Articles + Podcast
How to Streamline Your Adult Discipleship Ministries
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 291 – Streamlining adult discipleship ministries Your church has eighteen different groups, six Sunday school classes, four Bible studies, two men’s groups, three women’s ministries, and a handful of other gatherings that…
5 Overlooked Guest Experience Questions
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 277 When a guest walks into your church for the first time, they’re carrying more than just a Bible or a coffee cup – they’re carrying questions. Lots of them. And while your weekend service might be excellent and your…
Top Church Volunteer Recruitment Hacks
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 276 Every church leader knows the challenge: you need volunteers to run effective ministries, but finding and keeping those volunteers feels like an endless uphill battle. Whether you’re trying to staff your children’s…
Three Things Your Elders Should Never Do
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 275 The role of church elder carries profound responsibilities and equally significant pitfalls. As someone who has spent years consulting with churches across the country, I’ve observed that even the most well-intentioned…
Eliminating Ministry Silos
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 274 Ministry silos are a persistent challenge that affects churches of all sizes. These isolated pockets of ministry activity can develop gradually and often go unnoticed until their negative effects become apparent. Within…
Four Things your church consultant doesn’t want to hear you say.
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 273 Church consultants often encounter certain phrases that reveal deeper issues within a congregation’s culture and mindset. Here are four common statements that raise red flags and why they deserve closer examination: 1….
The Great Commission vs The Comfortable Commission: Are We Playing It Too Safe?
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 272 Many churches believe they’re faithfully living out the Great Commission while unknowingly drifting toward what could be called the “Comfortable Commission” – a state where maintaining the status quo takes priority over…
Top Church Leadership Mistakes of 2024
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 271 As we reflect on 2024, a few things have emerged in church leadership that warrant careful consideration as we prepare to start the new year. It’s worthy of note that the things listed below would all be addressed at the…
Episode 270: Why the Early Church “Skipped” Worship Services
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 270 In this enlightening episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast, hosts Scott Ball and AJ Mathieu are joined by Dr. Tom Wadsworth, a renowned expert in New Testament studies. Dr. Wadsworth shares groundbreaking insights…
5 Reasons People May Visit Your Church This Christmas
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 269 An article in the Christian Post this week highlighted a surge in Bible sales as we move into the end of 2024. One suggested reason for this is that people are feeling anxiety for a variety of reasons and looking for…
The Best (& Worst) Times for Strategic Planning
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 266 You’ve recognized the need for strategic planning in your organization. The vision feels fuzzy, alignment seems off, and there’s a gnawing sense that you’re not moving forward as effectively as you could be. But as you…
The Common Failure Point in Church Revitalization: Key Insights for Implementation Success
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 233 – Why Church Revitalization Fails Although there are multiple points of church revitalization failure, the title is written in the singular because all the points below relate to one very important aspect of the…
How to Answer the Biggest Questions Seekers Have About Faith
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 208 Engaging with skeptics may be intimidating for many of us. But one of the most important skills that church leaders need to develop is how to answer big questions that spiritual seekers have about faith. The good news is…
An Epidemic of Apathetic Families: Curing “Sunday-Only” Faith
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 205 In today’s fast-paced world, an epidemic of apathy towards faith has emerged among families. While busyness is often blamed, the end result remains the same – parents are disengaging from discipleship. The passing…
How to Grow Your Church Without Compromising Your Values
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 204 Growth is on every pastor’s mind. Compelled by the Great Commission, pastors feel an urgency to reach more people and expand the impact of their churches. But this desire can lead down an uneasy path, causing otherwise…
From Fixed to Growth: Developing a Revitalization Mindset
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 203 If you’ve ever tried to get a stalled car rolling downhill, you know it takes immense effort just to get the thing moving. But once you’ve broken through that initial inertia, momentum takes over and the car practically…
What Your Church Can Learn from Grocery Stores: Why Culture Matters
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 202 Every time I drive by my local Kroger grocery store, I look over to see how full the parking lot is. They do ok, it’s not a ghost town, but let me put it this way…they don’t need a parking lot as big as the one they…
Post-Christian America: What’s Going Wrong In Our Churches?
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 201 Welcome to the post-Christian landscape in America. It’s no secret that our churches are facing a significant challenge – a decline in the adherence to a Biblical worldview, even among those who identify as Christians….
Top Five Episodes from the First 200
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 200 Time certainly has flown by! It was August of 2019 when Scott and I recorded our first few episodes of The Church Revitalization Podcast. We didn’t know what to expect or if anyone would listen. Now after nearly four…
Financial Stewardship: Cultivating Generosity in Your Church
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 199 It’s not a debatable point to say that churches need money to do ministry. So why is it so hard to talk about it? Many pastors carve out a couple Sundays each year for a sermon on giving because they feel obligated to do…
Balancing Ministry and Family: Maintaining Healthy Relationships Amidst Busy Schedules
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 198 Leading a fulfilling life as a pastor involves navigating the delicate balance between ministry and family commitments. The weight of responsibility can feel especially heavy, especially if our churches are struggling….
Six Burning Revitalization Questions
In “Burning Revitalization Questions,” Scott and A.J. take turns posing three hot-button questions each, sparking lively discussions and sharing their unfiltered hot takes.
Is Pastoral Care the Primary Role of the Pastor?
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 196 The following article is published as Appendix C in Dr. Malphurs Book, Being Leaders. God has allowed me not only to teach leadership at Dallas Seminary, but to minister in numerous churches and denominations as a…
Breaking Down Rick Warren and The SBC
The Church Revitalization Podcast – Episode 195 It’s been said that any publicity is good publicity, but when it comes to the Church, nothing could be further from the truth. The Southern Baptist Convention has had quite a year. I’m sure most involved parties would…