The Church Lobby

Karl Vaters interviews Darrell Stetler, a small-church pastor, father of seven, and creator of NewStart discipleship curriculum, written with the needs and strengths of small churches in mind.In this conversation, Darrell and Karl talk about the importance of discipleship in the life of the church – and as a central role in our calling as pastors.Some key topics include:The importance of helping people create discipleship habits, not just filling their heads with informationMaking sure to see discipleship as a whole, not broken into individualized piecesThe essential role that mentoring plays in discipleship – especially in the early days of someone’s walk with ChristPlus, Darrell’s way of describing new believers as infants in Christ provides a fresh insight that is especially fresh and helpful from a pastoral perspective.Links From This Episode:Get.NewStartDiscipleship.comDiscipleshipInTheHome.comSmart ReceiptsEvernoteTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Karl Vaters interviews David Zahl, author of Seculosity: How Career, Parenting, Technology, Food, Politics, and Romance Became Our New Religion and What to Do about It.In this episode, Karl and David have a wide-ranging conversation about how the religious landscape has changed in our culture, but not in the ways you may have thought. According to David, we haven’t become less religious, but the objects of our worship and the rituals and rules around that worship have changed from vertical to horizontal.If you are a church leader, this episode will help you get a handle on some of the confusing shifts in attitude and behavior that may be frustrating you as you attempt to lead a congregation.In this episode, we narrow in on the subjects of:• Busyness• Parenting• Politics• Jesuslandand how each of them may be playing themselves out in disruptive but subconscious ways in our lives and congregations.MockingbirdThe MockingcastLow Anthropology: The Unlikely Key to a Gracious View of Others (and Yourself)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 Alan Briggs, a pastor, the author of Staying is the New Going, the host of the Right Side Up Leadership podcast and StayForth.com. Karl and Alan talk about why geography matters in church leadership. Especially in an increasingly-mobile and increasingly-electronic world, staying planted where God put you is more important than ever for effective, incarnational ministry. Staying in a church long-term may have its challenges, but they are far outweighed by their advantages – for the church, the pastors, the pastor’s family, and the community they’re called to serve.Some important topics we cover include:• Why are American pastors especially transient, and what problems does this cause?• What does it mean to choose to be a local even if you aren’t a native?• The importance of “faithful presence”• Why sabbaticals matter, and why doing them with a plan is essentialStaying is the New GoingStayforth.comRight-Side Up Leadership PodcastTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Karl Vaters interviews Aron Utecht, a pastor and the host of the Good Ideas for Churches podcast. Karl and Aron talk about some of the positive trends he’s been seeing in the church and among pastors, including a refocusing on mission rather than an obsession with methods.They also talk about the value of podcasting for pastors and churches, including what question we must answer before we’re ready to ask “should I start a podcast?”Hint: sometimes the answer is “no”. In a lot of situations the best use of our limited time and energy may be to invest ourselves even deeper into the church and the surrounding community with low-tech, hands-on touches.So Aron encourages us not to get enamored with the tools and toys. Know what God has called you to do, then do it in the best way you know. If that’s a high-tech answer, fine. But if it’s old-school pastoring, which it will be for most of us, stay faithful in that.Links from This EpisodeGood Ideas for Churches podcastGoeyesup.comThe Ten Minute Bible Hour podcastFollow on Twitter @AronUtecht 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 Rick Hiemstra, a former small church pastor, now serving as the Director of Research at the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.Rick and Karl talk about a wide variety of subjects, including the Church Growth Movement, technology and how it has affected the way we approach pastoring.Some helpful insights include:What has people’s attention is what shapes them, and technology has radically altered what has our attentionHow technology has shaped people’s expectation of what to expect from their church and their pastorHow technology subconsciously changed pastors from shepherds to content producersThe important difference between “growth” and “scale”How small churches are especially suited to meet the changing needs of a world whose attention is so easily divertedAnd much more.Links from this episode:Rick.Hiemstra@theefc.caevangelicalfellowship.caAndy Crouch - The Tech-Wise FamilyJustin Earley - The Common RuleThe HTML of Cruciform Love: Toward a Theology of the InternetOnline Conversation | After Babel: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World with Andy Crouch & Jonathan HaidtTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Karl Vaters interviews Ron Klassen of the Rural Home Missionary Association (RHMA) about seeing the unique nature of the small church, not as a problem to be solved, but as a strength to leverage, and even to exploit. Here are a few highlights:Small churches have unique ministry gifts that shouldn’t be seen as problems to fix, but as positives to exploit.The relational aspect of small churches is something we need to lean into, not shy away from. It will even make you come across as a better preacher!A lot of small church ministry happens off-book and outside of organized programs. Exploit that.Don’t take intergenerational relationships for granted. And don’t push back against them. Exploit the value of them by being intentional about them.If you know a small town or rural church leader who could use this encouragement and these ideas, pass this episode along to them. And pick up Ron’s book, Maximize! Leveraging the Strengths of Your Small Church.Links:Maximize!: Leveraging the Strengths of Your Small ChurchRural Matters InstituteTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Karl Vaters interviews Matt Whitman, host of the Ten Minute Bible Hour podcast and YouTube channel.Karl and Matt talk about the intersection of Bible teaching/preaching and pastoral care. This conversation also covers The importance of our online presenceHow to avoid the temptation of living by clicksTaking care not to get stuck wandering down political and theological rabbit trailsWhy teaching about the Bible is as important as teaching from the BibleLinks:The Ten Minute Bible Hour YouTubethetmbh.comMatt Whitman TwitterNo Dumb Questions PodcastDwellGetting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving InHow To Think: A Guide for the PerplexedTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Karl Vaters interviews Matt Steen, a former pastor and church planter, now with Chemistry Staffing, a ministry that helps churches find great staff members (and helps staff members find great churches).The episode is filled with practical advice, includingWhat’s changed in pastoral transition/placement over the last generationHow the pandemic has accelerated pastoral transitionsThe five key principles to look for when looking for a new pastor or churchOf special help will be how Matt describes the difference between “close-fisted” and “open-handed” theological issues, as well as the importance of giving churches time to get used to a pastoral departure, and to get ready for a new pastor.These principles are especially important in a small church context because the unique characteristics of the church need to be identified and accounted for in a pastoral search. And if they are, the so-called pastoral revolving door may just slow down for a lot of churches and pastors.Links:Chemistrystaffing.comBefore You Go, by Wade HodgesWhen to Leave, by Wade HodgesThe Pastor: A Memoir, by Eugene H. PetersonTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Karl Vaters interviews John C. Nugent about this subject, which is at the root of some of the biggest challenges pastors are facing today.Dr. Nugent is the author of several books including Endangered Gospel: How Fixing the World Is Killing the Church. He is a professor of Old Testament studies at Great Lakes Christian College, and co-host of the After Class Podcast.John’s approach helps us understand where common misunderstandings about these issues come from so we can address them lovingly and biblically. He also frames these issues according to the entire story-arc of scripture, rather than just proof-texting.This is a great way to see the church for what Jesus called us to be. Not isolated from the world, but as a representation of the Kingdom of God within the world.Links:Endangered GospelAfter Class podcastJohnNugent.netWorks of Gerhard LohfinkTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Karl Vaters interviews Cory Hartman, co-author of Future Church: Seven Laws of Real Church Growth about what happened when church growth answers didn't work for him or the church he served.His background and experiences will sound familiar to most small church leaders. And this conversation will be very encouraging.In this conversation, Cory and Karl talk about How Cory, a “failed” small church pastor became the co-author of a book about church growth (including an update of what "failure" really means)The essential distinction between what he calls Upper Room and Lower Room churchesThe four “can’t miss” answers for church growth, and how they did miss for him How he redefines some important terms like “church growth”, “success”, "discipleship” and “conversion” in more biblical waysAnd more.Links:Future Church: Seven Laws of Real Church GrowthBecoming a Disciple Maker: The Pursuit of Level 5 Disciple MakingFuturechurch.coTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.