200churches Podcast: Ministry Encouragement For Pastors Of Small Churches

Jeff talked with John Finkelde, founder of GrowAHealthyChurch.com in Perth, Australia about the qualities of a pastor who is emotionally healthy, unhurried, and at peace... among other things.This is a short, quick, effective episode that will give you some fodder for ministry thoughts and initiatives, plus some healthy encouragement.Enjoy!

Dave Ronan Ph.D. is an expert in Intercultural Studies, a pastor, a missionary, a professor, a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Air Force, and one who has trained Foreign Military Advisors, State Department personnel, and so much more. Dave is currently a pastor of a Kanto Plains Baptist Church near an Air Force base in Toyko, Japan with a congregation half Japanese people and half U.S. military personnel.Dave is an amazing leader and will encourage you with his heart, and his insight into leadership - enjoy!

David Wilson serves as the Executive Pastor at Harvest Downtown in Colorado Springs CO. He has served in para-church organizations that brought him into close proximity with prominent evangelical leaders who wielded political influence nationally. He helped them organize and fundraise. He served with them personally. But today he is more convinced than ever that the local church is God's Gospel messenger to reach lost people.This is David's story, about his move to full time pastoral ministry, his experience with chronic disease, and his current ministry mobilizing volunteers for discipleship and ministry.This is an unedited conversation between Jeff and David in the front seat of Jeff's mobile studio - the 200churchesmobile!Enjoy!

This conversation Jonny and I had with that Jonny and I had with Christena Cleveland was eye opening and enlightening. It helped us to see the world from another person's perspective.Before Tamir Rice, George Floyd, and so many others - we had this conversation with Christena. We know you'll be encouraged and learn...Christena's book - DisUnity In Christ - Uncovering the hidden forces that keep us apart...  is HERE.

Paul and Peggy Schlieker are lay people who have never let that status keep them from committed service and ministry for Jesus! They are disciples who make disciples in their church and community, and they challenge and empower regular people toward the highest levels of commitment and calling for Christ.Paul shares his discipleship philosophy, and believe me, any pastor who listens will be challenged by the depth of thought and strategy that the Schliekers have put into their approach to raising up followers of Jesus.They have provided FREE resources for you at 200churches.com/402. They are ebooks from their four volume discipleship series titled "Open Your Heart". Books 1, 3, & 4 are free downloads, and there is a link to Book 2 for purchase on Amazon.You're going to love Paul's style - a financial services guy with a heart for ministry, and the sweat equity to match it... Enjoy!

This episode is with Andy Dykhouse, the Executive Director for Camp Rivercrest in Nebraska. If you are not involved in the summer camp world, this episode is for YOU! Enjoy it, and then get your kids involved in something that will be absolutely life changing!Check out Camp Rivercrest below, or a great Christian Camp in your neck of the woods.Camp Rivercrest

Jeff and Jonny are LIVE together on this episode, catching up after a long summer, reminiscing over the last 400 episodes, and recalling some of the very memorable guests over the years, with cameo appearances by John Lynch, Kay Warren, Vinny Provenzano, and N.T. Wright. This was a blast to record, and you will enjoy this CLASSIC episode!Here are the links to the full episodes we reference in Episode 400:John Lynch - Episode 61Kay Warren - Episode 226Vinny Provenzano - Episode 286N.T. Wright - Episode 200Vinny's Website - We Chose Love.com

He is a church communications and branding episode, who is actually the REAL DEAL. He has the heart of an evangelist, and has a craving for churches to reach people for Jesus. Sometimes us pastors can't get out of our own way - my words (Jeff) not his!But Mark MacDonald helps us say less so our community will listen more. As a corporate communications and marketing guy - who was also a Christian - Mark realized that church leaders did not understand how to, in a ministerially and spiritually appropriate way, market their ministries. He wondered how he could help them get more of what people need (the Gospel) to the actual people who need it (the community).Mark's organization is called, BE KNOWN FOR SOMETHING.Mark did not seek me out, I found him online, and realizing he was the real deal, asked him to join me on the podcast.  You are going to LOVE this!You can check out Mark's book, Be Known For Something, right HERE!

Dave Jacobs and I talk about some things that pastors might want to reconsider. They come from his book, Second Thoughts - 100 things small church pastors need to reconsider.Dave recommends wereconsider the length of our sermonsreconsider the value of wasting timereconsider our bias (ouch!)The standard for this podcast is twofold: 1) helpful, and 2) encouraging. I think we hit both targets squarely! Enjoy!

The church was waist deep into a Capital Campaign for a major church renovation, and mere weeks from engaging all the construction work... and then the pandemic hit. Ugh.They had over a million dollars already contributed with millions more pledged. The vision had been cast, all the hard work of strategic planning finished - they had waded into the pool.Shutdown.What to do? "God!!?? What do we do?!"Here's what the lead pastor did of this multisite church...(Suzanne was also on Episode 242, if you want to hear some real back story exactly five years ago to the week!)

Andrew Root, Ph.D. is a professor of youth and family ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul MN, and an author who writes about pastors and churches in the secular age for Baker Academic Publishing.Jeff and Andy talk about his passion and message - that churches don't really have a relevance or resource problem, it's a very different challenge they are up against. Andy lays it out - you WILL enjoy this and grow from it!Find Andrew here!  And Check Out His Podcast Here!

Jeff talks with Paul Golden, on staff at Clarks Summit University, founder of Post Game with Paul Golden - A Sports + Faith Podcast and owner of PaulGolden.org.Paul grew up in a pastor's home, attended Bible College and Seminary, has an M.Div., is the Chaplain of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Hockey Team, and has literally spent his entire life in and around ministry.Paul talks about the coaches and athletes he's interviewed on his podcast, training pastors and Christian workers in the 21st century, and so much more. You're going to enjoy this conversation!

Thom Rainer, from the Rainer On Leadership Podcast, and ChurchAnswers.com joins Jeff to talk about issues that pastors face today. Thom is a research guy, a data guy, or as he says, "a data nerd", and shares a lot from the perspective of actual research data and not just anecdotal evidence. Thom works with pastors almost every day, and is a wealth of information and coaching on this episode - which you will... enjoy! And, check out the links below! You're welcome. Rainer On Leadership Podcast Church Answers.comThom's book: I Am A Christian Become a Church Answers Member!

Jonny Craig talks with Pam Dykstra about Crucial Conversations.Pam is an Experienced Master Trainer working in the professional training & coaching industry. Skilled in Customer Service, Coaching, Organizational Development, Team Building, and Public Speaking, she is on the team at VitalSmarts.com.Take your free Style Under Stress Assessment here!Don't listen to this episode with taking a few minutes after it to jot down some critical next steps you need to take in applying what you've learned!

Chuck Fenwick is the lead pastor of the New Haven United Methodist Church in New Haven IN. Chuck talks with Jeff about his approach to:staffingsermon prepmessage deliverydigital ministryand more!You can find Chuck's church here: https://www.newhavenumc.com. This is an interesting and thought provoking episode - enjoy!

Zach and Allison Zehnder can be found at RedLetterChallenge.com, and you can get for FREE with no shipping cost Zach's book The Red Letter Challenge!Zach is our guest today and he tells his story, a 4th generation pastor who took a circuitous route to get there. Zach is fantastic and you are going to totally LOVE this conversation - which is helpful and encouraging.

Danny Garrido is our guest today and is the pastor of The Crossing Church in Colorado Springs CO. Danny works for the State of Colorado full time, and pastors his church full time on the side.Pastor Danny trains and deploys a lot of volunteers and generously shares his ministry responsibilities with his staff.  He was with us on Episode 299, but today he talks about succession planning with his associate pastor, the reality of the immigration crisis as it affects his church family and community, and bivocational ministry generally.Danny and I serve together on a denominational team and get to see each other a couple times each year - where we have a TON of fun together.

Lee writes for Christianity.com on their Preaching Today site - for pastors. That's where I bumped into Lee, and began to appreciate his perspectives on ministry and pastoral life. Finally after reading his articles for a couple months, I decided to reach out to him and welcome him to speak to our 200churches pastors, which he has done, with amazing insight and compassion.Lee shares, almost uncomfortably at times, his own weaknesses and struggles in ministry, and it was encouraging to me to hear them!You're going to be inspired by what Lee has accomplished in life and ministry, and it will allow you to aspire to all that God is calling your to do as well. Enjoy this wonderful conversation with this retired, yet very active, pastor!

Dave Jacobs says that the most common challenge that the pastors he coaches have is that of getting enough volunteers in the post Covid era. So today Jeff and Dave talk about that - and Dave makes a great and generous offer to our 200churches pastors at the end of the episode - so don't miss it!Dave is at SmallChurchPastor.com, and on the Small Church Pastor Facebook Group, where there are almost five thousand members! You can reach Dave at scpcoaching@gmail.com.(Spoiler Alert: Dave is offering our 200churches family of pastors a very special offer... Four 45-Minute Coaching Sessions absolutely free!) Dave wants to help pastors who have never had a coach before to experience the benefits of coaching, especially at this crucial time in the life of the church, and in the challenging environment pastors are in. Take Dave up on his offer! No obligation to continue, no pressure, just love, wisdom, and encouragement from Dave. Pastor, if you are a little lonely, and a lot isolated... Dave is your guy! Email hi

Rohan and Jill Bell pastor the C3 Church in Thirroul NSW Australia, and Rohan is our guest on this episode!In ministry since 1992, Rohan and Jill have been involved at almost every level of pastoral ministry, while raising five children and now enjoying two grandchildren. Their church is in three locations, and it's like pastoring three 200churches at the same time.Rohan is gifted administratively, and it's great to hear how he is staying in his lane, while training and deploying others to use their ministry gifts to grow the Kingdom of God.I met Rohan in John Finkelde's HUB over at GrowAHealthyChurch.com, which you should absolutely check out! John is a frequent guest on the podcast. Enjoy this great conversation with a pastor who is on the journey... just - like - you!