Intentional Churches Podcast

Larry Kelley has been with New Hope Church in Houston Texas for 16 years now, and in that time he’s seen the church go from a small group gathered in a YMCA auditorium to a large multi-site church. How have Larry and the staff stayed aligned to New Hope’s greater mission amidst all that growth and change? Today’s Intentional Churches episode is all about Larry’s answer to that question. For this super practical conversation on pursuing greater alignment on your staff team, Erin and Doug invite Larry to share his experience at New Hope—beginning as a video editor up to serving on their executive team today. Together the three discuss how New Hope’s implementation of the IC operating system allowed their staff to come together in reaching their ones, some of the challenges that still exist as the church strives to fulfill The Great Commission, and Larry’s practical advice for churches—and church staffs—of all sizes. No matter how big or small your team is, the language you use and the mission you follow is so important to the pursuit of alignment. Don’t miss this episode! Register for The Intentional Churches Conference 2025 here: www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. New to Intentional Churches? Start here: https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchosWebsite: https://intentionalchurches.com            The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches  CHAPTERS 00:00 The Power of Personal Evangelism03:08 New Hope Church: A Journey of Growth05:52 Implementing the Operating System08:53 Relational Evangelism and Community Impact11:55 Baptisms and Personal Stories of Faith14:48 Challenges in Alignment and Communication18:08 Practical Advice for Church Leaders

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered the way we view online church, but where most churches have gone back to physical services, some decided to go all-in on the digital space. Enter Mark Lutz and his fully-online church, Lux. Mark served as the pastor of a traditional physical church for more than a decade before he felt God calling him into full-time online ministry. Lux launched in 2021, and the lessons Mark’s learned about relational evangelism in this fully online space serve as the foundation for today’s Intentional Churches conversation. Together Erin and Doug invite Mark to share the story behind starting Lux, his strategies for building actual engagement (not just “likes” or comments) in an online church space, and why relational evangelism and pursuing the one is so important—maybe even more important—online than it is in a traditional church setting. During their conversation Doug digs into IC’s Great Commission Engine, and Mark expands on how Lux implements these tools and others to reach those far from God. The episode ends with Mark sharing stories of usernames turning into actual, life-giving relationships, plus his advice for churches wanting to make their online services more fruitful. Register for The Intentional Churches Conference 2025 here: www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. New to Intentional Churches? Start here: https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchosWebsite: https://intentionalchurches.com            The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches   CHAPTERS00:00 The Relevance of Digital Ministry04:24 Launching a Digital Church: The Lux Experience08:11 The Impact of COVID-19 on Church Dynamics11:34 Navigating the Challenges of Digital Engagement15:43 Understanding Ecclesiology in the Digital Age18:31 The Great Commission Engine: Strategies for Engagement23:52 Relational Evangelism in the Digital Space28:55 Success Stories: Transformative Relationships Online

Most, if not all, churches have a mission that drives what they do, but how often are we making radical alignment to that mission the main thing? Today on The Intentional Churches podcast Erin and Doug sit down with Travis Kaiser, lead pastor of Florence Baptist Church in Florence, Kentucky. Travis is passionate about fostering a Great Commission-driven mission in every aspect of his church’s culture. How does he do it? Erin and Doug ask him exactly that. Given Florence Baptist’s historical roots (the church was originally founded in 1855!), Erin and Doug invite Travis to share a bit of the context and history behind the church before jumping into their conversation on mission. Travis then walks us through how the church went from an organization of siloed teams to a culture of mission-focused disciples bent on reaching their ones. Travis also talks about some of the challenges behind aligning to a shared mission, stories of pursuing his ones, and the practical steps any church leader can take today to make a mission based on The Great Commission the main thing for their people and church. Register for The Intentional Churches Conference 2025 here: https://www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. New to Intentional Churches? Start here: https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchosWebsite: https://intentionalchurches.com            The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches   CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction to Intentional Churches Podcast03:05 Travis Kaiser: Background and Church Context05:53 Radical Alignment and Leadership Challenges08:51 Building Trust and Relationships in Ministry12:07 Living the Great Commission: Personal Stories17:46 Creating a Culture of Mission21:07 Aligning Staff and Leadership with Mission26:02 Practical Steps for Greater Alignment32:04 Conclusion and Conference Invitation

Welcome to season 6 of The Intentional Churches podcast! For this season of the podcast, we’re talking all about inviting and preparing for that next big event on your church’s calendar in light of The Great Commission. With Christmas right around the corner, this is the perfect time to talk about the invite potential of an event that will ultimately draw people closer to Jesus. On today’s episode Erin and Doug are joined by Doug’s good friend (and fellow Steelers fan!), Mark Weigt. Mark is the founder and lead pastor of The Ridge Community Church in Milwaukee, WI. For this conversation, Erin and Doug focus in on how we invite our ones well—those far from God and the church. Given the large unchurched population in Milwaukee, Mark is the perfect person to tackle this topic. Together the three dive into some of the context of Milwaukee’s church population and how that’s affected Mark’s strategies as a church leader—taking a look at how Mark and his team gear up for a big invite potential season like Christmas and the ways leaders can approach inviting their ones. Plus Mark and Doug even share some personal stories of how their relationships with ones led to further connection. We’re excited for all the conversations to come in season 6! Don’t forget to register for The 2025 Intentional Churches Conference at a discounted rate here: https://www.intentionalchurchesconference.com/. New to Intentional Churches? Start here: https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchosWebsite: https://intentionalchurches.com            The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches   CHAPTERS00:00 The Heart of Ministry and Personal Connection02:03 Understanding the Unique Context of Milwaukee06:13 Vision and Mission of Ridge Community Church10:12 Strategies for Big Invite Opportunities14:00 Engaging Ones: Personal Stories and Community Impact20:01 Aligning Leadership with the Great Commission23:46 Practical Insights for Effective Church Growth

On the final episode of season 5, Erin and Doug invite Intentional Churches’ president and co-founder, Bart Rendel, to the show to outline the differences between intentional and unintentional churches. Bart has a heart for helping church leaders take personal ownership of The Great Commission, and that passion bleeds through every part of this conversation. Since Bart is Doug’s partner in crime at Intentional Churches, Erin invites Doug to share his expertise too, and together the two outline exactly what an intentional versus unintentional church looks like, the steps every church should take towards being more intentional, and how Intentional Churches has truly become a learning community for church leaders. Doug and Bart wrap up this final episode of the season by sharing practical steps churches can take today to radically align with The Great Commission. We hope you enjoyed this season of The Intentional Churches podcast! Download Intentional Churches’ FREE e-book on radical alignment here: https://www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. New to Intentional Churches? Start here: https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchosWebsite: https://intentionalchurches.com            The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches   CHAPTERS00:00 The Heart of Discipleship03:05 Understanding Intentional Churches06:00 Characteristics of Unintentional Churches12:04 Steps Towards Intentionality20:44 Building a Learning Community

This week on The Intentional Churches podcast, Doug and Erin sit down with Mission Church’s Sarah Cole. Sarah serves as the Ventura, CA church’s welcome team lead—focusing on creating a volunteer culture that welcomes in everyone and anyone. Why is creating that culture of hospitality important to The Great Commission? How do we recruit and inspire leaders with the “why” behind welcoming new people? The three dive into these questions and more in today’s conversation! In her time at Mission, Sarah has seen her volunteer team grow from the low numbers of the COVID-19 pandemic to over 200 individuals passionate about serving those new to the church. Together, Erin and Doug invite Sarah to share the biggest challenges—and biggest victories—behind leading such a large volunteer team, how she communicates the “why” behind the work they’re doing on a Sunday morning, and how creating that welcoming environment has led to more and more people coming to know Christ. Hospitality in our church environments and on our welcome teams may not seem like a huge priority to some, but in reality it’s essential to inviting in and continuing to build a relationship with those who don’t know Jesus. Don’t miss this super practical, encouraging episode! Download Intentional Churches’ FREE e-book on radical alignment here: https://www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. New to Intentional Churches? Start here: https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchosWebsite: https://intentionalchurches.com            The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches   CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction to Radical Alignment02:55 Sarah Cole's Journey and Context06:12 Mobilizing Teams for the Great Commission12:00 Recruitment Strategies and Team Care18:03 Creating a Welcoming Environment24:00 Building a Welcoming Culture30:02 Conclusion and Key Takeaways

This week on The Intentional Churches podcast, Doug and Erin sit down with Mission Church’s Sarah Cole. Sarah serves as the Ventura, CA church’s welcome team lead—focusing on creating a volunteer culture that welcomes in everyone and anyone. Why is creating that culture of hospitality important to The Great Commission? How do we recruit and inspire leaders with the “why” behind welcoming new people? The three dive into these questions and more in today’s conversation! In her time at Mission, Sarah has seen her volunteer team grow from the low numbers of the COVID-19 pandemic to over 200 individuals passionate about serving those new to the church. Together, Erin and Doug invite Sarah to share the biggest challenges—and biggest victories—behind leading such a large volunteer team, how she communicates the “why” behind the work they’re doing on a Sunday morning, and how creating that welcoming environment has led to more and more people coming to know Christ. Hospitality in our church environments and on our welcome teams may not seem like a huge priority to some, but in reality it’s essential to inviting in and continuing to build a relationship with those who don’t know Jesus. Don’t miss this super practical, encouraging episode! Download Intentional Churches’ FREE e-book on radical alignment here: https://www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. New to Intentional Churches? Start here: https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchosWebsite: https://intentionalchurches.com            The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches   CHAPTERS00:00 Introduction to Radical Alignment02:55 Sarah Cole's Journey and Context06:12 Mobilizing Teams for the Great Commission12:00 Recruitment Strategies and Team Care18:03 Creating a Welcoming Environment24:00 Building a Welcoming Culture30:02 Conclusion and Key Takeaways

Reaching the next generation is a concern for any institution, especially the church. With Gen-Z leaving traditional religion in droves, how do we disciple this next generation and build up faithful, fruitful leaders? Today on The Intentional Churches podcast, Doug and Erin chat with THINQ’S Next Gen director, Grant Skeldon, to break down how exactly to reach young people for Jesus. As a young leader himself, Grant is on the front lines when it comes to discipling the next generation. Together Doug and Erin ask Grant to outline how Gen-Z is coming to Jesus, the different ways they’re responding to the Gospel, and how to inspire and equip this generation to make disciples. The three conclude their conversation by sharing strategies church leaders can implement today to reach and inspire this generation for Christ. Learn more about Grant and THINQ here: https://www.grantskeldon.com/. Download Intentional Churches’ FREE e-book on radical alignment here: https://www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. New to Intentional Churches? Start here: https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchosWebsite: https://intentionalchurches.com            The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches   CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Intentional Churches Podcast03:03 Understanding Gen Z's Relationship with Faith05:57 The Role of Prophetic Voices in Reaching Gen Z09:11 Contrasting Generational Approaches to Evangelism11:49 The Shift from Experience to Identity in Faith15:05 Discipleship: The Key to Reaching the Next Generation17:54 Equipping Gen Z for Evangelism and Discipleship21:01 Practical Steps for Church Leaders23:53 Conclusion and Resources for Further Learning

First Orlando’s Haley Malone never envisioned herself in ministry, but little did this former math teacher and volleyball coach know, she was already doing ministry just by building relationships with those around her. Now Haley serves as First Orlando’s groups director, overseeing all adult groups at the 150 year-old church. Doug sits down with Haley today to talk about how her passion for building authentic relationships translates to mobilizing group leaders, and how anyone—no matter your church size or position—can work to activate your people to make disciples. During her three years at First Orlando, Haley has personally seen how investing in relationships and living out The Great Commission has led to moments of life-change. Doug invites Haley to share some of those stories on today’s episode, and together they also break down how going first in initiating relationships can inspire your leaders to do the same, why outlining what you’re activating your people toward is so important, and some encouragement for those of us who tend to want to do it all. Download Intentional Churches’ FREE e-book on radical alignment here: https://www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. New to Intentional Churches? Start here: https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchosWebsite: https://intentionalchurches.com            The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches   CHAPTERS 00:00 Introduction to Haley Malone and Her Journey02:53 Haley's Role at First Orlando and Community Building06:07 Personal Application of the Great Commission08:53 Stories of Relational Evangelism11:47 Mobilizing and Activating Church Leaders15:13 Building Relationships in the Neighborhood18:03 Tools for Group Leaders and Community Engagement20:52 The Importance of Relationships in Ministry24:08 Encouragement for Church Leaders26:56 Conclusion and Resources for Listeners

Radical alignment with The Great Commission is a great goal to shoot for, but how do we actually take discipleship and make it personal? On this week’s episode of The Intentional Churches podcast, Doug sits down with Calvary Chapel’s executive pastor, Duane Roberts, to talk about authentic relationship-building, organizational alignment in a multi-campus church, and co-creation among teams. As a 10-campus church in ethnically diverse South Florida, leading Calvary Chapel has its own unique challenges. Together Duane and Doug hit on how Duane and his team promote alignment given these inherent complexities, why co-creation has become key to building up leaders and fostering trust amongst teams, and how Duane’s personal conviction to live out The Great Commission has translated to how he leads his teams. The episode concludes with the fruit Duane has seen from his team’s commitment to personal disciple-making and its transformation of Calvary Chapel from the inside out. Download Intentional Churches’ FREE e-book on radical alignment here: https://www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. New to Intentional Churches? Start here: https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchosWebsite: https://intentionalchurches.com            The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches