Join Alan and Trent as they discuss issues in pastoring and in church leadership. The Enduring Churches podcast is building churches and leaders that last.
Episode 328: 7 Voices We Need to Hear Voice of the Lord Voice of Wise Counsel Voice of our Spouse Voice Inside Voice of the Community Voice of Warning Voice of the World
Episode 327: A Word for Leaders Straight from God's Word 1 Peter 5:1-11 1. Focus on the flock God has given you. Be loyal 2. Be glad and speak well of your calling and your church. 3. Serve with your people 4. Be humble before your church. Vs 5-6 5. Don't worry vs 7 6. Vs 8 work to protect your mind and your character 7. You're not alone in your struggle 8. God's got this
Episode 326: How Can We Call Out the Called? Preach and teach on calling Give opportunities to allow people to respond to a call Speak well of your calling Listen and Observe and Ask Look for those who are leading and others are listening to Listen to those who are wanting to volunteer for ministry Offer opportunities for exploration Have a process for training Take them with you on ministry visits Keep communication lines open
Episode #:325 Six Money Wasters Hiring the wrong person Cutting back on missions giving Not looking for ways to use your facilities Maintaining vehicles you never use Spending money on inwardly focused ministry and not outreach Delaying maintenance
Episode 324: Avoiding Structural Damage Questions to ask about your structure Does it work? Is it too centralized in one place? a person/pastor a deacon team or board Does it represent multiple segments of your church community? Can it accommodate growth? Some other things to consider Get examples from effective churches Train up and empower others Allow for as many decisions to be made at the lowest level possible Evaluate your structure often Continually look for new leaders Get outside help.
Episode 323: Eight Thoughts on Your Church and Prayer You can't give away what you don't own. As a leader/pastor you must be a person of prayer! Teach and preach on prayer often Offer a guided prayer time each week Offer a church-wide 40 day prayer/fasting event event Offer a single, dedicated prayer service Add a prayer wall Use a tool to encourage prayer a church had ladies make quits and people tied strings on the quilt when they payed for the person. Give men especially a reason to pray for their kids/wife - give them a card to stick on their car mirror or send a text to encourage them to pray now. Set a specific time to pray each day - based on a scripture Make prayer central in the worship service.
Episode 322: 7 Ways to Sabotage Change in Your Churc 1. Thinking your position gives you the right to make change 2. Refusing to gather input from multiple perspectives 3. Falsely assuming everyone is or should be an an early adopter of change 4. Making the wrong changes 5. Moving too fast or to slow 6. Giving up too soon 7. Praying too little
Is Your Welcome Center Welcoming? Don't assume your church is good at welcoming guests. Designate a welcome area and keep it highly visible. Get volunteers who will make welcoming a passion. Train your volunteers regularly. Announce your welcome area during the service. Gather only essential information. Follow up as quickly as possible.
Episode 320: 5 Thoughts About Communio Think about its frequency strategically Think about its placement in the service Think broadly in how you structure it. passive - people receive the elements active - people must perform an action to receive elements purpose - ties it to a larger focus (remembering the cost of forgiveness, forgiving others, self-examination...) Think about informal opportunities for communion Think about asking others for their ideas for sharing communion
Episode 319: Does Your Church Have an Acts 1:8 Strategy take a look at your yearly stats for the last 5 to 10 years. Look for attendance trends Look for baptism trends Look for Missions giving and involvement trends Ask the hard questions Are we currently doing or planning to do a gospel outreach effort in our local community? Are we currently doing or planning to do a gospel outreach effort in our state? Are we currently doing or planning to do a gospel outreach effort in our nation or region? Are we currently doing or planning to do a gospel outreach effort in our world? Missions doesn't equal projects - Missions always equals sharing the gospel Size doesn't matter Church size doesn't give us an excuse Its ok to start with a small group going and sharing. Going to one area usually overflows to other areas
more people care about your ministry than you realize more people know about your churches strengths and its problems than you would believe the church down the street has just as many issues as your church does your congregations has something to offer God's Kingdom. God has a purpose and plan for you right now
Episode 317: Time Change: Preparing for Transitions It seems that every doctor's appointment I have now requires some kind of prep work and most of it is unpleasant. If you're not there you will be someday. Why? Because time in this world is not static and life moves on. Someone once said that all pastors are interims. From a time standpoint, that is certainly true. Because of this, we have a responsibility in setting a tone for times of transition. Succession planning is a hot topic in ministry circles. But succession only works where people have a healthy view of transitions. As church leaders, how we handle transitions of people in and out of our churches will have a great impact on the future of the church and the health of their transitions. Here are a few things we can do to help build a healthy environment for transitions: 1) Celebrate people who have a calling to ministry and send them with your blessing. 2) When people move, consider commissioning them to their new community, encouraging them to find a Biblical church, joining and serving in it. 3) When people leave due to church conflict, continue to love them, and pray for them. Be sure you have exhausted every chance at reconciliation. 4) Celebrate lay leaders who have served faithfully for a long time and help them plan succession for their area of ministry. 5) Talk about transition, preach about transition. In the flow of preaching, the Bible has a lot to say about transitions (healthy and unhealthy) in the lives of the patriarchs, the kings, the prophets. Jesus' preparation for the disciples to minister without Him is a good example as well as Paul's later writings where his death seems immanent.
Episode 316: When Is too Much Can You have too much women's ministry and men's ministry? Can you have too much student ministry and children's ministry? Does it take away from the family dynamic? Does it undercut the corporate gathering? Are they taking away from evangelism? Are they creating opportunities for outreach and service? Are they a breeding ground for gossip? Do they complement one another? Do they have a strategic plan and purpose?
Episode 315: Riley Prather Enjoy our talk with Riley Prather a church planter/pastor from Conneticut. He also works with the SEND Network of the SBC
Episode 314: Crisis Leadership Here are what I call 5 “P”s for crisis management: 1. Preparation - have you built a collaborative team to walk with you and help you in crisis? 2. People - your leadership team, your lay leaders, your church, and your community are all affected by a crisis. How are you prepared to minister and communicate with each group? Jeff Iorg You cannot lead if you cannot bring and inflict pain 3. Process - you have to work through a process. Differing situations require different processes, but you have to commit to working the process. 4. Perception - like it or not, how we handle a crisis will reflect on us personally, on the church, and on the Lord. We need to communicate quickly, clearly, and honestly with as much information as is appropriate. Remember that everything you do from the platform disciples your congregation. 5. Possibilities - COVID taught all of us that crisis also brings forward possibilities. In the business world, they speak about organizational learning. Certainly our churches learn and grow. For us, it goes deeper, a crisis is an opportunity to demonstrate our faith is real. All for His good and for His glory! Put these in your back pocket, hopefully you won't need them often, but they will be there when you need them.
Episode 313: 5 Mistakes In Our Preaching Plan We get tunnel vision and miss the bigger picture We get fixated on one style and one method We plan for only our voice to be heard We forget the importance of flexibility We preach at issues.
Episode 312: Why its Important for Church Leaders to have a Godly Handle on their Money Ecclesiastes 5:10 Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. So we need to ask what is it that you really love? What gives you a sense of fulfillment? Of course we would say God - but remember in Revelation 2 Jesus commends the church at Ephesus for many things but ends saying they have left their first love. So why is this so important to work on. We are an example to our church in all parts of our lives. Any questions about handling money ethically can stop giving and crush a ministry. We can't trust both God and money - every day its a choice Money is a high anxiety topic We feel inadequate because we weren't trained to deal with it. People's giving pays our salary, so we feel defensive. Other people think they know more than we do (and sometimes they do). Tips to keep away from financial temptations Pastor or wife should not be the ones who count and deposit money given Ministry leaders and their spouses should be in constant communication about their finances - no hiding - transparency Do your best to be debt free - this will help you keep the temptation to get more in control. When you have less pressure to pay bills, you have less temptation to get money. Do your best to NOT know who gives what Don't have people hand you money - if they try to- refer them to someone else. Get an accountant who knows ministry taxes Always check and double check on investment counselors
Episode 311: Where are the Kids? Are you prepared for kids pray for families a compelling place for kids safe and clean background checks, policies and procedures technology Is your service family friendly "We want kids, but we don't want to adapt our service." make them feel wanted allow more kids into your service let kids participate Embrace families when they visit and get to know their friends adopt families who visit go to their school and sporting events relationships matter Create partnership opportunities with like-minded churches with more resources. not a competition many larger churches would like to help smaller churches, but don't know how. Don't take it personally when families don't stick. family dynamics can leave us feeling discouraged. or grandparents - now they follow their grandkids
Episode 310: Routine or Rigidity Routines are important 1. Build strong habits 2. Help us work efficiently 3. Fits in with our personalities 4. Gives us a sense of control Rigidity means we cannot flex our routine 1. When we can't meet needs of our church, because of our insistence on our schedule 2. When an change in our routine ruins our day. 3. Can lead to behavioral issues such as depression, obsessive compulsion, anxiety... Some suggestions: - Think of your schedule in blocks or sections that have built in flexibility - Be prepared for interruptions - Trust God with your schedule - Get input from people close to you
Episode309: 4 Skills I Wish I Worked On Sooner Coaching How to walk with people How to encourage growth in people Conflict Mediation How to view conflict positively How to engage properly When to get outside help Consultation How to see things with fresh eyes How to evaluate objectively Counseling How to listen How to help others find solutions
Episode 307: All Hat - No Cows...and Can I Retire Yet? Thank you for helping us get to 10,000 downloads! Catch the article from Mark Dance we interacted with today1
Episode 306: Our Interview With Keeney Dickenson on Prayer Keeney is the pastor of FBC Crockett, TX and consultant on prayer with the Southern Baptists of Texas. You can learn more and order his new book Prayer Powered Pulpit here
Episode 305: Habits to Start in 2025 Build your own spiritual life how can you grow intentionally in 2025 Pray over the seats in the church auditorium Make time to pray with other pastors Build good communication pattens in the church consistent concise caring Set aside time each week to be creative - we are created in the image of a creative God Prioritize your marriage and family date your wife listen to your wife Working on a particular area of ministry Develop Focus From James Clear "To learn, wander. To achieve, focus."
Episode 304: Making Your Own traditions Christmas is a time of family traditions But sometimes you can't be with family Live too far away Grown kids have other family It's a struggle for most pastor families to put their family before the church Set date boundaries early For newly married pastors- talk through traditions you had as kids. Pick the ones you want to continue So make sure to start or protect family traditions Your young kids need those traditions and memories Read the Christmas story Celebrating advent Adopting a family in need Occ shoeboxes Serve at a community Christmas dinner Missions offering Our tradition of opening presents early because we would be traveling Does your church do a Christmas Eve service? Should you?
Episode 303: How do we engage the next generation? Reaching kids and reaching students are different Gen Z & alphas Activity-based ministry is out Meaningfulness and sincerity why they matter why their spiritual lives matter Relationships still matter especially unpaid people they want to partner with you
Episode302: Why How We Grow Matters Areas we should see consistent growth Our ability to empathize Our willingness to accept criticism Our desire to train new leaders Our capacity to live at a ministry pace Our knowledge of our own strengths and weaknesses Why is this important because ministry is hard, and most people don't understand it. because life is challenging and filled with conflict and trouble. because people fail to reach their potential because we cannot be everything for everyone because we struggle spiritually
Episode302: Our Interview with Dave Hastings of Standing Stone Ministries Want to know more? Standing Stone Ministry
Episode 301: The Ever-Changing Church Landscape The influence Non-Denominationalism (the only form of church that is really adding) Speaks to the issue of organizational distrust Speaks to the issue of church "free agency" Reflects a rejection traditional models of church Demonstrate a disdain for labels...for example "I attend a Baptist church but I'm not Baptist." Shows people want to own their faith and have concern about someone dictating faith to them. Draws people with smaller bureaucracy. If you are a denominational church what can you do. Recognize your people are largely more indifferent towards your denomination than you are. Make sure your local identity is clear. Inform but don't over-inform people about your denomination If you are non-denominational Make sure your theology is clear Look for ways to collaborate with like-minded churches Consider future leadership needs
Episode300: 5 Coming Attractions You Don't Need to Miss Coming attractions are a big part of a movie experience. What does the future at a movie theater hold? WELL fewer people go to the movies and most people don't have a clue what movies are coming out in the near future. Times have shifted. I was in Colorado perfoming a wedding this past weekend. Something really struck me. Two locations…one where a mega church once stood in what would be (in my estimation be building worth in the tens of millions of dollars). The other is a church that at one time housed maybe 250 people in an amazing location and a property worth several million. Neither church congregation even exists today. Tragic! This story plays several times over in Colorado and all across our nation. We would be short-sighted not to pay attention to the lessons we can learn from coming attractions. I know from these two churches' stories that the mega church died due to scandal and the other church died with a leader who had a track record of terrible leadership. - Alan What are some of the coming attractions we must see? 1) expect a growing distrust of clergy and organizations. In many people's minds, the larger the organization, the larger cover-ups must be. 2) Expect a need to change leadership style. Once upon a time, strong leaders led, and followers followed. Today, strong leaders build a collaborative team and lead through teams. 3) Expect unchurched people to be messy additions to your congregation. When a new family attends your church, they may have little or no church background. Do you have clear pathways to help their faith grow? People will come your way if you do. 4) Expect some churches to fail. I don't want to see any of our churches fail, but reality tells a different story. Failure to adapt and change, failure to be outreach-minded… Most churches wait until they are too far down the death trail to get help. All churches end - but that does not mean they failed - They are placed by God at a place in time and location on purpose for a purpose! 5) Expect buildings to get more costly. Churches should consider asking how the building use can increase. Home school co-ops, chamber of commerce meetings, business leader lunches…put your buildings to use. Busy buildings are more financially viable.
Episode 299: Serving Up Some Summer: Serving with Summer Missionaries I know its November but in order to have a summer missionary serve in your ministry, you have to start now if not earlier. Should we have summer missionaries serve with us? Inexpensive staff Short term commitment Helps a young person learn about ministry How to prepare Plan out the who what when why and how Who - why type of person would be best to serve with you?also how many ie 1 male or female or 2 male or 2 female What would you want them to do? Will that be enough to keep them busy? Be reasonable and allow for some time off and fun experiences. Set up schedule - typical is June 1 to July 30 Be prepared to explain the why to your church so that you have buy in for providing housing and other needs How will you provide their needs? Housing, food, transportation. How to find a summer missionary - Do 1-5 in December Do 6-9 in January through April Start by asking other area churches Connect with local College Campus ministries Ask your state or national denomination Develop your elevator speech Why should they come to serve with you? What will they experience? What is the time frame of service? It should sound fun! Develop marketing materials - fliers and other items with QR that leads to a website explaining your place of service. Interview potential missionaries Have them take a personality inventory ask yourself "could I deal with this person daily for 2 months?" Make a commitment to help them grow. - plan to have them do bible study with you and meet weekly During the summer plan a couple of fun activities to take them on. Send them home feeling blessed - financially, swag etc (get your church to make a big blessing bag to send with them back to school. Keep in touch. Send text or cards letting them know you are praying for them in school.
Episode 298: Our Interview With Kevin Baker of Martha Rd Baptist Church in Altus Oklahoma Kevin has served MRBC for over twenty years. Aln once pastored the church.
Episode #294: The Irreplaceable Role of Patience Understanding Patience Patience is forged through difficulty Job 11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully ." CSB Col 1:11–3:12. 10 Brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord's name as an example of suffering and patience. - CSB Jas 5:10–2 2 Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; correct, rebuke, and encourage with great patience and teaching. - CSB 2 Ti 4:2 So often, wherever we see patience in the Bible, we see a struggle of some kind We have struggles with difficult people We have struggles with uncontrollable circumstances We have struggles with ourselves Some helps for developing patience Press the pause button time to think and reflect intentionally Pray unceasingly giving our struggles to God Practice empathy Seek to understand others Prune your emotions what is healthy and what is unhealthy? Press on stay the course, it may take longer than you expect
Episode 293: 6 Leadership Postures for Pastoral Leadership Shepherd servant leadership Kenneth Gangel Feeeding and Leading, Team Leadership, Henry Blackaby, Spiritual Leadership Visionary visionary leadership John Maxwell Coach transformational leadership Leighton Ford - Transforming Leadership Keith Webb- The COACH Model for Christian Leadership Clinician authentic leadership - Aubrey Malphurs - anything, he's so good! - Jim Wilder - Rare Leadership - Scazzero - The Emotionally Healthy Leader health of self and others proponent of health Strategist adaptive leadership change Tod Bolsinger - Canoeing the Mountains and more Lame Duck succession planning William Vanderbloemen
Episode292: Ten Commandements for Effective Committees/Teams 1. Thou shalt acknowledge with humility what thou bringest, and bringest not, to the table. 2. Know and understand with all thy heart the purpose of thy team or committee. 3. Thou shalt come to meetings well-prepared, lest thou fall short in contribution. 4. Participate fully in the process, for half-heartedness is a disservice to thy team. 5. Stay focused on the task at hand, letting not distractions lead thee astray. 6. Value the input of all, for wisdom is found in the multitude of voices. 7. Thou shalt communicate with honesty and clarity, fostering trust amongst thy peers. 8. Reaffirm thy action items, that all may know the path forward. 9. Support the decision of thy team or committee, even when it is not thine own. 10. Forsake not the prayer life of thy team or committee, for it is the foundation of all thy efforts.
Episode 291: 4 Reasons Your Church Struggles with Change Episode 291: 4 Reasons Your Church Struggles with Change History: People think of their church as they did at their personal points of conversion change threatens their history change threatens their structure and control grief Fear: People are afraid they won't like the change not all change works out well the unknown is always risky Trust: People question leadership motivation more than ever before transitions and search teams people follow their closest relationships peer pressure is both positive and negative Communication: People feel like change is forced on them Possible reactions Leaders give up on change = church declines and dies Leaders push change too fast = church rebels and maybe splits; pastor loses credibility Leaders push change alone = pastor loses credibility; most likely limits his tenure Some thoughts: Make history your friend, not your enemy...celebrate the past. Acknowledge the emotional nature of change. Vulnerability helps. Let trustworthiness and faithfulness become your personal ambition. Over-communicate on a two-way street. Allow for feedback to your communication.
Episode 290: What is it We Do? Trent and Alan are Associational Mission strategists...we answer the question what it is we do in that role.
Episode 289: Business Meetings Gone Wild Have the meeting before the meeting Have and follow your agenda what is process for new business matters Don't take it personal Keep by Robert's Rules of Order Don't expect the worst. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Don't be afraid to table an item to get more info or to meet privately Don't be afraid to turn your business meeting into a prayer meeting.
Episode 288: Is Marketing a Dirty Word So today we need to ask and answer 2 main questions is marketing wrong in church life? if we choose to market our church - how can we do it well? Is it wrong to market or promote our church? Promoting or marketing our church (in my mind ) is just getting the word out about your church including when and where it meets. It also includes what types of ministry happen at your church. Informing...Marketers will tell you its critical to brand loyalty... Are we selling out to the culture if we promote or advertise our church? Ask yourself a couple of questions Who in your church is inviting people? How does your church share information about activities? ----- See also Episode 64
Episode 287: What College Football Can Teach Us About Ministry We should have a sense of excitement and passion about our ministry and our church. Coaching is a great picture of ministry roles and responsibilities. Some weeks are pretty easy, some weeks are pretty tough. Expect the unexpected upset. Your whole church lives in a transfer portal world. People are watching! Don't forget you are surrounded by excited fans...clouds of witnesses
Contact Alan: alan@dtbatogether.com Contact Trent: gasconadevalleybaptist@gmail.com Facebook Website
Episode 285: The Patience Problem 3 Areas where our impatience can create problems... Leading Change when the process is slower than it should be when resistance is high Leading People when lay leaders move at a slower pace when disciples grow more slowly then we expect Leading ourselves when we recognize our shortcomings more than our strengths when we feel defeated 3 places our impatience flares up In leadership meetings In business meetings In our homes 3 things to do to improve patience recognize the signs of impatience in your life and ministry anxiety, anger, frustration, withdrawl... expect things to move more slowly then they should allow people to get their minds around an issue allow others to have their input press the pause button...esp in business meetings give it over easy to say, hard to do releasing our impatience in prayer is worthwhile
Epsiode 284: Endding Summer on a High Note Take a vacation Get outa dodge - sometimes the only way you can actually have a vacation is to literally get away. At least 3 days Catch up time with your family. There is no such thing as quality time - only quantity time. Mental vacation- Invite another preacher or speaker to come to your church for a couple of Sundays. Missionaries or retired missionaries Convention staff Let your other staff speak give a young person a chance to grow Do a retreat to regather your thoughts and plan Find a local camp that will let you stay for free Go to a bed and breakfast Create a "hard stop" in your ministry between summer and fall activities. creates a natural break establishes a new launching point.
Episode 283: A Prayer and Action Plan Increase My... Capacity Character Competence Compassion
Episode283: Does Your Church Need a Safety Team Why "Safety" over "Security" Should you have a church safety team? What is involved in putting a team together? training insurance Who to have on the team and who not to have on the team. background checks interviews ongoing training What is the responsibility of a church safety team? to keep the congregation as safe as possible from external and internal dangers or threats.
Episode 281: Unmeasured: Our Interaction with a Recent Article Read the Tithely Article Here:
Episode 280: Can Anything Good Come From Stormy "C"s? We learn the depth of our our faith life. prayer trust We learn perseverance We learn something about our leadership style We learn something about relationships We learn something to apply in the future We learn something we can share with another We learn something about timing Contact Alan: alan@dtbatogether.com Contact Trent: gasconadevalleybaptist@gmail.com Facebook Website
Episode 279: Should Your Church Have a Succession Plan What is a succession plan? Is a succession plan possible in a small church? Should a church have a succession plan for staff? What are important things to consider? What are steps we should take?
Episode 278: Breaking Up With Some Bad Ideas That bigger is always better That addition beats multiplication That leadership equals power That present success guarantees future success That weaknesses are always exploited That busyness equals productivity That no one can do it as good as I can Contact Alan: alan@dtbatogether.com Contact Trent: gasconadevalleybaptist@gmail.com Facebook Website
Episode 277: 3 Things to Do While We Take a Break This week Episode: Ranger Danger
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