EST. - For the Established Church with Sam Rainer and Josh King

How will technology change church communication? Boyd Pelley, the co-founder of Church Teams, joins the show with Josh and Sam. He was one of the first to create church solutions using cloud computing and has decades of experience with churches and technology. Episode Sponsor: Are you tired of multiple applications for church check-in, giving, membership, and scheduling? Churchteams was built to b...

A new denomination is forming, and the potential is enormous. Keith Boyette joins Josh and Sam to discuss the formation of the Global Methodist Church. As the senior executive, Keith provides a fascinating perspective on the inner workings of getting a denomination started. Why is a new denomination needed? Listen and find out. Episode Sponsor: Are you tired of multiple applications for church che...

Should a church pay severance to departing pastors and ministry staff? If so, how much? Josh and Sam tackle this subject. They share some pointed opinions on non-disclosure agreements and pastors who are disqualified for ministry. Episode Sponsor: Are you tired of multiple applications for church check-in, giving, membership, and scheduling? Churchteams was built to bring together all your people...

There is a looming supply and demand crisis with pastors. As Baby Boomers retire, there will be a lot of churches looking for a pastor. Just as many churches will hope to keep their pastors rather than lose them to other congregations. What makes a church desirable? Josh and Sam discuss four aspects of a desirable church: appreciation, flexibility, family, and polity. Episode Sponsor: Are you tire...

The median age of a pastor is up significantly. Three decades ago, the median age was 44. Today the median is 58. In some ways, this shift is positive. You would expect older pastors to be more mature. The problem is there are not enough younger pastors to replace the ones who are entering retirement age. Josh and Sam discuss this problem on today's episode. Episode Sponsor: Are you tired of multi...

Josh and Sam talk about a few things they will do differently in 2023--both in their personal lives and in their churches. Enjoy the moment more. Read more broadly. Preach through the book of Revelation verse-by-verse. And try not to take home church work as much. Listen to them discuss how they hope to accomplish these goals. Episode Sponsor: Are you tired of multiple applications for church chec...

It’s that time of year when people partake in the annual ritual of making well-intended promises. Josh and Sam discuss these ten pastoral resolutions: I will pray for church members daily. I will share my faith at least once a week. I will read my Bible devotionally. I will listen more to my congregation. I will have an attitude of gratefulness. I will practice forgiveness. I will be the chief enc...

Surprise! Josh and Sam have differing views. On this episode, they go into their ministry philosophies about Christmas Eve services. There is a difference between Christmas productions and Christmas Eve services. Which is right for your church? And what kinds of gimmicks, if any, are appropriate to use during the holiday season? Episode Sponsor: Looking for education that is affordable, accessible...

Why does December feel so busy? Josh and Sam discuss some reasons why Christmas is more hectic in ministry and how you can get through it. They work through how to manage your vacation time, whether or not to attend parties, and what you can do to stay encouraged. Episode Sponsor: Looking for education that is affordable, accessible, and attainable? Check out Church Answers University: https://chu...

Dee Black joins the show with Sam to talk about what happens when an established church starts incorporating hip-hop into the worship culture. Check out his latest album, The Gospel According To here: https://ingrv.es/the-gospel-according-wra-j You can also watch the Waymaker video mentioned in this episode here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOnl7GYxSv8 Episode Sponsor: Looking for education th...

You will disappoint people. You will have disagreements with church members. Sometimes people get confused and start making accusations. Josh and Sam discuss some ways church members end up turning against pastors. They use Jared Wilson's article as an outline. You can check out the article here: https://ftc.co/resource-library/blog-entries/3-ways-to-turn-against-your-pastor/ Episode Sponsor: Chur...

Vehicles are more expensive. Homes are more expensive. Rent is insane right now. How is inflation impacting the lives of people in the church? Art Rainer joins Josh and Sam on the show to discuss financial stress and how pastors can respond. Check out the Institute for Christian Financial Health: https://www.christianfinancialhealth.com/ Episode Sponsor: Church Answers has provided digital resourc...

You will make mistakes in ministry. You will have regrets. Josh and Sam discuss some of their more memorable mistakes and what they learned from them. Episode Sponsor: Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary builds strong theological foundations for men and women to fulfill God’s calling. They have trained and commissioned more than 46,000 graduates to serve in local churches and global mission...

Josh and Sam both agree. You should not cancel church unless absolutely necessary. Sometimes weather events mean making the call not to gather. How can you prepare for these storms? Who should make the decision? On this episode, the guys talk about communication strategies and processes when bad storms hit. Episode Sponsor: Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary builds strong theological founda...

Baby Boomers are likely one of the largest groups in your church. How are they different than seniors? Josh and Sam discuss several aspects of ministering to Baby Boomers. 1. Boomers are not seniors. They are two different generations. 2. Be on the lookout for opportunities to give Boomers more responsibility in the church. 3. You can relate to Boomers if you are younger. 4. Don't ignore the Boome...

Josh and Sam have a little fun discussing whether certain topics are overrated or underrated. Included in this episode are Bible translations, Christmas Eve services, sabbaticals, podcasts, preaching style, and more. Episode Sponsor: Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary builds strong theological foundations for men and women to fulfill God’s calling. They have trained and commissioned more th...

Most pastors can be guilty of obsessing over the wrong details. Josh and Sam discuss why you shouldn't sweat the details... except for these. -Social media and anything the world can see -Bylaw changes or personnel manual changes -Monthly metrics -Political tug-of-wars Episode Sponsor: Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary builds strong theological foundations for men and women to fulfill God’...

We did a Twitter poll, and over half of our audience believes the search team lied or may have lied to them. Josh and Sam discuss what might be going on with this perception. What are some potential ways search teams can mislead? -Downplaying or ignoring past controversies -Not revealing current metrics and numbers -Overstating church unity -Underestimating the readiness for change -Not being clea...

Josh and Sam talk church mergers. If you are a struggling church, when is a merger a viable option? Do larger churches use manipulation to prey on smaller churches? The terms church adoption and church fostering are becoming more common. What might the future look like if church mergers were done in a more healthy way? Episode Sponsor: Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary builds strong theolo...

Which milestones should you celebrate? Josh and Sam talk about the ways you can recognize church milestones and anniversaries. These celebrations can be about an individual or churchwide anniversary. Episode Sponsor: Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary builds strong theological foundations for men and women to fulfill God’s calling. They have trained and commissioned more than 46,000 graduat...

What will happen with pastoral compensation in the future? Josh and Sam prognosticate about the next few years. 1. Most pastors are currently underpaid. 2. More bivocational positions will open. 3. Pay will increase for lead pastors due to the lack of younger pastors available to take the place of retiring pastors. 4. Certain ministry positions will be in high demand, especially in the area of chi...

Are your digital devices hurtful or helpful for discipleship? Jeff Mingee joins Josh and Sam to discuss five questions Christians should ask to take control of their digital devices. 1. Am I in control? 2. How is this shaping me? 3. Does this help me flourish? 4. Can I discern wisdom and folly? 5. Am I being missional? Check out Jeff's book, Digital Dominion: Five Questions Christians Should Ask t...

Both Josh and Sam have small groups in their churches that follow the text and topic of their sermons. But each of them approaches this concept differently. In this episode, they discuss how you can get started with sermon-based small groups. -Decide on whether the sermon drives the curriculum or if the curriculum drives the sermon. -Decide if all of the groups will take part or if you will move f...

Preaching is a craft, and it takes time to refine your skills. Josh and Sam discuss some key steps they've learned over the years. Don't skip them! -Praying through your sermon -Cutting unnecessary parts of your sermon -Writing out transitions in the sermon -Landing the conclusion of the sermon -Sharing the gospel in the sermon Episode Sponsor: Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary builds stro...

Sometimes the sermon goes too long. What is the cause? Josh and Sam discuss five reasons why preachers have trouble landing the plane. 1. Underestimating the time to read the text 2. Announcements 3. Not planning transitions and conclusions 4. Winging your stories 5. Unnecessary details Episode Sponsor: Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary builds strong theological foundations for men and wom...