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The Loneliness Epidemic Among Pastors
Episode 952
Research from Barna reveals the top two reasons pastors consider quitting are stress and loneliness. This same study demonstrated an increase in pastoral loneliness—from 42% of pastors saying they fe…
Published on 4 months, 2 weeks ago
The Non-Legalist Reasons for Weekly Church Attendance
Episode 951
Too many church leaders shy away from encouraging weekly worship. They don’t want to sound legalistic. But that hesitation is a big mistake. In just 16 years, weekly church attendance has dropped sha…
Published on 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Who in the Church Should Hold Pastors Accountable?
Episode 950
Scripture gives clear qualifications for the characteristics of pastors. But who in the church should hold pastors accountable to these qualifications? Josh and Sam dive into the best practices for p…
Published on 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Weekly Church Attendance Patterns by Generation: 2016 to 2024
Episode 949
In this episode, Sam and Matt McCraw unpack weekly church attendance trends from 2016 to 2024 across four generations. While Boomers slightly increased from 27% to 28%, Gen X dropped from 24% to 22%,…
Published on 4 months, 3 weeks ago
The Johnson Amendment Reversal: Endorsing Political Candidates from the Pulpit
Episode 948
On this episode, Sam and Josh unpack a landmark development for churches: the Internal Revenue Service’s shift on the 1954 Johnson Amendment. In a joint court filing with two Texas churches and the N…
Published on 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Why the NLT Might Be the Best Bible You’ve Never Considered
Episode 947
Sam welcomes Dan Block to the Rainer on Leadership podcast. Dan is a Senior Translator for the New Living Translation. They discuss why the New Living Translation is the best choice for those seeking…
Published on 4 months, 4 weeks ago
Sermon Illustrations that Connect to the Bible Text (And Your Church!)
Episode 946
In this episode, Josh and Sam explore a fresh way to approach sermon illustrations. Instead of building a massive database with search tools and tags, consider categorizing your illustrations by type…
Published on 5 months ago
The Easiest (and Most Incredible) Way to Get Information from Your Guests!
Episode 40
Churches have long embraced technology to enhance their ministries, but the most successful churches are shifting beyond simply broadcasting information—they’re leveraging technology to create belong…
Published on 5 months ago
The Burge Report: Is Gen Z More Religiously Engaged than Their Parents?
Episode 945
New religious data in the United States was released recently, and Ryan Burge joins the show with Sam to discuss the details. In 2024, Gen Z showed relatively strong religious attendance compared to …
Published on 5 months ago
The Limits of Pastoral Care: When Counseling Isn’t Appropriate
Episode 944
Pastors provide spiritual guidance, but there are times when counseling crosses into territory best handled by trained professionals. In this episode, Josh and Sam explore the limits of pastoral care…
Published on 5 months, 1 week ago