Next Sunday

Why do conversations about money still feel difficult in so many churches? In this episode of the Next Sunday podcast, Jim Shepard and Frank reflect on what has—and hasn’t—changed across more than three decades of church generosity work. The tools look different, but familiar pastoral questions remain. Together, they explore the discomfort surrounding money conversations, the importance of a pasto...

How can a church make giving easier to understand while staying clear about how gifts will be used? In this episode of Next Sunday, Jim and Frank explain the Generis one fund approach and the leadership work behind it. They discuss the difference between one giving invitation and the church’s responsibility to plan and allocate funds, why reporting matters to congregational trust, and how a clear...

Sunday comes every seven days, even when a church is preparing for a major generosity initiative. So how much additional work should pastors, staff members, and lay leaders expect? In this episode of Next Sunday, Jim Sheppard and Frank Bealer explain why the answer depends on more than a standard workload estimate. They explore senior-pastor involvement, leadership structure, staff experience, hid...

Churches often focus their generosity efforts on the congregation. But what happens when the staff members responsible for leading those efforts are not personally participating? In this episode of the Next Sunday Podcast, Jim Sheppard and Frank Bealer explore why staff giving is more than an internal policy or financial matter. It affects leadership credibility, staff advocacy, and the broader cu...

This is episode 5 of 5 of the Next Sunday Podcast Summer Session: five focused conversations to help pastors and church leaders arrive at fall with a congregation of ready hearts. Download Beyond The Generosity Gap Workbook , a free guide designed to help you put these conversations into action before the season arrives. For God loves a cheerful giver. It is one of the most quoted lines in convers...

This is episode 4 of 5 of the Next Sunday Podcast Summer Session: five focused conversations to help pastors and church leaders arrive at fall with a congregation of ready hearts. Download Beyond The Generosity Gap Workbook , a free guide designed to help you put these conversations into action before the season arrives. The data is encouraging. Gen Z's propensity to give is at or above that of Bo...

This is episode 3 of 5 of the Next Sunday Podcast Summer Session: five focused conversations to help pastors and church leaders arrive at fall with a congregation of ready hearts. Download Beyond The Generosity Gap Workbook , a free guide designed to help you put these conversations into action before the season arrives. Most churches treat their fall giving campaign, year-end giving, and new year...

This is episode 2 of 5 of the Next Sunday Podcast Summer Session: five focused conversations to help pastors and church leaders arrive at fall with a congregation of ready hearts. Download Beyond The Generosity Gap Workbook , a free guide designed to help you put these conversations into action before the season arrives. Most pastors sense it. Generosity feels harder to cultivate than it once did....

This is episode 1 of 5 of the Next Sunday Podcast Summer Session: five focused conversations to help pastors and church leaders arrive at fall with a congregation of ready hearts. Download  Beyond The Generosity Gap Workbook , a free guide designed to help you put these conversations into action before the season arrives. Before you diagnose your congregation's giving culture, there's a harder que...

High-capacity givers and major donors are often approached transactionally—by schools, charities, alma maters, museums, and causes that lead with one question: “How much can you give?” This episode explains why pastors must lead differently, and what your biggest givers wish you knew about shepherding them well. In this episode of The Next Sunday Podcast, hosts Jim Sheppard and Frank Bealer contin...

Leadership transition and executive succession are hard, especially in the faith-based sector, where healthy succession stories can feel way too rare. This episode revisits a real transition one year later to unpack what actually makes succession work when the predecessor is still around and the organization keeps moving forward with trust and momentum. In this episode of The Next Sunday Podcast,...

Leadership problems don’t disappear when you rename them. But many leaders do exactly that—calling a problem a “tension” so they don’t have to deal with it. This episode exposes that pattern and offers a better path: accuracy, courage, and the willingness to turn the light on.  In this episode of The Next Sunday Podcast, hosts Jim Sheppard and Frank Bealer unpack Frank’s Substack post Misdiagnosed...

Church building campaigns and facility projects often get framed with one phrase that creates confusion fast: “We’re spending money on ourselves.” This episode explains why that language is theologically inaccurate, practically unhelpful, and unnecessarily apologetic—especially when the goal of church infrastructure is mission, not self-indulgence. In this episode of The Next Sunday Podcast, hosts...

“If we treat gifts differently, aren’t we treating people differently?” This episode brings clarity to that question with a simple principle that every church leader needs: all givers are the same, but not all gifts are the same. In this episode of The Next Sunday Podcast, hosts Jim Sheppard and Frank Bealer unpack why the widow and her two coins is not the only giving story Scripture celebrates—a...

Giving initiatives and generosity campaigns are like an X-ray: they reveal what’s already happening inside your church. Giving initiatives don’t cause fractures, they expose them. And that’s why giving initiatives can become one of the clearest diagnostic tools a church leader will ever experience. In this episode of The Next Sunday Podcast, hosts Jim Sheppard and Frank Bealer unpack a simple but...

Tax policy has changed the giving landscape—and this episode explains why churches can’t lean on incentives anymore. If generosity is going to grow, it has to be formed through discipleship, not deductions. In this episode of The Next Sunday Podcast, Jim Sheppard and Frank Bealer break down how the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act shifted giving by nearly doubling the standard deduction. As a result, fa...

Church giving and generosity culture are often blamed on the economy, but this episode challenges that assumption head-on. Church giving and generosity culture are far more influenced by church leadership, vision, and what happens inside the walls of the church than by what’s happening on Wall Street. In this episode of The Next Sunday Podcast, hosts Jim Sheppard and Frank Bealer unpack one of the...

In this episode of the Next Sunday Podcast, hosts Jim Sheppard and Frank Bealer take a careful look at the phrase “under compulsion” from 2 Corinthians 9 and why many churches have built entire giving moments around protecting people from pressure instead of equipping people for joyful participation. Jim shares how the text is often reduced to a single warning, which sidelines the larger invitatio...

In this episode of the Next Sunday Podcast, hosts Jim Sheppard and Frank Bealer have a powerful discussion on engaging kids and teens in generosity. If you are a church leader, parent, or someone passionate about discipleship, this episode dives deep into how generosity in the church and teaching generosity to kids intersect with discipleship, stewardship, and family life. The conversation unpacks...

In this episode of the Next Sunday Podcast, hosts Jim Sheppard and Frank Bealer dive deep into the patterns of church giving and why generosity in churches matters more today than ever before. As they share stories, data, and decades of insight, listeners will discover surprising truths about how financial generosity shapes ministry impact, discipleship, and the future of the local church. If you’...

On this episode of The Next Sunday Podcast, hosts Jim Sheppard and Frank Bealer dive deep into the new rules of church leadership in a post-COVID world. The conversation explores how pastors and ministry leaders are navigating the realities of church leadership post-COVID while also preparing for the next generation of believers. In today’s post-post-COVID landscape, leaders are being asked to be...

Church fundraising campaigns. Church capital campaigns. These terms carry weight for pastors and leaders everywhere. But what happens when your church capital campaign doesn’t hit the goal?  In this episode of the Next Sunday Podcast, hosts Jim Sheppard and Frank Bealer unpack the realities, challenges, and hidden lessons behind a campaign that falls short, and why it’s not the end of the story. C...

You’ve cast the vision. You’ve shared the heart. But the congregation isn’t moving as fast as you are—and that can be frustrating. This episode is for leaders who are running at full speed while their people are still warming up. We explore how to discern between a “no” and a “not yet,” the danger of outrunning your own team, and what spiritual leadership looks like when progress feels delayed. We...

Every church dreams of the “one big gift” that changes everything—but relying on major donors is riskier than it seems. In this episode, we unpack the myth of the Big Donor Fix and explore why building a culture of broad-based generosity creates more stability and spiritual growth. We’ll talk about giving concentration risk, the pressure that often comes with big gifts, and why the healthiest chur...

In this powerful episode of the Next Sunday Podcast, hosts Frank Bealer and Jim Sheppard tackle one of the most pressing questions for today’s pastors and church leaders: Is your church building a blessing or is it bleeding you dry? In a ministry environment where church buildings and multi-use facilities are becoming key factors in stewardship, growth, and community engagement, this conversation...