Influence Podcast

Some time ago, a pastor called Chris Sonksen and confessed, "Our church is stuck, and I feel empty. I don't know what to do. I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this." A lot of pastors feel this way. One Lifeway Research study found that six in 10 Protestant churches are plateaued or declining. More than half of churches saw fewer than 10 converts in the previous year. Another Lifeway Re...

"The best days of the church are ahead," write Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Raymond Chang. "Don't get us wrong. We are under no illusion that churches have it easy in this season. These days the church can feel … So fractured, So distracted. So divided and politicized. So exhausting. So hard to lead. Like everything is an uphill battle." So why are these authors confident about the future of the...

"God could have spoken the heavens and earth into existence with a single word on a single day," writes Rick DuBose. "He did not need seven days in which to do His work." "But that is not how Genesis records it. God, for all His creative power, intentionally chose to work through seven days of creation. God worked in seven creative stages. Our world exists because of that process. And it's in that...

"Pentecostal historians have always acknowledged the miraculous stories accompanying the Azusa Street revival as an integral part of the Pentecostal experience," writes Ruthie Edgerly Oberg. "However, the pressing question is whether the dubious and exaggerated claims of [author Tommy] Welchel will overshadow the genuine stories of ordinary men and women transformed by the Spirit, who carried the...

If you are a Christian, chances are you know someone who has deconstructed their faith or is doing so right now. You want to help them reconstruct their faith in Jesus, but you don't know how to act or what to say. "The truth is that we can't control someone's reconstruction," writes Ian Harber. "What we can do is create environments — both in our interpersonal relationships and in our churches —...

In Matthew 12:38–40, Jesus compared himself to Jonah. "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." That comparison got Gerad Strong thinking about other points where Jonah and Jesus present a study in contrasts. He recently spoke about those contrasts at the biweekly chapel service of th...

"Extensive research reveals that only 10 percent of people possess the raw talent to manage," writes Stephen Blandino. "And while there are clear differences between leading and managing, Gallup merges the two by defining a manager as 'someone responsible for leading a team toward common objectives.'" Blandino goes on to say that while most people are not " natural leaders," they can become " lear...

"Establishing the Church among all peoples everywhere by reaching, planting, training, and serving" is the mission of Assemblies of God World Missions. AGWM divides its work into five regions: Africa, Asia Pacific, Eurasia, Europe, and Latin America. Over the next few months, I plan to interview AGWM's five regional directors about the challenges, opportunities, and key initiatives they lead. I'm...

"Establishing the Church among all peoples everywhere by reaching, planting, training, and serving" is the mission of Assemblies of God World Missions. AGWM divides its work into five regions: Africa, Asia Pacific, Eurasia, Europe, and Latin America. Over the next few months, I plan to interview AGWM's five regional directors about the challenges, opportunities, and key initiatives they lead. I'm...

"Establishing the Church among all peoples everywhere by reaching, planting, training, and serving" is the mission of Assemblies of God World Missions. AGWM divides its work into five regions: Africa, Asia Pacific, Eurasia, Europe, and Latin America. Over the next few months, I plan to interview AGWM's five regional directors about the challenges, opportunities, and key initiatives they lead. I'm...

"We tend to think of miracles as the exceptions to the rule, and that's one kind of miracle. There are miracles that defy the laws of nature, but the laws of nature are miraculous and mysterious in and of themselves. 'We should always endeavor to wonder at the permanent thing, not the mere exception, said G. K. Chesterton. 'We should be startled by the sun, and not by the eclipse.'" So writes Mark...

"One of my biggest pet peeves is hearing shepherds say, 'Ministry would be great if it weren't for the people,'" writes Craig T. Owens. "In essence they are saying, 'I am happy to do this, as long as there aren't any difficult sheep to deal with." He goes on to conclude: "Sheep are your ministry! Even the sheep that bite you, kick you, betray you, and abandon you." The question pastors need to ask...

Happy Reformation Day! On this date in 1517, Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk and theology professor at the University of Wittenberg, posted his famous "Ninety-five Theses" protesting the sale of indulgences on the door of Wittenberg's Castle Church. Luther intended to reform the Catholic church from the inside. His critique of the church went beyond its corrupt practices to the bad theology und...

"Evangelical giving is down. Way down. Nearly every measure. Across the board." So states The Giving Gap: Changes in Evangelical Generosity , a new report from Grey Matter Research and Infinity Concepts. The report goes on to say: "The numbers paint an increasingly bleak picture of evangelical generosity — a situation which has the potential to impact every church, every denomination, every parach...

"Today, we see real trouble in America's churches, and many wonder whether Christianity can survive," writes Joseph Castleberry. "I believe that we will not only survive, but we will see our greatest numerical growth, our greatest season of anointing, and our most important time of influence in the next 30 to 40 years — if Jesus tarries." Impressive revivals will come to American churches over the...

"Despite the Western church's slow pace developing women leaders, Western culture is increasingly producing women leaders in business, the academy, entertainment, medicine, and government," writes Anna Morgan. "If we do not provide leadership development opportunities for gifted young Christian women inside our local churches, then they may well pursue leadership opportunities outside the church,...

"Establishing the Church among all peoples everywhere by reaching, planting, training, and serving" is the mission of Assemblies of God World Missions. AGWM divides its work into five regions: Africa, Asia Pacific, Eurasia, Europe, and Latin America. During the fall of 2024, I plan to interview AGWM's five regional directors about the challenges, opportunities, and key initiatives they lead. I'm G...

"As parents and followers of Christ, few areas of our lives can prompt more guilt, insecurity, and anxiety than discipling our children," writes Brian Dembowczyk. "We want to disciple. We try to disciple. But more often than not, we fail to disciple." In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Dembowczyk about why we fail to disciple our kids and how we can begin to do so effectively. I'm...

"Studying the Bible is of essential importance in our Christian discipleship; therefore, we need to take seriously the interpretive enterprise." So write Jacqui Grey and Paul Lewis in their new book, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation , part of the Foundation for Spirit-Empowered Christianity series published by BakerAcademic. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to them about wha...

"History is, paradoxically, unalterable and in constant need of revision. The past does not change, after all, but we can change our understanding of it based on new facts or better interpretive frameworks. Daniel Isgrigg carefully examines stories (and myths) of Assemblies of God origins in this book, providing the kind of revision AG history needs today." That's what I wrote in a back-cover blur...

According to 2020 Assemblies of God statistics, approximately one in five AG adherents is a kid 12 years old or younger. In a Fellowship with three million adherents, that amounts to roughly 600,000 kids who cycle through churches' ministries on a regular basis. Does your church have a discipleship strategy in place to help these kids become lifelong followers of Jesus Christ? KidminRoadmap was de...

In Matthew 28:19–20, Jesus gave the Great Commission to the Church: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Jesus' words are well k...

"God is infinitely powerful; people are not. Your physical, emotional, and spiritual health affect the well-being of those Jesus has called you to serve. In this way, doing your part to care for yourself is not an act of selfishness — it is a necessary component of selflessness." So writes Hal Donaldson in his new book, What Really Matters: How to Care for Yourself and Serve a Hurting World , cowr...

"As ones who have been shown mercy, may we [Christians] demonstrate God's compassion toward those who embrace all things LGBTQ" writes Linda Seiler in Transformation . "At the same time, may we hold fast to God's Word, refusing to compromise on His sacred design for sexuality that images the gospel. Such compassion without compromise reflects God's heart and leads to transformation." In this episo...

On June 3, 2024, Rick Ross began serving as general treasurer of the Assemblies of God, succeeding Choco De Jésus, who became executive director of AG U.S. Missions. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk with Ross about what the general treasurer does and how well the AG is doing financially, as well as financial advice for AG congregations and ministers. I'm George P. Wood, executive e...