Revitalize and Replant

Mark Clifton and Mark Hallock discuss an article from Chuck Lawless about why pastors and church leaders should feel uncomfortable in church. Some Highlights: You will be worshiping the one and only, true and living God. The Word of God penetrates to the depth of our being (Heb. 4:12). All of us have sin to deal with. Lost people should be there. A supernatural enemy will want you to ignore or deny God’s Word. You might have to deal with that person who “gets under your skin.” The command of the Great Commission is still in effect. If you’re a leader, you’ll answer for the way you care for the souls of the church (Heb. 13:17). If you’re the preacher, your responsibility is great. I say it again: None of us is perfect. Resources Related to This Episode: “10 Reasons Why Attending Church Should Make You Feel Uncomfortable This Weekend” by Chuck Lawless

Mark Clifton and Mark Hallock discuss an article from Thom Rainer that addresses why so many churches are in decline and how leadership development is key to adjusting to the changing realities of our cultural climate. Some Highlights: They don’t recognize the decline of cultural Christianity. They have many “church rules.” They have leaders who have never led in a highly unchurched mission field. They confuse tradition with the truth. They do outreach the way they’ve always done it. They are experiencing significant conflict due to frustration. They are very slow to respond. They have significant facility challenges. Resources Related to This Episode: “8 Reasons Many Bible-Belt Churches Are in Decline” by Thom Rainer

Mark Clifton and Mark Hallock discuss an article from Chuck Lawless on some areas that create tension in ministry. Some Highlights: Doing pastoral care vs. leading the organization Focusing on private study vs. doing public ministry Prioritizing new members vs. concentrating on longer-term members Doing evangelism vs. doing discipleship Budgeting for staff vs. budgeting for ministry and missions Changing things too quickly vs. changing them too slowly Spending time with family vs. being with the church family Reaching our neighbors vs. reaching the nations Honoring the past vs. preparing for the future Ministering to older folks vs. ministering to the young Extending grace vs. carrying out church discipline Hanging out with non-believers who need the gospel vs. hanging out with believers who love their church staff Resources Related to This Episode: “12 Balancing Acts in Ministry You Might Face This Week” by Chuck Lawless

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst are joined by Brandon Moore, who leads network partnerships for the NAMB Replant Team, to discuss what it looks like to raise up the next generation of leaders within your church. Some Highlights: Raising up leaders from the next generation isn’t optional. Begin to pray for God to lead young leaders to your church. Set aside resources and/or find partners to help bring a young leader on as a resident. Resources Related to This Episode: https://www.thesaltnetwork.com/ https://www.thecalvary.org/

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst are joined by Brandon Moore, who leads network partnerships for the NAMB Replant Team, to discuss ministry to the next generation of leaders. Some Highlights: The importance of inter-generational ministry for raising up next-gen leaders Why potlucks still work for community Resources Related to This Episode: https://www.thesaltnetwork.com/ https://www.thecalvary.org/

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst are joined by Colin Pugh, the urban strategist on the North American Mission Board’s Replant Team. Some Highlights: The importance of transitioning leadership to a new generation of leaders Leadership development is key The impact of a church’s “footprint” in its community Partnership with local businesses to minister to the community Resources Related to This Episode: To connect with Colin, reach out to [email protected]

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst are joined by Andy Addis, the rural strategies coordinator at the North American Mission Board, to talk about some unique aspects of rural ministry. “The Big Three” in Rural Ministry: Vocational Identity Low Resources Isolation

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst are joined by Andy Addis, the rural strategies coordinator at the North American Mission Board, to discuss transformational discipleship strategies. Some Highlights: Real disciples come away “smelling” like Jesus. True discipleship is about presence. The answer is not new discipleship material—it’s walking with Jesus. A four-step process to read Scripture: Summarize Expose Change Prepare Resources Related to This Episode: Reading It Right

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss Jason K. Allen’s book, Discerning Your Call to Ministry. Some Highlights: Do you desire the ministry? Does your character meet God’s expectations? Is your household in order? Has God gifted you to teach and preach His Word? Does your church affirm your calling? Do you love the people of God? Are you passionate about the gospel and the Great Commission? Are you engaged in fruitful ministry? Are you ready to defend the faith? Are you willing to surrender? Resources Related to This Episode: Discerning Your Call to Ministry: How to Know For Sure and What to Do About It by Jason K. Allen  

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss some ways to show Christlike hospitality to first-time guests. Some Highlights: Take initiative and pursue first-time guests. Welcome with enthusiasm. Show individual care. Be genuine and authentic. Serve people with joy. Communicate clearly.

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss some ways that pastors can minister through their own discouragement. Some Highlights: Discouragements are about God’s reign—so yield to His wife and His loving providence. Discouragements are about learning spiritual consistency—so maintain spiritual disciplines. Discouragements are about the affections—so cultivate a heart of worship. Resources Related to This Episode: “Pastor, Don’t Waste Your Discouragement” by Phil A. Newton

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst talk about why churches should consider moving back toward traditional Sunday School. Some Highlights: To grow in biblical knowledge To develop teachers To foster deeper community To engage the city better To embrace the role of the church Resources Related to This Episode: “5 Reasons We Switched from Small Groups to Sunday School” by Jim Davis

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst share some insights for small groups and Sunday School from Chuck Lawless. Some Highlights: The small group’s purpose must be clear. Intentional organization matters. Workers must be trained. Concern must be focused on the lost. Pastoral care via the small group must be organized. The goal of the Sunday School class is to multiply, to “plant” another class from the current class. Space matters. The class must “go after” the lost. Resources Related to This Episode: “10 Small Group Lessons from Old-Fashioned Sunday School” by Chuck Lawless “Recapturing Flake’s Formula for Groups” by Ken Braddy

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss how to minister to toxic people in your church. Some Highlights: The Gossip/Talker The Exploder The Passive-Aggressive The Cynic

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss an article from Garrett Kell, on the topic of dangerous signs in the life of a pastor. Some Highlights: Entitlement Greed Control Callousness Tribalism Unbalanced Gospel Resources Related to This Episode: “When to Distrust Your Pastor” by Garrett Kell

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss an article from Garrett Kell, discussing the danger signs in the life of a pastor. Some Highlights: Isolation Lack of accountability Defensiveness Resources Related to This Episode: “When to Distrust Your Pastor” by Garrett Kell

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss an article from Gavin Ortlund on some ways that pastors unintentionally hurt those who are already suffering. Some Highlights: Appeal too quickly to God’s sovereignty Launch into a story of how God used your suffering Minimize the wrongdoing that caused the suffering Emphasize character formation while neglecting comfort and compassion Resources Related to This Episode: “How Not to Help a Sufferer” by Gavin Ortlund

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss some ways to help inject new life into the weekly worship gathering. Some Highlights: Make sure the gathering is truly God-centered, not man-centered. Help people feel the weight and joy of worshiping God, not shallow and joyless. Let theological conviction shape every component, not pragmatism. Preach the Word with precision, passion, and application, not sloppy, dull, and impractical. Celebrate the Lord’s Supper consistently with intentionality, not as an afterthought. Do what you can with excellence, not what you can’t and not half-way. Keep it simple, not unnecessarily complex. Choose songs that are singable and sound in doctrine, not simply what is popular. Encourage congregational singing, not disengaged observing. Make sacrificial giving a worship opportunity, not something to be avoided. Regularly cast vision for how our worship of God must fuel the mission of God to make disciples, never assuming people drift toward the mission.

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss some of the benefits and pitfalls of using artificial intelligence in sermon preparation. Potential Benefits: Time efficiency Access to a large amount of research and language resources Potential Pitfalls: Risk of shallow theology Pastoral integrity Laziness Resources Related to This Episode: John Piper’s AI Prayer

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss different ways to effectively preach with a manuscript. Some Highlights: Two cons of manuscript preaching: Your delivery can be too wooden. You can miss what the Spirit is doing in the worship gathering A manuscript can provide clarity and coherence. Even in a manuscript, leave room for what Hallock calls “rant time.”

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss how to effectively preach without notes. Some Highlights: No notes DOES NOT mean no study Some of the potential pitfalls of preaching with no notes The importance of thinking through your introduction and closing You must know how you’re going to “land the plane”

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss some current trends that pastors need to be aware of for their churches and communities. Some Highlights: More social media issues Changing family dynamics Increasing cultural headwinds

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss some current trends that pastors need to be aware of—both within their churches and throughout their communities. Some Highlights: Mental health issues Senior life The current political environment Changing public schools Social media issues

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst share some reasons why churches are moving from multiple worship services with different worship styles to a single worship style. Some Highlights: Multiple worship styles created an “us-versus-them” mentality. The church did not have the resources to do multiple styles with quality. The church moved from multiple services to one service. The millennial generation has influenced many churches. Worship wars are waning. Multiple generations are becoming more accustomed to different types of church music and worship styles. Resources Related to This Episode: “Six Reasons Some Churches are Moving Back to One Worship Style” by Kenny Lamm

Mark Clifton, Mark Hallock, and Dan Hurst discuss an article from Sam Rainer on some simple and creative ways to love your local community. Some Highlights: Don’t go home. Join the fun. Live with your people. Stop complaining. Stay active. Join a civic organization. Try something new on a regular basis. Resources Related to This Episode: “Seven Ways to Love Your Community” by Sam Rainer