Enduring Churches Podcast with Alan and Trent

Episode 339: Multi-tasking in Ministry Take your family with you to a meeting or hospital visit but include a dinner or ice cream date after. Discipleship on the road.  Take a person you are discipling on the road with you.  In the car = captive audience and allows for some great conversations. Use Evernote or another software to work on sermons or plans while waiting somewhere  or use notes on yo...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Episode 330: An Especially Needed Ministry (from Episode 15)   Here is the major question you have to wrestle with  - will our church do "Ministry to" or "Ministry team"   Where to start Start with a conversation  - Make sure to have a line of communication with family members  Have those with limitations - take you on a tour of your church Work on access - make your buildings accessible all on on...

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

Episode 328: 7 Voices We Need to Hear   Voice of the Lord Voice of Wise Counsel Voice of our Spouse Voice Inside Voice of the Community Voice of Warning Voice of the World

Episode 327: A Word for Leaders Straight from God's Word  1 Peter 5:1-11   1. Focus on the flock God has given you. Be loyal 2. Be glad and speak well of your calling and your church. 3. Serve with your people 4.  Be humble before your church. Vs 5-6 5. Don't worry vs 7 6. Vs 8 work to protect your mind and your character 7. You're not alone in your struggle 8. God's got this

Episode 326: How Can We Call Out the Called? Preach and teach on calling Give opportunities to allow people to respond to a call Speak well of your calling Listen and Observe and Ask Look for those who are leading and others are listening to Listen to those who are wanting to volunteer for ministry Offer opportunities for exploration Have a process for training Take them with you on ministry visit...

Episode #:325 Six Money Wasters Hiring the wrong person Cutting back on missions giving Not looking for ways to use your facilities Maintaining vehicles you never use Spending money on inwardly focused ministry and not outreach Delaying maintenance

Episode 324: Avoiding Structural Damage   Questions to ask about your structure Does it work? Is it too centralized in one place? a person/pastor a deacon team or board Does it represent multiple segments of your church community? Can it accommodate growth?   Some other things to consider Get examples from effective churches Train up and empower others Allow for as many decisions to be made at the...

Episode 323: Eight Thoughts on Your Church and Prayer You can't give away what you don't own. As a leader/pastor you must be a person of prayer! Teach and preach on prayer often Offer a guided prayer time each week Offer a church-wide 40 day prayer/fasting event event Offer a single, dedicated prayer service Add a prayer wall Use a tool to encourage prayer a church had ladies make quits and people...

Episode 322:  7 Ways to Sabotage Change in Your Churc   1. Thinking your position gives you the right to make change 2. Refusing to gather input from multiple perspectives 3. Falsely assuming everyone is or should be an an early adopter of change 4. Making the wrong changes 5. Moving too fast or to slow 6. Giving up too soon 7. Praying too little

 Is Your Welcome Center Welcoming?   Don't assume your church is good at welcoming guests. Designate a welcome area and keep it highly visible. Get volunteers who will make welcoming a passion. Train your volunteers regularly. Announce your welcome area during the service. Gather only essential information. Follow up as quickly as possible.

Episode 320:  5 Thoughts About Communio Think about its frequency strategically Think about its placement in the service Think broadly in how you structure it. passive - people receive the elements active - people must perform an action to receive elements purpose - ties it to a larger focus (remembering the cost of forgiveness, forgiving others, self-examination...) Think about informal opportuni...

Episode 319: Does Your Church Have an Acts 1:8 Strategy   take a look at your yearly stats for the last 5 to 10 years.  Look for attendance trends Look for baptism trends Look for Missions giving and involvement trends Ask the hard questions Are we currently doing or planning to do a gospel outreach effort in our local community? Are we currently doing or planning to do a gospel outreach effort in...

  more people care about your ministry than you realize more people know about your churches  strengths and its problems than you would believe the church down the street has just as many issues as your church does your congregations has something to offer God's Kingdom. God has a purpose and plan for you right now

Episode 317: Time Change: Preparing for Transitions   It seems that every doctor’s appointment I have now requires some kind of prep work and most of it is unpleasant.   If you’re not there you will be someday. Why? Because time in this world is not static and life moves on. Someone once said that all pastors are interims. From a time standpoint, that is certainly true. Because of this, we have a...

Episode 316: When Is too Much   Can You have too much women's ministry and men's ministry? Can you have too much student ministry and children's ministry?   Does it take away from the family dynamic? Does it undercut the corporate gathering? Are they taking away from evangelism? Are they creating opportunities for outreach and service? Are they a breeding ground for gossip? Do they complement one...

Episode 315: Riley Prather   Enjoy our talk with Riley Prather a church planter/pastor from Conneticut. He also works with the SEND Network of the SBC