The Church Lobby

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.

Karl Vaters interviews Dianne Finkelde, the author of several books, including Unlock Your Bible: The How-to Study Guide for Everyday Christians.Karl and Dianne talk about, not just the importance of reading the Bible, but how to read it in a way that the everyday person can understand it, appreciate it, and do what it says, including:Letting the Bible explain the BibleHearing God as he speaks to us through its pagesHow to remember what we readGoing deeper with character studies, word studies and moreLinks From This Episode:Unlock Your Bible: The How-to Study Guide for Everyday ChristiansTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

If you've never taken a sabbatical or wondered why they matter, this podcast is a great introduction to it.In this solo podcast, Karl Vaters talks about:Why sabbaticals matter for pastorsAn important lesson on time management from the life of the Apostle PaulWhy Karl is taking his sabbatical nowThe sabbatical template he will followHow to get the most out of a sabbatical Links:PastorSoul.comThe DREAM GuideBonus Chat Karl talks about the DREAM acronym he will be using on his sabbatical:Disengage from ministry and reengage with GodReconnect by spending quality time with family and friendsEvaluate your ministryAssess your needsMove into your new way of livingTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Karl Vaters interviews Sallie Guillory, the author of YouTube Strategy for Churches: A practical guide for your church to reach more people through YouTube.Karl and Sallie talk about some extremely practical ideas to use the world’s biggest video platform and second largest search engine to help people find your content, including:How to get more mileage out of the content you’re already creatingCreating videos that answer the questions people are actually askingHow to create short videos from longer presentationsWhy simple and helpful is more important than having high production valuesAnd more.Links:YouTube Strategy for Churches: A practical guide for your church to reach more people through YouTubeCanva.comAdobe expressSean Cannell on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@seanTHiNKsBonus chat 6 Tips to Write Better Titles for Your Church’s YouTube VideosIn this bonus content, Karl talks with Sallie Guillory about some very simple, practical ways to get your titles seen through the clutter of YouTube, including:How many words to use in your titleUsing keywords correctlyThe value of using question, numbers, and lists in the titleAnd moreTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Karl Vaters interviews Dale Sellers of the 95 Network, which provides resources for the 95 percent of churches that are not large.In this conversation, Dale and Karl talk about some of the important issues facing small churches as we come out of the pandemic and look ahead to 5-10 years of fallout, including:The need for rest and soul care for pastorsWhy the expected wave of pastoral resignations hasn’t happenedWhat to do instead of chasing absent membersThe importance of accurately defining your congregation’s current realityLinks:95 NetworkStalled: Hope and Help for Pastors Who Thought They'd Be There by NowThe New Very Large ChurchTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Karl Vaters interviews Michael Clary about the dangers of what he calls Elitist Christianity.This conversation was inspired by a Twitter thread Michael wrote in which he confessed to an arrogant attitude he had developed as a young, successful church planter. Michael found himself looking down on pastors and Christians who hadn’t had his training, even though they were the people whose shoulders he was standing on.His vulnerability, confession, and repentance hold great lessons for all of us.Links:Michael Clary on Twitter: @DMichaelClaryRead Michael Clary’s Twitter Thread on Elitist ChristianityRead it here if you’re not on TwitterTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.