episode, Pastor Gregg Matte, Lead Pastor of Houston's First Baptist Church, joins the podcast to discuss his new book called Salvation Has Come: 25 Christmas Devotions in Luke. You will hear about what sparked the idea for his book and how Pastor Gregg approaches preaching during Christmas. To hear more about how to use this resource with your family, or church, and how it connects the birth of Jesus with His resurrection as part of the Christmas narrative, tune in! Key Points From This Episode: Creating space in our lives to think about who God really is. Preparing our hearts for Christmas and how this resource has brought a freshness. Pastor Gregg's approach to preaching on Christmas. How he envisions his book as a resource for churches and families. Dad Advice: How to use this resource with your family. The goal: celebrating Jesus at Christmas. Connecting the birth of Jesus with His resurrection at Christmas. Where you can get your copy of Salvation Has Come. Other ways listeners can connect with Pastor Gregg Matte. The goal is that we would, at Christmas, celebrate Jesus. Not just baby Jesus, Jesus.Click To TweetMy hope is that the life of Christ would affect our lives for Christ.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Gregg on Instagram Gregg on X Salvation Has Come: 25 Christmas Devotions in Luke More by Pastor Gregg Houston's First Baptist Church Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on X (formerly Twitter) Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0178B: Bonus Episode – You Are A Theologian: An Invitation to Know and Love God Well Theology reorients us to what is true, which is that God is the ultimate source of all things. It also has practical and daily applications that help us live life the way God intended and designed it. In this episode, we are happy to welcome Pastor J.T. English and renowned Bible teacher, Jen Wilkin. In addition to discussing theology, they also talk about their new book, You Are a Theologian: An Invitation to Know and Love God Well. You will hear about the relationship between biblical and theological literacy, how having a better understanding of theology can impact our churches, and the concept of deconstructing. Tune in to hear more about theology and how it can help us know God and based on that knowledge, live life well. Key Points From This Episode: Biblical literacy and theological literacy and the relationship between them. Ways in which having a better understanding of theology can impact churches. The concept of deconstructing. Their thoughts on who they intended to target with their new book. How they are defining theology. Thoughts on how theology helps us live life well. How they came to terms with the topics in their book. Advice to pastors who may feel there is a lack of theological awareness in their churches. All good Bible study leads to theology, and all good theology should lead us back to our sacred text.Click To TweetOne of the reasons deconstruction happens in young adulthood is when ideas were not firmly put in place, either to say yes to or no to, in a time when children are forming their worldview.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: J.T. English on X (formerly Twitter) J.T. English on LinkedIn Jen Wilkin's Website Jen Wilkin on X (formerly Twitter) Knowing Faith Podcast You Are a Theologian Book on Amazon Jimmy on X (formerly Twitter) Leslee on X (formerly Twitter) Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0177: Building an Internship Program In this episode, we are exploring the topic of developing an internship program, specifically geared towards college students. At Family Church, we believe that college students are a vital part of God's design for our neighborhood churches and want to give them an opportunity to do real ministry work with real ministry responsibility. Joining our conversation are two of our leaders, Pastor Derek Simpson and Pastor Andrew Hernandez. They take us through 10 principles for building the foundation of a great internship program and share examples of how these principles have been implemented at Family Church. Remember, you can start where you are, use what you have, and do what you can! God is the multiplier. Key Points From This Episode: Making disciples and the difference between that and only focusing on producing leaders. Collaboration vs. ownership and why we designate three different leaders to each intern. The motivation for having interns and valuing the process over the product. Are your interns handling real responsibility or just doing busy work? Providing interns with evaluated feedback in addition to experience. Extracting valuable leadership lessons: focusing on what the intern can gain from leadership and not only what they can do for leadership. Valuing accountability over activity and why it's important for interns to buy into this. Developing real people: customization over standardization. The importance of whole church exposure vs. only staff exposure. Remember to have fun and make memories. We invest in young leaders and we let them lead because we believe they are the leaders of today, not just the leaders of tomorrow.Click To TweetWe value collaboration and ultimately we believe that's the best way to raise leaders for the kingdom.Click To TweetPart of discipleship is leadership.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Derek on LinkedIn Derek on Twitter Andrew on Twitter Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on X (formerly Twitter) Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0176: Building a Healthy Multisite Worship Ministry In this episode, we are joined by Pastor Christian Ramos and Pastor John Stepp to discuss all things related to leading a worship ministry in a multisite environment. You will hear what multisite ministry is, multisite worship ministry goals, the importance of a family environment. They also talk about creating lifelong memories as a worship leader. We then dive into recruitment strategies and how to retain leaders in this program – through open communication. Our guests share the importance of letting things you love go in order to pour into other people, supporting other campuses, and more. Ultimately, these are lessons we learn from Jesus. Tune in! Key Points From This Episode: How creating a family environment helps. The recruitment aspect of multi-site ministry, how to do it well, and why it's imperative. Why multisite ministry is an employee retention program as well. The importance of having open communication within your ministry. Why you have to find a new way of thinking in your multi-site ministry. Why the leaders of multisite ministries need to be supportive of all campuses. The importance of pouring into other people. We're disciple-makers first and foremost.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Christian on LinkedIn Christian on Instagram John on Instagram John on Twitter Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0175: Developing Theologically Grounded Leaders In this episode, Dr. Mark Warnock, Family Church's Residency Director, and Angel Turbeville, Family Church Village's Campus Director, talk about developing leaders. Theological grounding is more important than ever. In this episode, we examine how people's beliefs can be formed by social media and how delving into theology in isolation can do more harm than good, particularly for those taking up leadership roles. In the face of polarization, followers of Jesus are called to prioritize unity and love. We stress the importance of heart formation, teaching the Bible, and building strong families rooted in the Bible. They also discuss the qualities and qualifications to be a community leader. Tune in for more valuable insights. Key Points From This Episode: Training individuals to start new churches. The need for spiritual development and helping people grow in their faith. The cultural changes and challenges pastors face in the current era of technology and secularization. The impact of social media on the formation of people's beliefs and the necessity of theological grounding. Biblical examples of people who maintained faithfulness to God in hostile cultures. The importance of teaching the Bible. Who should be developed to be leaders, according to the book Deep Discipleship. The role of leaders as undershepherds. The “qualifications” required of leaders, including the immersion in community, and the rejection of isolation. Why it's important for pastors to stay connected with their leaders and continually monitor their character and beliefs. We're in a season culturally where it is so much more important to theologically ground.Click To TweetThe Bible has a lot of examples of people who have lived out faithfulness to God in hostile, unfriendly cultures.Click To TweetLeaders need to immerse themselves so they're not living lives of isolation, they're living lives immersed in the community that they're leading.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Mark on Twitter Angel on Twitter Deep Discipleship by J.T. English Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0174: Caring Well for Kids & Students In this episode, we discuss how Family Church has taken initiative in protecting our students and kids in our ministry environments. Jake Kimbrell, Minister to Students and Families at Family Church Sherbrooke, and Wendi Serna, Director of Family Ministry at Family Church Jupiter, join the conversation to talk about the importance of safeguarding our students and kids from abuse. They also explain what the book of John teaches us in chapter 10 about protecting our young ones. They also explain the benefits of creating and updating great policies, why a comprehensive onboarding process matters, how to properly vet prospective staff and volunteers, and the resources that Family Church uses to create a safer environment for all who walk through our doors. As we explore topics related to abuse in this episode, we ask that you listen with care. Key Points From This Episode: What John 10 teaches us about protecting our children. Caring Well: what it means and why it matters. How the ideas of Caring Well manifest in our ministry areas (specifically students and kids). The benefits of creating great policies and updating them regularly. Taking a closer look at our onboarding process for new staff and volunteers. How a comprehensive onboarding process can lead to fewer problems down the line. How we get to know potential staff and volunteers on a deeper level, and why this is helpful. The methods and models of safety that we follow. Resources that can help you to create a safer environment at your church. We want our churches to be as safe as possible. We live in a broken world and there are no guarantees, but we want to do all we can to protect our kids and our students.Click To TweetYou can always make a policy that's good, but then every year we like to refine that and make it better.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jake on LinkedIn Wendi on LinkedIn John 10 ESV Caring Well Becoming a Church that Cares Well for the Abused Church Cares Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0173: Engagement–The Fuel that Drives Membership & Mission In this episode, we dive into church engagement, and the culture, systems, and processes that drive it. Our guest hosts are Bev Bonner, Director of Connections and Groups, Jimmy Muir, Pastor of Family Church Sherbrooke, and Jose DaSilva, Pastor of Iglesia Familiar Greenacres. They discuss how Family Church builds culture using tools like common language and teams focused on greeting and hospitality. These teams receive training on how to build a warm and welcoming environment for our church members and guests. They also talk about the systems and processes that helps drive engagement. An example of this is the First Connection events that takes place on the first Sunday of each month at all Family Church locations. Tune in to listen to the people and strategies that foster active participation and meaningful connections at Family Church. Key Points From This Episode: The importance of multicultural engagement at church. Defining what a speed bump is in this context, and how they are used as engagement tools. Greeting and hospitality teams and the value of training them. The systems and processes that follow the culture. What First Connection is and the important role it plays at Family Church. The culture, systems, and processes are actually the understructure that helps us shepherd people onto the mission.Click To TweetAny church of any size can be intentional about creating an environment that feels like family, and that's what we really go for as a church.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Bev on Twitter Jimmy on Twitter Family Church Sherbrooke Iglesia Familiar Greenacres Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0172: Preparing Your Church for a Recession With peaked inflation, mortgage rates, insurance costs, and other economic strains, churches have to make challenging financial decisions. In this episode, our guest hosts from the Family Church Network include Pastor Scott Crawford, Business Administrator, and John Fix, Director of Finance. Pastor Scott and John discuss how critically important it is to manage the church's finances. They share tips and ideas on how to weather financial storms and economic uncertainty. They recap the COVID-19 repercussions, the impact on households, and observing trends from the giving perspective. They talk about how being flexible, adaptable, and agile can also help steer churches to holistically look at finances and subsequently and set up our family of neighborhood churches up for success. Key Points From This Episode: Trends in national giving data. Family Church's philosophy on being flexible, adaptable, and agile. Ideas of what churches can do to weather financial storms. Encourage churches to ask themselves certain questions. Which financial metrics are important. Operational and practical considerations that help churches have a long-term vision for their finances. Advice for churches to start looking at finances holistically. What the warning light is and why it might be going off. The impact of inflation, mortgage rates, and insurance costs starts to make a difference to people, who are then forced to make difficult financial decisions.Click To TweetRigid systems, processes, or business plans snap under pressure. We need to maintain flexibility, so that we can succeed and flourish through tough times.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Scott on Twitter Scott on LinkedIn John on Twitter John on LinkedIn Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0171: Becoming a Culture Carrier On this episode, our guest hosts discuss how you can become and develop culture carriers within your staff teams and congregations. Pastor Winner Olmann and Pastor Tyler Core, talk about what culture is, the Family Church culture, and how culture is caught, as well as taught. They share stories of how culture is infused through their congregations and the challenges they face as leaders. You can also hear tips on having patience with the different aspects of building culture. Tune into an encouraging conversation with about developing culture and engaging culture carriers. Key Points From This Episode: The importance of having a clear mission, vision, and core values. What we believe being a culture carrier means at Family Church. Challenges with infusing culture. How they share their culture throughout their congregations. The importance of setting your ego aside. The five aspects of building culture. Why you have to be patient when trying to build culture. Our vision, mission, and core values are constantly at the front of what we're doing so we want to keep that in front of our people.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Tyler on LinkedIn Tyler on Twitter Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0170: Creating a Healthy Staff Culture The conversation in this episode is focused on building a healthy staff culture. Our guest hosts are Pastor Scott Crawford, Business Administrator of the Family Church Network, and Pastor Todd Thomas, Campus Pastor of Family Church Sherbrooke. They begin with defining culture as it relates to our context and move on to discuss why culture matters. Pastor Scott and Pastor Todd also share how meals, meetings, and retreats can help build the right culture and they talk about why continuous improvement is key in building a healthy culture. Tune in to listen to a good word from our pastors! Key Points From This Episode: Defining what culture means for Family Church. Why language is important in how we interpret and relate to culture. Five reasons why churches need to think and be intentional about their culture. Culture-killers that we all need to be wary of. Taking a look at how churches can build the right culture. Pulling in and lifting up, filling the gaps with trust, and constantly improving. What to look forward to in our next episode. We vigorously defend our culture and one of the ways we do that is by promoting culture over the individual.Click To TweetWe want to pull people in and lift people up. We are for our people and we want to do the best we can to make them feel like they are family.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Todd on Twitter Todd on Instagram Scott on LinkedIn Scott on Twitter Jimmy on Twitter  Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0169: Hospitality: Culture, Systems, & Shepherding As we continue with the greatest hits from our recent Church for the Rest of Us Conference, we discuss how to prioritize a hospitality culture without sacrificing your systems and shepherding practices. Karen Brooks and Josiah Kish walk us through what this looks like in our context. Karen serves as the Director of Church Ministries at Family Church Gardens and Josiah serves as the Connections and Groups Minister at Family Church Downtown. They first walk us through the Biblical foundations of the teams they lead. Then, Karen defines hospitality at Family Church, while Josiah breaks down the tactics that our teams use to make sure the people in our neighborhood churches feel welcomed and at home. Karen and Josiah also talk about how to identify  people that are new to our churches, in a way that feels organic and engaging. They walk through setting up the right shepherding processes and how to follow up with each person with next steps that are specific to them. All of these intentional steps strengthens the relationships we build with people that are new to our churches. This episode is filled with actionable insight you can take and use right now with the resources you currently have. Key Points From This Episode:• A look at how a sampling of our neighborhood churches operate within their demographics. • Defining hospitality in this context as removing obstacles for people to hear the gospel. • Tactics we use to help make people feel at home in our churches. • How to separate new members from regular attenders without alienating either group. • The importance of entry points and processes for building a discipleship pipeline. • How to set the right shepherding processes and why a team huddle is an excellent idea. • The inconvenience (and necessity) of making the church feel small. • Using collaboration in leadership meetings and book studies to help people take their next steps in Christ. We want to, across the board, make church feel like home; make it feel small so that you feel like you're part of the family.Click To TweetWe don't have all the magic answers, but we're learning and we have a great culture of collaboration. We love doing this together.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Karen on LinkedIn Family Church Downtown Family Church Gardens Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0168: Gender Identity & Youth Trips We are bringing you the greatest hits of this year's Church for the Rest of Us Conference. On this episode, we are joined by Tyler Core, Campus Pastor of Family Church Gardens, and Victoria Rodriguez, Student Ministry Assistant. Before Pastor Tyler transitioned to his current role, he previously led our student ministry team across our family of neighborhood churches. They discuss the topics surrounding the LGBTQIA2S+ community at our camp this year. We delve into the three fundamentals that make up God's design for men and women and how we used those fundamentals to create a document of rules and policies. These rules and policies are intended to protect children, create an inclusive environment, and uphold the word of God. We explain our beliefs surrounding gender and sexuality and how we rolled out this new policy. Additionally, we inform our listeners of the mistake we made (and learned from) in our first year. We also share what happens when rules are broken at camp. Finally, we remind you of the importance of having discussions like these. Key Points From This Episode: How we handled our discussion about LGBTQIA2S+ children at the conference. God's design: fundamental equality, fundamental differentiation, fundamental interdependence. Why our church believes that biological gender and sex should match and that heterosexual attraction is God's design. We go through the document of rules and policies we came up with for students and parents to read and agree to before any trip. The mistake we made the first year we rolled this policy out – not discussing it with the kids. The importance of having these types of discussions. How they handle the breaking of rules on these camps. Our theology should inform our philosophy and our philosophy should inform our methodology.Click To TweetAll people have tremendous value and worth because they're made in the image of God.Click To TweetWe have got to create spaces to have open dialogue about these things – and make sure these trips are accessible for all sorts of people.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Pastor Tyler on LinkedIn Pastor Tyler on Twitter Victoria on LinkedIn Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0167: The Power Of The Neighborhood Church: Finale with J.T. English   We are wrapping up our season of exploring the power of the neighborhood church and here with us today to tie it off in a perfect bow is Author and Lead Pastor, J.T. English. After telling us about his spiritual awakening in college and the providential meeting of his wife, J.T. explains how Storyline Church reaches out to and impacts his community. We discuss the differences between preaching in a community where you are known versus one where people don't know you, why it's necessary to create a warm and welcoming environment for those receiving the Word, what some pastors are getting wrong regarding the power potential of neighborhood churches, and how the neighborhood church is contextualized in The Bible. Finally, our guest explores what we as followers of Christ need to know in his book Deep Discipleship, and he describes the basics of discipleship, what it means to lead with discipleship, and what steps new Christians can take to cement their faith in our eternal Savior. Key Points From This Episode:• J.T.'s background, his family, and his ministry in Nevada.• His spiritual awakening in college and the meeting of his wife as a providence of God.• How Storyline Church reaches and impacts his neighborhood.• The difference between pastoring in communities where you're known versus unknown.• How J.T. creates a warm and welcoming environment for people receiving the Word.• What pastors are missing regarding the ideas and potentiality of neighborhood churches.• How the neighborhood church is contextualized in The Bible.• The basics of discipleship according to J.T.• What it means to lead with discipleship.• The steps that our guest encourages new Christians to take.• Diving into J.T.'s book, Deep Discipleship. You have to maintain relationships. As soon as we close relationships off, we can't reach the world. Organic, open relationships allow us to stay connected to the community.Click To TweetPeople are not afraid of commitment; they're afraid of committing to things that don't matter.Click To TweetIf you win them with relevance, you'll lose them to the next relevant thing. If you win them with excellence, you'll lose them to the next excellent thing. We want to win people with the true,deep gospel of Jesus Christ. We want to lead…Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Pastor J.T. English on LinkedIn Pastor J.T. English on Twitter Knowing Faith Podcast The Village Church Storyline Church You Are a Theologian Deep Discipleship The Patient Ferment of the Early Church Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0166: The Power Of The Neighborhood Church: Impacting Neighborhoods by Making Disciples with Vance Pitman Welcome back to the Church for the Rest of Us podcast, it's 2023 and our conference is getting closer. Don't forget to register for the conference at churchfortherestofus.com! Today, we want to welcome a very special guest, Vance Pitman. Vance is the president of The Send Network and founding pastor of Hope Church, in Las Vegas Nevada. As you tune in to today's discussion you'll hear from Vance about church planting and life in Las Vegas, what it was like growing up in ministry, and his journey to vocational ministry. He shares the impactful story of how they came to plan the church in Vegas and how they focused on impacting the community. Vance is resolved to be intentional about cultivating relationships, having gospel conversations, and making disciples. Make sure not to miss out, so tune in now! Key Points: More about Vance Pitman; a background and introduction. •He shares about his family and life in Las Vegas. •He talks about how he grew up in the ministry and when he came to know Christ. •How he misunderstood and confused spiritual maturity and spiritual activity. •He shares his journey to vocational ministry and being obedient to the Lord. •What he was doing in ministry before starting a ministry in Las Vegas. •He shares the story of planting the church in Las Vegas and impacting the neighborhood. •Why we need to make use of the streams of culture/society to impact our communities. •We discuss the power of the organizational aspect of the church. •Vance shares advice with those who can, and want to, be an incarnational outpost to theircommunity. •A practical tip for any church planter. •He shares the strategy they use to plant and revitalize churches. CFTROU 0166: The Power Of The Neighborhood Church: Impacting Neighborhoods by Making Disciples with Vance PitmanClick To TweetCFTROU 0166: The Power Of The Neighborhood Church: Impacting Neighborhoods by Making Disciples with Vance PitmanClick To TweetCFTROU 0166: The Power Of The Neighborhood Church: Impacting Neighborhoods by Making Disciples with Vance PitmanClick To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Vance Pitman on Twitter The Send Network Vance Pitman The Stressless Life Church for the Rest of Us Conference 2023 Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0165: The Power Of The Neighborhood Church: Multi-site Neighborhood Churches with Jim Tomberlin    How do you start a church? You start a small group. We've thoroughly enjoyed the series of conversations around the neighborhood church, and our guest on this episode, Pastor Jim Tomberlin, is not only a subject matter expert but an expert in multi-site church and church leadership. Jim helps churches get “unstuck” and multiply through multi-site, merger, and succession coaching. Join in on today's discussion as we talk about the multi-site neighborhood church, why churches have struggled to engage their neighborhoods, and how you can shift your focus to reengage your neighbors. He also shares some examples of what churches are currently implementing to positively impact their surrounding neighborhoods. To hear more about how you can work towards engaging your neighbors and reaching communities, tune in now!  Key Points: Jim introduces himself to the listeners.   How Jim thought about “the neighborhood” when he was leading multi-site churches. The benefits and drawbacks of [multi-site] neighborhood churches, according to Jim.   We talk about the average size of the local neighborhood church.   Why churches have struggled to engage in their neighborhoods.  How you can shift your focus to reengage your neighborhood.  Jim shares some examples of how churches are positively impacting their neighborhoods.   What pastors and churches are missing about the potential of neighborhood ministry.   He shares systems and programs that have worked to reach communities.   How to find out more about The Unstuck Group.   I think the multi-site church is a local community strategy.Click To Tweet I've always felt like if you are planting churches or starting campuses, the first step is to start small groups in the area you want to have a location, a campus, or a congregation.Click To Tweet How do you start a church? You start a small group.Click To Tweet The big miss that we've made so much in our generation is that we've made church all about a building.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jim Tomberlin on Twitter Jim Tomberlin on LinkedIn The Unstuck Group Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0164: Engaging Neighbors as the Neighborhood Church with Dr. Ed Stetzer Neighborhood churches can be an outpost to the neighborhood, through geographical proximity, investment in a group of people, and being intentional neighbors. Our guest today is Dr. Ed Stetzer, a friend, author, speaker, professor, dean, and executive director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. Join us in our conversation with Dr. Stetzer on engaging with your neighborhood as we continue with our series about the importance of the neighborhood church. We dive into how the church can posture itself as an outpost in the local neighborhood through an intervening action to engage neighbors, how the cocooning cultural system is working to keep us from engaging, and we discuss why living counter-culturally is a key part of church life. We also touch on the concept of incarnational ministry and what it meansto be a true gospel witness. For all this, and much more, don't miss out on today's episode of Church for the Rest of Us! Key Points From This Episode: • More about Dr. Stetzer and what he is involved in currently.• How the term and concept of the neighborhood church grabs Dr. Stetzer.• How the church could potentially posture itself as an outpost to the neighborhood.• The intervening action that can help [church] members engage with neighborhoods.• Dr. Stetzer shares his strategy for engaging with your neighborhood.• How the current cultural system is built to keep us away from engaging with our neighbors.• We discuss the idea of what we missed when we stopped being a neighborhood church.• Why we should be living counter-culturally as a church.• Incarnational ministry: why we should be raising the question why?• Being true Gospel witnesses. CFTROU 0164: The Power of the Neighborhood Church Series: Engaging Neighbors as the Neighborhood Church with Dr. Ed StetzerClick To TweetCFTROU 0164: The Power of the Neighborhood Church Series: Engaging Neighbors as the Neighborhood Church with Dr. Ed StetzerClick To TweetCFTROU 0164: The Power of the Neighborhood Church Series: Engaging Neighbors as the Neighborhood Church with Dr. Ed StetzerClick To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Dr. Ed Stetzer on LinkedIn Dr. Ed Stetzer on Twitter Dr. Ed Stetzer Personal Website The Art Of Neighboring James Davison Hunter He Gets Us Campaign Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0159: The Power Of The Neighborhood Church: A Conversation With Pastor Freddy T. Wyatt When essential foundational blocks in local neighborhood churches are in place, churches get healthy and things flourish! Welcome back as we continue with our series on the Power of the Neighborhood Church, today, with our guest, Pastor Jay Strother. He is the pastor at The Church at Station Hill and a part of the Brentwood Baptist Church family of churches. He's an influential speaker, writer, thinker, strategist, and incredible preacher. Tune in to hear from Pastor Jay about the story behind their church and the larger role he plays. He shares with us the strategy they implement to reach their local neighborhoods and how they navigate the different communities through their eight different campuses across Tennessee. They have a heart to strengthen and encourage the neighborhood churches, along with other like-minded Gospel churches, and they want to ensure Godly leadership that is crystal clear on the Gospel! Don't miss out on this great conversation with Jay, in another episode of Church, for the Rest of Us! Key Points: Jay shares his, and his team's, experience at the Church for the Rest of Us conference. More about Pastor Jay, his family, and the story behind their neighborhood church. Jay shares more about his role in his neighborhood church and in the larger church family. The strategy they use to reach their local neighborhood and community: Disciples multiplying Disciples (DxD). The four ways they go about their DxD strategy. How they differentiate their strategy amongst their campuses and Examples of unique things happening at and through the different neighborhood churches. Their mission at The Church at Station Hill. The importance of healthy neighborhood churches. What the neighborhood church means to Jay and his family. Advice on how to re-engage in your community: get outside the walls of your church! Bible passages that stand out to Jay in the incarnational neighborhood idea. He elaborates on why they, as a team, have been focusing on Acts 14. CFTROU 0163: The Power of the Neighborhood Church Series: Healthy Neighborhood Churches Grow! with Jay StrotherClick To Tweet — we call it DxD for Disciples multiplying Disciples. Our goal is to engage every single member of our church as a participant and not as a spectator" username="jaystrother"]We lead with the campus identity, the community identity, first, because we just want to be the hands and feet of Jesus in that local community.Click To TweetOur mission statement is: Engaging the whole person, with the whole Gospel of Jesus Christ, any time, anywhere, with anybodyClick To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Jay Strother on Twitter Thirty Years That Changed the World The Church at Station Hill Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0162: Faithful Neighborhood Mission-Based Presence with Brandon Shields Contrary to what is believed, there is immense power in preaching less, deepened listening, holding space, and hosting critical conversations. Brandon Shields, an author and passionate Man of God is here to discuss his family's journey of taking a leap of faith, moving to Indianapolis, planting their roots, and seeing the fruition of God's plan. You will hear how Brandon and Emily were intentionally willing to go where the spirit of God was working and how this lead them on the path of creating a neighborhood church. Brandon explains the power of slow, organic growth and the importance of presence, proximity, and particularity. Brandon explains the importance of meditating and soaking in the gospels, how to slow down and listen, and why a neighborhood church may be what you are needing! Key Points: Brandon's involvement in Harbor Network. How Brandon planted his roots in Indianapolis and began his mission of creating a church. Presence, proximity, and particularly: three key elements in Brandon's journey. The active role Brandon plays in his community. The failures and struggles Brandon faced. The power of hospitality. Moving from talking to practicing. How Brandon has helped start other neighborhood churches. The book of John, Luke, and Jeremiah as guides for understanding the actions of Jesus. Opportunities that are missed when the only focus is growth and reproduction. The power of the neighborhood church. How to pay attention to Jesus intentionally. We failed early, often, and fast. We didn't quit and kept asking ‘God, what do You doing?.Click To TweetSome of the beauty of a neighborhood church is the depth, although you don't have the width, you have the depth and the intimacy and simplicity and opportunities for embodimentClick To TweetPay attention to not just what Jesus said, but the way that Jesus livedClick To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Brandon Shields LinkedIn Brandon Shields Blog Soma Indy Harbor Network The Jesus Way on Amazon The Church and Its Vocation on Amazon Eternal Words and Changing Worlds on Amazon Resilient Faith on Amazon Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.

CFTROU 0161 - Moving Into the Neighborhood: A Conversation With Pastor Joby Martin Previously, we had a great conversation about the power of the neighborhood church with Thom Rainer and Matt McCraw, who shared some valuable and highly applicable ideas for pastors that are striving to be more intentional about reaching their community. Today, we are blessed to receive additional wisdom on this topic from Pastor Joby Martin. Joby is the founder and lead pastor of The Church of Eleven22 (CoE22) in Jacksonville, Florida, as well as a nationally sought-after speaker, international guest preacher, and New York Times best-selling author. In this episode, Joby shares how his multi-site strategy is informed by John 1:14, where CoE22's ‘ONE More' strategy originates from, and what his perspective is when it comes to contextualization. He also has some powerful advice and words of encouragement for pastors of all churches, regardless of size, to help them to not only become better disciples, but create more disciples and have a greater impact. For all this and more in this next installment of our series on the power of the neighborhood church, tune in today! Key Points: Insight into Joby's journey as a pastor and how he came to faith. The origin story of The Church of Eleven22 (CoE22) and how it has grown and evolved. How the gospel of John informs CoE22's multi-site strategy. Ways that individual and multi-site neighborhood churches function within their communities. Benefits of being one church in many locations, including shared resources. A look at CoE22's primary strategy to help each churchgoer reach “one more.” The meaning behind Joby's tattoo of Acts 11:24. How Joby helps drive evangelism in his community. Examples of how CoE22's churches have contextualized in particular neighborhoods. Hear Joby's perspective on contextualization in the New Testament. Joby shares what he believes is the best advice from the entire Bible. Words of encouragement for pastors who may be feeling discouraged. A reminder that you are not only a tool of God, you are His son or daughter. In Eugene Peterson's version of the Gospel of John, he says, ‘and the word became flesh and moved into the neighborhood.' That's our multi-site strategy. We want to partner with our people and move into the neighborhoodClick To TweetWhen I had the opportunity to plant my own church, I thought: here's a novel idea. What if our folks felt like their church was not just for them, but we were partnering with them to reach their 'one more'?Click To TweetIf you're not discouraged, you might not be doing it right. You might just be playing church instead of actually pouring out your life for the sake of the gospel.Click To Tweet Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: The Church of Eleven22 Pastor Joby Martin on Instagram Pastor Joby Martin on Facebook If the Tomb is Empty Jimmy on Twitter Leslee on Twitter Family Church Network Family Church on Facebook Family Church on Instagram Church for the Rest of Us on Twitter Church for the Rest of Us Conference 2023 Get podcast updates delivered to your inbox. Subscribe for free and never miss out on an episode of Church for the Rest of Us. Subscribe via Email iTunes Google Play Stitcher RSS If you like us, rate us or leave a comment below. Hopefully, this episode has given you principles, strategies, and ideas that you can implement right now with the resources you have. If so, can you let others know? The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us a brief positive review! This will help us place the podcast in front of more pastors and ministry leaders. It also lets us learn from you. Thank you for taking the time to get the word out about Church for the Rest of Us.