Intentional Churches Podcast

How can churches move beyond an internal focus to reach their cities with the Gospel? Mark Ashton—lead minister at Christ Community Church in Omaha, NE—joins Erin and Doug on this week’s episode of The Intentional Churches podcast, sharing how his church—and a network of 60 churches in Omaha—is making relational evangelism a top priority.During their conversation, Mark introduces the concept of the "fat fringe"—individuals who self-identify as Christians but lack a genuine faith in Jesus. He explains how to train leaders to engage these individuals in relational evangelism. Mark also walks us through how the Within Reach network was formed, bringing churches together to share best practices, plant churches, and support citywide Gospel efforts.Throughout the episode, Mark offers practical strategies for church leaders, including how to instill a culture of evangelism within staff and congregations, ways to leverage local networks for greater Gospel impact, and how to overcome competition between churches.With powerful stories of the church working together and innovative outreach methods—like counseling centers that integrate faith and psychology—this conversation will challenge and inspire pastors and church leaders to rethink the way they see evangelism! Learn more about Mark and Christ Community Church on their website: https://www.cccomaha.org/. Don’t forget to reserve your spot for The Intentional Churches Conference in April 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 & Conference Announcement01:10 Meet Mark Ashton: His Ministry & Evangelism Journey04:25 The "Fat Fringe" & Evangelism in Omaha09:01 The Within Reach Network: A Collaboration for the Gospel16:15 Success Stories from Church Collaboration20:37 Mark’s Personal Conviction for Evangelism25:59 Creating a Culture of Evangelism in Church Staff31:33 How Within Reach Stirs Evangelism Across Churches34:50 Practical Evangelism Tactics for Church Leaders40:08 Lessons from Willow Creek’s Evangelism Model43:30 The Future of Evangelism & Final Takeaways

We’re back this week with another powerful conversation, this time with pastor and church planter Lou Pizzichillo of Long Island, NY! Lou and his wife planted Community Church in Long Island back in January of 2020 (ideal timing, as any church leader would know!), and he’s sharing with us the many lessons he’s learned in the five years since. Together Erin and Doug invite Lou to share his unique story of growing up Catholic in Long Island and how he eventually came to plant an evangelical church in his hometown. Along the way Lou learned the power sharing authentic stories can hold, how to navigate being a church for those who don’t go to church, and the challenges (and opportunities!) of having a lot of 1’s without as many 99’s. Towards the end of their conversation, Lou shares his best advice for continuing to disciple those 1’s in a fast-growing church environment, without expecting them to be “perfect” Christians right out of the gate. Especially if you find yourself in a similar context to Lou where going to church is the norm, but not everyone knows what an authentic relationship with Jesus truly looks like, you’re not going to want to miss this episode! Don’t forget to reserve your spot for The Intentional Churches Conference in April 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 Navigating Church Planting Challenges03:01 Cultural Context of Long Island Ministry06:09 The Birth of Community Church09:04 Relational Evangelism and Church Growth11:57 Building a Culture of Authenticity14:55 Harnessing Technology for Community Engagement18:11 The Power of Storytelling in Ministry21:05 Discipleship Challenges in a Growing Church23:58 Strategies for Effective Discipleship26:45 Navigating Growth and Cultural Dynamics30:07 Embracing the Journey of Faith33:05 Conclusion and Future Outlook

Welcome to a new year and a brand new season of The Intentional Churches podcast! We’re switching things up in 2025—shifting from a weekly release schedule to releasing longer, more in-depth conversations with leaders from around the country every other week. We’re so glad to have you along for the ride in Season 7! To kick things off, Erin and Doug are joined by Jim Sheldon, the Executive Pastor of Mission Church in Ventura, CA. Jim helped plant Mission in 2011 along with a team of other ministry leaders, and in that time he’s learned what’s worked (and what hasn’t) in Ventura’s unique community. Together Erin and Doug invite Jim to share his ministry story, plus dive in to what he means by doing more than “ordinary” church, aka activating your people to lead and disciple rather than just preaching more head knowledge from stage. The three also hit on how Jim personally  pursues the ones in his life, his advice for putting together teams that can be the hands and feet of Jesus as soon as there’s a need, and what it looks like to lead through the unexpected. We’re excited to kick off this new season, and new format, of Intentional Churches with you! Thanks for tuning in this week! Don’t forget to reserve your spot for The Intentional Churches Conference in April 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 Understanding the Desire for Depth in Faith10:30 Creating a Culture of Activation20:09 Relational Evangelism: The Power of Personal Connection29:53 Navigating Crisis with Authentic Vulnerability

For this final episode of 2024, Erin and Doug sit down with First Orlando’s Tracy Bowen to talk staff culture and how to create an irresistible cultural environment based on pursuing The Great Commission. Tracy holds a unique title at First Orlando—managing director of staff engagement and culture—and she’s used the position to help align the church’s staff towards reaching the ones far from Jesus and the church. Throughout today's conversation Erin and Doug invite Tracy to share her story—from how she finds new hires that align with the church’s culture to helping build that faithful and fruitful culture from the ground up. Together the three talk about why a healthy culture is so important on a staff team (big or small), how a pursuit of The Great Commission has changed that staff culture, and Tracy’s practical tips for building what she calls an “irresistible” place to work and serve. As we approach the end of the year, this is a conversation you and your staff team are not going to want to miss! Thanks for another great year of The Intentional Churches podcast! We’ll see you back here in 2025! 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 Introduction to Intentional Churches Podcast03:07 Tracy Bowen's Role and Background06:02 The Importance of Church Culture08:46 Building Relationships and Community12:05 Aligning Staff with the Great Commission15:00 Practical Steps for Cultural Improvement17:59 Staff Engagement and Development20:53 Communication Strategies for Teams24:11 Conclusion and Future Insights

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