Build the Church

What do you do when you’re certain God has called you, but the next step keeps getting delayed? Brad and Paige Straarup’s journey to planting Spirit Church in Chandler, Arizona, was eight years in the making. Along the way, Brad was deported while returning from their honeymoon, beginning two years of uncertainty. They also faced painful seasons of waiting to grow their family before eventually mo...

How can your church notice when someone starts pulling away and reach out sooner? In “How AI Can Help You Spot People Drifting from Your Church,” Josh Roberie talks with Pastor David Russell of Rise Church in Chattanooga about using artificial intelligence to strengthen pastoral care, volunteer engagement, and discipleship. David shares how he built an early warning system using Claude Code and Pl...

When someone searches for a church in your community, can they find yours—and get a clear picture of what visiting will be like? Josh Roberie welcomes Ian Hyatt, co-founder of REACHRIGHT, for a practical conversation about church SEO, AI search, and helping more first-time guests discover your church. Ian explains how church websites, Google Business Profiles, and local search work together to sup...

What could your church’s data tell you about the people who need your attention? In “How to Build an AI-Powered Dashboard for Your Church,” Josh Roberie sits down with pastors Aaron Grijalva, David Russell, and Jeremy Burroughs to explore how they’re using artificial intelligence to understand church health and support more intentional ministry. Through examples from their own churches, they discu...

How can AI help pastors understand their people and guide them toward meaningful spiritual growth? Josh Roberie sits down with Nathan Derenski of Rhythm Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Zach Morris of Essential Church in the Des Moines, Iowa, area to explore practical uses of Claude AI for discipleship, volunteer placement, and pastoral care. Drawing from their experience in youth ministry, executi...

How do you get more church volunteers and help them find a meaningful place to serve? In this episode of Build the Church, Josh Roberie explores how personality traits, spiritual gifts, and AI can support church volunteer recruitment and connect people to ministry teams. Josh walks through YourTeam. Church, the assessment tool he created for pastors and church leaders, and explains how DISC person...

How can pastors help people develop lasting relationships, grow spiritually, and stay committed to their church? Josh Roberie welcomes Pastor Ben Murray of City Hope Church in Wichita Falls, Texas, for a practical conversation about building community and commitment through intentional discipleship. Drawing from his book, Give God a Year, Ben shares how his church helps new believers understand wh...

You can care deeply about people, lead a church, and still struggle to find friendships where you feel truly known. In this episode of Build the Church, Josh Roberie welcomes Pastor Wayne Francis for an honest, encouraging conversation about friendship, vulnerability, and the loneliness many ministry leaders experience. Wayne shares insights from his book, Make Friends with Anyone, including five...

What would change if your church planned every Sunday expecting someone new to walk through the doors? Josh Roberie welcomes Sheldon J. Andrus III, author of Sunday by Design, for a practical conversation about creating Sunday services that help people connect and take their next step. Sheldon shares seven habits covering service timing, dependable formats, intentional openings, guest connection,...

How do you build a church where people grow spiritually, develop as leaders, and make disciples themselves? Pastor Michael Murphy returns to the Build the Church podcast to help pastors turn their passion for discipleship into a practical plan. Michael is the founder of Leaderscape, author of XLR8, and a coach to pastors and churches around the world. In this conversation with Josh Roberie, Michae...

Most churches put their best energy into the service—but guests often decide whether they will return before the service even begins. In this episode, Josh Roberie sits down with Pastor Brad Hampton of SOCO Church and Hello Church to create a practical guest journey game plan. Together, they walk through the entire experience—from the moment someone discovers your church online to their arrival, f...

What does it take to launch a church with 1,000 people—and see 126 people give their lives to Jesus—on hard ground in New England? In this episode of the Build the Church Podcast, Josh Roberie sits down with Robe Pierre, lead pastor of Freedom City Church in Hartford, Connecticut, to unpack the spiritual conviction, practical church-growth strategies, and leadership systems behind an extraordinary...

Imagine walking into a car dealership, finding the exact car you want, and hearing, "We only sell those on the third Friday of the month. Come back in six weeks." That dealership would close its doors. So why do so many churches offer their next step that way? In this episode of the Build the Church Podcast, host Josh Roberie sits down with Pastor Noah Herrin of Way Church in Nashville,...

Planting in Manhattan: Divine Timing, NYC Myths, & Pastoring at a Sustainable Pace | Ryan Schlachter What happens when God calls you to plant a church in the heart of New York City—and lands you in the exact same ballroom where your grandmother ran a street ministry four decades earlier? In this episode of the Build the Church Podcast , host Josh Roberie sits down with native New Yorker and le...

Most growth problems aren't outreach problems—they're connection problems. Host Josh Roberie sits down with Pastor Dustin Dozier (author of The Connected Church ) to discuss practical strategies for closing the gap between Sunday attendance and deep community belonging. In This Episode: Why connection systems are fundamentally an act of discipleship. How to master the crucial "first...

Don't drop the ball at the finish line. Too many leaders do everything right in the buildup to a big Sunday, then coast when they should be sprinting. In this solo episode, Josh walks through the final marketing push: the last few weeks before launch day, Easter, back-to-school, Christmas, or any target Sunday you're building toward. You'll get a practical checklist, plus real examp...

Your church doesn't have an invitation problem. It has a connection problem. In this episode, Josh sits down with Michael Murphy, founder of Leaderscape, author of XLR8, and former executive pastor at Hillsong Church. Michael has helped churches around the world connect guests and build disciple-making systems, and he shares the strategy at the heart of it all: the VIP team. You'll learn...

What are your first-time guests talking about on the drive home? Pastor Victor Ehiemere says his entire goal is to "hijack the conversation on the way home," and it's one of the biggest reasons The Well Church has grown so fast. In this episode of the Build the Church Podcast, host Josh Roberie sits down with Pastor Victor Ehiemere, a trained medical doctor turned church planter who...

People can doubt your faith and disagree with your theology, but they can't deny it when you're serving them. In this episode, Josh Roberie sits down with Dave Thomas, pastor of Courageous Church in Charleston, SC, to share 101 simple outreach ideas your church can start using today—many of them completely free. You'll hear how one school breakfast transformed an entire church-commu...

"Grandma is on TikTok." And according to Pastor Chris Moore, she might just be the cheapest person your church can reach online. Most churches are completely ignoring TikTok, and according to Pastor Chris Moore, that's exactly why it's one of the cheapest and most fruitful places to reach new people right now. In this episode of the Build the Church Podcast, host Josh Roberie s...

In this episode of the Build the Church podcast, host Josh Roberie speaks with Brian Ayers from Gloo about the transformative role of artificial intelligence in ministry. They explore the intersection of AI and human flourishing, discussing research on AI's impact on spiritual growth and the development of tools like Church.tech and Glue AI Chat, designed to empower pastors and enhance their...

In this episode of the Build the Church podcast, host Josh Roberie speaks with Pastor Donnell Mann, who shares his incredible journey from a life of addiction and incarceration to becoming the lead pastor of Your Story Church in Houston. Donnell emphasizes the importance of personal stories, the transformative power of faith, and the role of community in recovery. He discusses the challenges he fa...

In this episode of The Build the Church Podcast , host Josh Roberie unpacks how pastors can use AI to stretch their sermons, strengthen their messages, and create engaging ministry content all week long. Building on the first two episodes— Is AI Hijacking Modern Ministry? and Mastering AI Prompts for Ministry —Josh shares practical ways to harness AI as a thought partner, not a replacement . Learn...

AI only works as well as the questions you ask. In this episode, Josh shares three mindset shifts and a simple five-step prompt framework to turn AI into a creative thought partner while you remain the thought leader. Expect practical examples, guardrails, and ready-to-use wording you can try this week. Support the show

On this episode of the Build the Church Podcast , Josh Roberie unpacks one of the biggest questions facing pastors today: Should churches embrace generative AI—or avoid it altogether? From the Roman roads and Gutenberg’s printing press to the rise of the internet, Josh shows how technology has always shaped the way the gospel spreads. He explains what generative AI actually is, how pastors can use...