Podcast
unSeminary
Hosted by Rich Birch · EN
stuff you wish they taught in seminary
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Episodes
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Healthy Things Grow: Building a Unified and Thriving Staff Team with Chad Bickley
Feb 20, 2025Tap to summarizeWelcome to the unSeminary podcast. Today we’re talking with Chad Bickley, the executive pastor at Skyline Church in California. Is your church experiencing growth, but you’re struggling with how to maintain a healthy team culture? Wondering how to create a culture that drives growth while ensuring your staff remains aligned and healthy? In this episode of the unSeminary podcast Chad shares valuable insights on building a staff culture that defines how to achieve the church’s vision while maintaining health. Keep your team focused. // Skyline Church has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing churches in the U.S. and has ambitious goals under its 10/10/10 Vision—reaching 10,000 people in 10 years in 10 campuses or church plants. The growth of a church requires more people on the staff, but it’s critical to hire people who are the right fit. Fast growth with an unhealthy staff can be disastrous. Be intentional about clarity and health in your team in order to keep them focused on your church’s mission. Six core behaviors. // Churches often create vision statements but they don’t identify the behaviors required to achieve their vision. At Skyline Church there are six core behaviors that they look for in their staff and constantly drill into them. These are: attitude, commitment, work ethic, accountability, trust, and love. Skyline actively reinforces these behaviors through cultural spotlights in weekly staff meetings, hiring processes, and performance reviews. Start with the right attitude. // The number one core behavior Skyline’s staff focuses on is level one: attitude. The standards surrounding the right attitude are humility, gratitude, and being a teammate. A person’s attitude is foundational because it affects all of the other core behaviors. Your work ethic is like a traffic light. // The level three core behavior is work ethic. It emphasizes working more enthusiastically with grit and with a mindset of how you can be more efficient and better today than yesterday. Think of your work ethic as a traffic light with each color representing your mood. If you’re in the yellow, you’re getting frustrated and need to think about what is going on inside you. In the red? You need to step all the way back to level one and work on your attitude. Skyline emphasizes to start every day in the green. Pastor/director meetings to stay healthy. // To keep staff aligned and pulling in the same direction, Skyline Church has a weekly pastor/director meeting with about 20 staff. The meeting includes a cultural section, an awareness section, and a discussion section. The cultural portion involves cultural spotlights where team leaders highlight stories from the past Sunday. They also report “wins” as well as “stucks” which they are trying to work through. The awareness segment highlights what the team is hearing and seeing, and they wrap up with a discussion which covers any other items of note. To learn more about Skyline Church and connect with Chad, visit www.skylinechurch.org. Plus, to see how Skyline uses its six core behaviors, download their core identity book here. EXTRA CREDIT // 10-10-10 Vision Planning Retreat Overview Do you want to inspire your leadership team to dream big and align around a unified church vision? The 10-10-10 Vision Planning Retreat Overview is your step-by-step guide for hosting a two-day retreat that will energize your staff and refine your ministry strategy. With actionable discussions, engaging team exercises, and prayerful worship moments, this resource will help you map out a bold 10-year plan broken into achievable steps over the next 10 quarters and 10 months. Ready to take your learning to the next level? Access this resource now in unSeminary Extra Credit and bring clarity and focus to your church’s mission. Get it here. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Risepointe Do you feel like your church’s facility could be preventing growth, and are you frustrated or maybe even overwhelmed at the thought of a complicated or costly building project? Are the limitations of your church building becoming obstacles in the path of expanding your ministry? Have you ever felt that your church could reach more people if only the facility was better suited to the community’s needs? Well, the team over at Risepointe has been there. As former ministry staff and church leaders, they understand how to prioritize and help lead your church to a place where the building is a ministry multiplier. Licensed all over North America, their team of architects, interior designers and project managers have the professional experience to help move YOUR mission forward. Check them out at Risepointe.com/unseminary and while you’re there get their FREE resource “10 Things to Get Right Before You Build”. Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. Super excited that you’ve decided to tune in. You know, today I’m really looking forward to today’s conversation because I know this is going to be one of those things that all of us can relate to and it can be really super applicable to our churches. Excited to have Chad Bickley with us. He is the executive pastor at Skyline Church in ah in California. It was founded in 1954 and has a rich history of growth and overcoming obstacles become one of the fastest growing churches in the country.Rich Birch — Currently, if I’m counting correctly, Skyline has two locations in ah California, one in Arizona, and one in Tennessee, which is a fantastic story, as well as services online. Chad, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here today.Chad Bickley — Thanks for having me.Rich Birch — Why don’t you fill in the picture there? Kind of tell us a little bit about Skyline. You know, if we were to come this weekend, what we would experience, and and tell us a little bit about your role.Chad Bickley — Yeah, I think Skyline, like you said, has a very rich history. We’re 70 years this year and only four pastors. Rich Birch — That’s amazing.Chad Bickley — And so, um you know, it started with Orville Butcher who launched the church and it and then John Maxwell was after him, who is who has taught us all a lot of leadership skills. And then it went to Jim Garlow and in that transition from um Maxwell to Garlow is when the campus moved to its current place. And that’s a that’s a huge story of of a miracle on the hill, to be honest. But those guys really battled through to to build this place. And then Jeremy um came...
Transcribe →Big Dreams, Healthy Rhythms: Avoiding Burnout in Growing Churches with Danny Anderson
Feb 13, 202500:33:49Tap to summarizeThanks for tuning in to the unSeminary podcast. We’re talking with Danny Anderson, the Lead Pastor at Emmanuel Church in Indianapolis, Indiana. Is your church growing quickly, but you’re feeling the pressure? Wondering how to balance church growth with spiritual health for yourself and your staff team? Danny shares his journey of leading a fast-growing church while maintaining soul care and healthy leadership practices. Give people time to grieve. // Danny joined Emmanuel Church as a high school pastor in 1999. In 2006 he transitioned into the lead pastor role following the retirement of the founding pastor. Danny was eager to cast a fresh vision and implement changes in order to reach more people. However, he didn’t initially recognize that people needed time to grieve the departure of their previous pastor. This led to a challenging transition and attendance dropped significantly within the first 18 months. Honor the past while casting vision for the future. // Honor the past when transitioning leadership. People need time to adopt a new vision and accept the coming changes. Clear, unwavering vision needs to come from the lead pastor, however, when formulating a new vision, look at who Jesus spent time with and why He came. The pressures of growth. // As people at Emmanuel bought into the vision of reaching people far from God, they began inviting friends and the church regained momentum. Since then, they have continued to expand, opening a new campus nearly every other year. However, with growth can come pressure. It’s not uncommon for pastors to experience either burnout or moral failure amidst fast growth. But Danny emphasizes that this is not inevitable for leaders—provided they actively care for their souls. Take care of your own soul and faith. // The most important job of a leader is to take care of their soul. Effective leadership begins with the senior leader doing the work to care for their soul and follow Jesus well. Danny wakes up every morning and incorporates daily routines such as scripture reading, prayer, confession, and journaling to maintain his spiritual health and stay grounded and aligned with Jesus. Keep your mind in the right spot. // The mind controls how we think and feel, and our soul relies on how we feel. The way we feel will shape the way we act. In order to make godly choices and live a righteous life, we need to fill our minds with scripture and be thinking correctly. By making sure our minds are in a good spot, we make sure our souls are too. Be the example. // When it comes to staff health, everything starts with the senior leader. A leader’s demeanor and attitude will shape the church culture. Danny challenges his staff to care for their souls, whether it’s in staff meetings or in practices the church implements. For example, at Emmanuel they prioritize the spiritual well-being of the team by instituting a strict Sabbath policy where no one is allowed to work on Fridays. This practice underscores the belief that the health of the soul is more important than church productivity. A pastor needs to follow the same challenges they give to their people, thereby setting an example for them. Balance the key issues in your life. // Danny’s book Church Growth Unleashed: How to Grow Your Church Without Losing Your Soul was written to help church leaders grow a healthy, thriving congregation without sacrificing their churches, families, or health. Often failure at a church is not because of the size of the church but because a pastor didn’t care for their soul. The book talks about key issues in a church leader’s life that help provide balance, such as how their physical health helps them serve and lead, and the importance of having friends that a pastor can be vulnerable with. Find Emmanuel Church at eclife.org and explore both the Church Growth Unleashed podcast and book. Plus, find Danny on Instagram @DannyAnderson23. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. Super excited for today’s conversation. Really looking forward to this because this every time I interact with this leader, it feels like a kindred spirit. You’re going to love this conversation. You want to lean in carefully because we’ve got lessons both for your church and for you as an individual.Rich Birch — Today we’re talking with Pastor Danny Anderson. He is the lead pastor at a church that you should be following, Emmanuel Church, ah it which which was established in 1977. It’s a multisite church with, I think if I’m counting correctly, seven campuses in Indianapolis, an online campus, and a number of ah microsites. It’s repeatedly on one of the fastest growing church lists in the country. Danny’s been a lead pastor there since 2006. He also served as the high school pastor, which we all know the best people come up, from Student Ministry. Has got a podcast as well, so I know his audio is going to be good. Welcome to the show. So glad you’re here, Danny.Danny Anderson — Thanks, Rich. Appreciate you having me. What a privilege.Rich Birch — Yeah, this. Oh, come on. So our honor. Glad you’re here. Why don’t you fill in the picture? Kind of tell us a little bit about about you, about the church, that that sort of thing.Danny Anderson — Yeah, so ah I graduated from Liberty University in ’99 and actually interviewed with Emmanuel Church coming out of college… Rich Birch — Nice. Danny Anderson — …because it was my wife’s home church. Rich Birch — Oh, nice. Danny Anderson — And they they were like, hey, who’s this guy? Maybe maybe he’ll be a good high school pastor.Rich Birch — Nice.Danny Anderson — And did the interview process, got the job. And yeah, did did youth ministry for five years, loved it. And then my found our founding pastor ah decided to ah pursue enter into retirement in 2006 and kind of tapped me on the shoulder. Church voted me in. Rich Birch — Nice. Danny Anderson — And the wild ride of senior leadership began in 2006. Rich Birch — That’s so good. Danny Anderson — And it went smoothly. Rich Birch — Yeah, no problems at all. Easy, easy. Well, actually, why don’t you give us a bit of some of the milestones along the way? When you look back, here we are, 2025, you know, coming up on 20 years, that’s a long time, ah which is wonderful. Give us some of those milestones that kind of are, have been key and when you look back over these years.Danny Anderson — Well, I’ll tell you what, the first year and a half was incredibly difficult, you know taking over for a founding pastor. Pastoral transitions are tough anyway, but when you when you transition after a founding pastor ah who’s beloved, um adored by the people, it was really tough. I had some people tell me, look, I don’t care if you were Andy Stanley, this would not have gone any better.Rich Birch — Right, right. Yes, yeah.Danny Anderson — But so it was it was tough. I like to say that I successfully led the church from 2000 to 900 in about a year and a half. Rich Birch — Okay yes. Danny Anderson — And so it was it was very difficult, very challenging. So a big milestone was in two thousand ah late 2007, 2008, people started to bring their friends. And I remember I remember it vividly. People started to get saved. I was casting vision. I was trying to stop the bleeding. And then people started to believe the message that, hey, we’re here to reach people who are far from God. Like the church exists to see ...
Transcribe →Great Leaders Over Great Content: Secret Sauce to Thriving Groups with Adam Ader
Feb 6, 202500:34:38Tap to summarizeWelcome back to the unSeminary podcast. Today we’re talking with Adam Ader, the Groups Director at Parkview Christian Church in Illinois. Is your church looking to improve how you connect people into life-changing groups? Wondering how to lead a growing group ministry that truly impacts people’s lives? Tune in as Adam shares valuable insights on building a thriving group ministry that focuses on leadership development, group engagement, and real-life transformation. Raise up great leaders. // Parkview’s groups strategy uses term-based, free-market small groups to foster community and spiritual growth. Groups run in three 10-week terms per year, allowing participants to engage in short-term commitments while maintaining flexibility. Parkview believes that, at the end of the day, a great leader will outweigh perfect content and they can turn mediocre content into something more engaging. Parkview works hard to raise up great leaders, helping them identify who is the segment of people they are trying to reach with their group. Types of groups offered. // Parkview also leverages leaders’ passions to create groups that resonate with people. There are five categories that the groups at Parkview fall into. The first is Rooted, a foundational group for new believers which starts them on their journey. Then there are shared interest groups, general Bible-based small groups, support groups for people going through difficult circumstances, and Alpha groups for skeptics and seekers. The ten-week model. // Ten weeks can seem like a short timeframe to really grow and connect with others, however small groups can fizzle out if they stay together too long. Having an open-ended strategy can set a lot of the groups to end in failure. The goal of these ten-week groups is not to take participants from point A to Z but to help them take a meaningful step forward in their faith. By giving groups a well-defined end date, you provide them with the opportunity to end well and either recommit going forward, or explore new groups. Great leaders outweigh content. // We can become so focused on finding the perfect content that we miss out on the things that are truly important in small groups. We need to be disciples and help others grow, so focus on identifying and empowering leaders who can guide others effectively. Identify what you’re looking for. // Have clarity about what you want in a leader. Parkview encourages potential leaders to see their role as facilitating community rather than delivering lectures. Recruiting new small group leaders. // The best recruiters of new leaders are existing leaders. Encourage group leaders to be thinking, from the beginning, about who might be someone that can step up and do what they are doing. Emphasize relational skills and a love for Jesus over theological expertise. Offer training and support. // Parkview has a 90-minute initial training for all potential group leaders that covers the church’s mission, vision, values, and group systems. Once a person has committed to becoming a leader, they undergo ten weeks of training while they lead their group. These trainings include a mix of bite-sized video content and in-depth discussions. This modular approach allows leaders to engage with essential topics such as building community, managing conflict, and fostering spiritual growth. In addition, new leaders are paired with a coach—an experienced volunteer leader who provides guidance and encouragement throughout the initial stages of group leadership. Visit Parkview Christian Church at parkviewchurch.com and download the Parkview Groups Leader Guide here. EXTRA CREDIT // Get the Ready-to-Edit “When to Refer” Decision Guide for Small Group Leaders Are your small group leaders equipped to handle sensitive situations effectively? This exclusive resource from unSeminary Extra Credit is a ready-to-edit document to make it easy for you to provide your small group leaders with a training resource on when they should refer people in their group to someone else for assistance. Complete with a customizable decision tree and practical prompts, this tool empowers leaders to confidently care for their groups. Join unSeminary Extra Credit today to access this valuable resource and more! Download this resource now. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Thank You to This Episode’s Sponsor: Portable Church Your church is doing really well right now, and your leadership team is looking for solutions to keep momentum going! It could be time to start a new location. Maybe you have hesitated in the past few years, but you know it’s time to step out in faith again and launch that next location. Portable Church has assembled a bundle of resources to help you leverage your growing momentum into a new location by sending a part of your congregation back to their neighborhood on Mission. This bundle of resources will give you a step-by-step plan to launch that new or next location, and a 5 minute readiness tool that will help you know your church is ready to do it! Click here to watch the free webinar “Launch a New Location in 150 Days or Less” and grab the bundle of resources for your church! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Well, hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. Man, I am super excited for today’s conversation. This is one of those conversations that’s got in the middle of it a common tension that it’s a misnomer that um that lots of people have that we’re going to bust today. We’ve got some myths we’re going to bust. Plus, it’s going to be super helpful for you. Super excited to have ah Adam Ader with us. He is the groups director at Parkview Christian Church. It’s a multi-site church in ah in Illinois and church online. They’re repeatedly one of the fastest growing churches in the country. Super excited to have you on the show today, Adam. Welcome. So glad you’re here.Adam Ader — Hey, thanks, Rich. Appreciate it.Rich Birch — This is going to be wonderful. Thanks for your time. Really appreciate that. Give us a sense of Parkview. Kind of tell us the story. If, you know, if people were to arrive this weekend, kind of give us a sense of that and then tell us a little bit about your role.Adam Ader — Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I had the good fortune to land at Parkview as my first job out of college. Landed as a student ministry intern in 2005, actually. Rich Birch — Love it.Adam Ader — Had a little bit more hair growing up top at the time then I do now. But I got lucky. I didn’t know a thing about the church and landed there to find out...
Transcribe →Breaking Free: Addressing Sexual Brokenness in the Church with Nick Stumbo
Jan 30, 202500:39:42Tap to summarizeWelcome back to the unSeminary podcast. We’re talking with Nick Stumbo, the Executive Director of Pure Desire Ministries. According to a Barna study, 75% of Christian men and 40% of Christian women view pornography at least occasionally, with 67% of pastors having a personal history of porn use. How can churches effectively address pervasive issues of sexual brokenness and foster healing within their congregations? Tune in as Nick shares his personal journey of healing, and how churches can create both a safe place and a safe process through which people can experience transformation and freedom. Finding healing. // Despite the traditional approaches of using tools like accountability groups and software, Nick still found himself trapped in a cycle of pornography use during his time pastoring at East Hills Alliance Church. It wasn’t until he encountered Pure Desire’s deeper, more comprehensive approach—focused on understanding the “why” behind these behaviors—that he and his wife found lasting healing. His public disclosure to the church body led to a revival of forgiveness and healing that ultimately launched Pure Desire groups for men and women. A pervasive issue. // Sexuality is a deeply ingrained part of human identity and many people grow up without proper teaching or guidance on how to handle their sexual desires. This, combined with the pressures of living in a highly sexualized culture, creates a perfect storm for addiction to thrive. Addressing the root cause. // Pornography becomes the false solution to a real problem. We all have a warped view of our own identity and value and worth, and as a result, we have a warped view of who God is. Brokenness from past trauma or pain or lies we believe about ourselves stems from our early years. These emotional and psychological aspects of sexual brokenness need to be addressed for true healing to occur. The church’s key role. // Churches often outsource healing in the area of sexual brokenness, encouraging individuals to seek professional counseling rather than providing support within the church. However, Nick believes that churches can and should play a key role in providing healing through small group-based ministries. The church, as a body of believers, is uniquely equipped to offer a safe space where people can share their struggles, find support, and experience long-term transformation. Create a safe place. // Creating a culture of grace within the church is critical if we are going to shift the narrative surrounding sexual brokenness away from shame and secrecy and towards openness and support. Churches must become a safe space where people can confess their struggles without fear of condemnation. Leaders and staff may also feel pressured to present themselves as perfect. Rather than waiting until a crisis arises, begin creating a culture where issues of sexuality and pornography are discussed openly and regularly, without judgment. Provide opportunities for your staff to be discipled and pursue healing in this area as well. Create a safe process. // Pure Desire Ministries can help churches provide clear pathways for people to get help, such as offering group ministries that focus on long-term recovery. Men and women can walk through a structured healing process, unpacking their personal stories and addressing deep-rooted issues of identity and worth. Visit Pure Desire Ministries at puredesire.org to find local groups, purchase the Sexual Integrity 101 course, or see how your church can get involved. Plus download the free ebooks for 5 Steps to Freedom from Porn and 7 Keys to Understanding Betrayal Trauma. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. Really looking forward to today’s conversation. This is a topic that I know that people in your church are wrestling with. I know people on your team are probably wrestling with. It’s the kind of thing that we maybe don’t want to talk about, but we really should be talking about. Rich Birch — Super excited to have Nick Stumbo with us. He is a third generation pastor, started his ministry career at East Hills Alliance Church in Washington state. He served as the lead pastor for more than a decade, observing the fallout of sexual brokenness and devastation in the lives of the men and women in his church.Rich Birch — Confronted with his own addiction to pornography, Nick and his wife found hope and healing through counseling and group ministries of Pure Desire, and it radically changed their lives. Really looking forward to this conversation. His public disclosure to the church body led to a revival of forgiveness and healing that ultimately launched Pure Desire groups for men and women. Nick has stayed connected to Pure Desire and today serves as executive director. Nick, I am so glad to have you here today. Welcome to the show.Nick Stumbo — Yes, thank you. So glad to be here.Rich Birch — Okay. Fill in the picture there a little bit. If there’s, you know, what, what did I miss? How, how, how else do I want to, uh, you know, if people bump into you on the road, what, do what do you, what do you want to know about Nick Stumbo?Nick Stumbo — Yeah, I think it’s so crucial that the ministry I get to help lead is the ministry that changed my life. Rich Birch — That’s so good. Nick Stumbo — Because my wife and I were really on the brink of of divorce because of my binge/purge issues with pornography. And I always like to clarify that like many, I think sincere Christian men, I believed my own lies. I believed that, okay, that time was the last time. I’m never going to go back to pornography. I’d apologize to my wife. I would own it. You know, I had accountability software. I did all the things that my Christian upbringing had taught me to do about this subject, and yet I would still find myself going back. And you just, you feel like you’re stuck in this cycle that you can never break out of until we found Pure Desire Ministries and really found ah still a very deeply biblical approach, but with a a much different angle than anything we knew before. Nick Stumbo — And the way that that transformed our marriage and and my life is what led to, you know, the steps we took with our church and then ultimately becoming a part of the ministry was just seeing that there is real healing, that that Christ does set people free. But sometimes the answers we’ve given in the church are what I describe as being too thin. I mean, they’re they’re very true. Read your Bible and pray and trust God and confess. And all those things are vital elements.Nick Stumbo — But what we have so often missed is the “why” question. Why do I keep going back to this thing? And when you understand the why, when you understand some of the deeper parts of your soul and your heart and your mind that need to be renewed, it’s a life-changing process. So I think that’s kind of filling in the blanks. It’s like, this isn’t just a job or another ministry. It’s a passion that we’re living. And then getting to see other people find freedom from something they’ve believed, maybe for decades. Well, this is this is the thorn in my flesh, right? This is the, all well, all guys struggle a little bit, don’t they? So I guess it just, it is what it is. It’s like, no, when when Christ said that we could be free, He meant it and we really can experience it um as we walk this road.Rich Birch — Well, yeah, I don’t think there’s anybody that’s listening in today that’s like, oh, that I don’t...
Transcribe →The Art of Preaching: Balancing Depth and Accessibility in a Secular World with Mark Clark
Jan 23, 202500:41:11Tap to summarizeWelcome to the unSeminary podcast. This month we’re focusing on key “Unpredictions”—timeless truths that church leaders need to be focusing on in 2025 and beyond. In this episode, we’re learning from Mark Clark, the founder of Village Church, a multi-site church with locations in multiple cities across Canada and online around the world. He is now one of the Senior Lead Pastors at Bayside Church in California. In today’s podcast we’re discussing how the Bible will need explanation. Every week, the pulpit provides a unique opportunity to connect God’s Word with the questions and struggles of a modern, often skeptical world. But how do we preach with both theological depth and cultural accessibility? Tune in as Mark offers valuable insights into effective sermon preparation and how to communicate in a way that’s accessible to both skeptics and believers. Engage religious and secular audiences. // During his time at Village Church, Mark balanced seeker-sensitive models of preaching with expository preaching. He emphasizes the importance of teaching the Bible while addressing both religious and secular audiences, using Tim Keller’s example of the Prodigal Son parable. Engage both the “older brother” (religious) and the “younger brother” (secular) in every sermon, ensuring that the gospel is presented in a way that resonates with all listeners. The art of preaching. // Regardless of a preacher’s experience communicating from the pulpit, they constantly need to refine their craft, preparing thoroughly to ensure that their sermons are both biblically sound and culturally relevant. Dedicate specific times during the week for sermon preparation, ensuring ample time to study, reflect, and refine the message. Rehearse the sermon multiple times to become comfortable with the content and delivery, allowing for a more natural and engaging presentation. Finally, incorporating stories and examples from everyday life to make biblical truths more relatable and understandable for the congregation. Keep things fresh. // Preachers face a real challenge to keep things fresh over time, particularly after years of preaching on the same content or passages. The pressure to deliver high-quality sermons is particularly intense during big days on the church calendar, such as Christmas or Easter. To stay fresh and keep sermons engaging, Mark is constantly collecting illustrations and practicing his delivery. He emphasizes the need for preachers to work hard, dedicate time, and ensure their messages are winsome and persuasive. Offer honest feedback. // Preaching plays a critical role in church growth. Church staff and executive pastors can support their lead pastors by creating space for them to focus on sermon preparation. If you’re a trusted voice in your lead pastor’s life, provide them with honest feedback and practical help in order to improve the overall quality of preaching. Preaching resources. // In addition to his preaching, Mark hosts The Mark Clark Podcast, where he shares his sermons, often accompanied by a brief introduction. This format not only provides biblical content but also offers insights into the mechanics of effective preaching. Mark also has an upcoming book, The Problem of Life, which addresses fundamental questions about the human experience, such as the search for meaning, the nature of suffering, and the quest for joy in a seemingly disenchanted world. Find these resources and more on his website at www.pastormarkclark.com. Visit Bayside Church to see what they are doing and listen to examples of Mark’s preaching. Plus, follow him on Instagram @mark_clark. And don’t forget to download the unPredictions Team Playbook for this podcast episode. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. Super glad that you’ve decided to tune in today. You’re reaching us at the end of our month of Unpredictions. All month long, we’ve been talking about things that were true last year, will be true this year, and are continuing to be true next year. Super excited to have Mark Clark with us. He’s the founder of a church in my home and native land, Village Church, a multisite church with locations across cities in Canada, but now serves as the global senior pastor at a fantastic church, Bayside Church, a multisite church in California. Has authored several several books, hosted a great podcast. Bayside was founded by Ray Johnston and has grown to over 20,000 people a week, which is amazing. They have eight locations in California. Mark, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here.Mark Clark — Thanks. Thank you, sir. Appreciate it. Always good to hang out with a fellow Canadian talking church stuff. It’s good.Rich Birch — Yeah, it’s so good to connect. So we’re today we’re going to talk about ah the Bible and and helping people understand the Bible before we get there. Kind of fill in the Mark picture for folks that don’t know you. Tell us a little bit about you. Tell us a little bit about the church.Mark Clark — Yeah. Um, so like you said, uh, you know, founded a church in Vancouver in 2010. So I grew up in Toronto, um, and then moved across to Vancouver to do, uh, studies, actually. I was, I was going to be a youth pastor. I went to a school up in Toronto, uh, near you, did a bachelor’s degree, and then was going to be a youth pastor. And then God through a whole bunch of crazy circumstances got my heart, uh, jacked about like academics and and scholarship. And so I wanted to be a professor really. So I moved across to Vancouver to go to Regent College, which, you know, it’s a very internationally renowned school.Rich Birch — That’s cool.Mark Clark — You know, um J.I. Packer was there, you know ah Eugene Peterson taught there, Gordon Fee, all these great scholars. So I went over there and I and I said, I’m going to be here for two years and and then I’m going to go overseas, hopefully to Oxford or one of those schools, because they have connections with Regent. And I’m going to do a master’s thesis at Regent in Vancouver and then go overseas and do a PhD and become a professor and read footnotes for the rest of my life and it’ll be great to you know teach teach snotty nose students in college or something. Rich Birch — Yes. Yes. Mark Clark — And so on so that was the plan. And I moved to Vancouver I did my thesis on Romans 9-11 and spent you know a few years doing that and then God called me to stay in Vancouver, don’t go overseas don’t go to do a PhD and plant a church, start a church, reach people for Jesus, teach the Bible. And so that’s what we did. In 2010, we gathered about 16 people in my house. My church ah blessed us, gave us about 35 more people and said, and we moved 30 minutes away from the church that we were serving at at the time. And we planted our church and and and really, I mean, to the point of what you’re what we’re talking about today, really had this conviction that I didn’t need to choose between kind of seeker, you know… Rich Birch — So true. Mark Clark — …models of preaching where I could just do topicals every four weeks or six weeks or eight weeks and turn things around and, and… Or being an expositor, I could try to fuse both those worlds together every week. Rich Birch — That’s good. Mark Clark — And, so you know, Keller talks about the idea of um ah preaching to the older brother and the younger brother in the prodigal son parable every ...
Transcribe →Repurpose, Reach, Renew: Unleashing AI for Your Church’s Mission with Kenny Jahng
Jan 22, 202500:34:50Tap to summarizeWelcome to the unSeminary podcast. This month we’re focusing on key “Unpredictions”—timeless truths that church leaders need to be focusing on in 2025 and beyond. In this episode, we’re learning from Kenny Jahng, founder of Big Click Syndicate and AI for Church Leaders, and Editor in Chief of Church Tech Today. We’re talking about how the world will be smaller. What can churches do to better engage their online visitors and encourage people to take next steps with Jesus? How can technology, particularly AI, play a role in enhancing church communication and furthering the spread of the gospel? Tune in to learn how AI can be used to repurpose your sermons into content across multiple platforms and effectively reach wider audiences. A new tool for the gospel. // Church leaders need a theology of AI for the church in order to consider how it can best be used to advance the gospel. One of the core questions Kenny believes church leaders should weigh is if can God use digital tools for His glory. Just like Roman roads were “new technology” used by the early church to spread the gospel, we can use today’s technology to do the same. If you believe that God can use AI to serve the mission of the church, then it opens up a new sandbox to play in and offers endless possibilities. AI is perfect for translation. // Generative AI, the latest evolution in artificial intelligence, not only processes data but creates new content. This includes generating text, audio, video, and images—capabilities that can be used for church communication. This technology can replicate a pastor’s voice in different languages, providing a more authentic experience for audiences around the world without the need for constant re-recording. Global ministries and missionary organizations can also use AI to translate the Bible into heart languages to increase the spread of the gospel. Use AI to expand your reach. // We live in a YouTube world where the average video is viewed for about four minutes. Would someone get to anything meaningful, material, or significant in that first four minutes of your sermon before they abandon it? We now have tools that will identify the key points of our sermon videos and repurpose them into short pieces. AI can help churches engage their local communities by repurposing sermon content into bite-sized pieces for social media, blog posts and more. This approach allows churches to reach people who may not have time to watch a full sermon but can engage with shorter, more digestible content. Train staff and volunteers to use AI. // AI tools like Sermon Shots can automatically generate short-form shareable media, making it easier for churches to maintain an active online presence without overwhelming their staff. Encourage your team to brainstorm and implement new ideas for online engagement. Invest time and resources into exploring AI and other technologies that can enhance your communication strategies. Training volunteers to help with AI-driven tasks is also a way to activate more volunteers in your ministries. AI can help answer FAQs. // There are people who are watching your videos and have questions. AI excels at transforming sermons into FAQs, glossaries, discussion questions, and more to maximize your outreach and better serve your audience. Use AI to reach more people through your website. // Many people don’t think of the church website as being a place of ministry, but rather as a directional sign that tells visitors where to go. View your website as a platform to actually engage and influence people in their quest to learn about Jesus and a biblical worldview. Repurpose your sermon. // Kenny offers a website for church leaders at www.repurposeyoursermon.com which provides practical guidance on using AI to maximize the impact of sermon content. It takes your sermon and walks through a dozen different ways to create devotionals, sermon clips, quote images, and more. Visit repurposeyoursermon.com to discover how to transform your sermons into multi-channel content and increase your reach. You can also find Kenny on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Plus, don’t forget to download the unPredictions Team Playbook for this podcast episode. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. Man, I am so glad that you are fired up and here to be here today. You’ve caught us in the middle of these Unprediction episodes where we’re looking at things that were true last year, are going to be true this year and are going to be true next year. I’ve got my friend Kenny Jahng on and today we’re talking about the fact that this year, the world will be smaller than it was last year as global connections grow, leveraging technology for communication and learning. It’s just going to continue to be critical in our mission. Churches, you and I should aim to develop global relationships and share their ministry more widely. Rich Birch — If you do not know Kenny Jahng, what rock have you been living under? He’s a certified StoryBrand copywriter guide, the founder of Big Click Syndicate, a strategic marketing advisory firm that really helps Christian leaders build marketing engines that work. In addition, Kennedy well, I’ve made you a Kennedy. Kenny is the editor of chief of also of a Church Tech Today and is the founder of AI for Church Leaders. Plus he’s a friend of mine. Kenny, welcome to the show. So glad you’re here.Kenny Jahng — You make me sound like a really busy person Rich.Rich Birch — You are, what are you talking about? You’re so busy. I love it. Kenny is like, you know, I don’t know how many segments of trips you did last year, but you definitely did more than mine. We’re always on the plane, going places. Fill out the picture, kind of tell us a little bit more about Kenny. And then we’re going to jump into this conversation.Kenny Jahng — Absolutely. I guess someone called me a ministry entrepreneur recently and I think ah that kind of fits the bill.Rich Birch — Love it.Kenny Jahng — I basically have been able to identify problems that I see that are solvable and a little bit arrogant enough to think that I can make a dent in that problem. And so um I’ve you know basically have a bunch of different ventures helping church leaders ah resource, whether through conferences or through um resources like ah courses or templates and workshops and books and stuff like that. So there’s all these things that I’m trying to do to basically empower the church leader to have much more impact wherever they are. Rich Birch — Love it. Well, in my mind, one of the hats you wear is the Bishop of AI as a mutual friend has called you. You’re the guy that, now the good thing is like, you and I, we’ve known each other for whatever 15 plus years.Kenny Jahng — Yeah.Rich Birch — And you’re always the guy who I think of like, I wonder if there’s an app that does this, or I wonder if there’s a website that does this. Kenny is the guy who knows that. And that over the last couple of years, really since ChatGPT came out, has ah really blossomed into this incredible, you’re just an expert on this whole area of artificial intelligence. And so I want to leverage that today for this whole idea of communication. And okay, how how can we leverage these tools to kind of communicate better?Rich Birch — I’m a firm believer, I’m pro-tech. L...
Transcribe →700 Million and Counting: Your Church’s Role in the Fight Against Extreme Poverty with Mike Mantel & Jonathan Wiles
Jan 16, 202500:33:55Tap to summarizeWelcome to the unSeminary podcast. This month we’re focusing on key “Unpredictions”—timeless truths that church leaders need to be focusing on in 2025 and beyond. In this episode, we’re hearing from Mike Mantel, the President and CEO, and Jonathan Wiles, the Chief Operating Officer, of Living Water International (LWI), a faith-based global humanitarian organization. Together we are talking about how the poor will still be among us. How can churches effectively combat poverty and make a lasting impact on communities around the world? LWI focuses on addressing the water crisis by providing safe water, sanitation, and hygiene to impoverished communities. Tune in to learn about the transformative effects of these efforts on thirsty communities and partner churches alike. Water, for life, in Jesus’ name. // Living Water International has been involved in over 25,000 water projects, impacting 7.1 million people globally. The organization partners churches in the US with local churches in thirsty communities to deliver water interventions that also involve teaching sanitation and hygiene, with a strong emphasis on sustainability. Celebrate the progress made. // The mission to provide clean water is seeing encouraging results. In 2001, 1.1 billion people lacked access to basic water, but in 2024, that number decreased to 703 million, even with a growing global population. The collaboration between various organizations has accelerated this progress. However, the remaining challenges are more difficult due to the increasing complexity of needs in poorer, often disaster-stricken regions. Focus on a community. // LWI has learned from past experiences that water projects need to be long-term and community-centered, which led to the development of their “WASH Program Areas” (WPA). This model focuses on geographical areas, with a commitment to stay for 5-7 years to ensure that communities have lasting access to clean water and that local churches are strengthened as discipleship centers. The local church is key. // In WASH Program Areas, local churches are uniquely positioned to serve their communities due to their influence and knowledge of local issues. When LWI partners with these churches, they are not bringing God to a new place, but rather supporting the work that God is already doing through the local churches in these communities. This approach fosters long-term, mutual transformation both in the WPA and the partner church back in the US. Partnering with LWI. // US churches can engage with LWI’s work through knowledge-building, experiential learning, and co-investing in projects. Church members can raise awareness through education, take part in “discipling trips” to communities in need, and help fund projects. LWI encourages churches to go beyond just sending money, urging them to make the partnership a part of their ongoing mission. Mutual transformation. // The goal of discipleship trips is not mission tourism but mutual transformation. These trips provide opportunities for both US churches and WASH Project Areas to learn from each other and deepen their relationships. The trips are a step in a long-term process of engagement and discipleship, not a one-time event. Get involved. // For church leaders who are interested in engaging with LWI, Jonathan explains that churches already committed to specific mission areas can easily integrate clean water initiatives into their existing efforts. By linking their mission work to the pressing need for safe water, churches can create meaningful connections and foster a deeper sense of purpose within their congregations. Visit water.cc to learn more about Living Water International and how they can plug into what God is already doing at your church. Check out the Advent Conspiracy that Mike mentions here. Plus, don’t forget to download the unPredictions Team Playbook for this podcast episode. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. Man, I am super excited that you have decided to join us today. You have joined us amidst these Unpredictions episodes. These are a set of special episodes that we’re kicking off 2025. And today we’re focusing on this idea that the poor will be among us. This was true last year. It will be true this year. It will be true next year. My question is how are our churches dealing with that globally, if the numbers are still correct? Rich Birch — 700 million people live in extreme poverty. Churches, your church and mine, can and should play a role in addressing this through partnerships, both locally and globally, advocating for social and economic process ah ah policies and just creating opportunity all around the world. And and today I’m excited to have our friends from Living Water International on. If you do not know them, they’re faith-based global humanitarian organization. They link arms with churches around the world to serve thirsty communities through access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene. ah And an experience with Living Water is just, it’s amazing. These guys do an incredible job. I deeply respect them. I’ve been on the field with LWI, see the work they do. I highly recommend them. Rich Birch — Today we’ve got Mike Mantel. He ah has since 2008 served as the president and CEO of LWI. And we’ve also got Jonathan Wiles with us. He serves as the chief operating officer. We got the big guns with us today. Welcome to the show, Jonathan and Mike. Glad you’re here. Mike Mantel — Rich, what a delight, man. Been following you forever. And thanks for doing this podcast and letting us chat with you this morning. Jonathan Wiles — Absolutely. Rich Birch — This is going to be great. I’m excited. Jonathan, glad you’re here as well. Why why don’t we start with you, Jonathan? Fill in your story a little bit. Tell us about your connection to LWI. Tell us about ah Living Water as well a little bit. Jonathan Wiles — I’ve been involved with Living Water for going on 25 years in various roles, but but really my focused engagement on staff and in leadership has been since 2007. Mike came on in 2008 and the two of us have been working together to to really kind of develop this organization in a direction that we feel is really honoring to God and and helping build his kingdom. And yeah, love getting to make a difference with Mike every day. Rich Birch — Love it, so good. John ah um Mike, why don’t you tell us a little bit about, what does LWI do? you know I kind of gave the boilerplate, but if you were to bump into somebody, maybe you’re you know you’re at a conference or somebody and says, oh, Living Water, I think I’ve heard of you. What what do you do? Mike Mantel — Like you said, we’re a faith-based organization. We believe that water is the fundamental intervention in people’s lives. If they have access to water, kids get healthy, healthy kids are in school, educated kids have a chance to lift themselves out of poverty. But what’s special about Living Water is we work with and through local churches. Wherever we work, the church is really at the center of what we do. Mike Mantel — We’ve been doing this for 35 years. We’ve completed about 25,000 water projects. We call them WASH projects, water sanitation hygiene. About 7.1 million people… Rich Birch — Wow. Mike Mantel — …now i have access to safe, sustainable water in the name of Jesus because of our partners and churches in the United States and around the world. Rich Birch — Yeah, this is amazing. Now, the thing about the water ...
Transcribe →Preventing Marital Breakdown: Creating Proactive Support Systems in Your Church with Nicky & Sila Lee
Jan 15, 202500:33:49Tap to summarizeWelcome to the unSeminary podcast. This January we’re focusing on key “Unpredictions”—timeless truths that church leaders need to be focusing on in 2025 and beyond. In this episode, we’re joined by Nicky and Sila Lee of The Marriage Course // Alpha International, and are talking about how marriages will still be struggling. Nearly half of all marriages in America are experiencing difficulties. There’s a huge opportunity for churches to step in and offer proactive, structured support to marriages in their communities. Tune in to learn how to use The Pre-Marriage Course and The Marriage Course to overcome the stigmas surrounding marriage enrichment and provide couples with practical tools and biblical principles for maintaining a healthy relationship. Create space for conversation. // The courses Nicky and Sila have developed have reached over 1.5 million couples worldwide, serving people from a variety of cultural and religious backgrounds, including non-churchgoers. Their goal is to provide couples with practical tools and biblical principles for maintaining a healthy relationship. However, the most important part of the course is not what Nicky and Sila teach, but rather the one-on-one time couples have talking through a structured topic. This aspect makes the course unique for every couple, regardless of their background and situation. Proactively offer support. // Churches must take proactive steps to support marriages in their communities. Rather than waiting for a crisis situation, we need to help people address struggles before they become serious problems. A once-a-year marriage weekend at our churches isn’t enough. Marriage health requires regular enrichment and support. It’s normal to need help. // Using these courses at our churches helps to remove the stigma that can be associated with marriage enrichment programs. It’s important for churches to normalize the conversation around marriage support, with pastors and church leaders leading the way. Demonstrate that seeking help is a sign of strength and make these conversations a regular part of how you care for the people in your community. Arrange a date night. // Part of The Marriage Course emphasizes the importance of creating a date night feel during the course sessions. By setting up a romantic evening for couples, it will alleviate the nervousness that many couples feel when attending marriage enrichment events. In addition, creating a welcoming environment will encourage them to enjoy their time together and return to each of the seven sessions. Privacy over group discussions. // The Marriage Course is unique because it avoids group discussions unlike many other marriage classes. Many couples may be good at talking to other people, but not with each other. So the course provides space to encourage that one-on-one communication. Giving couples their own table and space also allows them to explore their relationship privately without fear of judgment. Experience the course yourself. // Nicky recommends that leaders who are considering offering The Marriage Course in their church experience it within their own marriage first. Whether you run a small pilot course, or go through the course at home, the experience will help leader couples to understand the course’s impact before encouraging others to join. Visit The Marriage Course on Alpha USA’s website or The Marriage Course to learn how to use it at your church and take a look below at the training video that Nicky talks about. Plus, don’t forget to download the unPredictions Team Playbook for this podcast episode here. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! Episode Transcript Rich Birch — Hey friends, welcome to the unSeminary podcast. Super glad that you’ve decided to tune in today. I’m really looking forward to today’s conversation. You’ve caught us in the middle of our Unprediction episodes. These are seven episodes. We’re talking about things that were true last year, that’ll be true this year. And unfortunately with this one, we think it’ll be true next year. And we think that your church should be worrying about it, thinking about it.Rich Birch — Today we’re talking about this idea that marriages will continue to struggle this year. Nearly half of all American marriages are facing challenges. Churches must bolster, do what they can to bolster their support for church or for for um marriages. And today we’ve got experts to really help us with this conversation.Rich Birch — We’ve got Nicky and Sila Lee. They developed the marriage course and the pre-marriage course to offer practical support to couples in person and online. They’ve run the pre-marriage course, if I’m doing my math right, at Holy Trinity Brompton in London since 1985 and the marriage course since 1996. And many couples have found their marriages enriched through these courses. At last count that I see, 1.5 million couples have taken these courses. So we are in for a treat today. Nikki and Sila, welcome. So glad you’re here.Nicky and Sila Lee — Thanks, Rich. So good to be with you.Rich Birch — Oh, this is going to be great. what Why don’t we start, Sila, fill up the picture there from a, like a bio point of view. What did I miss? What’s the part of the story that I, that we got to make sure we tell.Nicky and Sila Lee — OK, the main thing is that Nicky and I have been married for 48 years.Rich Birch — Congratulations. That’s amazing.Nicky and Sila Lee — And um and actually, when we had um when we were developing these courses back in 1985, you were absolutely right about we started with pre-marriage. We’d been married for nine years then and had four young children. And um that was actually quite key because we had personally learnt a lot in the early years of our marriage.Nicky and Sila Lee — We had met, fallen in love as teenagers and were not Christians. And then we had come to faith at a university mission and together, the same night, same night, same moment.Rich Birch — Oh nice.Nicky and Sila Lee — We won’t know till heaven who got there slightly before the other [inaudible] same moment. Anyway, that had profound impact on our relationship.Rich Birch — Right.Nicky and Sila Lee — We’d been doing it our own way up until that point. After that, really God came and showed us a whole different way of doing relationships. We then got married two and a half years later. And we had a lot of things to learn and we learned God’s ways of loving are good.Nicky and Sila Lee — And we we hadn’t done any pre-marriage. There wasn’t, I don’t think there was a pre-marriage course running… Rich Birch — Right. Nicky and Sila Lee — …when we got married back in 1976. Rich Birch — Very cool. Nicky and Sila Lee — But we got some advice from some older Christian married couples and oh my goodness that advice made a difference.Ric...
Transcribe →Mentoring Gen Z Leaders: Insights from Leadership Pathway’s Residency Program with Dave Miller
Jan 9, 202500:38:43Tap to summarizeWelcome to the unSeminary podcast. This January we’re focusing on key “Unpredictions”—timeless truths that church leaders need to be focusing on in 2025 and beyond. In this episode, we’re joined by Dave Miller, co-founder of Leadership Pathway, and are talking about how the next generation will matter more. Are you curious about how your church can effectively engage and empower the next generation of leaders? Tune in to learn how your church can benefit from a residency program and how to set young leaders up for success for the health and growth of the church. Empowering Gen Z. // The success of young leaders depends not on their education or even their passion for Christ, but rather on the quality of coaching they receive from their supervisors. Strong mentorship and intentional development are pivotal in helping these leaders thrive in their roles. Unfortunately, many churches struggle to provide this support due to full schedules and generational disconnects among staff. Age of authority. // Gen Z is more self-reliant, skilled, and innovative, with access to tools and platforms that were unavailable to previous generations. These leaders are reshaping the dynamics of leadership by seeking opportunities that align with their unique talents and ambitions. For example, Dave recalls a young leader who considered social media monetization a viable alternative to being a youth pastor, reflecting a broader trend of independence and resourcefulness. Listen to young leaders. // Churches need to rethink their strategies for engaging young leaders. Start with simple, meaningful conversations to understand their ideas, values, and motivations. Invite them to participate in strategic decision-making or leadership discussions to foster a sense of ownership and make them feel valued. Create a customized residency. // Leadership Pathway’s residency programs address the challenges churches face by providing structured mentorship for young leaders. The two-year program is customized to fit the unique needs of each church, whether they are launching new campuses, planning for succession, or addressing internal growth challenges. These residencies go beyond internships by emphasizing coaching and practical experience, with the goal of producing highly desired, hireable leaders by the program’s end. Leadership Pathway also equips supervisors with coaching skills so they can effectively mentor their residents. Build a leadership pipeline now. // Church leaders constantly face the need to replace team members. Many leaders get caught in a cycle of reactive hiring rather than proactively building a pipeline of future leaders. Start the conversation about developing a residency program now, even if you don’t have an urgent need at the moment. Even a basic landing page on your church website can serve as a starting point for attracting potential residents. Visit leadershippathway.org to start a conversation about what residency could look like at your church. Plus download the unPredictions Team Playbook for this podcast episode here. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! View this post on Instagram <div s...
Transcribe →Healthy Digital Habits: How Churches Can Support Families in a Tech-Driven Culture with Natalie Frisk
Jan 8, 202500:45:45Tap to summarizeThanks for joining in for the unSeminary podcast. We’re continuing with our special series called unPredictions 2025 – these are timeless topics that will keep shaping church leadership in 2025 and beyond. Today we’re talking with Natalie Frisk, the director of curriculum at Raise Up Faith, about how parents will be worrying about their kids. Raise Up Faith is an organization which offers a subscription-based platform, providing kids ministry content which communicates the stories and truths of the Bible in rich and meaningful ways. In a world where digital media is deeply integrated into daily life, parents often feel overwhelmed—unsure how to guide their children in developing healthy digital habits. Tune in as Natalie shares her insights on how churches can address the challenges parents face while navigating technology’s rapid evolution and how innovative digital tools can enhance kids’ ministry. Parents in today’s digital world. // Parents of every generation have felt in over their heads at times and don’t understand what their kids are thinking or doing. Today a lot of this disconnect centers around technology because the children growing up today are digital natives, fully immersed in this way of life. Parents and ministry leaders alike need help guiding kids, and organizations like Raise Up Faith are here to support churches as they come alongside parents. Recognize that today’s kids are digital natives. // Today’s children are fully immersed in technology and have been part of the digital age from the beginning. The screen isn’t just a form of entertainment for them, but is fully a part of how they experience the world. There is no distinction between online and offline lives and we need to recognize this reality. Foster healthy media consumption habits. // The idea of “digital doughnuts” suggests that while some media may not be inherently bad, it should be viewed as “sometimes food” rather than a staple. Encourage families to create a balanced “media diet” by distinguishing between healthy and sometimes media. Churches can help parents teach children to reflect on their media consumption—asking questions about how specific content makes them feel and whether it fosters connection or disconnection. This process helps develop digital discernment from an early age. Offer resources to parents. // Not having grown up as digital natives, parents don’t have the same level of familiarity with digital spaces and the complexities of being a teen or child in a digital world. Parents struggle with questions like when to give their child a phone or how to manage healthy digital habits. Churches can step in as guides, offering resources and fostering open discussions to empower families. Demonstrate wise use of digital media. // Churches have the opportunity to model wise use of media right from the pulpit and stage. Incorporating high-quality, biblically-based video content can create engaging and meaningful learning experiences for kids. However, it’s important to strike a balance, using video to complement live teaching rather than replace it. The curriculums Raise Up Faith offers provide resources for churches to integrate rich, creative content alongside in-person instruction, enhancing both engagement and spiritual growth. A resource to help guide leaders and parents. // Raise Up Faith has a resource called “Mix It Up: Digital Media in Your Kidmin Space” – great for ministry leaders navigating conversations with parents who are digitally hesitant. It covers three reasons why to use video in kids’ ministry and links to organizations that will be helpful in your church context, plus resources to share for at-home use. You can learn more about Raise Up Faith at www.raiseupfaith.com. Register for free at their website to try out sample resources and see how they can work for your church. Plus download the unPredictions Team Playbook for this podcast episode here. Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! 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