The Nurtured Church Podcast
The Nurtured Church is a podcast dedicated to helping today’s church leaders and ministries grow their communities.
Latest Episodes
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Church During COVID-19: Part 2
w/ Mark Venti
When the coronavirus made its way to the United States, church life started changing—fast. For many churches, it’s been over a month since they were last able to gather in-person. With Easter weekend just around the corner, Mark Venti, the Executive Pastor of Churchome, joined us to share how his team is leading differently in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak. Some of their engagement tactics are brand new (like daily video hangouts), while others go back to pastoring 101. Listen in to learn more.
Church During COVID-19: Part 1
w/ Chad Zollo
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, church as we know it is being disrupted. Just weeks ago, most churches thought of the digital world as the new frontier. Now, it’s the city we all live in. With everything going on, we want to resource you with practical tips from some of the churches leading the way during this all-digital chapter of the Church’s story. On part one of “Church During COVID-19,” listen in as Chad Zollo, the Online Pastor of Elevation Church, shares his advice for churches going digital for the first time.
Impactful Communication with Limited Opportunity
w/ Phil Bowdle
What would you change if you only had 8 times a year to communicate with somebody? Today, that’s quickly becoming the reality for most churches. The average church-goer is showing up for a physical church gathering less than once per month. Simultaneously, the average person sees up to 10,000 branded messages every single day. Against that backdrop, we invited Phil Bowdle, the author of Rethink Communication, on to the podcast to share practical ways churches can clarify and communicate what matters most.
Optimizing Physical Church Attendance in a Digital Age
w/ Thom Rainer
Physical church attendance in the United States has been declining for years. First, it was the cultural Christians who stopped attending. More recently, committed church members are showing up less frequently. Are there encouraging trends amidst all the negative data? Thom Rainer, founder of Church Answers, says “Yes!” Thom joined us on the most recent episode to discuss declining attendance patterns, new trends in worship participation, digitalization, and the increasing challenges of pastoral ministry.
Facilitating Rhythms of Rest for Your Church Team
w/ Jake Jelinek
While every church has a unique beginning, Passion City Church’s origin is particularly fascinating. The church grew out of Passion Conferences, leading them to do things a little differently. Listen in as Jake Jelinek, the Executive Director of Operations, shares aspects of their unique church culture. Have you ever wanted to know what it’s like to shut down a whole church for two weeks? Well, Passion City does it every year, creating a respected rhythm of rest for their entire staff team.
Transitioning Church Leadership to the Next Generation
w/ Whit George
Pastors in America are aging, and more and more, founding pastors of past generations are having a hard time letting go of the churches they’ve devoted their lives to. But we know that church leadership needs to be handed over to the next generation before the church declines into irrelevance. Whit George, Lead Pastor of Church on the Move (Tulsa, OK), has unique insight on pastoral transitions, having just taken over the helm from his father. On this episode, listen in as he reflects on the recent transition and what he has learned along the way.
The Hallmarks of Healthy and Thriving Teams
w/ Jenni Catron
If you want to change your team’s culture, the first place to start is with yourself. Maybe you don’t pull the strings that could help make a change for the whole team, but you do have a circle of influence right now—starting with you. Today’s guest, in our first ever live recording, is Jenni Catron, Founder and CEO of 4Sight Group. Jenni shared her experience in the Christian music industry, as an Executive Director at vastly different churches, and some of her views on the state of church leadership today.
4 Ways Pastors Can Inspire a Spirit of Generosity
w/ Greg Morris
It’s not a matter of the church not wanting to do more; it’s a matter of the church not having the resources to do more. We agree with Greg. That’s why we invited him on the show to share how pastors can inspire a spirit of generosity in their congregations. And generosity isn’t just about money. When inspired well, a generous congregation will give your church more time, more prayer, and more commitment to the future.
Why Virtual Church Just Might Actually Make Sense
w/ Jeff Reed
There are roughly 385,000 evangelical churches in the United States today. Of those, fewer than 15,000 churches broadcast their Sunday services online. And of those, only a handful are actively making disciples and building community in the digital space. For Jeff Reed, that’s not good enough. And that’s why he started The Church Digital. On this episode, discover how church online can be just as life-changing as church in-person.
Leveraging Church Real Estate to Build Community
w/ Nathan Artt
We often hear stories of thriving, growing churches that suddenly experience a culture shift. All at once their focus shifts from reaching people to paying bills. And in almost every one of these stories you can tie this shift back to a decision that was made involving buildings and debt. Nathan Artt, Owner and President of Ministry Solutions, shares his expertise on how churches can make sound real estate decisions that lead to a thriving church community.
Make it Easy: Using Invitations to Grow Your Church
w/ Michael Lukaszewski
When Michael was pastoring a church in Atlanta, they were reaching many people and growing quickly. But he realized something about a year into the journey of planting his church: A crowd and a church are very different. On today’s episode, Michael walks us through why getting your church to invite new people on Sunday morning has become so difficult. And, he’ll give us practical strategies to try as we equip our churches to grow the ministry.
Ensuring Your Church Website is Creating Connections Within Your Community
w/ Aimee Cottle and Shayla Kenworthy
When it comes to being strategic about nurturing community, your website plays a critical role. So, we invited Aimee Cottle, Director of Marketing, and Shayla Kenworthy, Communications Strategist, onto The Nurtured Church podcast to share their thoughts on the role that a church’s website plays in creating meaningful connections.
Stewardship — Why It’s a Relational Ministry, Not a Financial Ministry
w/ Dave Briggs
Often misunderstood is the idea of stewardship. How is it different from giving? And what does stewardship have to do with building community? We addressed these concerns and more on this episode with Dave Briggs. Dave is currently Director of Stewardship at Central Christian Church and previously, he led the stewardship ministry at Willow Creek Community Church.
Leveraging Technology to Deepen Relationships in Your Church
w/ Scott Pleasants
When it comes to technology, there’s a common criticism: it’s an obstacle to real relationships. But Thomas Road Baptist Church sees it differently. They’re actually leveraging technology to deepen relationships and expand their ministry. We caught up with Scott Pleasants, Chief Information Officer at Thomas Road Baptist Church, to discuss how they’re using technology to nurture engagement.
How Missions Ministries Build Community
w/ Jared Romano
Community doesn’t just happen. It has to be created, nurtured, and pursued. So, as you know, we’ve been looking at how different churches and different ministries are creating community within their congregations. With our guest Jared Romano from Focus Ministry, we continue that thread by looking at how you can create engagement opportunities through your missions ministry.
Why Generosity is Foundational to Building a Healthy Church Community
w/ Greg Gibbs
To many, generosity a sensitive issue. If you’re in this boat, you’re not alone. But we hope you’ll be encouraged by the conversation we recently had with Greg Gibbs, Lead Navigator at AUXANO, who regularly consults with churches on generosity development.
Leveraging Church Communication to Nurture Engagement
w/ Stephen Lenahan
Stephen Lenahan, Director of Development & Communications at St. Anthony’s, came on the latest episode of The Nurtured Church podcast to share the story of St. Anthony’s and to talk about how they’re using their communication efforts to build engagement among their parishioners.
A 3-Part Framework for Doing Church Social Media
w/ Haley Veturis
In this episode, we interview Haley Veturis, Director of Digital Engagement at Bayside Church in Sacramento, CA. Prior to that, she was the social media manager for years at Saddleback Church. Listen in to hear Haley share a three-part framework for engaging your church on social by paying attention to the needs of the individuals in your community.
Building a Great Leadership Culture That Leads to an Engaged Church Community
w/ Bobby Bogard
Bobby Bogard has decades of experience building community. Bobby has served as Executive Pastor at Gateway Church and currently works with Bogard Group Ministries and LINC. He came on the show to talk about the keys to setting a great foundation that blossoms into an engaged congregation.
Every Church Should Have An Experience Pastor — Here’s Why
w/ Holly Tate
Your church staff culture will have a trickle down effect on your congregational culture. That’s why it’s so important to think about nurturing engagement as you hire, onboard, and integrate your staff members. We talked with Holly Tate from Vanderbloeman about how churches are thinking about staffing, particularly with new pastoral positions focused on the member journey.
Your Guide to Effective Church Branding
w/ Katie Allred
While Katie Allred was on staff as Web Content Manager at Brentwood Baptist Church, the church scaled from one location to eight. During that time, Katie says the biggest challenge they faced was branding. In this episode, Katie, who’s now an Assistant Professor at the University of Mobile, talked about why church branding matters and how you can achieve excellence in your own brand strategy.
If the Leaders Build a World-Class Church, the Congregation Will Come
w/ Tyler Reagin
What does a church leader do when they get punched in the mouth? You can ask Tyler Reagin. Reagin is the president of Catalyst, a development organization focused on raising the next generation of church leaders. Reagin joined us on The Nurtured Church podcast recently, and shared his thoughts on church leadership, current and future.
Growing and Scaling Church Communities Pt. 2
w/ Chris Ames & Ryan Van Sickle
On this episode of The Nurtured Church, we pick up where we left off with our guests Ryan Van Sickle and Chris Ames from North Point Ministries. Ryan and Chris share their expertise and lessons learned along the way on building connected communities. See what you can take away to use in your congregation and beyond.
Growing and Scaling Church Communities Pt. 1
w/ Chris Ames & Ryan Van Sickle
Chris Ames and Ryan Van Sickle from North Point Ministries join us to give an inside look at how North Point has made a digital transformation and the impact it has on building a connected and engaged community. This is part 1 of a 2-part series.
Using Data To Fuel Engagement and Ministry
w/ Chris Kehayias
In this episode, Chris shares how a management platform can support your member journey, how to find the balance between engagement and pushiness, and why it’s not actually about the data. Listen in to discover why digging into member engagement data is a necessary part of reaching people with the good news in this digital age.
Maintaining Organizational Health in Your Church
w/ Shawn Lovejoy
No matter how big your church is, if it isn’t healthy, you’re likely not going to be around for very long. You can host thousands of people every weekend, but if your staff is burned out, or you run your church like a dictatorship, your church likely won’t be doing all that it could be. Listen in as our guest digs deeper on this topic.
4 Ways Your Church Can Build a First-Class Online Community
w/ Nils Smith
When it comes to technology within our churches, the time isn’t yesterday. It’s now. And the online, mobile, and digital spaces aren’t where our “second-tier” efforts should be. A physical church and its digital touchpoints are one—one community, one team, one heart, and one soul. Discover how your church can build first-class online communities.
About the Podcast
Church leaders and ministries want thriving organizations, but are often frustrated by the lack of participation. That’s why we’re highlighting ordinary churches doing extraordinary things to nurture engagement and growth in their community. At Pushpay, we work with more than 7,000 churches and a plethora of networks, partners, and leaders in the Church and technology space. It’s lessons and best practices from these relationships that we’re excited to bring you through this podcast.