Small Town Podcast

In this episode I share a few lessons on life and leadership that we can glean from the changing seasons of nature.   I also share a huge announcement about the future of the Small Town Big Church podcast and my journey in life. If you live in an area where you experience all 4 seasons in a year, this will make a lot of sense to you. We recognize changing seasons when it comes to climate, but we'r...

In this episode I interview Pastor Danny Davis about his newest book, In Him You Are .   We talk about the importance of pastors having a clear understanding of their identity in Christ from which to do ministry.   You can learn more about Danny's book at davisinafrica.com  

Pastor, how often do you preach?   Or maybe a better question is how often do you get a break from preaching?   Is it possible you're preaching too often and too much?   If you pastor a small or rural church, there's a good chance the answer to that question is, "YES!"   In this podcast episode I make a case for why it's a good thing for you to get regular breaks from your preaching and offer up s...

Most pastors report feeling overwhelmed and stressed out much of the time.   They often find themselves running from one meeting to the next or reacting to multiple interruptions and distractions most days rather than making progress on the work they really need to be doing.   In this episode I share several practical resources for pastors who need to get a better handle on their schedules.   Talk...

If there has ever been a time when leadership is needed in the rural church…it is NOW!   We are living in transformational times and so much is changing right in front of us. Yet sadly, at the same time, the Church in rural America is facing a crisis of leadership.   In this podcast I identify the source of this leadership crisis and offer a few practical solutions to it.     Problems: Bad church...

Do you feel like you are stuck in one or more areas of your life or ministry?  In this episode I share what I believe might be one of the biggest things that is keeping you there.   What if you knew you couldn't mess up God's plans for your life this year?

In this episode I share an inspirational challenge as we begin a new year.  Have you ever had a time when you encountered a message that came from multiple sources, but you were able to hear the voice of God speaking consistently through it?  Well, recently that has been the case for me and I want to share this message with you in hopes that it might encourage you as well. What if you knew you cou...

In this episode I have a conversation with Roy Yanke of PIR (Pastors in Residence) Ministries about the current status of pastoral health in the Church.  We talk about the need for pastors to implement life giving rhythms into their daily schedules.  We also talk about how a pastor can determine if they are simply in need of a break or need to transition out of pastoral ministry altogether. 

In my coaching work with church leaders, I often see pastors struggling with narratives they aren't even aware are taking place in their minds.  These "voices" can come from internal and external, spoken and unspoken expectations.  They can come from years of church tradition.  They can come from a demanding parent or other voice from the past.  In this episode, I want to challenge pastors with th...

In this show I'm going to label a few common areas in which churches place unbiblical and unrealistic expectations upon their pastors and I will share how you can overcome them. Time   Many churches think that because they have a "full-time" pastor it literally means they have a full-time pastor.   Workload   The pastor is expected to do pretty much everything in the church.   Money   It's not unc...

Recently I have had a number of pastors reach out to me asking questions about church discipline.  In this episode I share a few of my thoughts on the subject as well as a word of caution based on a painful experience of my own that came out of a church discipline situation. It's biblical, even though we don't see many churches do it today. The goal is restoration…not punishment. Everything must b...

5 Reasons to Consider Video Venue for Your Rural Church: It WORKS! It allows your church to hear from an endless supply of gifted communicators. It provides an avenue for you to get a consistent break from preaching. It opens the door for many different creative ways of communicating God's Word. Examples: Christmas series we filmed in the Black Hills Redemption series It opens the door for many ne...

In this episode I interview Rick Magee of Kids Outdoor Zone.    KOZ is a ministry that provides men of your church with training and curriculum to mentor boys using outdoor adventure.

I recently was involved in a training on the fire department in which we were cutting a large hole in the roof of a commercial building.  We were discussing the need to have our crew and others keep an eye on our surroundings as the person running the saw can get too focused on their task that they can become unaware of a growing danger/threat to their safety.   The same is true in our lives.  We...

In this episode I have a conversation with Dee Ann Schnautz about the vital role of that pastor's wives play in the ministry and the need for them to pursue spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health.  Dee Ann has been a rural pastor's wife for over 38 years and has a tremendous understanding of the joys and challenges of serving in that capacity.