Podcasts about churches

If there's one thing church leaders should be obsessed with, it's the front door. In this special compilation episode, we’ve pulled together four conversations from leading churches and ministry organizations that are seeing success in helping first-time guests move from curious visitors to fully engaged disciples. The challenge facing churches today is different than it was even a few years ago. Guests are arriving with different motivations, different expectations, and different questions. Churches that continue using yesterday's assimilation strategies may unintentionally lose people God is already drawing. Don’t miss the four critical lessons every church should consider as they prepare for the fall ministry season. From changing guest motivations to intentional follow-up systems, discipleship pathways, and data-driven care, each conversation offers practical insights that can help churches better connect with the people walking through their doors. People Are Coming to Church Looking for God Greg Curtis shares a remarkable shift he's seeing among first-time guests, particularly younger adults. Where people once came primarily looking for community, support, or practical life help, many are now arriving already searching for God. In some cases, they've already begun reading Scripture, exploring faith, or experiencing spiritual curiosity before ever attending a service. This means churches must be prepared to engage people with greater intentionality from the moment they arrive. Key Takeaway // Many first-time guests are no longer casually checking out church. They're arriving with genuine questions about God and faith, often after beginning a spiritual journey on their own. Churches must be prepared to meet that curiosity with intentional next steps. Listen to the Full Episode // They’re Looking for God … Don’t Miss Them: Fixing Your Church’s Assimilation Problem with Greg Curtis & Tommy Carreras (March 26, 2026) Follow-Up Can't Be Left to Chance John Sellers explains how Journey Church creates a clear and repeatable process for helping guests take their next step. Through intentional touchpoints—including a welcoming first interaction, relational next-step environments, and a six-week follow-up process involving texts, emails, phone calls, and personal invitations—the church ensures guests don't simply attend once and disappear. Consistent follow-up may not be flashy, but it remains one of the most effective growth strategies churches can implement. Key Takeaway // Fast-growing churches rarely rely on a single welcome interaction. They build systems that encourage guests to take multiple steps over several weeks, increasing the likelihood that visitors become connected participants. Listen to the Full Episode // From Guests to Baptisms: Building Clear Next Steps with John Sellers (November 13, 2025) A Clear Pathway Helps People Keep Moving Ashley Lentz outlines Lutheran Church of Hope's discipleship pathway, which helps leaders identify where people are spiritually and what their next step should be. Rather than treating every attendee the same, the church intentionally helps people move from seeker to believer, from believer to follower, and ultimately into servant leadership. The framework creates clarity for both staff and volunteers while helping people continue growing long after their first visit. Key Takeaway // People are far more likely to stay engaged when churches provide a defined pathway for spiritual growth. Clarity helps both guests and leaders understand what comes next. Listen to the Full Episode // Clarity Is Kindness: Simplifying Next Steps in a Growing Church with Ashley Lentz (September 18, 2025) Data Is a Tool for Shepherding, Not Just Administration Ronee de Leon of TouchPoint challenges churches to view their database as more than a record-keeping system. Using her framework of Conviction, Collection, Clarity, and Care, she explains how churches can use data to proactively identify opportunities for discipleship and connection. Effective data practices ensure people do not fall through the cracks and allow churches to provide personalized care at scale. Key Takeaway // Churches cannot effectively shepherd hundreds—or thousands—of people through memory alone. Healthy systems and meaningful data help leaders identify opportunities for connection, care, and discipleship before people drift away. Listen to the Full Episode // From Data to Discipleship: The Four Cs Every Church Needs with Ronee de Leon (April 30, 2026) This episode serves as a timely challenge for church leaders preparing for the months ahead. As more spiritually curious people walk through church doors, the question isn't whether guests are coming. It's whether our systems, pathways, and follow-up processes are prepared to help them stay. The churches seeing the greatest impact are not leaving assimilation to chance. They're intentionally creating environments where people can move from a first visit to a life transformed by Jesus. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Friends, Rich here from the unSeminary Podcast. Thanks so much for tuning in. We’ve got a very special compilation episode for you.Rich Birch — Listen, I have heard echoes of similar things happening over the last year or so on the podcast, so we’re pulling together these episodes because I want to point out to you critical lessons for your church, particularly here in the summertime, as you think about what are some things that we should be reloading for this fall. Listen, friends, you know, and I know that you and I are a part of the local church and the local church is the only organization in the world that exists for people that are not here yet. You and I should be fanatically focused on the front door.Rich Birch — We should be first-time-guest-obsessed. And on today’s episode, I want to peek in on four discussions that talk about changing dynamics when it comes to connecting with first time guests. And no conversation around this whole area of assimilation would be complete without talking to and listening to Greg Curtis. Rich Birch — If you do not know Greg, where have you been? He’s been at Eastside Church for the last decade running their assimilation work. And he’s really seeing some interesting shifts in particularly young adults when it comes that I keep seeing across the country. And in this clip, he’s going to open up and tell you about a subtle shift that he has seen and some of the changes they’ve made around assimilating people when they come in.Rich Birch — Now, today’s conversation, we’re going to really frame around Greg’s three part model. We talk about the screen to the seat, the seat to the circle, and then the circle to the street. We want you to understand that how we’re connecting with guests today is different than what it looked like five years ago.Rich Birch — It’s definitely different than what it looked like pre-COVID. So let’s listen in first and see if we can catch what Greg is seeing and think about the dynamics that you’re seeing at your church. Listen in to what Greg’s got to say… [Clip 1 Begins]Rich Birch — People get assimilated, get connected. What have you noticed maybe something that’s maybe different in the way people are engaging right now that’s different than maybe even a year or two ago?Greg Curtis — A crescendo over the last two years has been remarkable in its shift towards—this is going to sound crazy because we’re talking to churches—they’re wanting God now. And what I mean by that is prior, we were having to sell the benefits of following Jesus – most growing churches, which there are. And I think it was a compelling thing to share with the culture.Greg Curtis — And so people were coming to church to find community, to find help with parenting, to find support in marriage or to, you know, a variety of different things. And so the draw and what was causing people to engage with church was really, what help in my life? How can I increase the quality of my life? Maybe even get some pretty powerful pain points addressed. Greg Curtis — This has shifted. I’ll put it in the terms of our young adult pastor. His name is Charles. He came to me. He said, Greg, prior to two, three years ago, maybe not even that long, he said young adults were coming, 80% of them to find friends and community, and about 20% to find God.Greg Curtis — He goes, it’s flipped. It’s flipped. Now it’s 80% God and 20% community.Greg Curtis — And that has expressed itself in some remarkable ways. I’ll just throw two out. At the end of last year, I was covering somebody, a pastor who was going to baptize somebody after the service. He had to be gone. So I said, yeah, I’ll cover it. So in our context, I’ll meet that person ahead of time and kind of show them where to sit in the service, when to come out, where the baptistry is, et cetera.Greg Curtis — And I met her. She was 28 years old, named Connie. And I said, as we’re walking through the baptistry, so, you know, I asked these typical questions: how long have you been coming to Eastside, which is my church?Greg Curtis — And she says, oh, I’ve never been to Eastside. I was like, oh, so you’re from our online campus. And she goes, no, I’ve never really heard of Eastside.Greg Curtis — And I said, well, what’s led you to be baptized today? And this was her story. She goes, I grew up in a very non-religious home, and I’ve never been to church. And I vowed I’d never even date a religious person. But I had some friends, three months ago, that invited me to watch The Chosen with them. I didn’t want to.Greg Curtis — I was mad at myself for getting engaged after the first episode, kept watching, decided to buy myself a Bible two months ago. I started reading the Old Testament and New Testament concurrently and decided I love Jesus and I want to follow Him, and I could tell what I needed to do was get baptized. But, get this, I’m the game day operations coordinator for the NFL. So I work on Sundays, and I just Googled who would baptize me on a Saturday. And your form came up, and I filled it out. So here I am.Rich Birch — Wow. That’s amazing. Greg Curtis — Yeah. And I’ll tell you what, she didn’t know, Rich, that this baptism was going to be in front of other people until we were in the water and the whole church was looking at her. Rich Birch — Wow. That’s incredible.Greg Curtis — The questions she had, we’ve remained in touch. The questions she asks are so precious. But I’m telling you, I’ve had a few of those that are similar. That one’s pretty dramatic, but are very similar. No background at all. They’re coming because they’re having a God moment before they get to us.Rich Birch — Yeah. Greg Curtis — And that’s a big shift because God is doing something literally worldwide and in our culture right now that they’re coming to us to find God, and they’re already encountering him in some way, and they need help with that and want it. And that’s a huge shift. [Clip 1 Ends]Rich Birch — Fantastic. Listen, if 80% of the guests are arriving at your church with a God question burning in their heart, the first 60 minutes, what we do every single weekend is critically important. I have seen this over my career.Rich Birch — Listen, I had recently one of those birthdays with a zero on the end. And I can tell you, as someone who’s been three decades into ministry experience, there was a time where people stumbled into our churches. And that’s just frankly not happening anymore.Rich Birch — People are arriving with real questions. And we might have been able to, in a previous generation, entertain them or try to diffuse this idea that we ain’t your mama’s church. But that isn’t where people are at anymore. Rich Birch — They’re coming with real live questions in their heart. They’re not stumbling into your church on Sunday morning because they don’t know what’s going on there. They’re coming looking for real questions.Rich Birch — And you and I, our processes, what we do on Sunday morning has got to meet that intensity. We can’t just hand them a coffee mug and say, we’ll see you next week. We’ve got to follow them up with some fervor and excitement and frankly a bit more intensity than what most churches are doing. Rich Birch — I love this conversation that’s coming up with John Sellers. He’s executive pastor of locations at Journey Church in Central Florida—three campuses with a fourth on the way—and is one of the most consistently fastest-growing churches in the country. Now, listen to what John talks about when he talks about the follow-up process, that they aren’t just leaving it to chance. They are working with intention to move these first time guests and get them plugged in. Rich Birch — The question I have for you is, is this the kind of intensity that you’re following up your first time guests with? Let’s listen in. [Clip 2 Begins]John Sellers — So at our church, every location has a tent. It’s a new here tent. And so the first step that we’re communicating, the clear step on that first or second week is: stop by the tent.John Sellers — Like, I know that’s a big step and we have to remind our serve team. And behind the curtain, that seems simple to us, but like to a new person at a church, even going to a tent or making themselves known by filling out a Connect card, even if it’s digital, like that’s a big step for somebody. John Sellers — And so a lot of our communication’s go to the tent. We’d love to meet you. We’ve got a gift card for you just to celebrate the step of faith you took to be here today. And so once they take that step, it starts us being able to follow up through text messages, emails, phone calls, and really encouraging them to step into our Next Steps class.John Sellers — And so when they step into our Next Steps class, one of the things we’re even constantly trying to think through what we call it because “class” probably isn’t the best way to describe it. And we’re actually revamping it right now. John Sellers — But for us, even that Next Steps class is a round table. It’s relational. It’s getting them around our Next Steps team that wants to hear their story. You know, what brought you through the doors? Wants to begin to hear about maybe what’s on their heart? Where are they at? What’s their next faith step?John Sellers — And so those are the first couple of weeks. If we can encourage them to stop by the tent, that allows us to stay in contact with them relationally. And then the next step would be go to one of our Next Steps classes after a service.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Can we pull apart a bit of the detail there? Just because I know people are wondering this because I get these questions.Rich Birch — So it sounds like when you arrive at the New Year tent, there’s a gift card there. Where’s that gift card for? What is the value of that? And why a gift card? Talk to us about that.John Sellers — Yes. So for now, and we’ve experimented, we’ll change this up like constantly. But right now it’s for a local coffee shop. And it’s literally a $5 gift card. It’s just a thank you to say thank you for coming. John Sellers — It’s a little gift bag. It’s got information about our church, obviously. And it’s just a step. The way we phrase it is we know it’s a big step of faith you took to be here today. And so we just want to celebrate the fact that you made it in the room. And so that’s what it is – $5. John Sellers — On big events, we’ll do a Journey Church cup and make it a little more substantial. But it’s just a $5 gift card to a local coffee shop.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s great. And I love the thinking behind that, friends, that are listening in, is sometimes what I see churches do, they’ll be like, hey, if you want to get connected, or if you’ve got interested about your Next Steps, or if you’re wondering where to go, drop by the tent outside. People are not asking that question when they first come.Rich Birch — We’ve got to take a celebratory step. And I like what you’re saying. I love that language of we want to celebrate the faith step by being here today. And we want to give you a gift in exchange for that. People will do that for a $5 gift card, or a coffee mug, or whatever. That’s good.Rich Birch — And then the other thing that caught my attention you said was, you said: and we follow up with texts and emails. Talk about how many of that, what’s that communication process look like? There’s another area where I see churches drop the ball all the time.John Sellers — Sure, it’s a variety. There’s a workflow that we use through our database system planning center that is owned by our Weekend Experience team members. But basically, it starts with an email from our lead pastor with a short video for them to watch, a message directly from him.John Sellers — It includes a text message or phone call from the location pastors within two weeks. It includes other text messages and emails. So it lasts about six weeks. And it’s more information about how to take steps at our church. John Sellers — And so some of its vision, a lot of it is geared towards stepping into the Next Steps class. But yes, it’s multiple, and it’s a variety. And it’s over the span of six weeks. And then we even have, you know, workflows built out that, you know, if somebody goes through that six-week process without taking the next step, that periodically we’ll check back in with them. [Clip 2 Ends]Rich Birch — Boring stuff grows churches. I’ve said it before. I’m going to keep saying it.Rich Birch — A monthly Next Steps cadence or New Year cadence, whatever you call it at your church, a $5 gift card may not be exciting, but it’s the kind of thing that we see time and time again at fast-growing churches. But the question is, what happens after week six? Where do we take people beyond this initial connection?Rich Birch — In fact, I’ve seen in some churches that have done extensive studies on this. If people do not get plugged in in the first 100 days, they might come, they might even come back. But if they don’t take a significant step, that is get on a team or in a group in those first 100 days, they will just not connect to your church. Rich Birch — So I want to peek in on a conversation we had with Ashley Lentz. She’s the Connections Pastor at a fantastic church, Lutheran Church of Hope, a multi-site church with seven campuses in Central Iowa. There’s 7,000 people at their one location every single weekend.Rich Birch — And she really takes the longer arc view. Where do we go? It’s really, going back to what Greg talked about, there’s this kind of seat to circle, and then there’s the circle to street. That’s what this conversation is all about. How do we get these people who have taken these first few steps, what are we doing to get them actually plugged in? Let’s listen in to what Ashley has to say. Rich Birch — There’s so much we can learn here. And again, I want you to be thinking about when you think about this fall at your church, are there some things you should be adjusting as we go into the fall? [Clip 3 Begins]Ashley Lentz — One of the tools that we use, and it is very much an internal tool is what I would call it. We call it the Hope Circle. And it is what I would call a discipleship tool or a discipleship pathway.Ashley Lentz — And if I were to say that to our congregation members, they would really have no idea what I’m talking about. It is very internal. But it’s helpful to identify where people are on this Hope Circle.Ashley Lentz — And so the circle starts with being a seeker. At a church our size, we have people every weekend who have zero idea what the church thing is about. They’ve maybe never been introduced to Jesus. Someone just invited them to church. They maybe knew they needed church and walked in the door, but have no idea what to expect. And so they are seeking something that has been missing in their life.Ashley Lentz — And so helping people identify if that’s where you are, here are kind of the very preliminary places that would be helpful for you to start plugging in. As we move around that circle, we get to believers, people who are like, okay, I’m bought into the Jesus thing. I’ve heard the message, I believe, now what? I wanna understand this better. I believe in Jesus. I believe in God. I’m here for it, but I don’t really know the things. Ashley Lentz — So where do we go from there and how do we help them then move into being super excited about Jesus? I don’t just believe, I’m on fire for Jesus. I’m a follower, right? I am all in, my life looks different. I’ve been transformed. How do I follow him? Ashley Lentz — And then how do you serve people in that arena too? Because that’s gonna look different than somebody who’s come in as a seeker looking for Jesus and somebody who’s on fire for Jesus.Ashley Lentz — So how do we move them around the circle? So it’s seeker, believer, follower, and then kind of the last part of our circle is servant leader. How do we move them then into serving and letting the transformed nature of the gospel pour out of them into the world around us?Ashley Lentz — And I would say our secret sauce here at Hope is we love volunteers. Like as we move people around the Hope Circle, I and my colleagues, we want to equip people to lead. So being a servant leader inside these walls, but also outside these walls is really like, that’s what’s attractional to people is letting them know like you’re on fire for Jesus, go tell everyone about it and serve in the arena you find yourself in, whether in the church or outside the church. [Clip 3 Ends]Rich Birch — A pathway you can’t measure is a pathway you cannot improve. Friends, you’ve got a brain problem. Over 200 people, you simply cannot track where people are at in the processes we have talked about before.Rich Birch — Your mind literally cannot hold in place where all of these people are at in their process. And so underneath everything we’ve talked about today, you need a robust approach to data. Rich Birch — Listen, your church database is a care mechanism. It’s just a way we make sure people do not fall through the cracks. And so everything that we’ve talked about in today’s episode needs a robust approach to data and the way you handle data to move people just from a broad, kind of like they’re attending all the way through to caring, ensuring that they are plugged in. So I wanna peek into one final conversation. Rich Birch — Ronee de Leon, she’s the executive director of Partner Church Success at Touchpoint. But outside of that, she’s formerly on staff at a large multi-site church in Columbus, Ohio. And Touchpoint sits across hundreds of churches and Ronee sees the patterns.Rich Birch — Listen, what I want you to listen to carefully here is these four Cs that she talks about. Conviction, collection, clarity, care. And ask your question, are you doing this with your data?Rich Birch — Does your data structure actually allow you to move people along in a way that ensures that we’re actually getting them plugged in? Friends, I don’t want you to miss the opportunity that God’s bringing your way. And this conversation could help you think differently about that, particularly in the next couple of months. [Clip 4 Begins]Ronee de Leon — Let’s alliterate some more. Like I said, I was on church staff for a long time. Rich Birch — Yes, exactly.Ronee de Leon — And it does become memorable, right? So this is a really simple framework that really is more stages. It’s a progression. But even though it’s simple, whether they know it or not, every church is in one of these stages when it comes to data-driven discipleship. Ronee de Leon — And so four kind of Cs of this or stages are conviction, collection, clarity, and care. And I’ll just give a brief description of each of those and then we can go dive in a little bit deeper.Ronee de Leon — But conviction, really the question that we’re answering here is, do you truly believe this matters even when it’s not easy? So leaders believe that shepherding is important, but do we wanna move into doing it proactively? And are we comfortable using data as a tool to do that well? So that’s kind of the conviction piece. Do you really believe that this matters? Ronee de Leon — Collection then, are you committed to consistently gathering the data that’s needed? Not just once, but as a rhythm. It’s hard work, but it is a worthy cause, a valiant effort. Ronee de Leon — Let’s move to clarity real quick. Again, the question we’re answering is, now that you have the data, do you have the insight? Do you really see what it’s telling you? And what are we doing with it?Ronee de Leon — And then the last one here, of course, is where we’re acting on the insights to connect with our people. Will you actually act on the insights and shepherd people or will it stay theoretical? That’s kind of where we’re headed with this. [Clip 4 Ends] Rich Birch — We started this off today talking about how we see this pattern happening across the church. And I think these four episodes really hang incredibly together. Greg Curtis, he really named the moment that we’re in. I really do think that we’re seeing something that is generationally important. And I do not want your church to miss it. Rich Birch — John Sellers, I thought gave a really clear discussion around how we move these people that are arriving. How do we get them to take those first steps and get plugged in? Rich Birch — Then Ashley Lentz, she unpacked what it looked like to go from the seat to the circle, to the circle to the street pathway. What are we doing to actually get people to plug in deep in our community?Rich Birch — And then finally, Ronee brought it home, giving us a measurement layer to really bring the whole thing together with some honesty and truth. Rich Birch — Listen, this is the question: if I was sitting across from you and your staff this week, if I was in your staff meeting, the question I would simply ask is this, which of these four pieces is the weakest in our church as we approach this fall? And what’s the smallest move we could make in the next 30 days to improve where we need to in these areas? Rich Birch — We’ve got links to all of these show notes before. Please stay tuned. We’ve got incredible episodes coming up all summer long and all fall long here at unSeminary. Rich Birch — We’re on a mission to help 100 churches like yours grow by a thousand people by talking about stuff they don’t talk about in seminary. Rich Birch — Thanks so much for being here, friends. We’ll see you next week. Take care.

Why is church membership important? Why did Paul and Barnabas appoint elders as they planted churches? In this episode, Emma Dotter continues in Acts 14, addressing the roles of elders, church leadership structure, the importance of church membership, and why it's important to be part of a shepherding church submitted to the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. // ADDITIONAL VERSES MENTIONED: Hebrews 13: 17; 7: 33 // RELATED JOIN THE JOURNEY EPISODES:  S4:268 Acts 12-14 (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s4-268-acts-12-14/id1600151923?i=1000735847137) S5:011 Acts 6:1-7 – Care and correction in the Church (https://youtu.be/EkwT7n3BscM?si=Nv_Vqgl6VaJUcv50)   // WHAT IS JOIN THE JOURNEY? Join The Journey is a realistic daily Bible reading plan that helps followers of Jesus at Watermark Community Church and beyond enjoy abiding in Jesus together. Join The Journey Jr. is designed to help parents guide their kids in Bible reading through interactive and age-specific lessons. In 2026, we're studying the book of Acts—one passage per week. For another year, teaching on Sunday will align with each week's passage. Then, for the next six days, we'll return to the same passage with fresh focus, exploring insights about who God is and how we can enjoy him more deeply. Monday through Saturday, we'll approach the same passage from a different perspective each day—whether observation, interpretation, prayer, or another spiritual practice—to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for God's Word. Then, watch or listen to the video podcast to tackle the week's toughest verses and discover key historical, theological, and practical insights. Daily Bible lessons for adults: https://jointhejourney.com Daily Bible lessons for parents and families: https://jointhejourney.com/jr Weekly Bible podcast for kids: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...  // MORE RESOURCES FROM JOIN THE JOURNEY:  Digital Bible study resources: https://jointhejourney.com/resources Previous years' print curriculum: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Waterma... Contact the Join The Journey team: jointhejourney@watermark.org 

The attacks against the Catholic Church have always been, but in recent decades we have seen an increase in these attacks and a concerning rise in violence and persecution in different forms around the world. Daniel O'Connor joins us to break this down and discuss if Christians, especially men, are truly ready for what is happening and for what may be coming. -------------------------------- Buy the book First Line of Defense HERE: https://ignatius.com/first-line-of-defense-fldfp/?cjdata=MXxOfDB8WXww&AID=15734493&PID=100357191&cjevent=d8410aea701111f181b400820a82b832 -------------------------------- Join the USGF Community HERE: http://joingraceforce.com/4ABL -------------------------------- Get your ONE NATION UNDER GOD T-Shirt (several different colors) HERE: https://ty19f5-gu.myshopify.com/products/one-nation-under-god-t-shirt-american-flag-tee -------------------------------- Get the 250 YEARS STRONG T-Shirt (a variety of colors) HERE: https://ty19f5-gu.myshopify.com/products/1776-under-one-god-patriotic-t-shirt-250-years-strong?variant=47926345105602 -------------------------------- Get the world famous USGF HAT HERE: https://ty19f5-gu.myshopify.com/products/us-grace-force-embroidered-baseball-cap?variant=47926654959810 -------------------------------- Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKZ9OefEJLEx1qYcBxgAFww/join -------------------------------- PATREON - Help support this podcast by becoming a US Grace Force PATRON here: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=25398590 -------------------------------- Check out ROMAN CATHOLIC GEAR and get amazing Catholic gear for the battle of your life! Click HERE: https://romancatholicgear.com/USGF -------------------------------- Subscribe to our NEW US Grace Force YouTube channel! US GRACE FORCE 2.0. Don't miss any new, great content!! https://youtube.com/@USGraceForce2.0?si=zq47qEqPITXnIDkg -------------------------------- Join the US Grace Force Team HERE: https://visitor.r20.constantcontact.com/manage/optin?v=001ESuSGaJpYPCG2iUdd4j4bkKwd4gkh2ZUVbam_Ty9rCn6blH6_U3cI2D8UvSLEcSzHnC4eq2UWmK1I0SbEw0SPKqnkZ2j0Z4J4D-_m4dD6CKJU9day-bBa8Qnx4dv7RLDIVlYAjL1JWsjfUTNPH2jQIVY9gbdbz4O4oMIzv5V1dT_upQsD8cX86iq_5Y-x4eLrTVtdOmA24s%3D&fbclid=IwY2xjawFRvvdleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHdo526R1rgNAIW76yyQnVbo957e1TgOoQ4RH3Tr84D8376Y7jng09gtlOw_aem_H7Y7Ej6cF6-nPyfOZ4qMTQ -------------------------------- PRAY THE ROSARY: The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUr5UzrV63I -------------------------------- The Joyful Mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMAR9MEN1pE&t=656s --------------------------------- The Sorrowful Mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHUkx66oAxE&t=311s --------------------------------- The Glorious Mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pg_JWsxS6EA&t=207s --------------------------------- The Luminous Mysteries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVL5CqBr3CA&t=198s --------------------------------- The Full Rosary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44zL1kFIvP8&t=1765s --------------------------------- Be Ready Emergency Preparedness Course: Be prepared to Care for and Protect your Family in times of Natural Disasters, Emergencies, Civil Unrest, Economic Collapse, and more. Sign up for the course HERE: https://brcoalition.com/ --------------------------------- Go HERE to check out the BR Coalition and get great training Body, Mind & Soul! https://brcoalition.com/ Become part of one of the fastest growing online Catholic Membership sites. --------------------------------- Get your hands on some great US Grace Force T-shirts! https://us-grace-force.creator-spring.com/ --------------------------------- The seven promises given to St Bridget of Sweden for those who devote themselves to her Seven Sorrows. 1. I will grant peace to their families. 2. They will be enlightened about the Divine Mysteries. 3. I will console them in their pains, and I will accompany them in their work. 4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my Divine Son or the sanctification of their souls. 5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives. 6. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death—they will see the face of their mother. 7. I have obtained this grace from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness, since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

Most ministry positions are not vulnerable to advancing AI capabilities, especially those that are people-to-people ministries. Thom looks at other aspects of AI influences on the church. The post Five Major Shifts in Churches Influenced By AI appeared first on Church Answers.

Bound Together by GraceNo one chooses the road of suffering, but sometimes God allows fellow travelers to ease the way.That was true for the Maxwell and White families. When their stories were marked by separate tragedies in 2025, they found themselves walking similar paths of loss, recovery, faith, and hope. Along the way, they discovered the strength of Christian community and the comfort that comes when God's people carry one another's burdens.On January 29, 2025, Dean and Merav Maxwell lost their daughter, Grace, a Cedarville University student, in the American Airlines crash over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Just weeks later, on March 9, fellow Cedarville student Judah White was aboard a private plane that crashed shortly after takeoff in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. All five on board — Judah, his parents Matt and Trish, along with his sister Aliyah and her friend — survived, but both Judah and Matt sustained severe injuries that led to months of surgeries, recovery, and rehabilitation. While the circumstances differed, both families suddenly found themselves relying on the Lord — and each other — in ways they never imagined.Though one family was grieving a devastating loss and the other was facing a long road to recovery, both found themselves sustained by God's faithfulness expressed through His people.Family and friends carried much of the day-to-day burden, showing up with meals, helping hands, and willing hearts. Churches prayed and stood beside them through long and difficult days. Meanwhile, a wave of encouragement flowed from people they had never met, including Cedarville students, alumni, faculty, staff, and parents.For the Maxwells, much of that support came through stories about Grace.Grace was tenacious, disciplined, and exceptionally bright. An engineering student with a quick wit and a deep love for learning, she could have attended many universities, but she chose Cedarville because she wanted a place where she could grow in her faith while pursuing academic excellence.As they navigated grief and recovery, the two families found encouragement from one another. Their connection grew through the Cedarville community that had united around them, first in mourning the loss of Grace and then in praying for Judah and his family after the Lancaster crash. Together, they found strength in the prayers and support surrounding them.Recently, Dean, Merav, and Trish reflected on that journey during the Cedarville Stories podcast, sharing how God met them in difficult days through the faithfulness of His people.The road has not been easy. Yet both families have seen God's hand through the kindness of friends, the faithfulness of family, and the encouragement of a University community that cared enough to reach out, even from afar. Their story is a reminder that God often brings comfort through fellow travelers and that even in life's hardest moments, He remains faithful.https://share.transistor.fm/s/c4148f56https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOb7nGa1bV4 

Daniel Yang is joined by Liliana Reza to discuss their work at World Relief, share stories of migration, and reflect on walking alongside immigrants, refugees, and displaced people.Learn more about World Relief and their work around the globe at worldrelief.org. And check out the Faithful Witness Campaign at faithfulwitness.us for ways that you can get involved in your community.Daniel Yang serves as the National Director of Churches of Welcome for World Relief. Prior to that, he was the director of the Church Multiplication Institute at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. Daniel has been a pastor, church planter, engineer, and technology consultant. He has planted churches in Detroit, Dallas, Toronto, and Chicago, either as the lead planter or through recruiting, training, assessing, and mentoring church planters. Daniel is a sought-after conference speaker, missional strategist, consultant, and co-author of Inalienable: How Marginalized Kingdom Voices Can Help Save the American Church (InterVarsity, May 2022) and Becoming a Future-Ready Church: 8 Shifts to Encourage and Empower the Next Generation of Leaders (Zondervan, October 2024).Liliana Reza is the Director of Border Engagement at World Relief, where she advocates alongside refugees, immigrants, and displaced communities. An ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene, she holds an M.A. in Intercultural Studies from Nazarene Theological Seminary. Based in the San Diego-Tijuana region, Liliana is passionate about building bridges through faith, justice and community — often found exploring the borderlands or training for her next marathon.Learn more about CCDA and how you can get involved at ccda.org. Connect with CCDA on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Follow CCDA on YouTube.

Thirty years ago, many believed Christian ministry in the Middle East and North Africa faced insurmountable barriers. Churches were scarce, believers often isolated, and traditional ministry methods struggled. Yet a bold vision led by Dr. Terence Ascott gave birth to SAT-7, a pioneering satellite television ministry that would change the landscape of Christian ministry across the region. In this episode of the Unconventional Ministry Podcast, Dennis Wiens explores how SAT-7 became one of the most influential Christian media ministries in the Middle East and North Africa. Broadcasting 24/7 in Arabic, Persian, Dari, and Turkish, SAT-7 uses satellite television, digital and social media platforms to bring biblical teaching, worship, discipleship, prayer support, and hope directly into homes across the region. Discover how culturally relevant programming created by Middle Eastern and North African believers is strengthening faith, connecting viewers to local churches, and providing encouragement amid conflict, persecution, and uncertainty. Learn how innovative media ministry continues to overcome barriers that traditional approaches often cannot. Whether you're a church leader, donor, missions advocate, or simply passionate about global outreach, this episode offers a compelling look at how courage, creativity, and technology are expanding access to the Gospel in some of the world's most challenging places. Previous Episodes to learn more about SAT-7: EP#207 Broadcasting Hope in a Changing Middle East and North Africa with Rami Al-Halaseh EP#194 Music, Marriage, Media, and Ministry: A Story of Faithful Impact with Rawad and Marianne Daou  

Conflict is everywhere. Nations wage war against nations. Churches divide, families fracture, friendships dissolve, and even within the human heart there is pride, fear, and bitterness. Scripture reveals that conflict is not merely psychological or circumstantial—it is spiritual.From Satan's rebellion in heaven to the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden, the story of humanity has been marked by disunity and broken fellowship. Yet in the midst of that reality, God reveals Himself as the Great Peacemaker in the short but powerful epistle to Philemon. Through this personal letter, the Apostle Paul provides a living picture of Gospel-centered reconciliation.In this episode of PostScript, Brandon Briscoe welcomes Pastor John Wright, author of Peacekeepers: Conflict Management and the Epistle to Philemon, for a discussion on the spiritual roots of conflict and the biblical path toward reconciliation. Together, they examine how Paul's mediation between Philemon and Onesimus demonstrates God's heart for restoration, forgiveness, and unity among believers.Topics discussed include:• The biblical origin of conflict• The difference between peacemaking and peacekeeping• Paul's model of mediation in Philemon• Practical principles for resolving conflict in the local church• How the Gospel transforms broken relationships• Building and maintaining a culture of peace among believersWhether facing church conflict, family tensions, strained friendships, or personal struggles, listeners will find biblical wisdom and practical guidance for pursuing peace God's way.Visit https://lfbi.org/learnmore

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Dave Clayton | 06.21.26 | ethoschurch.org

Stop Living Like You're Going To Run Out On June 25, 1967, the Beatles debuted a new song during the first live international satellite broadcast in human history. Roughly 350 million people across 25 countries tuned in at once. It was the first time technology had connected the world in real time, and the most influential band on the planet had the chance to say anything they wanted to all of it. They chose “All You Need Is Love.” Credit where it's due: they weren't wrong about the diagnosis. We do need love. Our families need it, our communities need it, you need it. But the Summer of Love built its vision on a definition of love untethered from commitment, more about self-expression than self-sacrifice, more about discovering yourself than denying yourself for someone else. We're still living in the wake of that definition. There's a sad irony here too. Less than three years after that broadcast, the band that sang “all you need is love” had broken up. We shouldn't judge them too quickly, though. We're all prone to the same thing. Marriages fall apart. Friendships dissolve. Churches split. Left in our own power, none of us are naturally quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger. A Letter Without a Fire to Put Out Paul's letter to the Ephesians stands apart from his other letters in an important way. Most of Paul's writing is reactive. He writes to Corinth because they keep finding creative new ways to sin. He writes to the Thessalonians because they've quit their jobs, convinced the end is imminent. He writes to Timothy because fear has gotten the better of him. Ephesians isn't putting out a fire. Paul is painting a picture: a church where enemies become family, where broken people are made whole, where love isn't just defined but actually displayed. And right at the hinge point of the letter, before he tells anyone how to live or love, Paul drops to his knees and prays. Specifically, he prays that the church would be filled with the fullness of God's love. Why start there? Because your vision of God's love determines the shape of your entire life. If you believe God is distant, you'll live anxious. If you believe his love must be earned, you'll live like a performer. If you believe he's withholding, you'll live fearful and controlling. But if you believe he delights in you, you'll live secure. There's a real difference between knowing God loves you and actually believing it. Gradual, and Multi-Sensory Paul's prayer reveals two things about how this comprehension actually happens. First, it doesn't happen all at once. Paul prays in a kind of staircase: being strengthened in your inner being, then Christ taking up full residence in your heart (not just visiting, but holding keys to every door, including the ones you keep locked), then becoming rooted and grounded in love as your actual operating system, and finally being filled with the fullness of God. This is the slow work of spiritual formation, becoming a person with greater and greater capacity to both receive and give love. Second, it doesn't happen in one way. We tend to assume love is something you learn in a classroom, like memorizing facts about the ocean. But Paul prays that we'd “know Christ's love that surpasses knowledge.” That's not something you take care of in a single lecture. It's something closer to diving into the water itself. You experience God's love in community, when people pull their chairs closer instead of pulling away from your honesty. You experience it in practice, in things like Sabbath rest, which you can't learn from a textbook, only from doing it. You experience it through the Holy Spirit, who ministers directly to your deepest wounds. And you experience it in both moments and marathons: the instant where you finally feel like you don't have to hide anymore, and the long seasons of endurance that shape you over years. The Problem Was Never Scarcity A couple adopted a five-year-old girl from Haiti named Addie, whose parents had died in an accident. Her first night in her new home, she watched her two teenage brothers devour an entire dinner and clear the table. She went quiet, convinced she'd just witnessed the last meal she'd see for a while. Her new mother didn't just tell her there was more food. She walked her to the fridge, the pantry, the freezer, and showed her everything. “Honey, you'll never go hungry again.” That's what Paul is doing in this prayer. He's opening the fridge. He's opening the pantry. He's saying: stop living like an orphan. Stop living like God's love is scarce. Look around. There is more than enough. The problem was never a shortage of God's love. The problem is our capacity to receive it. Many of us are sitting at the Father's table still living like we're starving.

Stop Living Like You're Going To Run OutOn June 25, 1967, the Beatles debuted a new song during the first live international satellite broadcast in human history. Roughly 350 million people across 25 countries tuned in at once. It was the first time technology had connected the world in real time, and the most influential band on the planet had the chance to say anything they wanted to all of it.They chose “All You Need Is Love.”Credit where it's due: they weren't wrong about the diagnosis. We do need love. Our families need it, our communities need it, you need it. But the Summer of Love built its vision on a definition of love untethered from commitment, more about self-expression than self-sacrifice, more about discovering yourself than denying yourself for someone else. We're still living in the wake of that definition.There's a sad irony here too. Less than three years after that broadcast, the band that sang “all you need is love” had broken up. We shouldn't judge them too quickly, though. We're all prone to the same thing. Marriages fall apart. Friendships dissolve. Churches split. Left in our own power, none of us are naturally quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger.A Letter Without a Fire to Put OutPaul's letter to the Ephesians stands apart from his other letters in an important way. Most of Paul's writing is reactive. He writes to Corinth because they keep finding creative new ways to sin. He writes to the Thessalonians because they've quit their jobs, convinced the end is imminent. He writes to Timothy because fear has gotten the better of him.Ephesians isn't putting out a fire. Paul is painting a picture: a church where enemies become family, where broken people are made whole, where love isn't just defined but actually displayed.And right at the hinge point of the letter, before he tells anyone how to live or love, Paul drops to his knees and prays. Specifically, he prays that the church would be filled with the fullness of God's love.Why start there? Because your vision of God's love determines the shape of your entire life. If you believe God is distant, you'll live anxious. If you believe his love must be earned, you'll live like a performer. If you believe he's withholding, you'll live fearful and controlling. But if you believe he delights in you, you'll live secure.There's a real difference between knowing God loves you and actually believing it.Gradual, and Multi-SensoryPaul's prayer reveals two things about how this comprehension actually happens.First, it doesn't happen all at once. Paul prays in a kind of staircase: being strengthened in your inner being, then Christ taking up full residence in your heart (not just visiting, but holding keys to every door, including the ones you keep locked), then becoming rooted and grounded in love as your actual operating system, and finally being filled with the fullness of God. This is the slow work of spiritual formation, becoming a person with greater and greater capacity to both receive and give love.Second, it doesn't happen in one way. We tend to assume love is something you learn in a classroom, like memorizing facts about the ocean. But Paul prays that we'd “know Christ's love that surpasses knowledge.” That's not something you take care of in a single lecture. It's something closer to diving into the water itself.You experience God's love in community, when people pull their chairs closer instead of pulling away from your honesty. You experience it in practice, in things like Sabbath rest, which you can't learn from a textbook, only from doing it. You experience it through the Holy Spirit, who ministers directly to your deepest wounds. And you experience it in both moments and marathons: the instant where you finally feel like you don't have to hide anymore, and the long seasons of endurance that shape you over years.The Problem Was Never ScarcityA couple adopted a five-year-old girl from Haiti named Addie, whose parents had died in an accident. Her first night in her new home, she watched her two teenage brothers devour an entire dinner and clear the table. She went quiet, convinced she'd just witnessed the last meal she'd see for a while.Her new mother didn't just tell her there was more food. She walked her to the fridge, the pantry, the freezer, and showed her everything. “Honey, you'll never go hungry again.”That's what Paul is doing in this prayer. He's opening the fridge. He's opening the pantry. He's saying: stop living like an orphan. Stop living like God's love is scarce. Look around. There is more than enough.The problem was never a shortage of God's love. The problem is our capacity to receive it. Many of us are sitting at the Father's table still living like we're starving.

Antioch Norman is a community church located in Norman, OK. We are a spiritual family with a global mission to make disciples, plant churches, and work for the peace and prosperity of our cities. As part of the Antioch Movement of Churches, we all share a passion for Jesus and His purposes in the earth.Website | https://www.antiochnorman.comInstagram | https://www.instagram.com/antiochnorman/1330 E Lindsey St Norman, OK 73071‎

The minister is not a celebrity but a humble servant of Jesus Christ. Old Testament Text: Isaiah 40:9-11 https://media.urclearning.org/audio/uploader/tm-minister-06-21-2026-20260621221947.mp3

On the two natures of Christ https://media.urclearning.org/audio/uploader/tm-two-06-21-2026-20260621222044.mp3

In this episode, we are continuing our series examiningdifferences in beliefs from different churches and groups! This time, we conclude measuring the Churches of Christ against some primary Biblical doctrines.

Most Christians know that they believe — but far fewer can clearly articulate why. Matt Ward, founder and CEO of BeliefTrack, built a free web-based platform to change that — and what started as a personal faith inventory has grown into a powerful discipleship and leadership vetting tool for churches. In this episode of Ministry at Scale, Chad Williams sits down with Matt to explore how a simple question — "What do I actually believe?" — became a tool that has tracked over 115,000 individual Christian beliefs.Key TakeawaysA personal faith journey sparked a ministry-sized tool. Nearly 10 years ago, Matt began wrestling with his own beliefs as a young adult — not what he was taught, but what he could confidently own. That process of honest self-reflection became the foundation for BeliefTrack's nearly 300 theological questions, spanning beginner to advanced doctrine.The confidence rating is one of BeliefTrack's most disarming features. Rather than simply asking "do you believe this?", users rate their confidence on a scale from 1 to 10. It's a simple mechanism that creates honest self-awareness — and opens the door to deeper study, better conversations, and more confident outreach.BeliefTrack has nearly 800 registered users and has tracked approximately 115,000–116,000 individual Christian beliefs — a number Matt says far exceeded his expectations, driven by people's genuine hunger to go deeper with their theology.Churches are using BeliefTrack as a leadership vetting and discipleship tool. The recommended church rollout starts with the pastor crafting their core beliefs, then having leadership go through the same process — creating a transparent, side-by-side comparison that surfaces theological alignment and gaps before someone steps into a teaching role.The platform reveals a surprising reality: congregations aren't as theologically aligned as pastors assume. Matt's experience with users from across denominations shows that even within a single church, meaningful doctrinal diversity exists — particularly on topics like eschatology and inerrancy. BeliefTrack helps pastors see those gaps clearly and respond with targeted discipleship rather than assumptions.AI played a supporting role in refining the platform's questions. As a software engineer, Matt used AI tools to help audit his question bank for unintentional bias — ensuring that users are genuinely guided toward reflection rather than nudged toward a predetermined answer.BeliefTrack is free — and Matt wants to keep it that way for small churches. Church accounts are available now, and the long-term vision is for small churches to always have free access to the platform as a discipleship resource.Does Your Church Know What It Believes?If you've ever wished you had a window into what your congregation actually believes — or if you're a ministry leader wanting to equip your people with tools for deeper theological engagement — this episode is for you. BeliefTrack is the kind of simple, mission-aligned tool that could transform the way your church approaches discipleship. Listen now, then head over to BeliefTrack.com to set up your church account and see it for yourself.RESOURCESConnect with Matthew — matt.ward@belieftrack.comMatthew Ward, Founder and CEO — BeliefTrackBeliefTrack YouTube Channel — https://www.youtube.com/@BeliefTrackBook Recommendation: Living on Target — a discipleship book Matt's church is currently using; focuses on prioritizing relationship with Christ, family, church, and the world.Online Resource: Gavin Ortlund / Truth Unites YouTube channel — accessible theological discussions on a wide range of topicsFive Q Launch AI — Ready to turn AI experimentation into real ministry impact? Learn more at fiveq.com/launch

Every church has them—the Sundays when attendance predictably drops. Drawing from feedback from over 400 church leaders, Josh and Sam break down the most common low-attendance days and why they occur. The post The Top Ten Most Common Low Attendance Days in Churches appeared first on Church Answers.

Welcome back to another episode of the unSeminary podcast. Today we're joined by Tim Foot, CEO of Slingshot Group. With nearly three decades of ministry and leadership experience having worked with thousands of churches, Tim brings deep insight into one of the most critical drivers of church health: your team. In this conversation, we explore what separates stagnant teams from those that create real momentum and how leaders can shift from survival to remarkable impact. Why teams stall out. // After working with thousands of churches, Tim consistently sees the same patterns: unclear expectations, misaligned priorities, lack of structure, and unspoken tension. Many teams are overly task-driven but underdeveloped relationally. Others don't fully understand how their strengths and weaknesses fit together. The danger of “hero-driven leadership.” // When a church relies too heavily on one standout leader to carry the mission it results in what Tim calls “hero-driven leadership.” While it can produce short-term results, it ultimately leads to burnout, unrealistic expectations, and fragile systems. Leaders often fall into this trap because it feels productive, and even rewarding, to be the one with all the answers. But over time, it limits team development and creates dependency instead of shared ownership. From hero to team. // The future of healthy ministry is team-based leadership. Instead of building ministries around individuals, churches must build systems and cultures where teams thrive together. This requires leaders humbly admitting they don't have all the answers and a willingness to slow down in order to build alignment. When leaders shift from being the “hero” to developing others, they unlock far greater long-term impact. The seven “key signatures” of remarkable teams. // Tim introduces a framework of seven core areas that every healthy team must develop: conviction, message, culture, roles, systems, friction, and risk. These “key signatures” work together like elements in music, providing structure that leads to a strong, unified outcome. Conviction anchors the mission (“why we exist”), while message communicates that mission clearly. Culture shapes how people experience the team, and roles define how individuals contribute. Systems enable growth, friction drives improvement, and risk fuels breakthrough. Why friction is actually healthy. // One of the most counterintuitive ideas Tim shares is that healthy teams need friction. Many leaders try to eliminate tension, assuming harmony equals health. But in reality, the absence of friction often means important issues are being avoided. Healthy friction leads to better ideas, stronger alignment, and greater innovation. The key is ensuring it doesn't become personal. When friction turns relationally destructive, it's unhealthy. But when it stays focused on ideas and outcomes, it becomes a powerful driver of growth. A practical tool for leaders. // To help teams take action, Tim points leaders to a free “team awareness assessment.” This tool helps churches evaluate how they're doing across the seven key signatures, identifying areas of strength and opportunities for growth. It's designed to spark meaningful conversations that lead to real change. A final challenge for leaders. // Tim leaves leaders with a simple but powerful reminder: if your mission matters, your team matters more. Churches often focus heavily on the people they're trying to reach, but neglect the health of the people they're leading alongside. Sustainable, mission-moving ministry requires both. To learn more about Tim's book Reaching for Remarkable: The 7 Key Signatures Behind Every Remarkable Team and take the free team assessment, visit reachingforremarkable.com or explore additional resources at slingshotgroup.org. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: TouchPoint As your church reaches more people, one of the biggest challenges is making sure no one slips through the cracks along the way.TouchPoint Church Management Software is an all-in-one ecosystem built for churches that want to elevate discipleship by providing clear data, strong engagement tools, and dependable workflows that scale as you grow. TouchPoint is trusted by some of the fastest-growing and largest churches in the country because it helps teams stay aligned, understand who they're reaching, and make confident ministry decisions week after week. If you've been wondering whether your current system can carry your next season of growth, it may be time to explore what TouchPoint can do for you. You can evaluate TouchPoint during a free, no-pressure one-hour demo at TouchPointSoftware.com/demo. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. So glad that you have decided to tune in. Listen, listen, listen, pull in close because today’s conversation, I don’t even know your church, but I know that a large portion of your budget is being spent on the thing we talk about. In fact, lots of churches, it’s like half of their budget. And it’s an even larger portion of the outcome of your ministry. It’s incredibly important what we’re talking about today. And so you do not want to miss this. Rich Birch — And we’ve got an expert that has worked with not tens of, not hundreds of, but literally thousands of of churches like yours and wants to help you take steps forward. Excited to have Tim Foot with us. He has nearly 30 years of experience, which I’m not sure how that’s possible, such a young man, as a leader, pastor, coach, speaker, musician in both Australia and North America, bringing a diverse background to his role as the CEO and president of Slingshot Group. If you’re not aware of who Slingshot Group is, they take the guesswork out of nonprofit and church staffing. He’s recently written a book that I’m excited for you to learn more about. But Tim, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here.Tim Foot — Rich, it is so glad, it’s so great to be on with you today. I’m excited about this conversation.Rich Birch — So good. I'm I’m excited for it too. Why don’t you kind of give us a bit of the Tim Foot background? Tell us a little bit about about you and kind of give us the how do we end up here in this conversation today?Tim Foot — Yeah, it’s interesting. I often say to people, I had no idea that I’d be on the other side of the world to where I started doing what I’m doing. But this is what happens, Rich, when you say, keep saying yes to God.Tim Foot — Born and raised Tasmanian, worked as a musician and in ministry in Sydney for 10 years after moving from Tasmania, then relocated to Boulder County, Colorado in 2002, been here for 25 years now in ministry at a great church called Lifebridge Christian Church. Built ministry there for 10 years and went bivocationally started working with the Slingshot Group when there was a handful of us doing a handful of staffing and coaching work and then things exploded.Tim Foot — And I really, really hit my sweet spot and saw how God had been preparing me for so many years to work with teams, love teams, love the strategy of teams, love working with people, love the fact that placing the right leader on the right team exponentially moves the mission forward and affects culture in all kinds of ways.Rich Birch — So true.Tim Foot — And so I’ve had all kinds of roles in Slingshot over the years, now get to lead our team of amazing consultants around the US serving so many, and beyond, serving so many ministries and teams move mission forward.Rich Birch — Love it. I’m so glad that, yeah, this is going to a good conversation. You know, one of the things I want to take advantage of is the fact you’re really an expert. You know, you’ve worked with, you and Slingshot have worked with thousands of churches and organizations, and you you really get a chance to see churches at an interesting inflection point.Rich Birch — You know, often when we’re hiring a team member, bringing someone in or trying to develop our teams, you know, we’re thinking about the future and we’re, we’re taking a step back. And like you say, I do think it’s a transformative inflection point that you’re involved in. Rich Birch — So you’re sitting across the table from a lot leaders, and maybe even some leaders who their mission is stalling. Like things aren’t maybe going as well as we would hope. Are yeah there any patterns in that you’re seeing, are there things that you see time and time again in churches that might be holding us back?Tim Foot — Yeah, I immediately thought of a common question we’ll ask teams when we’re brought in when it comes to needing a new person on the team or helping coach leaders. We’re often brought in in crisis moments, moments of transition, but they’re also moments of incredible opportunity.Tim Foot — And we’ll often ask the question, hey, do you want a painkiller or do you want a vitamin? And so often the the team is thinking they want the painkiller, they want the pain to go away. They want to solve the problem, they want to fill the seat, or they want to break through whatever it is they’re struggling with. But honestly, deep down, they need to start a regimen of vitamins to help them get to a healthy place to move the mission forward.Tim Foot — We often will see an unawareness that the wrong people are around the table. Or an unawareness that they need other leaders around the table to help them move forward, whether it be vocational paid leaders or volunteers.Tim Foot — We’ll often see misalignment and a lack of focus on the right things. Communication misfires around why the mission actually matters. We’ll often teams see teams that are task-driven at the expense of relationships.Tim Foot — And then an unawareness of strengths and weaknesses and how they complement each other, how they help move you forward or how they hold you back. Other patterns are a lack of structure to support the work. Elephants in the room, taboo topics, fear around failure that leads to lack of innovation. So many different patterns we’ll see and be able to diagnose and say, hey, we need to have conversation around that because I think uncorking that will help you accelerate the mission.Rich Birch — That’s cool. One of the things I love by reputation that I love about Slingshot is I love that you’re asking those bigger questions that it’s not just like, okay, how do we get to let’s just, let’s get the next hire done and move on.Rich Birch — It’s like, you know, you’re, you’re trying to ask those bigger questions and which I, that which I think, you know compliment to you and your organization that you’re trying to. Because we know when we need the painkillers, but really we need to take some good vitamins over an extended period of time to make our things more healthy for sure. Hmm.Tim Foot — You know, Rich, when we jumped into staffing work almost 20 years ago now, we had to educate the church on the need to have outside advice around staffing. But it was a lot of art and not as much science.Tim Foot — And now we’ve developed so much science around the art with with things like our candidate match tool. When you’re looking for a leader, you have to align around what you actually want in that new leader. So many teams will say, hey, we need this, this, this, this, this, this. And in the end, they’re looking for a purple unicorn. And that’s not going to help.Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — And we’ll talk about that as we get deeper in the conversation.Rich Birch — Right. Yes.Tim Foot — But Rich, last time I looked, unicorns are still mythical creatures. Rich Birch — True. Tim Foot — And so working working out what you actually need… Rich Birch — Right. Tim Foot — …and getting an awareness around alignment with who’s around the table may actually change your idea of what you’re looking for. Alignment is so important in getting an awareness of what our strengths and weaknesses are. Are we focused on the right thing? And are we actually moving the mission forward right now or is it stalled out?Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah, that’s good. One of your consultants, that remember once I was in a conversation about that very issue and and you know we had really lofty goals for what we were trying to hire. And and they they walked us through that conversation where it was like, okay, well, let’s let’s think about how many of these people are actually out there.Rich Birch — So and you list off hat half a dozen things that we were looking for and you cut back and you think, well, how many people actually work in the church? How many people have worked as long as we want to work and have had experience that we did and have done the stuff that we want to do?Rich Birch — And you literally get down to like, Well, there might be three people, you know, like, you know, and so anyways, that’s, that’s, that’s so true.Tim Foot — And actually… Rich Birch — You… Yeah, go ahead.Tim Foot — …that’s what we’ll often say. There are maybe three to five people when you have all of these filters in place, they can actually fill this role.Rich Birch — That’s true.Tim Foot — And that’s why you need to focus on ministry and you need to let us focus on finding those people.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. Yeah, that’s good. That’s great. And yeah, and if there’s three to five and one of them is Jesus, the other is the Holy Spirit. So it’s like, you know, you’re down to just a very few. You… Tim Foot — And Rich, let’s not talk about why many, many teams wouldn’t hire Jesus these days.Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah. That’s a whole other topic. that’s That’s great. Now, you’ve said something once that caught my attention, and it’s in my head has been branded to you. And it’s that most of us were trained on a model, a leadership model that nobody named out loud, that everyone, that we’ve all absorbed.Rich Birch — What is that model? You know, what it look like? And I know when you named this, I started seeing this everywhere I looked. I was like, oh, wow, I can see this in multiple different places in myself and in our organization. What what is this model?Tim Foot — Yeah, I mean, the the model we see is hero-driven leadership. It’s when we rely too much on individuals to actually carry the mission. And I think the cracks have happened.Tim Foot — I mean, we’ve seen it, Rich, you and I are similar ages. I think the cracks are happening generationally. The builders and boomers were wired differently for a different time and culture. And us Gen Xers, we can code switch. I mean, we we see we see that happening all the time. And as we stepped into leadership, the cracks started to appear.Tim Foot — I mean, we see it every week. Another leader burning out, doing stupid things because of too much pressure. Then millennials and Gen Z are now leading in a new way that we need to embrace.Tim Foot — And so I think we’re seeing those cracks around that hero dependence, and we’re starting to see the need more than ever to have a team awareness, a holistic approach, or we’re just going to have leaders continue to burn out.Tim Foot — And we sit we see it around unrealistic hiring expectations, a lack of support for great leaders when they’re hired, a lack of development.Tim Foot — Hero dependence is a terrible staffing and growth strategy and becomes a massive trap when it comes to a number of the key focus areas or patterns we’ve seen that healthy teams focus on and move mission forward.Rich Birch — Yeah. See, this is the thing when you, I heard you say that once and it, it literally, I sat up and I was like, oh man, I’ve seen that in my own, you know, my own hiring. I’ve seen that in the way I’ve talked with, you know, I see the leaders around me. You see these people who they’ve kind of built the entire ministry around themselves and they’ve built, it’s like, it doesn’t work if they don’t, it’s like, they’re such a unique individual. They have to lift it all. Rich Birch — But what makes that model so sticky? Like, why do we keep coming back to that? Why? Even if we know like intellectually in our heads, yeah, that’s not a good idea. It feels like we just keep coming back to this same thing time. In fact, we actually reward it. We’ll be like, wow, isn’t that great? This person’s amazing. And we just kind of keep moving on. Why is that?Tim Foot — It’s the shiny object trap. I mean, that that the the shiny object, aka the the talented leader that we think is going to catapult the ministry. Often we see it in in hiring conversations when a particular organization wants to go after somebody that’s been in at a much bigger organization than them. And often that person, if if they can attract them, will come in with a playbook that isn’t uniquely suited to the organization they’re stepping into. Or there aren’t systems to support that new leader and the growth that’s going to happen. And burnout happens at every level. But but we both know, Rich, busy work makes us feel productive. But is it the right work?Rich Birch — That’s so true.Tim Foot — And and we know that we can be ourselves the shiny object. We we want to it feels good to be the hero. It feels good to be the one that’s solving problems. Rich Birch — Sure.Tim Foot — It feels good to be the one that has all the answers. Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — And I think that’s one of the biggest threats in healthy leadership today is feeling like you have to have all the answers. Because I think one of the most powerful statements from healthy leaders and healthy teams is, hey, we don’t know what to do next. Because it actually opens up the room for new thought. It opens up the room for collaboration. And it opens up the room for teamwork. Tim Foot — But it’s easier to move quick. It’s easier to move quick and be surrounded by people who agree and play it safe.Rich Birch — So true.Tim Foot — And then down the road, we realized that we weren’t growing in every sense of that word. And the mission was stalled out. We know we often have to slow down, re-strategize, look at who’s around the table, work out how we work together to move faster in the long term. We have to be vulnerable to make a team work. And sometimes it requires us to actually help others win than focus on heroes. Tim Foot — I mean, you think about a winning sports team. It’s not about just one person out there doing all the work. We’ve got to work together as a team. You know, it’s it’s it’s how do we work together and have had have less dependence on that shiny object, those standout leaders or those heroes?Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. I love that. I remember years ago, we had a coach come in and as a lead team, and this basically spent a week with us and then, you know, try to help us get better in our leading of our people. And I remember at the end of the week, the leader who we brought in said you answer way too many questions. And I was like what do you mean by that? They’re like, you need to ask more questions and you answer. You’re you’re putting yourself way too much in the middle of all of this and you’re not letting…And I was like, oh that’s a good insight. You know, we’re not raising up other people we’re trying to uh you know make it all about us rather than about our teams. Well, I’d love to talk about your book.Rich Birch — So the title is Reaching for Remarkable: The Seven key signatures behind every Remarkable Team. Let’s start with the word Remarkable. You literally have it twice in your title and subtitle. Why Remarkable? And how does that relate to hero? Because I was like, isn’t that the same thing? Like, isn’t it couldn’t this be reaching for the heroic? So unpack that.Tim Foot — I love that word remarkable. And it’s always been our mission at Slingshot. We build remarkable teams through staffing and coaching because your mission needs a remarkable team to move it forward. Tim Foot — Jesus left us with the most remarkable mission. And but it wasn’t enough. He needed a team to move it forward. And if Jesus needed a team to move it forward, we need to move it forward as a team.Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — And so we’ve all got these unique expressions of that remarkable mission. But if that mission matters, your team matters more. Rich Birch — That’s good.Tim Foot — And so when it comes to Remarkable, it’s about the mission. It all comes back to the mission. And we never fully arrive, Rich. We’re always reaching.Rich Birch — That’s good.Tim Foot — We’ve always got to be focusing on the right things, doing the deep work of of of reimagining, reinventing, and re-moving forward to reach for remarkable momentum when it comes to our mission. But we’ve got to focus on the team and the right the right areas to move that mission forward.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good. So you actually talk about these, there’s these seven key signatures. Can you take a little bit of time and just unpack those? We won’t be able to get into all of them, but kind of talk us through how does it hang together as kind of a big idea?Tim Foot — Well, give you a little bit of context behind why they’re key signatures. You mentioned it in the intro, in a former life, I was a working musician and I would do solo gigs. It was my tentmaking job to do ministry back in Australia. Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — I would work three to five nights a week as a musician. And I always had way more fun working with other musicians in a team setting, because ah a band is essentially a team. And my best experiences, Rich, was when I was on stage with other musicians who were often better than me, but I was leading the band. We all lifted each other. And to achieve remarkable results, there was structure to it.Tim Foot — I mean, you know, there’s structure to music. There’s harmony and there’s rhythm and there’s key signatures. There’s tracks to run on that allow us to have a remarkable output. Rich Birch — That’s good.Tim Foot — And so as I move from that world into team strategy world, team specialist world, building teams world, I realized, hey, there are also tracks to run on as a team to reach for health and reach for remarkable, a remarkable output and remarkable momentum. And so that’s where we came up with these seven key focus areas that we call the seven key signatures behind every remarkable team.Tim Foot — And they’re a pathway, they work together. And I’ll run through them quickly. And then we can unpack what you what you want to unpack with the time that we have left, Rich.Tim Foot — But though, and they’re simple. I mean, these are patterns that I’ve observed over the last 16 years staffing teams, but the last 30 years growing in teams, learning from teams, leading teams. I mean, you and I both grew up in in church, Rich, and I learned a lot of of leadership lessons from being a volunteer on teams in in in my late teens and and early 20s, so much.Rich Birch — Yes, 100%.Tim Foot — But these patterns, this pattern or these key signatures start with number one, conviction. Conviction, which is a shared sense of why you exist and what you’re called to do. It’s the why behind the what. It’s the Simon Sinek. People buy why you do, not what you do. So that’s number one is conviction. Tim Foot — Number two is a message, a compelling and consistent way of communicating what matters most because, Rich, everything communicates. What’s the story our leadership is communicating? What we say, what we don’t say, our actions, our systems and processes. What story is it communicating? That’s number two. Tim Foot — Number three is culture, the values and behaviors that shape the soul of our team. How are people experiencing your ministry organization or your team?Tim Foot — Number four is roles, unique contributions for remarkable impact. Roles that clarify how we work together. Tim Foot — Number five is systems, which is scalable design for remarkable growth. Systems scale our mission. Tim Foot — Number six is friction because healthy friction moves the mission forward. How do we embrace healthy friction for growth? Tim Foot — And then the last one, number seven, and these all build on each other, is risk, which is bold moves that drive remarkable outcomes, initiatives that lead to breakthrough, strategic risk, not blind gamble. So those are the seven.Rich Birch — Love it. And you know friends, i I do think I would highly recommend that you pick up copies of this book. To me, when I when I saw this, to me, this feels like the kind of book that we should read together as a leadership team. Like, hey, let’s pull this together. You know maybe you’re looking for a fall thing to do with your leadership team. This would be a great book for you to pick up and go together. Rich Birch — There’s a couple I would love to tease out a little bit. I’d love you to pull out for us. Help us understand. You differentiate between conviction and message, two different things. I think lots of times we might collapse those into one. Why are they two separate? Help us understand the difference between those two.Tim Foot — Absolutely. Conviction, again, is why we do what we do. Without shared conviction, you won’t move the mission forward. There won’t be a reason behind initiatives. They’ll fall flat. Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — There won’t be a reason behind the message you’re communicating. That’s why they’re different. So conviction is what keeps us in on the days we want to quit.Tim Foot — I mean, think about the early church in Acts 4. It’s a great, best example of conviction. Peter declaring in Acts 4:20, we cannot help but speak about what we’ve seen and heard. They didn’t just believe. They acted. It drove every decision.Tim Foot — If the disciples were just compliant, when Jesus ascended, they would have scattered. But because they were convicted, they ah nearly all of them gave their very lives for the mission. Conviction is our North Star. It’s It’s like calling. it’s It’s what keeps you the days, keeps you in it, the days you want to quit. And Rich, we know there’s going to be plenty of days you to quit. Tim Foot — Message, however, is is the story we’re communicating. It’s how we hire, fire, onboard, develop. It’s how we communicate our conviction and our overall mission. And in the book, we list a bunch of traps for each of these seven key signatures. And we can chat about some of the most common traps. But a common trap for for message is assumption. Rich Birch — It’s good.Tim Foot — We assume people understand and care like we understand and care. Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — And we don’t ask enough questions. I mean, it’s why Jesus’ ministry was full of questions, Rich. Rich Birch — Right. Right.Tim Foot — Because he was he was cementing conviction. I mean, Jesus asked the best questions and rarely gave the answers. He lived the answers and he teased the answers out because that’s what led to conviction. That’s why they build upon each other. Tim Foot — You can’t have a story without conviction. You can’t have a message without conviction. And you can’t have a healthy message unless you are asking the right questions to make sure people are hearing and understanding it. Tim Foot — Did you like like did you understand what I just communicated? What did you just hear that I that I said?Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — Why why are why are you so convicted to by our mission?Rich Birch — Yeah.Tim Foot — Why are you committed to it? So many great questions.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s good.Tim Foot — The book is full of questions too. I’m a I’m a serial question asker. They used to call me “Quiz” when I was a teenager because I asked so many questions.Rich Birch — Yeah.Tim Foot — And it wasn’t until later that a mentor and co-founder of Slingshot, Stan Endicott—I think you know him, Rich—that he he convinced me that my proclivity for asking so many questions was actually a spiritual gift and not a special need.Rich Birch — Yeah. Tim Foot — Because questions, questions move conversations forward.Rich Birch — Yeah. Yep. Yeah, it’s true. It’s so good. And yeah, as I’ve shifted into full-time coaching, I have found, yeah, like that the the skill of asking a good question, it’s like, you know, I think the best moments I have with the people I’m working with are when we’re, I’m asking questions and they’re discovering, they’re tripping on to their own answers that maybe are a little different even than I would have. But just asking good questions, super important.Rich Birch — Okay. Another one that stood out to me of the, and again, friends, you’re going read all this. Obviously we can’t cover this in just, you know, half an hour conversation. But talk to me about friction, healthy friction. Tim Foot — Yeah. Rich Birch — So I literally have said as an executive pastor, my job was to remove friction from the organization. And so when you say, oh, you lots of us are trying to remove it. I was like, ouch, that’s me.Rich Birch — Because I think that’s, ah you know, I would I want to find places where we’re stuck and say, how do we get those unstuck and push this thing forward? So talk to me about why I’m wrong about friction.Tim Foot — I was there too, Rich. I was absolutely there. But when I get to number six, when we’re speaking on this or teaching on this, I will often say, hey number six is a wait, what? Tim Foot — I thought this was the sign of an unhealthy team. I used to think that. I used to think that the harmonious teams were the healthy ones, that when I walked into a context where there was all harmony with the team, that it was there was healthy, the absence of friction was healthy. But it’s not. It’s a sign of unhealth. Tim Foot — And I’m talking, there’s two kinds of friction, healthy and unhealthy. I’m talking about healthy friction. I mean, you think about a car and how the rubber meets the road, causes friction, moves the car forward. If you don’t have friction in your team, your mission isn’t going on anywhere.Tim Foot — It’s interesting, Zippia workplace survey found out that 76% of employees in the workplace avoid conflict, which is a real problem because healthy friction sharpens and aims teams, while avoiding conflict leads to complacency and stagnation.Tim Foot — Teams where members are passionately embracing friction will not only push through and forward to great results, they’ll attract and retain, which is really important, they’re going attract and retain top leaders. It’s where the mission truly comes alive and evolves to all it can be. Good leaders, rich, know to allow it. They know not to control it, but closely monitor it.Tim Foot — We get to decide if the tension or friction we allow is healthy or unhealthy. We call this the loaded gun of the seven key signatures, because when this gun goes off, it either breaks through a door or a wall that you needed to break through, or somebody gets hurt. And good leaders know how to monitor that and help it break through and not damage other leaders.Rich Birch — Yeah, let’s double click on that. Help me understand. So yeah, I’m going with you. I can see what you’re saying. You know, healthy friction, you know, unhealthy friction, good friction, bad friction. So give me an example. Rich Birch — You walk into it, you’re working with a ah church and there’s some telltale signs of, friction that’s that’s negative, that’s actually pulling the organization back, that’s that could be potentially hurting, or maybe has gone too far, or what’s, I’m not sure the best way to say that. Versus, hey, no, here’s some here’s some good friction that’s actually some good heat here that’s pushing the tires forward. Help us, what does that look like?Tim Foot — When when it becomes personal, Rich, that’s always the way you know it’s trending towards unhealthy. We’ll get to it in a minute, but we’ve got a team assessment on our website now around these seven key signatures, and we talk about unhealthy, inconsistent, functional, remarkable.Tim Foot — Most most teams live in that functional space. If you’re below unhealthy, it’s trending toxic, and that’s when you need ah that’s when you need the 4Sight group and Jenni Catron to come I mean, do some some deep, deep culture work. Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — I’m all about our ecosystem. I know you are too, Rich. It’s like when you need the deeper work, then you need the specialist. Rich Birch — Sure, sure.Tim Foot — But right now you’ve got the general practitioner. Rich Birch — Yeah, yeah, yeah.Tim Foot — But but when it gets when it gets personal, you know that that’s unhealthy friction. Rich Birch — That’s good. Right.Tim Foot — And let’s go back to um the the harmony piece. Because that’s one of the traps when it comes to friction. it’s It’s the harmony trap. And it’s like it’s you wanting there to be you know violins and and and and birds singing and for everybody to be loving each other. That’s also a sign that there is unhealthy friction. Rich Birch — Right. Tim Foot — Because there’s things lurking that have been pushed down below the surface that are going to come out sideways that if you had just dealt with it straight away, it actually could have become momentum for your mission. It’s the unspoken influences trap. it’s the It’s the elephants in the room.Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — It’s what everybody’s thinking about, but nobody’s talking about. That’s going to that that’s gonna be insidious and it’s going to chip away at the health of your team. Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s good.Tim Foot — And it’s gonna become unhealthy friction. And so that’s a great question to ask. And that’s in the book too. What’s every thinking about, nobody’s talking about? Because that’s what we need to engage.Tim Foot — Now, if we think that’s going to lead to unhealthy friction, let’s have the the conversations outside of the meeting. So that when we get to the conversations inside of the meeting, we can engage this as healthy friction that will actually address the topic and will move us forward rather than becoming personal and eroding relationships.Rich Birch — That’s good. Yeah, that question, what’s everybody thinking about that nobody’s talking about? That’s powerful. And I can see, yeah, that even even the organizations I’ve led, you can see where there’s seasons where we try to push away that friction. nd that can be just super negative. And it’s like this, we’re all just in la-la land. We’re all just, you know, can see that for sure. Tim Foot —Yeah.Rich Birch — So you wrote this book, you put this resource together. help me understand how you’re hoping it will help our, our churches. You know, I’m picture, I’m a church of a thousand people. Maybe I’m the executive pastor. I’ve got a team of 12 to 15 people on my team. And how how could, how could this be a helpful resource for us?Tim Foot — Well, this I believe this is the most important work we need to be doing, Rich, because if your mission matters, your team matters more. So often we get so focused on the people we’re serving that we forget the people we’re serving with.Tim Foot — And if we’re stalling out mission, mission-wise, then we’re not moving forward. And that’s not and we’re not being obedient to God’s call. And so what I’m hoping is, I mean, personally, our kingdom first principle at Slingshot is to leave teams better than than the way we found them. And the last thing we want to do is place great leaders on unhealthy teams.Tim Foot — So what we’re hoping is that teams are going to focus around these seven alignment areas and start to move mission forward, attract great leaders, retain great leaders. When we place, I mean, I you and I have both had healthy long-term ministries at churches, and it is a massive blessing when you, if God wills it, and you stay somewhere long term. I want other people to experience that. And that happens when the right leaders are placed on the right team.Tim Foot — So what I’m hoping churches do is they take our team awareness assessment on on our website, reachingforremarkable.com, which is attached to slingshotgroup.org. And they get a sense of, okay, where what where might we need attention in these seven key areas? Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s good.Tim Foot — Because it heat maps, it gives you percentages, you can take it as a team. And then to start the real important conversations.Tim Foot — I mean, I’ve been in rooms with this work, Rich, where you start to see teams have conversation around alignment and and teams that were that were stale or leaders that were burnt out start to get a glimmer of hope. Rich Birch — Yeah. That’s good.Tim Foot — That, oh, if we start to have these conversations around these areas, if we walk this pathway, if we focus in these areas where we’re struggling right now, we’re going to start to see results.Tim Foot — I mean, I even think about the key signature of systems. You know, it’s systems that scale remarkable growth. If we’re not building systems to to accommodate the growth that we keep praying for, God’s not going to bring the increase. Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s true. Tim Foot — Because God isn’t going to bring growth if it’s going to hurt us. We have to be building the right kind of systems to support our teams and leaders so that the growth can come. It’s a stewardship issue. Rich Birch — Yes, yep.Tim Foot — So what I’m hoping happens in churches all over the place is that they start to focus on these key signatures and see mission momentum results that moves them forward as an organization.Rich Birch — Yeah, that’s so good. Why don’t you tell us, you’ve mentioned it, but tell us a little bit more about the team awareness assessment. Give us like a bit of a, you know, you’ve kind of given us an overview there. Give us a little bit more why we should take that test and give us that URL again that we can send people to.Tim Foot — It’s reachingforremarkable.com and it’s it’s literally 10 minutes or less. Rich Birch — Right.Tim Foot — And it’s free as a leader. You can jump in and take it or you can sign up and and take it as a team. And it gives you obviously the team percentage on each of these key signatures. but also your own results. And when we’ve worked with real high-performing teams, it’s fascinating to watch these great leaders compare their individual percentage on each of these key signatures with their entire team and just to see alignment start to happen and the right conversations to happen.Tim Foot — Because we want to be able to focus in on where alignment is needed most. It may be real simple, Rich. Most teams live in that functional space. Rich Birch — Sure. Tim Foot — Functional’s fine.Rich Birch — Yeah.Tim Foot — But it’s not going to get remarkable results. Rich Birch — Yeah.Tim Foot — And our mission is too important. We have to focus on team alignment to move it forward.Rich Birch — Yeah. It’s so good. Yeah. I was talking to a a leader recently of a very large church and they were saying, you know, I just feel like, I feel like we got a go Pro. And what he was saying is exactly what you’re saying is like, Hey, we we’re we’re fine. We’re functioning.Tim Foot — Right. Right.Rich Birch — But man, we want to go remarkable. We want to go from just just because we can do this thing week in, week out in their case, have thousands of people show up, tens of thousands of people show up. But it’s like, that’s not enough. We got it. But the mission’s too important. We’re trying to reach people. How do we go remarkable? Which to me, I think picking up a copies of these books as a team would be a great first step. Rich Birch — Where do people, where can people pick this up? Where can they get your book if they’re looking for that? I’m assuming Amazon, but is there anywhere else we want to send them?Tim Foot — No, Amazon’s a place to go. Rich Birch — Yeah, that is the bookseller apparently.Tim Foot — I mean, it’s we know these days where wherever where everybody’s going, Amazon’s the way. And I would just add to Rich that as a leader, you want to know. This is information you want to have.Rich Birch — Yes.Tim Foot — We’ve talked so much about self-awareness. And if we’re in leadership, we need to show up to our team self-awareness. So many profiles. Rich Birch — Yep.Tim Foot — We don’t talk enough about team awareness. You need to know as a leader if you’re moving your mission forward or where you might be stalling out because it’s too important. And these seven things, as I said earlier, Rich, they’re not they’re not rocket science. Tim Foot — I mean, I like to I like to couch it this way: Conviction shapes the heart. Message shapes the voice. Culture shapes the atmosphere. Role shape contribution. Systems shape sustainability. Friction shapes growth. Risk shapes the future. And that’s why I hope you’ll dig into this with us. Rich Birch — Love it. Tim Foot — Because we want to see the kingdom move forward and we want to see churches full of healthy teams that not only great leaders want to come and be part of, great volunteers want to be a part of and help move this forward.Rich Birch — That’s so good. Well, I think that’s a great place to end it. I was like, man, that’s, I’m like, I want to preach. Amen, brother. That’s fantastic. If people were, so we’ll send them to Amazon. We’ll put a link in the show notes for that. If people want to track with you or with Slingshot, where do we want to send them online to connect as well?Tim Foot — Slingshotgroup.org is our company website. And there’s a bunch of great stories there. There’s places that you can engage. We would love you to be in our ecosystem. And yeah, you can jump over there to reachingforremarkable.com. And we would love to come alongside you and help you continue to move forward in the unique ways that God has called you to.Rich Birch — Well, Tim, it’s great to see you. Tim Foot — You too.Rich Birch — We were just remarking before, we had dinner together there a couple months ago. That was fun, but it was fun to put the recording on today and connect a little bit. Appreciate you, brother. Thanks so much for being here today.Tim Foot — Thanks for having me, Rich.

On today’s edition of SUFTT, we review what it means to be a Berean, as outlined in Acts 17. When Paul was preaching Christ to the Thessalonian Jews, he also had the attention of the Greeks in attendance at the synagogue. Greeks often attended in those early days of the church because they weren’t interested in the rampant paganism, but opted instead to hear about the Jewish Messiah. While the Jews weren’t interested in having their traditional boat rocked, the Greeks of Berea were considered more noble because they were critical thinkers and sought to search the Old Testament daily to see if what Paul said was true, and many got saved. Today we use that context to talk about the ways the church must be Bereans as well – critical thinkers – when it comes to understanding and believing God about Israel and about prophecy. Churches that don’t teach prophecy, which permeates both old and New Testament, are not being Bereans. The challenge to filter everything we hear, every day by the Word of God may require time and diligence but it is of the utmost importance.

Our guest is JOBY MARTIN, senior pastor of The Church of Eleven22 in Jacksonville, one of the largest and fastest growing churches in America. Joby is also the NYT Best-selling author of multiple books, including his most recent Stand Firm and Act Like Men. He's also part of multiple podcasts, including Deepen and Built for More, and a leading voice for discipling men in America. We discuss the momentum at Eleven22, 4 ways to act like real Christian men, insights on teaching and communication, why men are responding to his message, and so much more. Plus, check out the list of 18 Christian Movements in America to be aware of. Make sure to visit http://h3leadership.com to access the full list and all the show notes. Share them with your team, repost the lists, and follow and subscribe. Thanks again to our partners for this episode: CONVOY OF HOPE - Please donate to help bring hope to those impacted by disasters at http://convoyofhope.org/donate. Convoy is my trusted partner for delivering food and relief by responding to disasters in the US and all around the world. Right now, Convoy of Hope is responding to tornado impacts across the US, Texas Floods destruction, and providing basic needs like food, hygiene supplies, medical supplies, blankets, bedding, clothing and more. All through partnering with local Churches. Join me and please support their incredible work. To donate visit http://convoyofhope.org/donate. And DIME - DIME Accounting will help you manage HR, accounting, payroll and tax. Find out more at http://dimeaccounting.com. Get back to doing what you love by allowing DIME to be your comprehensive business services company. Helping simplify your business – DIME can pay the bills, record deposits, file taxes, run payroll, keep the books, provide legal advice and more. Visit http://dimeaccounting.com to schedule a time to connect with a free demo and learn more.

In September 1988, Cardinal Edmund Szoka, the archbishop of Detroit, announced via a closed-circuit television broadcast that the archdiocese would close dozens of inner-city parishes in Detroit within a year. Churches on the city's predominantly Black east side would be disproportionately affected.  The announcement triggered an immediate outcry: parishioners met at Sacred Heart, Detroit's Black Catholic “mother church,” and held vigils outside locked churches; the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance became the organizing hub of resistance; protestors marched up and down Woodward Avenue; and a few local residents planted mums outside the cardinal's residence, one for each parish the archdiocese eventually closed.  In the second episode of "The City and the Cross," host and Commonweal Centennial Fellow Aaron Robertson chronicles the community organizers who coordinated these efforts, a journalist who covered the story, the Catholic priests caught between their vows of obedience and their commitment to Black parishioners, and the prominent Black Catholic leader—a former Black Panther—who had to deliver the news of the parish closures to the communities he faithfully tried to serve. Featured Voices: Walter Hurley, Cardinal Szoka's chief of staff, who oversaw the implementation of the closures; Patricia Montemurri, a Detroit Free Press reporter who covered the Catholic Church in Detroit for decades; Father Norm Thomas, the Lebanese American pastor of Sacred Heart Church and a co-founder of the Detroit Catholic Pastoral Alliance (DCPA), who became the public face of the fight against the closures (archival); Cathey DeSantis, a former nun who became one of the lead organizers of the DCPA; Eric Blount, a Sacred Heart parishioner and minister who became an outspoken public voice against the archdiocese's plan Frances May, a Black laywoman who co-led the Alliance for Detroit Churches and directly challenged Cardinal Szoka's authority (archival); Wyatt Jones III, whose father Wyatt Jones Jr. delivered the news of the closures to the communities he had devoted his life to serving; Michelle McKinney and her mother Jackie Mahome, who watched St. Agnes—the church where Jackie had built pioneering Black history programs—be merged out of existence.

In this episode, Billy Humphrey shares insights from over 20 years of leading 24-7 prayer and worship at Gate City Church in Atlanta. He and Matthew explore the impact of continuous prayer on regional Christianity, the evolution of prayer movements, and practical steps churches can take to deepen their prayer and worship practices.

Shomari Jackson was raised in East St. Louis, but he spent most of his childhood and teen summers in Arizona visiting his dad. He went to college in Arizona, but as he puts it, "Arizona chewed him up and spit him out." He returned home, experienced some major life events, navigated mental health issues, and finally grappled with the questions that would move him forward: Who was he? What was he capable of? How had trauma (historical, generational, personal) affected him? And most importantly, how did he want to carry himself into the world? Shomari went on to complete both his bachelors and masters degrees, and he's been advocating for equitable change in Arizona ever since.Today, Shomari is the owner and executive director of The South Mountain W.O.R.K.S. Coalition, a nationally recognized substance use prevention organization that focuses on systems change and building resilient communities in South Phoenix and throughout Maricopa County. He is the 2021 recipient of the Arizona Innovation in Health Equity Award, and on this episode, he shares what it means to reshape systems of inequity and support communities with an equity lens. Not only is this conversation timely, it's necessary. We hope you'll listen in.To learn more: http://southmountainworks.org/To connect with Shomari: shomari@southmountainworks.org or harmreduction@southmountainworks.org

Growing In God Podcast Program Number: GIG #306 Title: The Oneness of Christians   Web Description: Is oneness among Christians just a nice idea that we cannot expect to see actually happen? No. According to Psalm 133, oneness is where the Lord commands eternal life. Jeshua (Jesus) prayed to the Father that we may all be one. Our oneness is already created by the Word of God, and we can fully expect it to be manifested within the Body of Christ.   Show Notes: In this podcast Silas Esteves talks about recent meetings he held with Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant ministers who gathered to pray for the oneness of Christians. Silas has been involved with the vision for oneness within the Body of Christ for years, conducting meetings with Christians from every denomination. This vision for oneness has been a major emphasis for our fellowship, and it is something we have been tested on. But we are determined to have faith that the Body of Christ will be one just as Christ and the Father are one.   We know it is not something we make happen by ourselves. It will take God and Christ, who is seated at God's right hand, by the power of the Holy Spirit to make this a reality. But a reality it will be. It is something that has already been created because Yeshua spoke it. Oneness was Yeshua's prayer to the Father, and the Father will absolutely fulfill it. Our oneness in Him is something that is finished. It is complete. And all we are doing by faith is watching the manifestation of it unfold.   This oneness is a key element in the manifestation of the Kingdom of God on the earth. The more we believe for oneness and declare it to be the reality for the Church, the more we challenge it to blossom into something that we see actively manifesting on this earth. It is in the atmosphere of oneness that the members of the Body of Christ minister the life of Christ to one another. It is in the atmosphere of oneness that we will see the manifestations of Christ's resurrection life. Let us continue to pray for the oneness of His Body to be our reality.   Key Verses:   •       John 17:20–23. "The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one." •       Psalm 133:1–3. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!"   Quotes:   •       "Maybe this is a time when we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we are drinking from the Lord, and the rivers of living waters will flow out." •       "Oneness is something really that is finished. It is complete. It was completed when the Father spoke it. It was completed when Yeshua spoke it, when the prayer was voiced." •       "If we really want to see a manifestation of life and resurrection, then it's going to be in an atmosphere where the oneness of His Body is our reality."   Takeaways:   1.    Even though our oneness has been tested, we cannot let go of the faith that the Body of Christ will be one as Christ and the Father are one. This was the prayer of Christ to the Father. And the Father will not let that go until it is fulfilled. 2.    We are not trying to create another World Council of Churches. We are taking steps toward the reality that the Body of Christ is one. 3.    Psalm 133 tells us that oneness is where God commands eternal life. It is in the atmosphere of oneness where resurrection life manifests in the Body of Christ.

Sixty percent of women who had an abortion said they would not have if they had received adequate emotional or financial support. Women who seek abortions are typically already mothers living in poverty and facing food and housing instability. Churches and non-profits are essential sources of support for these moms – but what can Congress do to help them choose life?Autumn Christensen, Executive Director of Her PLAN, joined us to discuss the prevalence of abortion post-Dobbs, the factors that contribute to abortion in America, and how local communities are responding so pregnant moms can make, and sustain, their decision for life. Her PLAN is a project of SBA Pro-life America's Education Fund focused directly on solving the “resource problem” for pregnant women and the local ministries that serve them.Support the show

Pastor Nate talks with Pastor Eric Shafer, Pastor in Residence at Global Refuge, about refugees, immigration, faith, and what it means to love our neighbors in real life. This Together 4 Good conversation explores why refugee support is deeply connected to Christian faith, Lutheran history, and the biblical call to welcome the stranger.Eric shares how Global Refuge supports immigrants and refugees through welcome centers, legal support, community partnerships, and long-term care. Together, Nate and Eric talk about how churches can respond with compassion, clarity, prayer, learning, advocacy, and action.What You'll Learn:What refugees are and why safety is central to the conversationWhy Scripture calls Christians to welcome immigrants and refugeesHow Global Refuge helps people rebuild their livesHow Lutheran churches have supported refugee resettlement for decadesHow individuals and congregations can help refugees through prayer, giving, learning, and advocacyChapters:00:00 Coming up on Together 4 Good00:36 Meet Pastor Eric Shafer of Global Refuge03:34 Why refugee ministry is part of a pastor's call05:00 What Scripture says about welcoming strangers05:45 A bold claim about faith, immigrants, and refugees07:44 Responding to pushback with faith and compassion09:23 The Lutheran history of refugee support11:00 Refugees, asylum, and common misunderstandings11:35 What does refugee mean?14:00 What Global Refuge welcome centers do16:20 How Jesus responds to people in need17:30 Why immigration needs order and compassion20:30 How people and churches can help refugees21:20 Faith Alliance training for congregations22:00 Advocacy, local support, and prayer25:00 World Refugee Day and Lutheran history26:00 Gratitude for churches supporting refugee workIf this conversation helped you think more clearly about faith, refugees, immigration, and loving your neighbor, please like, subscribe, and share it with someone who may want to learn more about Global Refuge and how churches can support refugee neighbors.Connect with Bethany:

Churches United - Bringing the faithful in Fargo together + their community picnic

Does marketing really matter for churches and young adult ministries? In 2026, the answer is a loud yes—if you want to actually reach Gen Z and young adults. In this episode, Josiah Kennealy sits down with Dillon Smith (CMO.Church, former marketing lead for the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast & Life.Church Open Network, and former content manager for Carey Nieuwhof) for a masterclass in church communications, digital outreach, and AI. Connect with Dillon Smith: Website: CMO.Church Join the Art of Leadership Academy and look for the Digital Outreach space: https://careynieuwhof.com/the-art-of-leadership-academy/ More about us: www.youngadults.today Resources & Action Steps: Sign up for the West Coast Leader Gathering August 12-13th, 2026 in Irvine, CA: https://www.youngadults.today/west-coast-conference Give to the mission of youngadultstoday: https://tithe.ly/give?c=5350133 Resources: Free eBook "10 Steps to Starting a Successful Young Adult Ministry: https://www.youngadults.today/book/starting-a-successful-young-adult-ministry Join our FaceBook Group Community with 2500+ leaders: https://www.facebook.com/groups/796270437396021 Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youngadults.today/ 

In this episode of Wake Up Look Up, Pastor Zach discusses the growing use of kratom, a substance often marketed as a wellness or performance aid despite serious health risks and its potential for addiction. Using the tragic story of former basketball player Brandon Clarke as a starting point, he explores why this issue deserves more attention from churches, parents, and ministry leaders. He also reflects on the biblical call to live in freedom from anything that seeks to control or dominate our lives.Have an article you'd like Pastor Zach to discuss? Email us at wakeup@ccchapel.com!

A giant of glass and sound: St. Vitus Cathedral gets powerful new voice, unique archive documents thousands of Jews connected to Ostrava, St. Martin in the Wall: one of Prague's oldest—and most welcoming—churches

Like, comment and subscribe to stay updated with the latest content from Hope Centre! CONNECT WITH US AT: ► Website: https://www.hopecentre.com/ ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopecentre.intl ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopecentre #HopeCentre #HopeCentreBrisbane #BrisbaneChurch

Brandon Steele | 06.14.26 | ethoschurch.org

Trevor talks to Prez Moy about being a multi instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, producer and activist from the East Bay. They talk Trysten and Sayge, The Original Sinfluencer, and what it is like working at a church. Support Belief It Or Not Created by Trevor Poelman Produced and Edited by Jamie Carlisle Produced by Michael Mongiardi Art by Joel Jackson Music by Devon Hyland Special Thanks to The Sonar Network Visit https://www.beliefitornot.com/ Email enquiries to Trevor.Poelman@BeliefItOrNot.com Follow Belief It Or Not: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/beliefitornot Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beliefitornotpodcast/ BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/beliefitornot.bsky.social TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@beliefitornot Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/beliefitornot Brought to you By: The Sonar Network https://thesonarnetwork.com/

Antioch Norman is a community church located in Norman, OK. We are a spiritual family with a global mission to make disciples, plant churches, and work for the peace and prosperity of our cities. As part of the Antioch Movement of Churches, we all share a passion for Jesus and His purposes in the earth.Website | https://www.antiochnorman.comInstagram | https://www.instagram.com/antiochnorman/1330 E Lindsey St Norman, OK 73071‎

Speaker: Abi Oosting

Sermon Direct Link 6/14/26 Rev. Danny Hedgepeth Jesus is Present in our Churches – Mark 2 The post Jesus is Present in our Churches (Mark 2) appeared first on Town Creek Baptist Church.

The Faith of Christians, Churches, and Nations Can Be Tested and Doubts Arise in Today's World; However, God Is Faithful and Will Not Forsake You MESSAGE SUMMARY: God will never leave you or forsake you. Even when difficulties arise and you are tempted to walk away from your faith, God will not leave you. When you are tempted to doubt God, remember that God is faithful. When the Apostles questioned Jesus about faith and prayer, Jesus told the Apostles, in Mathew 21:21-22, that your faith is powerful and that God will respond to your faith: “And Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.'”. Hold, unswervingly, to the hope and faith you profess because God, who promised us, is faithful. While you are endeavoring to hold onto your faith in God and Jesus' Gospel, you need to always remember the faithfulness of God, even in those times in which you may be doubting or questioning your faith. Do not give up your faith!   TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, fill me with the simple trust that even out of the most awful evil around me, you are able to bring great good — for me, for others, and for your great glory. In Jesus' name, amen.     Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 91). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be ashamed of the Gospel. I will not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes (including me). From Romans 1:16 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Psalms 91:1-10; Mathew 28:16-20; Mathew 6:25-34; Psalms 18b:11-20. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Our Awesome God -- Part 3: Trinity; Jesus, the Christ” at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Apply to Join Churchfront Premium Apply to Join Churchfront Pro Free Worship and Production Toolkit Shop Our Online Courses Join us at the Churchfront Conference Follow Churchfront on Instagram or TikTok: @churchfront Follow on Twitter: @realchurchfront Gear we use to make videos at Churchfront Musicbed SyncID: MB01VWQ69XRQNSN     Churchfront Podcast — Josh Kelsey | How AI Is Transforming Church Ministry   Guest background: Josh Kelsey is the Lead Pastor of Vineyard Church in California. In this conversation, Josh shares how his church is actively using AI across nearly every department—from sermon preparation and curriculum creation to operations, worship ministry, and discipleship. He offers a practical vision for how church leaders can use AI to reclaim time, reduce burnout, and focus more deeply on shepherding people.   Key Topics   AI in the church: fear vs. opportunity Josh argues that many church leaders are approaching AI with unnecessary fear. While concerns around ethics and implementation are valid, he sees AI primarily as a tool—one that can dramatically increase effectiveness while freeing leaders to focus on ministry. He believes churches that embrace these tools thoughtfully will be able to pastor more effectively, not less.   Why churches are historically slow to adopt technology Churches and nonprofits are often years behind the business world when it comes to adopting new technology. Josh believes AI is creating one of the largest technological shifts of our generation, and many church leaders risk missing opportunities simply because they haven't taken time to understand what's actually possible.   Scaling ministry without losing community One of the most intriguing ideas discussed is whether AI can help churches scale without sacrificing the personal connection that often disappears as organizations grow. Instead of hiring more specialists for every operational challenge, churches may soon be able to use AI systems to maintain consistency, communication, and care at a much larger scale.   AI as a team of specialists Rather than thinking of AI as a chatbot, Josh encourages leaders to think of it as an entire team of specialists available on demand. Administrative support, curriculum development, data analysis, planning, project management, and content creation can all be assisted by AI, allowing pastors to spend more time on teaching, discipleship, and relationships.   The future of church software The conversation explores how tools like Planning Center, HubSpot, Notion, Logos, MultiTracks, and other church software platforms will likely become deeply integrated with AI through technologies like APIs and Model Context Protocol (MCP). Instead of manually moving information between platforms, leaders will increasingly interact with a single AI layer that understands and works across their entire ministry ecosystem.   How Josh uses AI for sermon planning Josh shares his personal workflow for annual sermon planning and weekly sermon preparation. What once required multiple staff meetings and days of planning can now be completed in minutes. He uses AI to help organize ideas, structure teaching series, review theological themes, and accelerate sermon preparation while maintaining full ownership over theological convictions and final content.   Using AI without losing your voice One of the biggest concerns among pastors is whether AI will replace authentic preaching. Josh argues that AI works best as a collaborator rather than a creator. By training AI on previous sermons, theological frameworks, and ministry values, leaders can use it to refine and organize their ideas while still maintaining their unique voice and convictions.   Curriculum creation and discipleship workflows Vineyard uses AI extensively to create small group curriculum, discipleship resources, class materials, slide decks, teacher guides, and parent resources. Tools like NotebookLM help transform existing content into multiple formats, dramatically reducing preparation time while increasing consistency across ministries.   AI-powered worship ministry Worship and production teams are also leveraging AI. Josh and his worship pastor discuss using tools like Suno to create custom music, countdown tracks, and ministry-specific content. They also explore future possibilities for creating custom stems, backing tracks, and other resources that could significantly reduce production workload.   The ethics of AI and transparency Throughout the conversation, Josh emphasizes the importance of transparency. Leaders should be honest about where AI is assisting their work while recognizing that many forms of ministry have always involved collaboration, research assistance, editors, and support staff. The key is maintaining integrity while leveraging powerful new tools.   A leveling of the playing field for small churches Perhaps the most exciting implication is what AI means for under-resourced churches. Pastors who lack staff, consultants, formal training, or large budgets can now access tools that help bridge those gaps. Josh believes AI may become one of the most powerful ministry equalizers the Church has ever seen.   Notable tools mentioned   • Claude • ChatGPT • Gemini • NotebookLM • Planning Center • HubSpot • Notion • Logos Bible Software • Suno • Zapier • MultiTracks • Google Workspace   Key Quote   "Imagine if you could free up 15 hours of your week to spend more time making sure the people in your church who are most forgotten actually get seen."   • • • • •   Disclaimer: This video and description contain affiliate links.

Friday, 12 June 2026   And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. Matthew 20:24   “And having heard, the ten, they outraged about the two brothers.” (CG).   In the previous verse, Jesus informed the sons of Zebedee that they would indeed drink His cup and be baptized with His baptism. However, He informed them that to sit at His right and left was not His to give, but for those prepared by His Father. With those words complete, it next says, “And having heard, the ten.”   This means the other ten apostles who had been called aside in verse 17, and who would have included Matthew, the one writing about what occurred. Of them, it says, “they outraged about the two brothers.”   A new word is seen, aganakteó, to be greatly indignant. It is only seen seven times, all in the synoptic gospels. One can see them missing the point of Jesus' words and being upset that James and John asked for this honorable seating at their expense.   Apparently, they all had the same aspiration and didn't like that these two stepped forward, bringing their mother to sweeten the deal. Each of them was thinking about an earthly royal court with earthly rewards and honors. They hungrily desired to obtain special rank and privilege in such a setting.   Whether they still had this ambition at the time of the ascension, they certainly still had the notion of an earthly kingdom on their mind at that time –   “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' 7 And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.'” Acts 1:6-8   It is clear that throughout all of Jesus' ministry, they continued to misunderstand what God was doing in redemptive history. That continued in Acts as they struggled with the issue of Gentiles, law observance, etc.   Jesus had purposefully withheld much so that they could learn to simply trust His unfolding plan. The directive hand of God would effectively bring about what He purposed as they, along with us, have watched it unfold.   Life application: Nothing has changed in the hearts of many believers as they strive to find power and position within churches. People stand ready to curry the pastor's favor, willing to cut others apart with their tongues in an attempt to be heightened in the eyes of those in charge.   An example from right at the beginning concerning such personal dysfunction is found in 3 John –   “I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. 10 Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.” 3 John 1:9, 10   It's hard to understand how a person who was nothing but a johnny come lately would not receive a person who had been with Jesus throughout His ministry. But his name is recorded in Scripture, letting us know that such people exist. It is a sure indication that more like him are to be expected in the years to come.   Churches are filled with them. Imagine the backstabbing and corruption in larger denominations like Roman Catholicism. Power struggles that should not exist fill them because the focus is on self, not the furtherance of Christ's gospel and instruction in His word.   Let us consider these things and do our utmost to be people willing to serve, considering that Jesus set the example from the beginning. It is what Paul implores us to reflect on in Philippians 2:1-11. Take time to read that today.   Lord God, may we carefully consider our situation in the world, knowing that we are just temporary vessels to be used for a short span of time to further the knowledge of You in a world that desperately needs to hear it. May our hearts be humble, and may our feet be ready to share the good news every chance we get. Amen.  

Father Michael Hurley joins Deacon Patrick Conley to discuss Consecration to the Sacred Heart (5:30) why is today a significant day? The Mercy of God through Confession. (15:10) Karina - I'm a returning Catholic, and feel I need to make a General Confession. What should I do about sins I forgot and now remember? (23:46) Break 1 (25:22) Sr. Maria Francesca - Do we know why the USCCB decided to the consecration today instead of tomorrow on the Feast of the Sacred Heart? (32:08) Robin - My brother is one of the bishops going to be at the consecration!! I am very excited. (34:02) Damon - I returned to the Church 5 years ago. Mass and adoration. Is there a 'starter kit' for doing a novena or consecration. (40:39) Break 2 (42:43) Nicholas - How can we relate this consecration to the line in the Pledge 'one nation under God'. What is the Churches' interpretation on this line? (47:21) Sharon - I'd like to talk about my consecration to the Sacred Heart.

Stephanie and Gregory share with Cari about their recent pilgrimage to Italy.  From what it was like to sing in the Churches throughout Italy, to various stories and graces from the incredible pilgrimage.    Come, follow us: Parish Website  |  Facebook  |  Instagram  |  YouTube  |  Spotify Music

Today, it’s a new podcast, host Dave Wager welcomes Brenda Bertram and Mike Jewell from Family Connect Wisconsin, a ministry dedicated to connecting struggling families with churches, businesses, and community members who can help meet practical needs. Drawing from their own experiences with foster care and family challenges, they share how Family Connect works alongside schools, social workers, and local agencies to support children and families facing difficult circumstances. Mike and Brenda explain how Family Connect uses the CarePortal platform to connect vetted family needs with churches and volunteers who are ready to help. From clothing and furniture to relational support and encouragement, the ministry creates opportunities for local churches to serve as the hands and feet of Christ while helping families remain stable and connected within their communities. The conversation highlights the important role churches can play in caring for vulnerable families and children. Dave, Mike, and Brenda discuss the vision of equipping local congregations to meet needs more effectively, strengthening communities through practical service, and expanding Family Connect’s reach across Wisconsin so more families can experience hope, support, and meaningful relationships.

Acabas de llegar a un país nuevo. Hablas un poco de inglés, pero sientes que todavía no perteneces a ningún lugar. No conoces a nadie. Y sabes que la mejor manera de integrarte es conectar con personas que compartan tus intereses, tu fe o simplemente tus ganas de aprender. Pero, ¿cómo haces eso en un país de habla inglesa? ¿Cómo preguntas si puedes unirte a un grupo? ¿Cómo te presentas en una iglesia o en un club por primera vez? Hoy vamos a aprender exactamente eso: el inglés que necesitas para unirte a comunidades, clubes e iglesias como inmigrante. Frases reales, vocabulario práctico y una situación que muy probablemente estás viviendo o que vas a vivir pronto. Recuerda que todos los recursos para este episodio, incluyendo la transcripción, la tabla de vocabulario y ejercicios para repasar el aprendizaje, están disponibles en nuestro sitio web.  Haz clic en este enlace para ver todos los recursos para este episodio:   https://inglesdesdecero.ca/264 ----- Dale “me gusta” a nuestra página en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inglesdesde0/ ----- Síguenos en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ingles.desde.cero/ ----- Suscríbete en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@inglesdesdecero145 ----- Encuéntranos en Pinterest: https://es.pinterest.com/inglesdesdeceroca/ ----- Aprende inglés con nativos que se formaron en su enseñanza. ¡Visita nuestro sitio web, https://inglesdesdecero.ca/ para inscribirte y seguir todas nuestras lecciones! Descubre si tu marca aparece (o no) cuando la IA recomienda soluciones. Únete al reto gratuito de 3 días de HubSpot — regístrate aquí: https://hubs.la/Q04fn0pB0__No dejes pasar esta oportunidad con Shopify y regístrate para un período de prueba por solo un dólar al mes en shopify.mx/desdecero Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dave Clayton | 06.07.26 | ethoschurch.org

Allie was joined by Megan Basham, culture reporter for the Daily Wire, to discuss her investigation into the After Party, a curriculum written by Curtis Chang, David French, and Russell Moore, which is being pushed onto churches in an effort to bring Christians of different political backgrounds together. Megan shares how this curriculum not only fails at its objective but is funded by secular progressives: Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. We discuss why Rockefeller's interest in bankrolling Bible studies is a red flag, including the fact that among the other initiatives funded are organizations that are pro-LGBTQ and pro-abortion. What's in the After Party curriculum and what message is it really sending? We also look at the "AND Campaign" and how it is also funded by the Rockefellers. We explain how politics is a way to love our neighbor and why getting it right matters for the church. --- Timecodes: (01:12) What is The After Party? / Rockefeller funding (07:50) What are their motivations? (15:00) What's in the curriculum? (32:28) The AND Campaign / moral equivalence (42:53) X / Twitter exchange about abortion / politics in Christianity (49:20) Can Christians vote Democrat? Links: Megan Basham: "Follow the Money to The After Party" https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2024/01/follow-the-money-to-the-after-party --- Relevant Episodes: Ep 607 | John MacArthur, Hillsong Documentary & SBC Drama | Guest: Megan Basham https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-607-john-macarthur-hillsong-documentary-sbc-drama/id1359249098?i=1000558899144 Ep 920 | Russell Moore, David French & the Fake Threat of Christian Nationalism | Guest: John Cooper https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-920-russell-moore-david-french-the-fake-threat/id1359249098?i=1000638231068 Ep 508 | My Response to John Piper, Tim Keller & Big Eva https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-508-my-response-to-john-piper-tim-keller-big-eva/id1359249098?i=1000539092606 Share the Arrows 2026 is on October 10 in Dallas, Texas! Tickets are on sale now at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sharethearrows.com⁠⁠⁠Share the Arrows is sponsored by:A'del Natural Cosmetics: AdelNaturalCosmetics.comRange Leather: RangeLeather.com/ALLIEWe Heart Nutrition: WeHeartNutrition.comBuy Allie's book "Toxic Empathy: How Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion": ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.toxicempathy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ---► Buy Allie's book, "You're Not Enough (& That's Okay): Escaping the Toxic Culture of Self-Love": https://alliebethstuckey.com/book► Subscribe to the podcast:iTunes: https://apple.co/2UVssnPSpotify: https://spoti.fi/2FwkXxj► Connect with Allie on Social Media: https://twitter.com/conservmillenhttps://www.instagram.com/alliebstuckey/https://facebook.com/allieBlazeTV/► Relatable merchandise – use promo code 'ALLIE10' for a discount: https://shop.blazemedia.com/collections/allie-stuckey

In certain corners of the internet some suspicious numbers are cropping up again and again. People claiming that 400 churches have been burnt to the ground or attacked in an assortment of countries, including France, the US and Canada. So, what is going on? Is there a spate of anti-Christian crime sweeping the globe?We look into what the data actually tells us. If you've seen a number in the news you think we should take a look at, email moreorless@bbc.co.uk Presenter: Tim Harford Reporter/Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Editor: Richard Vadon Production Coordinator: Brenda Brown Sound Mix: Dave O'Neill

Just because people call themselves Christians doesn't make it true. It's not enough to meet in a church building or sign the roster. Today, R.C. Sproul explains that a true church will obey the Lord. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/ultimately-with-rc-sproul/true-and-false-churches/ Study Reformed theology with a free resource bundle from Ligonier Ministries: https://grow.ligonier.org/ A donor-supported outreach of Ligonier Ministries. Donate: https://donate.ligonier.org/ Explore all of our podcasts: https://www.ligonier.org/podcasts

We need to talk about woke churches. LGBTQ+ affirming churches are on the rise and the TikTok content is cringe af. Drag in church? LMAO. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Josh and Sam explore what sets apart pastors who stay at one church for ten, twenty, or even thirty years and still lead with energy and joy. Long-tenured pastors aren't just “hanging on.” They've built habits that sustain both their soul and their ministry. They've weathered criticism, resisted the lure of greener grass, and chosen faithfulness over constant movement. The post Why Some Pastors Stay for Decades (and Thrive in Their Churches) appeared first on Church Answers.