Erin and Doug are back for this week’s episode of The Intentional Churches podcast, sitting down with executive pastor Rodney Elliot to talk radical alignment with The Great Commission. Rodney serves as the executive pastor of Pathway Church in Wichita, Kansas, and during his time in that role he’s worked to align the church’s elder board with the core mission of reaching the one far away from Jesus. On this second episode of season five, Erin and Doug invite Rodney to share his experience with ...
Sep 10, 2024•33 min•Season 4Ep. 12
Welcome to season 5 of The Intentional Churches podcast! This season we’re talking all about how to radically align our churches and leaders around the promises of Scripture and the truths of The Great Commission. Luke Lezon is our featured guest today—a young lead pastor who’s faced his fair share of misalignment challenges while stepping into a lead pastor role after a major church split. On today’s episode Erin and Doug invite Luke to share his story, which he does with candor and honesty. Th...
Sep 03, 2024•30 min•Season 4Ep. 11
To close up season 4 of The Intentional Churches podcast, we’re releasing another bonus episode from our Intentional Churches Conference 2024, this time featuring our opening session with lead pastor Clint Nolder. Clint leads Foundation Church in Newnan, GA, and during his time with our conference attendees Clint shared on the faithfulness of God in the midst of life’s many battles. A ministry leader and parent, Clint has encountered his own fair share of battles, but no matter what he’s faced G...
Aug 27, 2024•33 min•Season 4Ep. 10
We’re wrapping up season 4 of the Intentional Churches podcast with a few bonus episodes from the 2024 Intentional Churches Conference! This first bonus episode comes from the One Aware panel we did interviewing non-Christians on their thoughts on Jesus, the church, and how they’d ideally want to be approached by Christians. It’s an eye-opening, and convicting, conversation. A word of caution: this type of conversation is not a casual, one-off conversation to be replicated in any type of context...
Aug 20, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 9
On this week’s episode of Intentional Churches Doug and Erin are joined by Jill Gillie, executive director of campus ops and projects at Eastside Christian Church in Orange County, California. Jill is an expert when it comes to recruiting, sustaining, and building a volunteer culture, and that’s exactly the expertise she shares during today’s conversation. A lot changed for churches after COVID-19, including the approach to volunteers. Jill breaks down how her team looks at building that core vo...
Aug 13, 2024•32 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Welcome back to this week’s episode of The Intentional Churches podcast! We’re continuing our discussion on preparing for the push come November that is the 2024 election season. Today Erin and Doug welcome Archbishop Alan Wiggins to the show to talk about navigating politics in our own neighborhoods, which translates into how we lead people well in our churches. Archbishop Wiggins serves as the senior pastor of Hope Church Orlando, and he’s also the presiding bishop of the International Bishops...
Aug 06, 2024•32 min•Season 4Ep. 7
With election season ramping up and all the political turmoil we’ve experienced as a country in the last few weeks, it’s no wonder church leaders are talking about how to navigate politics from the pulpit. First Orlando’s senior associate pastor, Danny de Armas, joins Erin and Doug for this week’s timely conversation on all things politics and how to engage with what’s going on without becoming addicted to the noise. Politics is everyone’s favorite talking point, especially those in church leade...
Jul 30, 2024•34 min•Season 4Ep. 6
What do we as ministry leaders do when our facilities begin to run out of space? Should we immediately begin a building campaign, or are there other creative ways to still serve our people in our current spaces? Too many people in too small a space is a good problem to have, but it can be a hard one to solve. Executive pastor Jeremy Thiessen joins Erin and Doug for this week’s episode of The Intentional Churches podcast to talk how to prepare for physical expansion without losing sight of your c...
Jul 23, 2024•33 min•Season 4Ep. 5
On this week’s episode of The Intentional Churches podcast, we’re continuing to talk about how we prepare well for that next big “push” in ministry—specifically how to prioritize our own mental, spiritual, and emotional health as leaders. Licensed professional counselor and Gallup Strengths Coach, Stefanie Rowe, joins Erin and Doug, outlining the crisis many pastors and church leaders are facing when it comes to the state of their mental health. Throughout their conversation, Stefanie shares sta...
Jul 16, 2024•34 min•Season 4Ep. 4
In this episode, Erin and Doug welcome Holly Gillespie to discuss the importance of designing church systems and processes with the one in mind. They spotlight the need to shift from a buffet-style approach to a more intentional and targeted strategy that focuses on those who are far from God. They talk through the importance of mindset shifts, such as considering what it's like on the other side of the church experience and overcoming the fear of neglecting the 99. They also discuss the need fo...
Jul 09, 2024•33 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Just a quick break for July 4th. We hope you have a wonderful week and we can't wait to jump back into Season 4 with you next Tuesday. See you soon!
Jul 02, 2024•50 sec
In this episode, Erin and Doug discuss the evolution of church leadership and the shift in mindset between different generations. They specifically focus on the pros and cons of small group models and the need for integration between church life and everyday life. They talk through the importance of disappointing people at a rate they can tolerate and shifting the mindset from providing answers to equipping and empowering individuals to be the answer. They discuss the priority of building relati...
Jun 25, 2024•32 min•Season 4Ep. 2
Welcome to season 4! This season is all about helping you prepare for your church's next big push! In this fist episode Erin & Doug talk with Bart Rendel on the concept of the relational reach zone of churches and how it impacts strategic planning for the next season. Bart stresses the importance of knowing who the church is trying to reach and being aware of the potential impact they can have within their relational networks. They suggest practical steps such as identifying the people conne...
Jun 18, 2024•30 min•Season 4Ep. 1
In this last episode of Season 3 Erin and Doug are joined by Mitch Harrison to discuss church leadership challenges, focusing on the critical issue of burnout. Mitch shares his personal journey of experiencing and overcoming burnout, and the need for intentional replenishment. The conversation highlights the importance of balancing stress with restorative practices and offers a framework involving rest, emotional release, renewed purpose, recreation, and meaningful relationships. This episode en...
Jun 11, 2024•30 min•Season 3Ep. 10
In this episode Erin and Doug discuss strategic alignment in church leadership with guest Allie Bryant. Allie, a Strategic Alignment Executive at Trader's Point Christian Church, explains her role in bridging the gap between strategy and execution. The conversation focuses on common challenges church leaders face, such as project prioritization, resource allocation, and maintaining clear communication of vision and strategy. Allie shares insights into effective project management, the importance...
Jun 04, 2024•33 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Bishop Derrick McRae, Senior Pastor at The Experience Christian Center in Orlando, Florida sits down with Erin and Doug to share insights on how churches can better integrate with their communities and meet their needs. He touches on the importance of approaching community integration with a humble posture. Bishop McCrae also highlights the need for churches to develop relationships and partnerships with government officials and other organizations to effectively meet community needs. He encoura...
May 28, 2024•33 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Erin and Doug talk through the topic of church growth and how to navigate it without losing sight of the church's vision and mission. They discuss the importance of not being afraid of growth and the need to innovate and focus on relational ministry. They caution against reverting to old strategies and highlight the need for personal mission statements aligned with the Great Commission. The epsiode is all about the challenges of growth, the importance of evaluation and pruning, and the need for ...
May 21, 2024•27 min•Season 3Ep. 7
This week Erin & Doug are joined by their good friend Dano and they talk about the importance of collaboration and working well together across teams in church leadership. They discuss the challenges of silos within teams and the need to eliminate them for effective decision-making and creating breakthroughs. They also introduce the concept of co-creation, which is involving everyone in the organization and unlocking their contributions. Their conversation highlights the importance of cross-...
May 14, 2024•27 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In this episode, Erin and Doug talk through the challenges of being short-staffed in churches and how to navigate this issue. They discuss the importance of having a developmental mindset and raising up leaders from within the church. They also highlight the concept of agency, where individuals have the freedom and permission to act and contribute. They share examples from churches in Brazil that thrive with minimal staff and discuss the need to challenge assumptions about the necessity of staff...
May 07, 2024•22 min•Season 3Ep. 5
This week we were live at the Intentional Churches Conference in Orlando! Erin and Doug gathered with Allie Bryant, Bishop McCrae, and Mike Hickerson at the Intentional Churches Conference. They discuss critical topics for church leaders, focusing on aligning team members with church culture, addressing misalignment, and effectively handling team members who may hinder progress. The conversation explores practical strategies for fostering a cohesive team spirit and aligning individual actions wi...
Apr 30, 2024•42 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Chris VandeLinde, pastor of Cornerstone Christian Church, shares his church's journey leading up to Easter and the strategies they implemented to engage and activate new attendees. They focused on personal relational evangelism, providing tools and resources for their members to reach out to their 'ones' (people they are praying for). They also emphasized the importance of early entrance opportunities to serve and avoiding cul-de-sacs by keeping new attendees spiritually moving. The conversation...
Apr 23, 2024•28 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Erin & Doug talk with Jeff Bennett from Stadia about developing future church leaders. They emphasize the importance of looking within the church for potential leaders and investing in their development. They discuss the need for a shift in mindset from hiring specialists to becoming people developers. Their conversation also touches on the current shortage of church leaders and the importance of creating a culture of discipleship and development. Practical advice is given, such as asking qu...
Apr 16, 2024•32 min•Season 3Ep. 2
Welcome to Season 3! Kristin Miller joins Erin and Doug to discuss the importance of developing the next generation of church leaders. Kristin is the Director of Resident Development at Leadership Pathway. She shares insights on what the next generation is looking for in ministry and how churches can become places of development for young leaders. The conversation highlights the need for a long-term approach to development, focusing on soft skills, mentorship, and intentional investment in young...
Apr 09, 2024•30 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Matthew Robinson, Executive Pastor at First Orlando, joins Erin and Doug to explore the importance of personal alignment to the Great Commission and how it impacts church leadership teams, staff, and volunteers. The guests share their personal journeys and realizations about the need for personal commitment to the Great Commission. They discuss practical steps for church leaders to align themselves personally and create space for alignment in their teams. The conversation emphasizes the importan...
Apr 02, 2024•31 min•Season 2Ep. 9
This episode focuses on the topic of alignment in church staff and governance boards. Erin and Doug discuss signs of misalignment, practical steps for achieving alignment, and the benefits that come from being aligned. They also share stories of both epic fails and success stories related to alignment. The episode concludes with a discussion on the first steps church leaders can take towards greater alignment, including leading effective meetings. Thanks for listening to this episode of the Inte...
Mar 26, 2024•24 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Doug & Erin welcome Bart Rendel on this episode. Bart is the co-founder of Intentional Churches and a seasoned church leader. He shares his invaluable insights and experiences, drawing from his rich background in church planting and leadership. The conversation explores the challenges of alignment and misalignment in church leadership. The Acts 1-8 model is introduced as a framework for alignment, with a focus on personal alignment to the Great Commission. The discussion highlights the impor...
Mar 19, 2024•32 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Drew Moore, lead pastor at Canyon Ridge Christian Church, discusses the transition to a disciple-making church and the challenges and successes they have experienced. They define disciple-making movements and emphasize the importance of empowering individuals to make disciples. The conversation explores the shift from an institutionally focused approach to one that encourages agency and engagement from all members. They discuss the challenges faced during the transition and the positive outcomes...
Feb 20, 2024•34 min•Season 2Ep. 6
This conversation explores the lost art of developing authentic friendships, particularly among the younger generation. The discussion highlights the impact of social media and technology on social connection and the rise of the loneliness epidemic. The importance of deep listening and powerful questions is emphasized as a means to address loneliness and foster meaningful relationships. The conversation also delves into the implementation of these practices in church leadership and preaching. De...
Feb 13, 2024•24 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In this conversation, Erin Johnston and Doug Parks discuss the influx of new people in churches and the need for intentional engagement. They explore the spiritual awakening happening in America and the importance of repentance and charting a new course for church leadership. They emphasize the need to start with the end in mind, focusing on the Great Commission as a personal mission statement. Practical steps for engaging new people include thinking like a church planter, building relationships...
Feb 06, 2024•28 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Doug Parks and Erin Johnston explore how churches can foster relationships in the modern era on this episode of Intentional Churches. They reference Truett Cathy and suggest creating space for people to engage with each other. They also discuss the example of Adamsville Road Church of God, which has seen an increase in attendance and baptisms due to its focus on relationships. Finally, they emphasize that personal relationships are the way forward for the church. Thank you for tuning into this e...
Jan 30, 2024•28 min•Season 2Ep. 3
