Enduring Churches Podcast with Alan and Trent

Episode 347: How to Lead An Invitation Before you ever preach: Spend significant time praying and asking what God wants his people to do.   The Response begins before the invitation time. Ask people to start responding long before you actually give the invitation.   Don't be too quick - you can take your time   Many pastors through in a phrase or 2.  Some end by saying that's all I have   Let the scripture and the lesson lead to the invitation a review or summary from the text   Lead in naturally - don't stop and start Make it personal Be Clear: Give exact steps - tell your church how they should respond. Be Direct - ask them to take a specific action Invite them to the community Give everyone some way to respond - not just a first-time decision to follow Jesus. Take away their fears or concerns. No one here is judging you - Satan wants people to believe that everyone is judging them - this is a lie.  So remind folks that everyone else is cheering them on. Keep the invitation open after the service Encourage prayerfulness in the church An Example (Michael Gabbert)

Episode 346: How to Keep Volunteers Engaged....   How can we say thanks - Children's minister example   1. Words of thanks   2. Meaningful personalized gifts   3. Experiences with you Take them to a conference A concert A nice dinner   4. Ask them what they need to be great - Equipping volunteers shows that you care and want the best for them. It also shows that you believe they are valuable to the ministry resources training events   5. Take time to get to know them and what energizes them spiritual gifts inventory personality inventories   6. Make a big deal about them in front of the church shows the church that the ministry they are doing is important encourages the volunteer encourages others to volunteer   When recruiting volunteers, never say Don't say "This is easy." It won't take much time You won't have to do much

Episode 345: How To Train Sunday School Teachers   Five steps for Sunday School Growth (Arthur Flake) 1.        Know the possibilities Church leaders need to put together their expectations What is Sunday School/small groups supposed to accomplish   Evangelism Discipleship Support 2.        Enlarge the organization multiplying classes  Church leaders need to consistently share about the importance of Sunday School/small groups 3.        Provide space and equipment What you will teach Room sizes and capacities 4.        Enlist the leaders  5.        Go after the people   Vetting process -spiritually mature -calling -teachable, coachable -dedicated -likable     Initial training Technical -how to move beyond reading a lesson People skills - probably more important than teaching skills how to cultivate interaction how to handle difficult people or situations Class structure teacher community hospitality   Ongoing Training Must be a priority Must be budgeted Must be scheduled Based on what skills teachers are supposed to be learning and what Sunday School is to accomplish   Provide ongoing support Talk with them Have teachers meet together to brainstorm and encourage Resource Them Tools Bring in denominational support staff to teach teachers

Episode 344: How to Care For Orphans and Widows   Recognize that you have widows and /or orphans in your church and community. Single Moms (and single dads) Caring For Widows Be intentional. Assign specific people to serve specific widows. Call them. Send cards. Help them with home and auto repairs. Visit and take meals. Give them a hug. Hold their hand. Widow and widower banquets Caring for Orphans Encourage church members to become foster parents. (Example: Amy in Yuma asked God for a sign) Support foster families How many children in America need foster homes? Support Christian children's homes. Don't just assume that the government is going to take care of orphans. Volunteer. Raise funds. Consider mentoring programs Example: The Buzzards (little brothers). Pair up a man with an orphan boy to teach them what a dad would teach. Encourage mentoring Programs - Fathers in the Field after-school tutoring projects Single moms are another area of need physical, emotional, and financial burden car repairs school supplies care groups -

Episode 343:  How to Disciple   Ingredients of Discipleship • Build a relationship. Discipleship always happens in a relationship. ◦ First pray and ask God to show you someone who needs to be discipled. • Read the Bible together ◦ Simply ask them, “Will you read the Bible with me?” • Do Ministry together ◦ Train up the person who will replace you   Discipleship always happens in relationships.   Who has God placed in your life?   What is their learning style? Visual Auditory Kenesthetic   4 Discipleship Questions (ask these each time you meet for discipleship) Where have you seen God working recently? What have you been learning from your own Bible reading lately? Who have you been praying for to share Jesus with? Are you too busy to be discipled? 3 Discipleship stances Discipleship needs a consistent process. What is your plan?  90 percent of pastors said they had no plan for discipleship Survival kit New city catechism Disciplemakingstages.com The Lost Art of Disciplemaking by Leroy Elms Discipleship needs evaluation We have to have a way of measuring progress. Discipleship needs to be reproductive Can we move more and more people into it?

Episode 342: The Rise of the Generations https://www.barna.com/research/young-adults-lead-resurgence-in-church-attendance/   Millennials and Gen Z lead the way in church attendance?   Good news for our future, why? The world's systems don't work Softening of the heart Changing the landscape of the church An opportunity How we interact... Sincerity - our actions should represent Simplicity - our operations and systems Significant - our purpose Small - intimacy matters

Episode341: Our Interaction on 13 Things You Should Never Say from the Pulpit     Link to Joe McKeever's 2015 Article

Episode 340: More on Technology: 5 Questions to Consider Websites versus social media? To app or not to app? To go sermon snippets or full length? To AI or not to AI? Hard lines or Cell phones? 911 service requires a hard line for accurate location services

Episode 339: Multi-tasking in Ministry Take your family with you to a meeting or hospital visit but include a dinner or ice cream date after. Discipleship on the road.  Take a person you are discipling on the road with you.  In the car = captive audience and allows for some great conversations. Use Evernote or another software to work on sermons or plans while waiting somewhere  or use notes on your iphone Read on the go.  Audible is a great tool for allowing you to "read" a book by listening as you drive Use library apps to read books or listen to books Strategic working lunches.   2 Reminders Make room for divine interruptions There are times when multi-tasking is not appropriate!!!!

5 Areas in Need of Critical Training   Deacons more than an oversight board Sunday School Teachers lack of care lack of interaction lack of outreach Children's and Student Ministry leaders generational changes new challenges Safety teams not just about getting to "carry" at church Finance committees could pick several specific committees, but this one is greatly needed

Episode 336: Evangelism: Old School Advice for a Modern World   George Hunter's "Grand Strategy" (1979) suggests: 1. Those who visit your church 2. Those who desire membership in your church 3. Those who have recently lost faith  4. Those among whom churches or religious movements are growing 5. Those of the same homogeneous unit as your membership 6. Those with conscious needs your ministry can address 7. Those who are in transition

Episode 335: Our Interview with Alex: A Ukranian Ministerial Student

Episode 334: Our Interview With the Succession Sherpa, Will Heath   Please check out the Succesion Sherpa here   Get Will's book Embracing Succession here

Episode 333: 3 UP and 3 Down…Alan and Trent each answer 3 Questions on the Air

Four things we overvalue and undervalue in our churches:   Overvalue the pulpit and undervalue the classroom   Overvalue our position our undervalue our (influence) responsibility     Overvalue tradition and undervalue history     Overvalue programs and undervalue process

Episode 331: What is the Speed Limit of Your Church   Parking lot   School zone   Residential   Main Road   Highway   Autobahn

Episode 330: An Especially Needed Ministry (from Episode 15)   Here is the major question you have to wrestle with  - will our church do "Ministry to" or "Ministry team"   Where to start Start with a conversation  - Make sure to have a line of communication with family members  Have those with limitations - take you on a tour of your church Work on access - make your buildings accessible all on one level Ramps and elevators - legal issues in new buildings playgrounds bathrooms wide doors Certain paint colors and media issues Invite those folks to participate and make it possible We have started with children - making it easy for them to participate in musicals  Camp - whole nutha animal - Falls creek Adults - its harder to get them involved - but ask and don't give up. Our goal is to create as many pathways for service as possible   Love 1 God, Love All People  - who in your church is underserved?

Episode329: 5 Ways to Take Advantage of Summer in Your Church   Relationship strengthening Leveraging opportunities Hard and soft resets Personal pauses and planning Short-term projects

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.