The Church Lobby

Pastors need to read, not just for information, but for formation.Austin Carty and Karl Vaters cover topics like:The importance of reading many types of books, not just works of theology and leadershipHow reading helps us become more mature, wise, and caringHow reading the Bible with a sense of wonder helps embed its truths into our livesHow important it is to take reading seriously, not a luxury, or as something I squeeze in around ministry, but as an essential aspect of growing in life, faith, and ministry Links from this episode:Ministry In A Secular Age, by Andrew Roote-mail: acarty@boulevardbaptist.comBonus Chat How To Become A Pastor-reader (5 Takeaways), with Austin CartyIf you’ve had a hard time reading more, check out how Austin and Karl flesh out these following steps to becoming more of a pastor-reader:See reading as a pastoral visitDon’t start by trying to read too muchHold no knowledge or writing in contemptTrust that there is beauty to be found in all sorts of booksTry to read as much material off-line as possible.To get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Author Drew Dyck joins the host to discuss the importance of physical presence in pastoral ministry and the debate between quantity and quality time. They explore the value of consistency and perseverance, the significance of small steps, and being present in relationships. They emphasize the impact of intergenerational relationships, the power of simple acts of faithfulness, and the challenges in Christian publishing.

Burnout is a huge issue among pastors. But did you know there’s a simple (but not simplistic) way to start addressing and reducing burnout? And that your congregation can help you with it?That’s the premise of Karl's conversation with Josh Taylor, based on his book, A Preach Well Church: How Churches Can Stop Burning Out Pastors.Josh and Karl talk about what causes ministry stress, and how to start relieving that stress by doing the two primary tasks pastors are called to do – preaching and prayer.They also talk about:How good stewardship of a pastor’s time and energy should not be measured by what they do, but by what they focus on – prayer and preachingThat focusing on prayer and preaching does not – and should never – mean neglecting the other hands-on aspects of pastoral careThat planning and prioritizing our sermon prep time doesn’t just help us be better preachers, but it reduces the urgency, allowing us to be better caregiving pastor as welland moreLinks from this episode:ChatGPTYouVersion Bible AppBreezeCHMSPreachwell.comFacebook - Joshoutloud Bonus ChatHow Prayer Helps Reduce Ministry Stress (with Josh Taylor)While stress reduction is not the main reason for prayer, it is a wonderful, often under-appreciated side effect in three ways:It reminds us we are not aloneIt’s not just about getting things from God, but about giving things to himIt gives us strength to handle criticismTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

There are so many books about how to turn a lifeless church around. Most concentrate on the pastor’s role. But what about the role of the congregation members? In small churches, this is especially important.Karl Vaters talks with Bud Brown about how to help the congregation become agents of life and hope in a dying church through the power of prayer, from the content of the book, Lifeless to New Life: Biblical prayers to resurrect the lifeless church.The importance of praying the evangelistic prayers of the New TestamentPreparing the soil to receive a fresh visionHow to help a congregation embrace deep transition, not just surface changeLinks from this episode:https://www.turnaroundpastor.com/Podcast, The Genius of Thomas Sowell - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1826734 email - bud@budbrown.netBonus ContentThe 8 Prayers We Need For Church Revitalization, with Bud BrownThere are eight specific types of prayers that the New Testament tells us to pray.In this bonus content, Karl Vaters talks with Lavern E. “Bud” Brown about each of those prayer types, from his recent book, Lifeless to New Life: Biblical prayers to resurrect the lifeless church, including what those prayers are, why they matter, and how they apply in church turnarounds.To get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

In a recent survey, 80 percent of respondents said "yes" to the question, “since serving on a church board, do you feel your spiritual life has declined?” Why is this happening, and what can be done about it?In this episode, Karl Vaters talks with Dave Beckwith about How to Turn Your Board Meetings Into God Meetings, includingHow our current corporate style of board meetings isn’t just unbiblical, it’s causing great harm to boards, pastors and the churches they serveHow to shift to a more biblical modelHow to choose church leaders in a more biblical wayAdvice about the best board sizes and term limits Links from this Episode:Book - Washed and WaitingStanding Stone MinistryContact - Dave.B@Standingstoneministry.org Bonus Chat When God Uses a Drop In Numbers to Redirect Your Efforts, with Dave BeckwithKarl Vaters and Dave Beckwith talk about issues related to church size, based on a story that Dave tells in his book, and that Karl cites in his new book, De-sizing the Church (coming April 2, 2024). Specifically we ask, what happens when a drop in attendance numbers isn’t loss, but simply a redirection? To get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

With people attending church less frequently now, you average Sunday attendance represents a smaller percent of your regulars than ever befofe. And it affects how we pastor them and what they expect of the church in ways we may not realize.Karl Vaters talks about this with Chad Brooks, a co-vocational pastor, blogger at RevChadBrooks.com, and the host of the Productive Pastor podcast, about:Why church size matters— but not in the way you think it doesHow to determine how many people you’re actually pastoring, since it’s changed a lot in the last couple yearsWhy the main weekend service may no longer be the wide end of your church funnel, anymore Links:Karl’s Twitter feed with Chad’s commentsRevChadBrooks.comWhat The Drop In Attendance Frequency Means For PastorsDeclaring Church Size (and why it matters)No Silver Bullets (book)https://www.ihelppastorsgetjobs.com/Ryan BurgeThe Great DeChurching (book)https://substack.com/Ian Harber on Substack@revchadbrooksBonus ContentThe Moving Target of Small, Medium, and Large Churches — And Why It MattersKarl Vaters talks with Chad Brooks about three different ways of deciding whether your church is small, medium, or big, including some helpful information that Chad found from actually interviewing church members about it.This is important to know because if one person thinks 100 is small, another thinks 100 is medium, and a third person thinks 100 is big, it will change what they do, how they learn, and what leadership principles they follow.To get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

In this solo episode, Karl Vaters shares 22 lessons he learned on his recent sabbatical that will help you if you’re considering one yourself. Including:How long it should beHow to prepare for itWhat to expect, emotionally and mentallyHow to fade in and fade out of it slowlyand more BONUS MATERIAL How We Found Great Churches On Our SabbaticalIn the supplement to this episode, Karl Vaters dives a little deeper into his experiences attending other churches on sabbatical, including:Go with a friend you trustCheck out different Christian traditionsGo whether you feel like it or notFor a sabbatical coach, go to SeanNemecek.com.To get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Karl Vaters talks with Brady Shearer, summarizing a report about church trends and church size.Karl and Brady talk about those stats and what they mean for small church ministry, including:How stats don’t tell you a church’s story, but they can help you see things you might not otherwise pay attention toGood news about racial, age and ethnic diversity in churches over the last 20 yearsPlus, Brady uses his technical skills from his work with Pro Church Tools, to help churches navigate the biggest time of change in the last 500 years, including huge recent shifts in the way social media promotes content that can be a big benefit to your church.Links:Brady’s original thread on TwitterBrady’s thread content for those not on TwitterThe Faith Communities Today reportPro Church Tools YouTube pagePro Church Tools podcastNucleus websitehttps://vectormagic.com/ Bonus Chat Vertical Video and Cross-Platform PostingKarl talks with Brady Shearer about some of the very recent changes happening in social media and how content is promoted based on people’s likes, not their relationships.Brady also helps us understand how to use vertical videos better, plus some very practical steps on how to post that content to all social media platforms.To get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Karl Vaters talks with Greg Atkinson, the author of several books, including The Secret Power of Kindness: 10 Keys to Unlocking Your Capacity to Change the World. Greg is probably most well-known as one of the leading church experts on hospitality and First Impressions.In this conversation, Greg talks about his brave choice to end the cycle of abuse he inherited from his family and choose kindness instead. Plus, he answers several important questions, likeWhat is kindness?Why is kindness so powerful?Practical ways to become a kinder personLinks from this Episode:The Secret Power of Kindness: 10 Keys to Unlocking Your Capacity to Change the WorldSubscribe to Greg's Newsletterhttps://firstimpressionsconference.com/Gloo.comgreg@gregatkinson.comSocials - @gregatkinsonBonus Chat Karl and Greg talk about Why is Unity in Such Short Supply in the Church?In this video chat, they address some important trigger issues that Greg writes about in the last chapter of his book, including racism, politics, and more.To get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Forgiveness may be the most desired, but among the least understood virtues found in scripture, and in life. Karl Vaters talks with Dr. Bruce & Toni Hebel, co-authors of Forgiving Forward: Unleashing the Forgiveness Revolution. In this episode we talk about The Power of Forgiveness, including a lot of ideas that may feel counterintuitive to you, so lean in and hear the biblical foundation they’re building on. It may even reframe this entire issue for you.They also provide answers to questions such as:Why is forgiveness so hard to do?What are some of the dangers of unforgiveness?What are some of the blessings of forgiveness?What if someone is having a hard time forgiving?Links From This Episode:AbidingLife.comForgivingForward.com Bonus chat The 7 Protocols of Forgiveness with Dr. Bruce & Toni Hebel The authors of Forgiving Forward: Unleashing the Forgiveness Revolution talk with Karl Vaters about the ingredients that go into forgiveness from a biblical standpoint. This is exclusive content for sponsors and subscribers at KarlVaters.com.To get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.