Pastor's Growing Church Community Podcast

Do you wish more people were part of your discipleship experience? Today, I want to give you my step-by-step guide to fix your discipleship woes. I call it the Design Engaging Discipleship Framework and it is yours today for only $7. That’s it! What you will get for just $7 is the framework I use to create engaging discipleship experiences, but along with that, you will also get a step-by-step one...

In this Live Wednesday episode, Pastor Matt and I debrief about Easter weekend and discuss how ministry can impact families if we are intentional about how we balance ministry and family.  We also discuss what in the world is on Pastor Matt's face! Do you wish more people were part of your discipleship experience? Today, I want to give you my step-by-step guide to fix your discipleship woes....

People have no idea what we do during the week as pastors and ministry leaders. Well, here is a simple and effective way to help them have a better idea, and populate your social media feeds at the same time. Highly effective, super simple, and takes no time at all. Learn how in this episode.  Do you wish more people were part of your discipleship experience? Today, I want to give you my step...

In this episode, I am giving all the pastors and ministry out there a little encouragement as we dive into the Easter weekend. We have planned, prepared, studied, set things up, and done a million little tasks to get ready for this weekend. We have prayed that God would move and now it is time to allow him to do so.  Take a few minutes today to listen in and be encouraged as you get ready to...

Easter is almost here and are you ready to follow up with all the guests who are about to visit on Sunday? The nice thing is that it doesn't take very long to set it up, it will make your ministry simpler, and it will keep your guests coming back next week. I am talking about creating a simple email sequence that runs automatically week after week and keeps new quests engaged and coming back. In t...

This weekend there is a test to see if you are in an emotionally healthy place. The question is, will you pass the test. Today we discuss how to prepare for the test and what you need to do if you don't pass. 

Looking for a new ministry position, but hearing the words "I'm sorry, but we have decided to go in a different direction" never settles well. In today's episode, I share what you can do to absorb those words, process them, and start moving toward the position God has for you.  Do you wish more people were part of your discipleship experience? Today, I want to give you my step-by-step guide t...

Today I am joined by my son Aiden and he gives us a Kid's perspective on Easter. Do you wish more people were part of your discipleship experience? Today, I want to give you my step-by-step guide to fix your discipleship woes. I call it the Design Engaging Discipleship Framework and it is yours today for only $7. That’s it! What you will get for just $7 is the framework I use to create engaging di...

What would happen if pastors and ministry leaders around the country had incredible faith that God could do anything AND had the confidence in themselves to do everything God had called them to do. Today we are going to discuss the 3 pillars of confidence and what you can do to increase your confidence right now.  

Pastors are moving positions, churches, and even complete vocations. What this means for churches all over the country is a lot of ministry positions being vacated and a lot of pastors looking for new places to land. It also means a lot of anxiety and effort is going to be placed on either trying to keep staff members from leaving or finding new pastors and ministry leaders to join their team. Tod...

In the aftermath of 2020, we are entering a season of great ministry leader transition. Pastors are exiting for a variety of reasons which is creating a lot of open positions in all areas of ministry. If you are a pastor looking to fill one of these open positions, my question to you is, will your resume get you an interview? If your resume is not designed to get you an interview, then you really...

Yesterday we celebrated our 50th episode and had some technical challenges that keep the podcast from going live. So after celebrating yesterday, fixing the tech issues, and getting the podcast out for everyone...I'm tired today.  So, how do you handle days where you just don't want to get up and go, but instead you want to hang in bed, cozy on the couch with a movie or book, but you can't. I...

In this special episode, Pastor Matt and I look over the last 50 episodes of the Ministry Hackers podcast. We explore the lessons we learned from 2020, and look ahead to 2021 and how we can be better prepared for the unknown, the ministry shifts we will inevitably face, and the innovative opportunities we are going to be able to take advantage of.  Do you wish more people were part of your di...

It is Friday, the weekend is here, Spring is around the corner, Easter is on the horizon, and it is a wonderful day to serve the Lord. I believe the Lord has given me a word for you today that I share in this episode of the Ministry Hackers podcast. The word is Rest. I don't know about you, but life is busy and getting busier. Ministry never stops and often times it is hard to have a day off, to o...

Every time you have people together, whether it is a service, small group, class, or event, people want an experience they will remember. Part of creating an engaging experience is telling great stories that pull them in, bring out emotions, and creates a memory. As pastors and ministry leaders, we need to be able to tell great stories.  In this episode of the Ministry Hackers podcast, I am g...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! In this episode, we look at the life of Saint Patrick. Who he really was, what tragedy happened to him as a boy, and how that shaped his whole life. We also look how his example in his life serves as a lesson for us in 2021.  Get ready for our 50th episode!!! For our 50th episode, my cohost Pastor Matt returns to celebrate our first year of the podcast, look at what...

Do you wish your ministry team was better, more enjoyable, and added fun and excitement to your ministry experience? In this episode, we discuss the key to building a great team in ministry. It isn't really hard, but it does take some intentionality on your part, some discipline, and the ability to sit back and not be in charge for a moment. Easy peasy, right?  How Can Ministry Hackers Serve...

It's been a year! One year ago today churches all over the country had to start making some of the toughest ministry decisions we have ever had to make. Since then, we have been off the map and figuring out ministry in a completely new world. That is the essence of Ministry Hackers and today marks one year where God sparked the idea inside Dr. Brandon Pardekooper.  In this episode, he takes a...

In this episode, Dr. Brandon Pardekooper shoots from the hip a little as he shares his thoughts and feelings about how we as pastors and ministry leaders should be responding to an issue our congregations are dealing with. He issues a challenge for us to place people first and take time to really pay attention to the fact a large number of people in our country, communities, and our congregations...

Ministry can sometimes feel this never-ending hamster wheel of tasks, events, and services, and sometimes we find ourselves asking the question, am I really accomplishing anything?  In this episode, Dr. Brandon Pardekooper discusses how you can feel more accomplished in ministry by getting more of the things you want to do done, by focusing your efforts, and by enjoying the fruits of your lab...

I was in a new church, new city, and completely new part of the country. The culture shock was overwhelming for me right out of Bible College, and had this one thing been in place, I may have stayed for a year instead of a month.  Over the next several months there will be a lot of new pastoral hires for a lot of churches, and this experience can make the difference between a new staff member...

It's Monday!!! For pastors and ministry leaders, Monday's can be a mixed bag. Some are on cloud 9 because yesterday went so well, while others are frustrated, discouraged, and perpetually exhausted because yesterday didn't go as well as expected. What happens when more Monday's are the latter than the former? Do you feel like you can't go on any longer? In this episode, Dr. Brandon Pardekooper def...

For me, it happened in the back of a chapel service my Freshman year of Bible College. I didn't belong there. I didn't fit in. I wasn't anyone's first pick, but I was there. I was there for only one reason...I knew I was called to be there. The confidence I had knowing I was called to be there is what opened the for me to be there when it happened....the moment that changed my life. How did it hap...

It's happening in your church right now and you don't even know it. Maybe you know it, and if so, what are you doing about it? If you are like a lot of pastors and ministry leaders, you aren't doing anything. You are just focused on getting back to normal, whatever that means. But, that's not who we are at Ministry Hackers. Our focus is to be pastors and ministry leaders who are intentional about...

Over the last year, most of us have learned that our discipleship experience is lacking. We have known for years that people weren't attending our discipleship classes, groups, courses, the way we felt like they should, but this year it became evident how bad things have gotten. So, many of us are starting to turn our attention to developing or improving our discipleship experiences. But, my guess...