UNpolished Church

In this special solo episode of the Unpolished Podcast, Jon Sherwood (https://www.jonsherwood.com) takes you on a thoughtful journey of exploring the complex intersection of faith, family, and the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. As a dad and a Christian, Jon shares his reflections on how AI and emerging technologies challenge us to think critically about their impact, especially on young ch...

In this episode of The Unpolished Church, Jon Sherwood (https://www.jonsherwood.com) sits down with Martha Brown to explore the evolving nature of church leadership and spiritual community. With decades of experience in traditional church settings as an elder’s wife and ministry leader, Martha shares her journey into micro church life and what she’s learned. Jon and Martha discuss the challenges a...

In this episode of The Unpolished Church, Jon Sherwood (https://www.jonsherwood.com) sits down with Dr. Douglas Jacoby to explore how followers of Jesus can navigate faith in a shifting cultural landscape. From mega-churches to micro-communities, Dr. Douglas reflects on the evolution of church life, the rise of Christian nationalism, and what it means to live generously and faithfully across cultu...

In this episode of The Unpolished Church, Jon Sherwood (https://www.jonsherwood.com) unpacks what Paul’s words about “seeing dimly” in 1 Corinthians 13 have to say to us today. While often quoted at weddings, this passage speaks directly to how we handle spiritual gifts, theological certainty, and relational tension within the church. Drawing from his pastoral experience, Jon challenges us to refl...

Jon Sherwood (https://www.jonsherwood.com) has a conversation with Jon Laughinghouse and Wes Williams, pastors who share the remarkable story of how their church merged with another, acquired a 120-year-old building, and then felt led by Jesus to sell it and move into micro church expressions. In this episode, they unpack the journey, the challenges, and the lessons learned as they followed God’s...

In this episode of The Unpolished Church, Jon Sherwood (https://www.jonsherwood.com) explores what it means to wean disciples off of consumer church culture. Drawing from his experience leading a micro church in Asheville, Jon unpacks how traditional church setups often encourage passivity—and how shifting into different environments, like living rooms, parks, and community spaces, can invite deep...

Jon Sherwood (https://www.jonsherwood.com) has a conversation with Perrie Keeve, Lead Evangelist of a 300-member at The Columbia Church of Christ, who stepped into leadership during the upheaval of COVID. In this episode, Jon and Perrie discuss how the church faced an identity crisis and transitioned from a traditional Sunday-focused model to a rhythm of house churches centered around communion, d...

In this episode of UNpolished Church Podcast, Jon Sherwood (https://www.jonsherwood.com) explores how the early Church model offers a powerful antidote to today’s culture of isolation. From Genesis to Pentecost to Acts 2, Jon looks at God’s design for community, the role of small church expressions, and why microchurches may be the future of the Church in the West. [00:00] Intro [00:56] Loneliness...

This is one of the most commonly asked questions around micro churches. Jon Sherwood  ( https://www.jonsherwood.com ) has a conversation with Ally Alley, an expert in early childhood education and a member of the leadership of the micro church network. In this episode, Jon and Ally Alley explore the most common question related to microchurches - how to approach children’s worship and how to inclu...

Jon Sherwood discusses how passing the Christian faith to children has shifted in micro churches, and his own life. Rather than outsourcing to a children's ministry program, or youth ministry staff at church, the call of Jesus is that parents and their Jesus communities would primarily influence their children to see, experience, and be formed in the faith . UNpolished Church podcast exists to hel...

Jon Sherwood brings the network leadership and pastoral team on UNpolished to talk about what we have left behind from our traditional church expressions and the things we have gained in our micro church expressions. Along the way we discuss some of our favorite memories, continuing hurdles, things we need to learn, and why is it that in a crisis we tend to stock up on toilet paper? UNpolished Chu...

In this episode of UNpolished , host Jon Sherwood sits down with his in-laws, Deb and Sheridan Wright , to discuss their transition from over 40 years in vocational ministry to retirement and becoming pastors in a micro church network. They share insights on the challenges of change, the skepticism around new church models, and how to navigate life’s transitions with faith and purpose. UNpolished...

Jon Sherwood talks about the role of diversity in the church of Jesus and shares personal stories about the beauty and failure of diversity, as well as what he has experienced in micro church settings. UNpolished Church podcast exists to help equip and resource Christians toward experiencing greater intimacy with one another, transformation into Christ, and impact for Jesus' redemptive mission...

Jon Sherwood talks with Steve Staten, a large church pastor for 25 years who is now involved with a house church. In this episode we discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of big and small church, and how there is a movement of people who have been wounded by church (both big and small) that find safe spaces for healing and community in micro church settings. Steve also emphasizes the ag...

As a "lead pastor", Jon Sherwood shares his story of what it was like in the beginning to personally experience a micro church that he didn't pastor. Unexpectedly, he was able to experience healing and intimacy with God that he didn't even know he needed. Because of the shift of environment he was also able to see and experience Jesus in others in ways that had been lacking for a...

⁠Jon Sherwood⁠ talks with author and pastor ⁠Karl Vaters⁠ , who specializes in helping small churches thrive. In this episode they discuss the concepts in Karl's recent book, " ⁠ De-Sizing the Church, How Church Growth Became a Science, then an Obsession, and what's Next ⁠ ". In this episode Jon and Karl discuss the history of the Church Growth Movement and how we got to where we...

"All healthy things grow" ... right? In this episode Jon Sherwood discusses his journey in the vocational ministry and his understandings of what it is he gets paid to do. What does success in the ministry look like? How can we tell if we are doing what God wants? If ministry doesn't grow numerically, does it mean that something is necessarily wrong? Join us as we tackle some of thes...

Jon Sherwood, James Hatfield and Daniella Hatfield have a conversation about the pros and cons of church decentralization and what it has been like to decentralize from a single traditional church to a micro church network of multiple microchurches. Topics include the beauty and weirdness of walking into a house church for the first time, as well as advice for big church leaders and pastors that m...

Jon Sherwood and Asheville Church Network leaders and guests, James and Daniella Hatfield, recount some of the backstory of our journey from a traditional model church to a micro church network. They discuss the need to journey through change slowly, and that no single church (or model) can meet everyone's needs or be the best fit for them to thrive spiritually. Resources referenced: Brian San...

Jon Sherwood and James Hatfield discuss what the UNpolished Church Podcast is about and who it is for . In this pilot episode they talk about the origins of UNpolished as well as the Asheville Church Network, a micro church network in Western North Carolina. This episodes also touches on the direction and future of the show, as well as why there seems to be a growing discontent with traditional ch...