Archives: Episode

Laurie Graham and Mike Haynes discuss effective strategies for engaging and teaching teenagers in small church youth groups. 

The first step in getting volunteers starts well before “the ask.”   If you’re like most small churches and struggling with getting volunteers or you’re hoping to do better, you can’t keep doing the same things you’ve...

In this introduction to our Volunteer Series, we’re starting at the foundation and turning the tables on how some of our beliefs about volunteers – and quite a few commonly held teachings – are misguided and lead us...

Just because you’re part of a small church doesn’t mean ministry is less important in your small space.  Since we’re representing the God of the Universe, we should be concerned about doing ministry well!  If you don’t...

If you’re one of many who say you’re doing all the things because no one else will, if you’re flirting with burnout but committed to working unto the Lord, or you just plain want to find a little more peace & presence in...

God has a lot more in mind for our churches than different generations feeling misunderstood, unappreciated, and ignored. Instead of living in the beauty of intergenerational ministry that God created us for, many churches...

Choosing a curriculum for Children’s Sunday School can seem like a huge feat for small churches.  We spend a lot of time previewing options and then a lot of money trying some, adapting others, and wishing for something...

When leaders in small churches are frustrated by lack of attendance at events or programs, phrases I hear a lot include: People at my church aren’t committed. They say they want programs and then they don’t show up. They’re too...

Are you tired of planning meetings when no one shows up? Wondering how to build a team if you can’t get anyone to a training? Maybe you just want to make your meetings have more of an impact.  We’ve all been there. ...

The biggest struggle most small churches have is volunteers. There’s a lot of commiserating about the 80/20 rule. But is that even true?

We, humans, like numbers. We measure physical growth in meters or feet, bank accounts in dollars, and academic success in percentages. But as much as we like to measure success in numbers, it’s not how God designed His Kingdom....

Small church ministry isn’t less, but it is different. With smaller numbers and smaller budgets, many small churches struggle to try to keep up with the big church next door. What if we quit trying to compete with big places, and, instead, started embracing the gifts God’s uniquely given to smaller communities?