Cultiv8ing Ministry

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. This week on the show we address a couple of cultural realities that have real implications in ministry. Based on an article from the Lewis Center for Church Leadership entitled Reading the Cultural Signs , we discuss the impact of on demand entertainment and values over activity in our culture and how it impacts ministries and those that lead in ministr...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. In this week's pod, we tackle the topic of metrics. We talk about the flaws of just measuring butts & bucks (attendance and offering). What would it look like to connect what you measure to the mission and vision of your ministry. We even give some examples of other metrics that you might use. Our random fact of the week deals with Halloween Cand...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. This week on the podcast we talk about the idea of getting outside of our "Christian bubble". Why is that a good thing to do? How do we balance our world view to be in the world but not of it? This and much more before we close out this episode with a random fact about a quiet room that goes beyond the norm. If you like the Cultiv8ing Ministry...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. There is a rise in the number of ministry leaders (regardless of the type of ministry) that are serving in less than full time positions. This week on the pod we dive into a discussion around this phenomenon and offer our insights into why it is occurring and evaluate the pros and cons each of full-time, part-time, and volunteer ministry leadership. We c...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. This week on the pod we offer a conversation around an article by Kenda Creasy Dean entitled Holy Innovation: A Framework for Choosing Your Next Ministry Idea from the Leading Ideas newsletter. The conversation dives into the importance of ideas in ministry, then we discuss the pros and cons of Kenda's process for generating, evaluating, and organizi...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. This week on the pod we wrap up our 5 week series unpacking Carey Nieuwhof's latest update on ⁠ 5 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2025. ⁠ This week we talk about the disturbing trend around some not so good news from research around the state of mental health of church leaders. We analyzed the research around the topic, discuss some of the po...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. This week on the pod we conitnue a 5 week series unpacking Carey Nieuwhof's latest update on 5 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2025. This week we talk about the trend that around the rise of non-derivative churches. Simply put, this trend takes a look at the fact that more and more churches are choosing to break away from the formulaic models...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. This week on the pod we continue our 5 week series unpacking Carey Nieuwhof's latest update on ⁠ 5 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2025. ⁠ This week we talk about the trend that church closures in the US are happening at a 3 to 1 rate faster than churches are being planted. We discuss whether this trend is entirely bad to start, then talk dee...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. This week on the pod we continue our 5 week series unpacking Carey Nieuwhof's latest update on ⁠ 5 Disruptive Church Trends That Will Rule 2025. ⁠ This week we talk about the trend of a decrease in the evidence of evangelism in churches in our current climate. Why is evangelism not being taken more seriously? How can we as church leaders emphasize ev...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. There has been a pile of discussion in our world recently around Cracker Barrel and their change in logo and appearance and ultimately a return back to the originals. That hubbub got us to thinking, what can we as ministry leaders learn from Cracker Barrel. So this week we discuss the importance of knowing your audience. Why is that important? How can we...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. This week we take a deep dive into the world of keystone habits. Keystone habits are habits that can be triggers to help us create additional habits. Think of it as an exponential habit in terms of how it impacts effectiveness. We define keystone habits and then discuss how to identify and begin implementing keystone habits into our lives as ministry lea...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. In this week's episode of the podcast we contrast two different ways to lead. In the book Lead Like Jesus, the authors use two different acrostics for E.G.O. We dive into the differences between Edging God Out and Exalting God Only. What are the differences, and what does it look like when leaders lead from each of those worldviews? We dive into thos...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. We live in a culture that wears busyness as a badge of honor. The church has fallen prey to "busy culture" as well, with church calendars full of activities throughout each week. However, it can feel to ministry leaders like participants often place a higher priority on other aspects of their lives over faith development. How can leaders combat...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. Back to school season is upon us. For some that brings excitement and for others that brings anxiety. Regardless, back to school season can be an effective opportunity for leaders in ministry to introduce new programs. With many folks looking for a fresh start, how can we as ministry leaders capitalize on that opportunity. The random fact of the week div...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. This week our crew talks about the impact of age on a ministry leader. What are the pros and cons of youth vs experience? What have we learned as we look back on our time as young leaders in the church as well as what we have experienced now as seasoned vets. What impact if any should age have on effectiveness of ministry leaders? Plus a whole lot more i...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. Planning is critical in leading ministry. However, it can feel overwhelming at times and lead to plenty of anxiety. In this week's episode our team shares their approach to planning for programming and discusses the importance of planning ahead and how doing so can be helpful. The random fact of the week is about the tooth fairy. If you like the Cult...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. There are reports from various sources that there is an increase in church participation around the US. That's great news if you are leading in ministry. In this week's pod we dive into some recent research from S tudio C's Unstuck Church Report to look at some of their research and not only see what we can learn from it, but how we can capit...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. There have been a couple of high profile Christians in the news lately that have shared their moral failures that has led to disappointment of many of their fans and followers. That got us to thinking about what we do as leaders when other leaders in the church or parachurch world disappoint us or those that we lead. This week we discuss what to do to he...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. There is always a tension between ministry and money. And with the decline in giving to religious organizations, that tension is only being ratcheted up. In this episode we discuss what in our opinion might be behind the decline in giving to religious organizations and offer some tips to help you thrive in the midst of this decline. The random fact of th...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. As a leader, there are few things that you can count on. One of those is that somewhere along the way you will receive criticism. Often it is meant to be constructive, but if leaders aren't careful, it can become destructive. In this week's episode, our team shares some assistance in how to receive criticism and how to help keep it helpful along...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. We live in a world full of distractions. There are too many distractions to name here, but distraction often keep us as leaders from being fully present. This week we discuss the importance of being fully present as you lead ministry and offer some tips to help you encourage true presence in the life of your ministry. We have a random fact about IKEA to...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. Small churches are often overlooked when it comes to considering health and vitality, but in reality they are often as healthy and vital as large churches. This week on the pod, we share some insights from another article from Leading Ideas Leadership offering 4 Traits that Make Small Churches Vital, Formational Communities . We offer our input around th...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. This week, in the second of two podcasts based on ⁠an article from the Fuller Youth Institute,⁠ we talk about several lies that ministry leaders often believe about building teams in ministry. This week we discuss the final three lies and the correlating truths from the article and share some insight from our years of experience as leaders in ministry. W...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. This week, in the first of two podcasts based on an article from the Fuller Youth Institute, we talk about several lies that ministry leaders often believe about building teams in ministry. This week we discuss the first several lies and the correlating truths from the article and share some insight from our years of experience as leaders in ministry. We...

Welcome to the Cultiv8ing Ministry Podcast. This week on the pod, our Cultiv8 Crew discusses the differences and similarities in management vs. leadership. There are differences that are clear and we talk about those as well as how management can be enhanced by effective leadership. Our random fact of the week has to do with drinking water on the Titanic. If you like the Cultiv8ing Ministry podcas...