The Stetzer ChurchLeaders Podcast

Thom Rainer, a writer, researcher, speaker, and current president and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources talks about ways to grow your church by making it a welcoming church.

Pastor and seminary professor A. J. Swoboda talks about the importance of the Sabbath and how the church needs to return to honoring it as prescribed in the Ten Commandments.

Pastor Karl Vaters talks about small churches and the vital role they play in the kingdom of God.

Pastor in residence for MOPS, Jamie Mertens talks about the importance of getting moms involved to help your church grow.

Author and speaker Christine Caine talks about protecting your heart during times of doubt in ministry.

Rich Birch talks about new tools and old in helping your church grow.

Chicago pastor Choco de Jesus talks about church planting and specifically reaching Latinos in this week's ChurchLeaders podcast.

In this week's podcast Ed Stetzer discusses leadership and management in the church.

Grant Skeldon has advice for millennials and the people who mentor them in this week's podcast.

Hillsong global pastor Brian Houston talks about thinking big and recognizing the special talents and skills God has given you.

Pastor and author Jeff Vanderstelt warns there is a great potential for arrogance for mentors who simply provide information without taking the time to ask questions.

Worship leader Matt Redman talks about his early days in ministry and how worship has changed over the years.

Dave Ferguson talks about the exponential growth of the church when it practices multiplication in all areas, including leadership.

Pastor, professor and author Eric Bryant talks about reaching the unchurched in your area and how to best introduce them to spiritual issues.

Pastor and author Jo Saxton says place the broken pieces of our life in God's hands, we can find a greater freedom to move into what he has for us.

Church marketing specialist Ryan Wakefield talks about the preparations that need to be made now for Easter Sunday and ways to make sure guests return after the holiday.

Nick Vujicic talks about evangelism, mentoring and balancing family life with ministry in this podcast.

Pastor and author Daniel Henderson talks about the impact of prayer on leadership.

Steve and Jackie Green talk about the challenges they faced in starting the Museum of the Bible.

Brett McCracken presents the truth that Christianity can be difficult, but the eternal rewards are worth the temporal discomfort.

Pastor Brian Zahnd talks about the importance of interpreting scripture through the lens of Jesus. He also says a priority in all of the Bible is the grace of Christ.

Daniel Fusco is a pastor, writer and musician. He came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ in April of 1998 while he was in his last year at Rutgers University. Daniel's passion for the lost keeps him playing music and drinking coffee in and around Portland, OR where he is able to minister outside the four walls of his church, Crossroads Community. In this episode he talks about succeeding a longtime pastor and what the transition taught him.

Josh and Sean McDowell have updated the classic, "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" for today's culture. The father-son team discuss new approaches to apologetics in a post-truth world.

Clay Scroggins knows what it means to be a really good number two (or three, or four...). In the ministry world, having the ability to lead well from behind the scenes is an invaluable skill.

John Eldredge's new book "All Things New" looks at what the lives of believers will be like when we reach Heaven. Eldredge says believers will be all that God intended for them to be.

Warren Bird is a primary researcher and writer for Leadership Network. In this episode, Warren talks about the number one thing he sees pastors neglect as they pursue church growth.

Alan Hirsch shares a blueprint found in Ephesians chapter 4 that delineates roles for church members and leaders alike. This blueprint could potentially revitalize your church and its ministries.

Pastor Glenn Packiam shares the value he's found in observing the rhythms of the Christian calendar—both personally and corporately with his congregation.

Lisa Bevere and her husband started Messenger International in 1990. Since that time, Lisa has written several best-selling books and learned a thing or two about leadership. Listen as she explains why she doesn't believe God loves us all equally and why this might actually help you lead without rival.

Eugene Cho founded a multi-ethnic, multi-generational church in Seattle with his wife. Through the sacrifice of an older church, Cho and his congregation were able to reach out to their neighborhood. In this episode, Cho articulates some important elements for pastors seeking to make a positive impact on their neighborhoods.

Scot McKnight has been helping university students reconcile their faith with the things they learn in biology class for many years now. He has also entered the discussion about evolutionary theory and what it might mean for our understanding of God and Scripture. Join us as he unpacks the things he's learned along the way.

Professor Wright invites you to look at the crucifixion with fresh eyes and eager anticipation as you "trust the God of surprises."

A comfortable Christianity refuses to give up comfort for the cause of Christ. But, as Louie Giglio explains, this type of Christianity will never be able to slay the Goliaths of our time: Things like addiction, depression, and the uncertainty we face.

Jarrid Wilson knows what it's like to struggle with a mental illness while also being in leadership. Does such a struggle disqualify one from leadership? And what can the church do to de-stigmatize the problem of mental illness in our congregations?

Max Lucado has been called "America's Pastor". He certainly has enough experience in ministry to see that we are living in times where people are experiencing an unprecedented amount of anxiety. To the point where pastors need to know not only how to help people with this difficulty, but also how to help themselves.

Efrem Smith has a rich history of ministry in diverse contexts. Now, as a teaching pastor in an urban, multi-ethnic church, Efrem shares his experience dying to self in order to reach across racial lines with the reconciliation of Christ.

Todd Adkins is the director of Leadership at LifeWay. After serving in various pastoral roles himself as well as consulting churches across the United States, Todd understands what it takes to develop leaders. He also knows what it takes to get a church "unstuck" from developing leaders from within its own walls. Leadership development is crucial for all pastors, because, as Todd says, "the best way to grow your church is to grow your people."

Shane Claiborne tends to think outside the box of American Christianity as we know it. One thing that he is absolutely convinced of, however, is the call of Christ to invite people into his offer of salvation and to dwell in unity with the brethren—whether we vote the same way or not. Shane shares advice for pastors to experience joy in the face of the very difficult tasks they have and how to protest in a Christ-honoring way.

The most expensive hire a church can make is the wrong hire. Willaim Vanderbloemen of the Vanderbloemen Search Group understands the impact the right hire can make in a church and corporate setting. He shares the best practices of both worlds to help you make a potentially game-changing decision for your church.

Mark MacDonald has a teacher's heart, loves local churches, and is dedicated to improving church communication strategy so more will be reached for Christ. In this episode, Mark gives practical advice for churches to discover their audience and reach those in their community.

Every church experiences tough transitions and desert moments. Sometimes these moments last much longer than anyone anticipates. Dave Gibbons, leader of Newsong Church in California, shares the wisdom he's learned from going through desert moments with his church and how he managed the new things that sprung from those times.

Os Guinness speaks about the problems of consumerism, modernism, and pluralism in the western church and how they have weakened our defenses against the world. While it may look bad, Os assures us: "As Christians, we should always be realistic—but with hope."

Jodi Hickerson, her husband, Mike, and two other couples moved to California to start a church plant five years ago. In this interview, Jodi shares some of the practical things their team has done to engage the community, as well as the steps an established church in the area took to support their plant.

Adam Hamilton is the founding pastor of the largest United Methodist Church in the U.S. He shares insights he's learned on leadership from the example of Moses in Scripture, as well as the practical lessons he learned from shepherding a burgeoning church.

Kyle Idleman discusses grace and how it is sometimes more difficult for pastors to experience grace than other people.

Peyton Jones is self-described a church planting ninja. Having planted churches in Europe and the U.S., he shares the knowledge he's gained from studying a New Testament model of planting and testing it out through his experiences.

Eugene Peterson has done a lot of things in his lifetime, including writing The Message Bible. He also planted and pastored a church for over thirty years. Our conversation covers the things Eugene has found helpful and not-so-helpful in his years in ministry.

Dr. Jeff Myers of Summit Ministries is a Christian apologist who works with young people. He recently paired up with the Barna Group to discover the dominating worldviews that influence church-goers. Among other surprising findings, the research concluded that only one in five church-going Christians holds a biblical worldview. Jeff discusses what other worldviews influence our thinking and how this affects our choices.

Shawn Lovejoy of CourageToLead.com has coached a lot of pastors and church teams. In this interview, he gives practical tips for building a healthy culture, a healthy team, and put effective systems in place to allow growth in your church.

We don't always think of social justice and economic transformation when we think of the gospel. But Mark DeYmaz argues that to ignore or refuse to engage in these things would, in fact, be undermining the gospel.