The Keenly Podcast

When most people think of a healthy church, they think of attendance, budgets, and buildings. But healthy things grow because they are healthy first... not the other way around. In this episode, Chad and Jason open with a picture from Romans 12, the church as a body, every part interconnected, every member functioning together under Christ, and use that foundation to challenge one of the most comm...

Every pastor has them, but not every pastor knows what to do with them. Vulnerability is one of the most powerful tools a leader has, and one of the most misunderstood. Share too little and you become unreachable. Share too much and you risk losing credibility, exposing others, or the very position you've been entrusted with. For pastors, where the stakes are high and the pedestal is real, kn...

Are we actually making a difference, or just doing something for the sake of doing something? Is it a part of our mission, or has it become a part of our tradition? Those are the questions Jason, Chad, and Ethan unpack in this episode. They reflect on real ministry moments, including a couple in Chad's church whose simple act of faithful presence led a woman to Jesus, and Ethan's own exp...

A few years ago, during a church assessment, Jason asked this very question to a church board and staff. The responses were pretty typical... until the pastor's wife said something very honest. That moment changed the conversation. And it might change yours too. In this episode, Chad and Jason work through real examples, including Chad's own experience in a previous church, to unpack wha...

You've probably talked about the younger generation leaving the church. But have you actually talked to them? In this episode, Chad sits down with Ava and Ethan, two members of the Keenly team who are actively engaged in ministry and the local church, to have the conversation most church leaders are having about younger generations, but rarely with them. Their perspective is unique because th...

The most dangerous person in your congregation isn't someone who left. It's someone who stayed and stopped growing. They're comfortable, they're invisible, and there are more of them than you think. In this episode, Chad and Jason pick up where Part 1 left off and tackle one of the most overlooked problems in church health. Not getting people in the door, but getting the people...

Most churches are better at attracting first-time guests than they are at keeping them. The gap isn't the welcome.... it's everything that happens in the next 30 days. Someone walked through your doors, grabbed a bulletin, found a seat, and then left. Do you have a plan for what happens next? Most churches don't, and that silence is louder than you think. In this episode, Jason and...

Every pastor has asked it. Most just never say it out loud. That quiet question “ am I actually called to this? ” has a way of showing up at the worst moments. When you're exhausted. When there's conflict. When the growth you expected isn't coming. And instead of sitting with the question, most leaders either push it down or panic, but neither one helps. In this episode, Chad and Ja...

Before you assume it's a money problem, it might be worth asking a different question entirely. Giving isn't just about finances. And the churches that understand that tend to see something shift,  not just in generosity, but in the way people show up, invest, and connect to what God is doing. That kind of culture doesn't come from a campaign. It comes from something much deeper. In...

"It's the music". At least, that's what many people say. Pastors have been hearing surface-level exit reasons for years: the worship style, the kids program, the Sunday schedule. And honestly? It's easier to accept those answers than to ask what's really going on. Because what if the real reason people are leaving has less to do with them and more to do with your chur...

Something feels off. You can sense it. But saying it out loud to your board, your staff, or even yourself, feels like a risk you can't afford to take. If you've been there, you're not alone. And in this episode, Jason and Chad name exactly why that moment is so hard for pastors and ministry leaders. The church isn't just a job. You're supposed to have the answers. Admittin...

We recorded a full season of a podcast about ministry health, leadership, and doing better ministry… and never actually told you who we are or why we're qualified to speak into any of it. That's a perception problem, and it's exactly the kind of thing we're going to be talking about this season. So before we go any further, Jason and Chad hit pause to introduce themselves, and...

Chad and Jason wrap up the first season of the Keenly Podcast by recapping church health, metrics, and issues pastors and ministry leaders face. Thank you to everyone who listened in over the past few months. We are so excited for what’s in store and hope you can join us for what’s next.

In this episode, Chad and Jason unpack generational ministry, and why the form of church may change, but the function never will. Building on a previous episode about nostalgia, they shift the focus to the future, sharing stories from seasons of change and what it’s looked like to “grow younger” without losing the mission.

Burnout isn’t just being tired. It’s chronic fatigue, loss of joy, and reduced effectiveness that often arrives slowly and quietly. Join Chad, Jason, Ethan, and Ava as they unpack what burnout really is, how it shows up in ministry and leadership, how they’ve navigated it in different seasons of life, and why boundaries and accountability aren’t optional when it comes to addressing it.

In this episode, Chad, Jason, and Ava explore how nostalgia shows up in leadership and ministry, not just as memory, but as a force that can quietly shape decisions and direction. They unpack why nostalgia happens, how emotional and spiritual connections to the past form, and when honoring what was begins to compete with vision for what’s next. This conversation is a challenge to  leaders to exami...

Rumor has it… this week’s conversation is all about gossip. Chad, Jason, and Ava unpack how rumors often begin not with bad intent, but with curiosity filling the gaps where communication is unclear or siloed. When questions go unanswered, assumptions form, frustration grows, and what felt small can quickly become destructive. Through reflection and real leadership scenarios, they explore how spec...

Chad and Jason explore what happens when leaders assume clarity that isn’t actually shared. This conversation invites leaders to identify unexamined leadership jargon, recognize how perception shapes reality, and build a culture of feedback where messages are tested, refined, and actually understood by the people they’re meant to reach.

In this episode, Chad and Jason wrestle with a question many ministry leaders feel but rarely slow down to define: what does healthy growth actually look like? While churches often default to numbers to measure success, this conversation challenges the idea that growth is purely numeric. Instead, they explore how true health is found in alignment, life change, and shared clarity around what really...

Chad and Jason unpack how churches often borrow business-style scorecards like attendance, giving, number of programs and then quietly use those numbers to compare, compete, and judge success. Instead, they argue that the most important ‘metric’ is transformation: real stories of people growing, healing, serving, and living on mission. Through a rural church case study and honest reflections on bo...

In this very first episode of the Keenly Podcast, we’re keeping it real. Chad Murrell and Jason Lehman sit down to talk about the heart behind Keenly and why we decided to step into the podcast space in the first place.  It’s our first episode, which means there are a few glitches, plenty of learning along the way, and a lot of genuine conversation. But at the core is a simple desire: to help past...