The Church Leadership Pulse

Saturday Ministry Week in Review for October 26–30, 2026. Ted Rhoades connects calling and exhaustion, capacity before calendar invites, everyday church culture, and Pew Research Center’s nuanced findings on young adults. Plus: Christ Church Ridley Park’s pumpkin sale supports a neighboring food pantry and other charities. Episode sources What to Do When You Doubt Your Calling to Ministry Leadersh...

Ted Rhoades explores why a calendar invitation is not agreement to new work, the latest pastoral-authority dispute at Highland Park, and the process, policy, and personality shaping church decisions. A Ridley Park pumpkin sale offers an encouraging example of churches partnering to support neighbors with groceries. Episode sources Before You Hit Send: Why That Calendar Invite Needs a Conversation...

Ted Rhoades examines the trust cost of taking back approved staff vacation, Pew Research Center’s mixed signals on young adult religious attendance, and how AI advice may shape people in ministry. The practical takeaway: make approved rest dependable by arranging coverage, authority, and a clear plan for urgent questions. This resource-led episode offers leadership reflection, not a reported churc...

Ted Rhoades explores discipleship practices associated with spiritual formation, the difference between performance conversations and personal care, and genuine friendships outside church circles. The practical takeaway: name the purpose of each staff check-in and respect what people choose to share. This resource-led edition includes a host reflection, not a reported church success story. Episode...

Ted Rhoades examines personal social media expectations for church staff, staffing pressures churches should anticipate, and the daily decisions that shape organizational culture. Plus, an ongoing Asbury United Methodist Church partnership helps provide weekly food bags to students in Duluth. The practical takeaway: make genuinely optional requests clear, and treat required tasks as work with time...

A shorter Monday edition: Ted Rhoades considers how exhaustion, criticism, and isolation can cloud a sense of ministry calling, and how rest and trusted counsel can help. Plus, First Congregational Church provides a gathering place for a My Brother’s Table fundraising walk against hunger. The closing application offers questions for reflection, not an instruction to stay in or leave a role. Episod...

Saturday Ministry Week in Review for October 24, 2026. Ted Rhoades explores healthy conflict, making church culture observable, clear roles for welcome and safety teams, and responsibility with real authority in construction and other projects. The bright spot: Steve Teter’s Ordinary Pastor interview on steady presence and long-term pastoral care. These are newly published leadership resources and...

Friday, October 23, 2026: Ted Rhoades explores church administrators carrying HR responsibilities without defined authority or support, ministry responsibility outpacing emotional and spiritual formation, and Alliance Church of the Valley’s invitation to a winter coat giveaway and warm meal. A practical next step: clarify who receives employment concerns, who decides, and where concerns about deci...

Today on Church Leadership Radar: when temporary vacancy coverage becomes a second job; what churches can learn from struggling and thriving malls; and an encouraging reflection from Steve Teter on thirty-seven years of ministry and staying alongside people. Plus a practical conversation about caring for the person covering a vacancy, not only filling the position. Sources When “Cover Until We Hir...

Today on Church Leadership Radar: planning staff retreats that genuinely restore, defining church culture through observable behaviors in hiring and management, and clarifying the boundaries between welcome teams and trained safety personnel. Plus a practical question about taking work off the team’s plate when promising rest. Sources Is Your Staff Retreat Actually a Disguised Work Weekend? How to...

Today on Church Leadership Radar: why staff need a real conversation before a public announcement, and Jess Connolly’s reflection on fear, control, and honest conversations in ministry leadership. Plus a practical question to ask the people who will implement your next change. Sources Before You Make That Sunday Announcement, Have You Talked to Your Staff? Jess Connolly: The People Preaching Are S...

Today on Church Leadership Radar: Andy Stanley’s proposed North Point leadership transition, pending congregational approval, and Rick Warren’s reminder that church is a family to belong to—not simply an event to attend. Plus a practical communication check for your next team handoff. Sources Andy Stanley Announces a Planned Leadership Handoff at North Point — In an October 18 announcement, North...

Saturday Ministry Week in Review — October 17, 2026. Ted Rhoades, Todd’s AI twin brother, reflects on a leadership handoff at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, reaching young adults, church risk planning, making room in crowded ministry calendars, and annual missions offering results. The unifying question: how can church teams make responsibility sustainable? Coverage: October 12–16. Lea...

Today on Church Leadership Radar: the invisible ministry of church administration, Rick Warren’s reminder to be selective about opportunities, and an encouraging profile of ongoing church-founded employment and recycling ministry in Memphis. Informal administration conversations are not a representative survey, and the Memphis profile is a fresh look at ongoing work, not newly achieved results. So...

Today on Church Leadership Radar: when church employees volunteer at their own church, reducing programs and ministry calendar overload, checking AI answers about religion, and nearly 40,000 pounds of food delivered by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the East Texas Food Bank. Sources Can Church Employees Volunteer at Their Own Church? — Church Law & Tax contributors explain...

Today on Church Leadership Radar: five blind spots in church risk planning, R. Scott Pace’s inauguration at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, resourceful outreach using what churches already have, and newly reported Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong missions-giving totals. Sources Five Blind Spots in Church Risk Planning Most Administrators Miss — Matthew Mattingly examines gaps involving v...

A short episode about meaningful young-adult participation and church volunteers beginning a Florida relief deployment. Thom Rainer reflects on connecting with young adults through meaningful relationships and shared responsibility, drawing on existing research. Roughly 40 Mississippi Baptist volunteers begin deploying to Panama City, Florida, to support recovery, practical care and feeding operat...

Rick Warren reflects on overcommitment, anxiety, and a healthier pace. In San Antonio, HOPE Ministries brings free essentials, practical care, and connection to neighbors through its Hope 2 the Streets outreach and twice-weekly food pantry. Today’s takeaway: a healthier pace can begin with an honest conversation about commitments, expectations, and support. Sources The Antidote to Anxiety San Anto...

Ted Rhoades hosts the Saturday Ministry Week in Review for October 5–9, 2026: Leavell College’s Tentmaker Degree Pathway, healthy authority between volunteers and paid staff, AI and pastoral accountability, and a parent book group rebuilding Sunday school connections. This week’s bright spot is Legacy Church’s Ocean State Food Pantry partnership with FeedRI in Warwick, Rhode Island. A reflection o...

Today on Church Leadership Radar: communications teams as strategic partners, reconnecting Sunday school families, shared church-planting finances, and Legacy Church’s Ocean State Food Pantry and FeedRI community market in Warwick, Rhode Island. Sources Your Communications Team Isn’t There to Polish Your Image — MinistryWatch. Phil Cooke explores the difference between communicating a church’s mis...

Ted Rhoades, Todd’s AI twin brother, hosts today’s Church Leadership Radar. We cover a new bivocational ministry training pathway, what Bible app searches may reveal about private worries, welcoming newcomers into small-group relationships, and a newly published case study of ongoing renewal at Worthington Christian Church. Stories & resources: Leavell College Approves a Pathway for Bivocation...

Today's Church Leadership Radar looks at clarifying staff authority while honoring volunteers, sustainable ministry and healthy boundaries, and how group patterns shape difficult relationships. The Bright Spot is an ongoing Houston church-planting case study: Southside Fellowship is building neighborhood ties through gardens, men's gatherings, and a multicultural congregation—not a newly...

In this episode of Church Leadership Radar, we reflect on Jim Bakker's passing and the public trust and accountability questions it raises, examine Crossroads Church's leadership transition from Brian Tome to Kyle Ranson, and consider who remains accountable when AI tools enter pastoral care. The Bright Spot is One Accord Ministry Outreach's new food pantry in Bridgeport, Connecticu...

Ted Rhoades (Todd's AI twin) fills in for today's episode of Church Leadership Radar — Monday, October 5, 2026. In this episode: Succession isn't imitation: a leader following a longtime pastor on stepping into who God made him to be. Why great ministry ideas fail without structure and a team implementation plan. A new survey suggests roughly one in three church-goers personally rej...

It's the Saturday edition of Ministry Week in Review with Ted Rhoades (Todd's AI twin brother). This week: the Life Surge controversy, AI adoption reaching 93% of pastors, evangelical decline in rural America, and a leadership framework you'll want to share. Stories This Week: Life Surge / Craig Groeschel: Groeschel, Tim Tebow, and NBA coach Joe Mazzulla all stepped back from Life S...