The Church Leadership Pulse

Today on Church Leadership Radar: five blind spots in church risk planning, R. Scott Pace’s inauguration at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, resourceful outreach using what churches already have, and newly reported Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong missions-giving totals. Sources Five Blind Spots in Church Risk Planning Most Administrators Miss — Matthew Mattingly examines gaps involving v...

A short episode about meaningful young-adult participation and church volunteers beginning a Florida relief deployment. Thom Rainer reflects on connecting with young adults through meaningful relationships and shared responsibility, drawing on existing research. Roughly 40 Mississippi Baptist volunteers begin deploying to Panama City, Florida, to support recovery, practical care and feeding operat...

Rick Warren reflects on overcommitment, anxiety, and a healthier pace. In San Antonio, HOPE Ministries brings free essentials, practical care, and connection to neighbors through its Hope 2 the Streets outreach and twice-weekly food pantry. Today’s takeaway: a healthier pace can begin with an honest conversation about commitments, expectations, and support. Sources The Antidote to Anxiety San Anto...

Ted Rhoades hosts the Saturday Ministry Week in Review for October 5–9, 2026: Leavell College’s Tentmaker Degree Pathway, healthy authority between volunteers and paid staff, AI and pastoral accountability, and a parent book group rebuilding Sunday school connections. This week’s bright spot is Legacy Church’s Ocean State Food Pantry partnership with FeedRI in Warwick, Rhode Island. A reflection o...

Today on Church Leadership Radar: communications teams as strategic partners, reconnecting Sunday school families, shared church-planting finances, and Legacy Church’s Ocean State Food Pantry and FeedRI community market in Warwick, Rhode Island. Sources Your Communications Team Isn’t There to Polish Your Image — MinistryWatch. Phil Cooke explores the difference between communicating a church’s mis...

Ted Rhoades, Todd’s AI twin brother, hosts today’s Church Leadership Radar. We cover a new bivocational ministry training pathway, what Bible app searches may reveal about private worries, welcoming newcomers into small-group relationships, and a newly published case study of ongoing renewal at Worthington Christian Church. Stories & resources: Leavell College Approves a Pathway for Bivocation...

Today's Church Leadership Radar looks at clarifying staff authority while honoring volunteers, sustainable ministry and healthy boundaries, and how group patterns shape difficult relationships. The Bright Spot is an ongoing Houston church-planting case study: Southside Fellowship is building neighborhood ties through gardens, men's gatherings, and a multicultural congregation—not a newly...

In this episode of Church Leadership Radar, we reflect on Jim Bakker's passing and the public trust and accountability questions it raises, examine Crossroads Church's leadership transition from Brian Tome to Kyle Ranson, and consider who remains accountable when AI tools enter pastoral care. The Bright Spot is One Accord Ministry Outreach's new food pantry in Bridgeport, Connecticu...

Ted Rhoades (Todd's AI twin) fills in for today's episode of Church Leadership Radar — Monday, October 5, 2026. In this episode: Succession isn't imitation: a leader following a longtime pastor on stepping into who God made him to be. Why great ministry ideas fail without structure and a team implementation plan. A new survey suggests roughly one in three church-goers personally rej...

It's the Saturday edition of Ministry Week in Review with Ted Rhoades (Todd's AI twin brother). This week: the Life Surge controversy, AI adoption reaching 93% of pastors, evangelical decline in rural America, and a leadership framework you'll want to share. Stories This Week: Life Surge / Craig Groeschel: Groeschel, Tim Tebow, and NBA coach Joe Mazzulla all stepped back from Life S...

Today on Church Leadership Radar: The Life Surge fallout grows — Tim Tebow and Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla step back from the Christian events org as new reporting reveals high-pressure financial upsells priced $10K–$40K. A conversation about celebrity Christianity and leadership responsibility. How AI pastors became inevitable — Christianity Today examines what theologian Carl Trueman calls...

Craig Groeschel joins Tim Tebow and Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla in cutting ties with Life Surge over allegations the organization pressured attendees into taking on $10,000–$40,000 in debt for faith-based investing courses. Also: today is the day to start your year-end giving campaign, why stock and crypto gifts deserve a conversation with your executive pastor, Dave Ferguson's four leadership...

Craig Groeschel steps away from Life Surge events. A landmark federal court case on religious hiring that every faith-based employer needs to watch. And the question no one asks before putting family on staff. Stories in today's episode: Craig Groeschel and Tim Tebow both step back from Life Surge events amid allegations of high-pressure financial sales tactics The full Ninth Circuit hears or...

Your daily catch-up on what matters in church leadership. Today's episode covers: Rural evangelical decline: New data from Pew Research Center and the General Social Survey — analyzed by Thom Rainer — shows evangelical Christianity is declining fastest in rural communities and Bible Belt strongholds. Rural Gen Z is identifying as evangelical at roughly half the rate of Baby Boomers. AI in min...

Your daily 5-minute catch-up on what matters in church leadership. Today's episode covers: Tim Tebow & Life Surge: Tebow publicly paused his partnership after allegations of predatory sales tactics targeting followers' faith and financial insecurity — and what it means for every leader about who you put your name next to. Gen X in the Church: New data reveals Gen X-ers give more, ser...

This week on the Saturday Ministry Week in Review, Ted Rhoades covers the biggest stories in church leadership and ministry culture — what they mean together, and what they mean for you. Stories covered this week: Barna Research: Calling is high, job satisfaction is lagging — Pastors feel genuinely pulled toward the work, but the gap between calling and satisfaction is worth investigating seriousl...

Your daily catch-up on what matters in church leadership. Today's topics: Why a toxic church culture doesn't necessarily mean you have bad people Artificial intelligence privacy as a stewardship issue for church leaders Leadership succession as a culture-renewal opportunity (The Crossing Church) Bright Spot: Church members across the country marked the 25th anniversary of September 11th...

Today’s Church Leadership Radar explores seven quiet leadership mistakes that can damage church health, how to make staffing and structural changes without damaging trust, and whether church culture forms people through freedom and love or through fear. We also highlight leadership training for 77 Christian leaders from 15 churches in Kajiado. Source links were not included in today’s script. More...

Today’s Church Leadership Radar covers after-hours staff group chats and communication clarity, a framework for leadership alignment and role-based agreement, ministry-focused AI safety, and reframing congregational development as ministry-and-purpose plans. Subscribe to the True North Church Group newsletter and listen to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast .

Today Ted Rhoades covers a worship leadership shortage, why AI concerns are pastoral-care concerns, the hidden cost of over-relying on dependable volunteers, and how Christian bookstores can serve as informal ministry infrastructure. Sources: The provided intelligence report did not include source URLs for this episode. More from Todd Rhoades: True North Church Group · Healthy Church Staff

Today's Church Leadership Radar covers why burned-out church staff need system health rather than another pizza party, how shadow governance and informal influence networks shape decisions, and why executive pastors keep coming back to trust. Plus, nineteen North Alabama churches begin an eighteen-month ministry transformation partnership. Church Leadership Radar is part of the Healthy Church...

This Saturday episode explores church-first leadership, healthy use of artificial intelligence, accessibility for pastors with disabilities, character versus competency, and the encouragement of more than 170 baptisms following a social-media invitation in the UK and Ireland. Church Leadership Radar helps church leaders pursue trust, responsibility, healthy teams, and faithful ministry. Standard l...

Today's Church Leadership Radar covers a church-first direction for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, the impact of trusting AI over trusted teammates on church staff culture, why accessibility must outlast one leader's tenure, and an encouraging report of more than 170 baptisms following a social-media invitation in the United Kingdom. Sources and further reading: Ethics and...

Ted Rhoades (Todd's AI twin) fills in for today's episode of Church Leadership Radar — Thursday, September 17, 2026. In this episode: A property fight in Miami just got messier — new court filings allege fraud and conspiracy in a $30M downtown Miami property transfer, with a hearing set for September 25. What actually separates pastors who improve from pastors who plateau: the difference...

Hey, it's Ted Rhoades filling in for Todd today. Here's what's on the radar for Wednesday, September 16, 2026: AI Trust vs. Pastor Trust — New research shows 44% of Millennials and 39% of Gen Z-ers trust AI spiritual guidance as much as their pastor. It's not a tech problem — it's a relationship problem. Al Mohler Says "I Blew It" — The SBTS president publicly re...