Enduring Churches Podcast with Alan and Trent

Epsiode 284: Endding Summer on a High Note Take a vacation Get outa dodge - sometimes the only way you can actually have a vacation is to literally get away. At least 3 days Catch up time with your family. There is no such thing as quality time - only quantity time. Mental vacation- Invite another preacher or speaker to come to your church for a couple of Sundays. Missionaries or retired missionaries Convention staff Let your other staff speak give a young person a chance to grow Do a retreat to regather your thoughts and plan Find a local camp that will let you stay for free Go to a bed and breakfast Create a "hard stop" in your ministry between summer and fall activities. creates a natural break establishes a new launching point.

Episode 283: A Prayer and Action Plan Increase My... Capacity Character Competence Compassion

Episode282: Does Your Church Need a Safety Team Why "Safety" over "Security" Should you have a church safety team? What is involved in putting a team together? training insurance Who to have on the team and who not to have on the team. background checks interviews ongoing training What is the responsibility of a church safety team? to keep the congregation as safe as possible from external and internal dangers or threats.

Episode 281: Unmeasured: Our Interaction with a Recent Article Read the Tithely Article Here:

Episode 280: Can Anything Good Come From Stormy "C"s? We learn the depth of our our faith life. prayer trust We learn perseverance We learn something about our leadership style We learn something about relationships We learn something to apply in the future We learn something we can share with another We learn something about timing Contact Alan: [email protected] Contact Trent: [email protected] Facebook Website

Episode 279: Should Your Church Have a Succession Plan What is a succession plan? Is a succession plan possible in a small church? Should a church have a succession plan for staff? What are important things to consider? What are steps we should take?

Episode 278: Breaking Up With Some Bad Ideas That bigger is always better That addition beats multiplication That leadership equals power That present success guarantees future success That weaknesses are always exploited That busyness equals productivity That no one can do it as good as I can Contact Alan: [email protected] Contact Trent: [email protected] Facebook Website

Episode 277: 3 Things to Do While We Take a Break This week Episode: Ranger Danger

Episode 276: VBS Never Ends on A Friday (or Thursday) VBS is not an end but a beginning With the Attenders 1. You should have family information 2. Follow Up with kids who make decisions 3. Follow up with unchurched families 1. By sending a thank you 2. By a phone call 3. With another invitation 4. A plan to follow up later With the Workers 1. Honest feedback is critical 2. What was successful? 3. What could have been better? 4. Where were resources well-used? 5. Where were resources wasted? With the Church 1. Thank people publicly for supporting VBS 2. Share stories that show its impact

Episode 276: 8 Areas of Continuing Improvements The Lifeway Research Article from 2022 Contact Alan: [email protected] Contact Trent: [email protected] Facebook Website

Episode275: These Are the People in Your Neighborhood Contact Alan: [email protected] Contact Trent: [email protected] Facebook Website

Episode 273: Mirrored Moments Biblical example David- "you are that man" note: not all moments are that drastic, but we wake up, hopefully come to some relaizations Our pride has taken us on a ride. We stopped yearning for learning. We preach but we don't do outreach. We want to lead but we don't want to bleed. Our passion isn't in fashion.

Episode272: Working Outside Your Sweet Spot When we have to do things we don't enjoy and don't do well... Self-aware - you have to know your personality social vs not social... your giftedness and skills administrative leader - management visionary leader not a strong leader... interests attending certain events... Necessity does it have to be me? does someone have the skill set? can someone else learn the skills? You can only survive this way for a time. spend a majority of your time in your areas of strength

Episode 271: Should I Go Back to School Should I go back to School? What is your ministry and personal purpose? are you lacking something? are you looking to something? What is the support level of your family and church? What will the impact be on your family and church? How will you account for the financial impact? Where will you choose? theological alignment versus diversity location program - I called and asked questions Bachelor's Master's level - basic skills in church and ministry or ThM - more academic degree, less on practical skills DMin - practical advanced degree to hone specific ministry skills project in ministry PhD - a research based degree Dissertation other options conferences internships mentorships certifications Pray aout the decision and seek advice from others

Episode270: Help! I'm in a Preaching Slump! Contact Alan: [email protected] Contact Trent: [email protected] Facebook Website Why do we get into a slump? You have been in a season of extreme busyness You've been dealing with conflict in church or at home Your spiritual life isn't as vibrant You have or haven't been away from the pulpit for a while You are neglecting good sermon preparation habits You are not thinking enough of the congregation (preaching at them) How do we get out? Still yourself Fall in love with the Word of God PRAY Take a couple of weeks as a break Develop your own sermon skills...examine another preacher's methods, read books... Get input from your congregation Remember you are the vessel, God is the One at work.

Episode 269: How To Receive A Mission Team Contact Alan: [email protected] Contact Trent: [email protected] Facebook Website Plan your projects well in advance Have a well thought out list of things to do Have contacts ready Have supplies ready Make sure you know about the team coming Know their leader and know that you can trust them Know their capabilities (Construction, evangelism, children etc.) Communication is key Communicate about expectations for the church and for the mission team Communicate expectations Communicate about sleeping arrangements and meals Communicate about materials the mission team is expected to bring with them. Communicate with your church about the team coming and expect them to be involved. Plan your calendar well 6 months out - make sure you have all your projects planned make sure you have approval from your church of costs and plans 3 months out - check with team and make sure their questions are answered. 1 month out - check with all local leaders to make sure things are in place. week of - Pep rally for your church to get them excited and remind them of the expectations afterwards - evaluate

Epsiode 268: How to Call a Pastor 2024 Pastors, If you retire or leave a church in a healthy manner, you have an obligation to set up your church for success. Are the bylaws up to date, clear, and workable you must follow your bylaws Do you have an external contact for your search team. Every search team needs training Move past the human nature side of things... Know that without guidance the tendency is to swing from extreme to extreme pastors in the past good pastors - what did they do not good pastors - what did they do Make preaching the last element you discover about the candidate The right person is more important than the right preacher character leadership theology family emotional intelligence Use a well-stablished process, hopefully you've gotten training a clear job description a clear budget a clear list of qualities what are the non-negotiables know where to put out requests for resumes respond to everyone who sends you a direct resume Try to avoid going through resumes one at a time; set a date to go through them together Communicate communicate with your church often have your church pray for you communicate with candidates as needed communicate written and unwritten expectations avoid bringing in multiple candidates to see "who you like best" find your one candidate and interview them Bring them in at the appropriate time Keep your search committee together for a year to serve as the mediator with your new pastor meet once a month and talk about how things are going be the first line of defense for your pastor family Remember you are inviting a leader to fulfill the church’s vision, not your own.

Episode 267: Planning an Excellent Mission Trip Contact Alan: [email protected] Contact Trent: [email protected] Facebook Website Principle to keep in mind: God calls every believe to be on mission! We can participate by Praying, Giving and Going Jesus himself gave us the model in Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” We need to be Holy Spirit powered and guided So prayer is critical to be in tune with God through His Holy Spirit On mission we are to witness of Jesus. Missions can look like many things and have lots of different activities, but if there is no witnessing about Jesus - then it is not a God-honoring mission trip We start local (Jerusalem) - if you won't witness locally, then you won't on the other side of the world. So your trip is just a vacation Judea - look for opportunities in your state and region Samaria - in our nation and to people that you might not ever feel comfortable around. Everyone on earth is the subject of God's love! Uttermost parts of the earth - Planning: Connect with a good mission agency Have a local contact person to work with Make a trip there prior to taking a group - so you know what to expect and are able to prepare your group. Be flexible Know your purpose...work, evangelism, support... Don't go with an agenda etched in stone - ask what the people there need.