

Intentional Churches Podcast
Doug Parks & Erin Johnston
Church Leader, shift your focus from mere institutional insights to individual transformation. Be intentional. Join hosts Doug Parks (CEO and Co-Founder of Intentional Churches) and Erin Johnston (Co-Executive Pastor of Canyon Ridge Christian Church) as they share weekly thought-provoking discussions and actionable takeaways that will resource you to help your people encounter Jesus. Take the step toward authentic discipleship of your congregation so you can mobilize the ninety-nine to reach the one.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 23, 2024 • 31min
How do I Build a Multiplication Mindset in my Church? | S02.E02
This episode of the Intentional Churches Podcast explores the concept of building a multiplication mindset in church leaders. The conversation highlights the difference between institutional multiplication and personal multiplication, emphasizing the importance of individual disciple-making. The hosts share their experiences at Canyon Ridge Christian Church and discuss the need for multiplication fluency and the M.A.W.L. process. They also discuss the Acts 1-8 model and the potential of multiplication in a church. The episode concludes with practical tools for developing a multiplication mindset. Thank you for tuning into this episode of the Intentional Churches podcast! To learn more, please visit intentionalchurches.com. **The ChurchOS Conference is now the Intentional Churches Conference! Learn more and register you and your team at https://intentionalchurchesconference.com Chapters: (00:00) The Journey with Jesus and Transformation (03:00) Understanding Institutional Multiplication (06:00) The Transformation at Canyon Ridge Christian Church (09:00) Multiplication Fluency and Personal Disciple Making (12:00) Shifting Mindset to Personal Multiplication (16:00) Awareness and Engagement with People Far from God (18:00) Generational Multiplication and the Gospel (20:00) Simple Tools for Multiplication (24:00) Multiplication Mindset in Staff and Elders (28:00) The Potential of Multiplication in a Church (30:00) Practical Tools for Developing a Multiplication Mindset

Jan 16, 2024 • 32min
What Does Mobilizing Church People Mean? | S02.E01
On this first episode of the Intentional Churches podcast, Erin and Doug discuss what it actually means to mobilize our church people. Erin draws from her on-the-ground experience at Canyon Ridge to talk about how that church has pivoted from an inward-facing model to an outward one, all in the hopes of making disciples that make more disciples. Together Erin and Doug break down generational multiplication, why churches have become so reliant on their staff to steer the ship (and how to get away from that tendency), and what it means to cast a church-wide vision that’s people-focused, not content-focused. The episode ends with Doug’s challenge to church leaders to make the Great Commission a personal mission statement before it’s ever an organizational one. Want to hone in on how mobilization can radically transform your people? Don’t miss this conversation! Thank you for tuning into this episode of the Intentional Churches podcast! To learn more, please visit intentionalchurches.com. Chapters: (00:00) Introduction and Background (01:08) Defining Mobilization (03:04) The Importance of Getting People Moving (06:21) Understanding Multiplication in Church Context (07:40) The Institutional Mindset in the Church (08:39) The Impact of COVID-19 on Institutional Thinking (09:08) The Role of Church Staff in Mobilization (10:32) Institutional Thinking in Smaller Church Environments (11:24) Shifting the Focus from Institution to Individuals (13:44) Helping People Take Baby Steps (14:37) Building Awareness and Casting Vision (17:00) Celebrating Baptisms and Empowering Baptizers (19:18) Transitioning from Institutional Mindset in Host Moments (20:14) Creating Spaces for People to Find Their People (22:00) Developing a One-Aware Mindset (23:55) Sharing Transformation Stories (25:25) Transitioning from a Cruise Ship to River Rafts (28:51) Helping Church People Live Dynamic Lives (30:16) Building Awareness and Praying for Relationships (32:09) Conclusion

Jan 9, 2024 • 2min
Season 2 Coming Soon!
I'm a church leader just like you, and are you wanting to see more people in your community come to know Jesus? Are you wanting to fight the Christian consumerism that's emerged in all of our congregations? Are you tired of the same old books, conferences, and podcasts claiming to help with these very real ministry leadership challenges?Hey there, I'm Doug Parks , CEO and co-founder of Intentional Churches, and it's my personal mission to help shift your focus back to the basic blocking and tackling of ministry leadership, to call us all back to the basics of making the Great Commission a personal mission statement for every Jesus follower. Together, we want to multiply kingdom impact with intentional churches just like the one you serve in leadership. In fact, we built an entire church leadership system that we've now installed in over 600 churches nationwide, and we want to share those learnings and ideas with you and invite you into what's becoming the great collaboration between those church leaders. We're excited about season two of our podcast. We simply call it the Intentional Churches Podcast, and I humbly ask you to consider giving a listen to see what this back to basics call might look like in the church you serve.Together with my incredible co-host, Erin Johnston. And let me tell you, she's an incredible young millennial executive pastor in a great church. We promised to share thought provoking discussions and actionable takeaways that will resource you to help your people reach and grow the people in your community. So if you're ready to take the big step toward mobilizing and activating your congregation, we oftentimes say mobilizing your 99 to reach and grow their ones. Join us for season two of the Intentional Churches podcast we're launching in early 2024, wherever you listen to or watch your podcast. https://intentionalchurches.com/

Nov 20, 2020 • 15min
E10: How Can Intentional Churches Help My Church?
Discover how Intentional Churches can partner with your church to activate the Great Commission and develop rhythms for greater Kingdom impact. Explore a different approach to church growth and engagement options with Intentional Churches. Learn about the vision for mobilizing churches and the role of ChurchOS in increasing church impact and community reach.

Nov 20, 2020 • 28min
E09: Vision Activation: Managing Today With Tomorrow in Mind
This podcast explores the concept of ChurchOS and its potential to revolutionize church operations. They discuss the importance of developing rhythms and filtering systems for effective leadership, using a dashboard to track and analyze church data, and the impact of boards and governance on pastors. They also emphasize the value of aligning the board with the execution plan for positive outcomes.

Nov 20, 2020 • 28min
E08: Driving Alignment Towards Your “True North” Vision
The podcast explores the importance of casting and aligning vision for a church, emphasizing the need for a clear and compelling vision centered on the Great Commission. It also discusses the significance of being honest and creating a realistic plan for the future, as well as continuously refreshing the vision and using tension as a tool for alignment. The speaker shares their experience of growing a church despite budget cuts and highlights the importance of skilled teams in refreshing the vision.

Nov 20, 2020 • 30min
E07: How to Increase Engagement for Your “ONE”
Every healthy, growing church needs a set of simple steps to help people move closer to Jesus, others, and your church. Doug and Bart talk about the Engagement Pathway, a crucial companion to the Great Commission Engine for connecting your “ONE” more effectively. No matter how clear or strong your existing pathway might be, this episode will challenge your thinking! NEXT STEPS Check out our book, Intentional Churches, wherever you buy your books Visit intentionalchurches.com to get free resources and learn more about how we can partner with your church Stay connected by subscribing to our monthly resource newsletter at intentionalchurches.com/blog Learn more about the Activate Experience at churchosonline.com

Nov 20, 2020 • 30min
E06: Focusing on “the ONE”
The hosts discuss the importance of individuals within the church and investing in relationships with 'the ones'. They explore reaching the 'One' locally and globally, balancing vision and specificity, the importance of heart and relational connections, and shaping a new mindset towards individuals' influence in reaching others.

Nov 20, 2020 • 27min
E05: Are You Allocating Your Resources Appropriately?
The podcast discusses the importance of allocating resources in ministry to see the greatest Kingdom impact. They explore challenges such as stagnant ministries and cul-de-sac ministries. The hosts emphasize the need for growth and innovation, as well as the impact of a catalytic weekend experience. They introduce the buffet tool for strategic ministry decisions and acknowledge the uncomfortable conversation of resource allocation for pastors.

Nov 18, 2020 • 22min
E04: The Danger of Poor Evaluation (5 Ways NOT to Evaluate)
The podcast discusses the importance of objective evaluation in churches and highlights five ineffective evaluation methods. It emphasizes the need for evidence-based evaluations, the significance of objective standards, and the role of evaluation in improving the worship experience. The hosts also preview the next episode on effective resource allocation in ministries.