The Church Lobby

Karl Vaters and Dale Sellers have good news and bad news for you. The good news is that pastors are staying in their churches longer than ever before. The bad news is that pastors are aging and there aren’t as many young pastors coming in. This makes pastoral and church renewal more important than ever before. Dale Sellers is the Executive Director of The Renewed Pastor , which is the new name and...

What if you could use the hard work for the sermon you’ve already done, then leverage it for an even greater online impact? Well, you can. And it doesn’t take technical wizardry to pull it off. Karl Vaters interviews Ed Stetzer and Corey Alderin about how tech has become so user-friendly that it can be used in ways that used to be available only to large churches. Ed has been a leading voice for t...

Is online church, real church? I used to say online church is real church, it’s just not enough church. But I’ve changed my mind. Live streaming came into our lives in a big way in 2020, and now after living with it for six years, we can look at it with a little more wisdom and objectivity. In this solo podcast I talk about how and why I changed his mind about church live streams, plus some better...

Karl Vaters interviews pastor Ryan Lokkesmoe about a problem many pastors are facing in their churches, even if they haven’t been able to identify it yet. Many of our church members are accidental pagans. Karl and Ryan talk about how so many ancient pagan practices have made their way into many of our lives today—without us knowing it, turning many good Christians into accidental pagans. This affe...

Karl Vaters talks with Nathan Meador and Heath R. Curtis about how to take a more Bible-based and holistic approach to stewardship in the church. It’s not a plea for finances, it’s a basis for a healthy church, life, and ministry. Based on Nathan and Heath’s book, Stewardship: For the Care of Souls , this conversation focuses on tending well to everything God has entrusted to our care. Especially...

How do you start a YouTube channel at the age of 81, and reach 25K subscribers in less than 6 months? That’s what pastor Mike Bayer did. Now he’s at over 44K subscribers, and it’s providing him with a second source of income in his later years of ministry. Karl Vaters talks with Mike about how he made YouTube work for him, plus: The importance of intentional ministry to senior adults How to use yo...

Karl Vaters interviews Todd Wilson about some of the lessons that we need to learn when we look back at the Church Growth Movement . Todd is the co-founder and founding CEO of Exponential , so he critiques the Church Growth Movement as one of its leaders. This gives him a unique perspective we need to hear. Karl and Todd talk about the content of Todd’s new book, How Did We Get Here? Examining 70...

“What's wrong with being just a normal church?” That’s the question at the center of Thomas Austin’s song, Normal Church. In this episode, Karl Vaters interviews Thomas Austin about the content of his song, including where the idea for it came from, some of the criticism he’s received for it, and what message he’s trying to convey through it. Some of what comes through in this conversation include...

Discontent is a tricky monster. It’s so easy to spot it in others, but easy to overlook in ourselves. Karl Vaters interviews pastor Chris Maxwell about what contentment is not (laziness or mediocrity), what it is (an inner peace), what causes so much discontentment, why contentment is essential for healthy lives and ministries, and so much more. This is based on the content of Chris’ new book, Con...

Kevin Foster is the founding pastor of LifeBridge Community Church in Fresno, CA, a church that made a radical shift in emphasis several years ago when the brokenness of the people in their lower income city led them to run to the brokenness. Karl and Kevin talk about: Redefining success in ministry How young leaders are not rejecting ministry—they’re rejecting the narrow definitions they’ve seen...

Karl Vaters talks with Sam Rainer about some massive changes that are happening, and how the looming pastoral shortage will affect everything about the way churches function in the next generation or two . Based on Sam’s article, The Coming Massive Wave of Retiring Pastors and Church Staff , this conversation covers what caused this crisis along with some hopeful solutions including the rise of bi...

Prayer is a foundation of a healthy Christian life and church. Karl Vaters talks with Chris Paavola about four strategic ways his church prays that can help any church lay a more solid foundation for health. The foundation of this conversation is a talk Chris gives to pastors, titled 4 Ways Small Churches Can Grow in Prayer. Sunday Intercessory Prayer Prayer Services Prayerwalking A new way to tak...

Karl Vaters talks with Tim Walker about three important subjects: First, they talk about the new world of the “side hustle” culture, and why it can be an answer for pastors and churches to do more ministry with less stress. Second, the importance of creating margin in our life, our finances, our time, our energy, and our families. Third, Tim introduces us to the importance of time away from the ch...

Karl Vaters talks with Dr. Shaunti Feldhahn and Dr. James N. Sells about the state of mental and emotional care in our culture, and how churches are uniquely situated to alleviate these needs in healthy, life-giving ways. The conversation focuses on the CARE strategy (Coordinated Attention, Restoration, and Encouragement), and how churches of any size can be better equipped to help, starting with...

Karl Vaters talks with Peyton Jones about the severe need for our churches to become better at the main command Jesus gave His church: making disciples. Peyton is the author of several books, including the newly released, Discipology: The Art and Science of Making Disciples , which is the basis for this conversation. The stats are troubling. In a recent survey, pastors acknowledged that disciplesh...

Karl Vaters interviews Darryl Dash, a long-time pastor in Toronto, Canada. Darryl recently wrote the article, Advice to New and Aspiring Pastors , for The Gospel Coalition, Canada in which raised several issues that are helpful, not just for younger pastors, but for anyone who wants to be a better pastor for the long haul. Links: Advice to New and Aspiring Pastors DashHouse.com Gospel for Life Pod...

Karl Vaters talks with Kurt W. Bubna about what to do if you’re a Christian leader who has betrayed people and broken trust. This conversation was sparked by the Facebook post, An Open Letter to Philip Yancey Regarding His Extramarital Affair , that Bubna wrote in early January. So many have opined about Yancey, and understandably so, but most of them know little if anything about his situation, i...

Karl Vaters talks to Laurie Graham about some of the big ways volunteerism has changed, and how we, as church leaders, can respond to these trends. Laurie runs smallchurchministry.com , an online ministry that provides resources and support for volunteers and ministry leaders in smaller churches. This is Laurie’s second time on the podcast (the last time she was known as Laurie Acker), and in this...

Karl Vaters talks through some helpful guidelines with Dave Ripper about how to read, meditate, and teach from the Bible in a richer, deeper way. Dave is the lead pastor of Crossway Christian Church, a multicongregational church in southern New Hampshire, focused on spiritual formation, and is the author of Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus: Reading the Bible like Dallas Willard . Karl...

Have you ever gone to a church growth conference and been told “all healthy things grow?” Karl Vaters talks with Jeff Hoglen about what’s happening behind that idea, and why it can be a problem for a lot of pastors and churches. The conversation is based on an article Jeff wrote, called “ The Church Growth Lie No One Talks About .” Karl and Jeff talk about what that lie is, why we keep believing i...

Karl Vaters talks with Brad Edwards about the shift that’s happened over the last decade or so in how people perceive institutions, especially the institutional church. In this conversation they talk about how the rise of radical individualism has replaced once-trusted institutions, why a distrust in institutions is problematic, and why institutions—especially the church—still matter. Brad is a ch...

Do you know how to spot if someone in your congregation has a gambling problem? Once it’s been spotted or confessed, do you know what to do? Karl Vaters talks with Dr. Don Lichi about one of the fastest-growing addictions in the world, including: How is gambling defined? Why does it have such a strong grip on some people? Who is most likely to be addicted? How to get help And more Donald Lichi&nbs...

Karl Vaters talks with Dr. Jeff Forrey about grief, recovery, and how your church can help people, both inside and outside the congregation, deal with grief in healthy ways. Grief has no rules, but there are healthy ways through it. And churches—small churches especially—are uniquely suited to provide real comfort for people in these difficult seasons of loss. Karl and Jeff talk about some importa...

In recent decades, parachurch organizations have carved out an important space in church life and ministry. Karl Vaters talks with Dr. Angie Ward about why it’s important for ministers to take a closer look at what the church is, what parachurch organizations bring to the mix, and how we can move forward more missionally, even as the emphasis on institutions diminishes. Dr. Ward is director of the...

If you’re a preaching pastor, you know what it means to feel the burden and the joy of preparing and preaching a sermon every Sunday. No matter how many years we’ve done it, we can always use a little more help to do it better. Karl Vaters talks with Austin Carty about the craft of writing and delivering a weekly sermon, based on Austin’s latest book,  Some of the Words Are Theirs: The Art of...