Church Health and Leadership Podcast

Ministers often hear and share about the burdens of ministry. But how about the blessings of ministry? Serving Christ in his church is a blessing and a joy. In this episode, we reflect on and celebrate some of the many blessings of ministering in the local church.

Personality differences, leadership styles, insecurities, and other factors often make the church work space difficult to navigate. Even in these seasons, associate staff can either hinder or accelerate the church's ministry model.

Leading a small group, or leading those who lead small groups? Here are 10 common mistakes small group leaders make and some ideas for correcting them toward maximizing success in this very important ministry of the local church.

SBTC Women's Ministry Associate Laura Taylor joins the podcast to discuss unique challenges and opportunities in the development of an effective women's ministry model in your local church.

Local churches must be intentional about investing in men, encouraging and equipping them to rise to the occasion of leadership at home, at church, at work, and in the culture at large.

In making disciples of Jesus, have we, as church leaders, neglected the area of stewardship development? In this episode, Tony and Jeff talk through stewardship development in the local church with special guest Bart McDonald, Executive Director of the Southern Baptists of Texas Foundation.

Is pastoral succession planning just for mega churches? The conversation around pastoral succession planning is enlarging today, in a healthy way. In this episode, Tony and Jeff are joined by Will Heath to discuss the topic of succession planning in the local church.

Wouldn't this be a great time to “reset” as churches and leaders?  On this episode, Tony and Jeff are joined by special guest, Dr. Anthony Svajda, to discuss the new SBTC revitalization strategy, “Regenesis,” and how churches can participate and see their churches revitalized to the glory of God.

Have you ever considered that an unreached people group in your community is those families who have children with special needs? Sandra Peoples, Special Needs Consultant with the SBTC, joins us for this episode with some statistics about this people group and how to reach and serve these families in your community.

Who am I? How does your answer to that question affect your leadership in the church? In today's episode Tony and Jeff discuss finding your identity in the Lord of the work and not in the work of the Lord.

While numerical growth is not the standard measure of success for a church, it is generally part of the overall goal. Today, Tony and Jeff reveal 7 common growth barriers for a local church and offer some thoughts on how to break through them in a healthy, biblical way.

What is a discipleship pathway and how does it differ from discipleship programs? Phil Todd joins Dr. Wolfe in this episode to ask 5 important questions toward developing a contextualized discipleship pathway for your local church.

Teaching the Bible in small group settings is one of the most rewarding and impactful opportunities of kingdom service a church member can enjoy. Today, SBTC's Phil Todd joins Dr. Wolfe to discuss practical ways to keep the small group teaching environment meaningful, engaging and interactive.

Even on church leadership teams, sharp disagreements can present a challenge. Personality conflicts, disagreement over best practices, and secondary factors all make team cooperation difficult, even when the best intentions are shared. Today, Tony and Jeff discuss best practices for conflict resolution within your ministry team.

Jesus told us to come unto him and He would give us “rest.” Are we, as church leaders, experiencing the kind of rest Jesus offered? And are we setting the example for those we lead? In this episode, Tony and Jeff discuss rhythms of rest for church leaders.

How often do different ministry leaders in a church feel as if they were fighting one another over volunteers, resources, and time? Do team members know and own the vision and mission of the church? In this podcast, Tony and Jeff will discuss team-based leadership and how to prevent ministry silos.

Are you flourishing or floundering when it comes to your walk with Christ? Are you leading and serving from the overflow of your relationship with God, or are you simply going through the motions? In this podcast we will address what it's like to lead from the overflow of a healthy walk with God.

Dr. Nathan Lorick joins the podcast for this special episode, giving thanks to God for the many ways he has been gracious to us at the SBTC.

How do leaders lead? Influence. Jeff and Tony talk through four areas of appropriate relational influence for the church leader, whether vocational or volunteer: be present, be engaged, be invested, and be enthusiastic.

The pulpit is not a tool to use for your agenda. However, it is the one place that the pastor stands in front of his people every week to shepherd them – to guide them – directionally. Today, Tony and Jeff talk through pastoral preaching in regard to tone and direction, illustration, application, and celebration.

Doesn't prayer indicate both our desire and need for the glory and power of God in our churches? In this episode Tony and Jeff will share the conviction that “praying churches are powerful churches,” and how you can create and nurture a culture of prayer.

If the Great Commission is to make disciples of all the nations, it begins with sharing the gospel. In this episode Tony and Jeff explain that every member of a church is to be an evangelist, not just those who “gifted” in sharing the gospel.

Wouldn't obedience to the Great Commission be evidence of health, as well as leading the way when it comes to exemplifying what it means to make disciples? In today's podcast, Tony and Jeff will discuss how to disciple someone.

For church leaders to be spiritually healthy, wouldn't it make sense that fulfilling the two greatest commandments would facilitate that? In this episode, Tony and Jeff discuss how to love your neighbor as yourself.

For church leaders to be spiritually healthy, wouldn't it make sense that fulfilling the two greatest commandments would facilitate that? In this episode, Tony and Jeff discuss how to love God with all of your mind.

Would not obedience to the two greatest commandments on which all the other laws depend be a sign of health in church leaders? In this episode, Tony and Jeff discuss loving the Lord with all of our strength by being a faithful steward of our bodies and the effect it has on our spiritual lives.

If the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, would not the fulfillment of this commandment be a sign of health in church leaders? In today's podcast Tony and Jeff will discuss how we can love God with all of our soul.

For church leaders to be spiritually healthy, wouldn't it make sense that fulfilling the two greatest commandments would facilitate that? In this episode, Tony and Jeff discuss how to love God with all of your heart.

Ed Fenton, Worship Pastor at Rock Hill Baptist Church in Brownsboro, TX, joins us today to discuss how to prayerfully and strategically plan a worship service that honors God, inspires participation and facilitates a natural flow.

Is it appropriate for church leaders to think of themselves as pastoring the community, and not just the church? Jeff and Tony argue "yes." On this episode they discuss what that looks like, why it is important and what some practical ideas might be for church leaders who want to make that shift.

We live in a world that is desperate for hope. In this episode, Dr. Danny Forshee, Pastor of Great Hills Baptist Church Austin, TX, joins Tony and Jeff to talk about ways church leaders can use platform time—from announcements to sermon delivery—to build and foster hope in the community of faith.

It is incumbent upon a leader to cultivate an environment of encouragement on his or her team. Listen in as Tony and Jeff discuss why, and how.

Personal devotional rhythms help Christ followers live from overflow. Today, Tony and Jeff show us how, and suggest some practical tools for listeners.

A healthy church embodies Christ's character, heralds Christ's message, multiplies Christ's disciples, advances Christ's mission and displays Christ's glory. Is your church a healthy church?

Leaders lead; it's what they do. Tony and Jeff walk through 8 principles of leadership that the COVID19 crisis has brought to the surface in local church leadership.

In this inaugural episode, Tony and Jeff discuss the connection between a church's overall health and her readiness to receive spiritual awakening. Churches cannot produce revival, but they can position themselves to receive it when God chooses to send it.

Welcome the Church Health and Leadership Podcast where we believe that God is actively working in and through the local church today to advance the Great Commission. Tony Wolfe and Jeff Lynn are our hosts, leading relevant discussions related to church leadership, church ministry, and church life. This podcast is created by the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and is provided through Cooperative Program giving.