The Small Church Ministry Podcast

At some point, we have to admit that recruiting isn’t fixing our volunteer problem. We keep planning … and then trying to get people to care about it afterward. And that’s where things break down. But what if the real shift happens before anything is planned? When people are part of the process early, something changes. They don’t just hear the plan- they help shape it. And when that happens, ownership follows. In this episode: Why ownership starts before the plan is finishedThe simple shift ...

Most churches assume they have a numbers problem. They’re trying to get more volunteers, when what really needs attention is the experience people walk into. It’s rarely a recruiting problem. It’s a culture issue that started long before the ask - shaped by what people have seen, heard, and come to expect from “volunteering.” In this episode: Why “we need more volunteers” is often the wrong starting pointWhat’s really influencing whether people say yes - or quietly opt outThe hidden pat...

Every summer, we quietly start competing—with travel, sports, family time—and it gets exhausting. But what if the problem isn’t where people are going … It’s how we’re responding to it? People having full, busy lives isn’t a threat to the church. It might actually be the starting point for better ministry. The tension between church and real life in the summerWhy we feel frustrated (even when we don’t say it out loud)What changes when we stop competing and start noticingMeeting pe...

We close Stop Doing This to Volunteers: Top Mistakes Our Churches Are Making with one of the most uncomfortable conversations of all — quitting. When there’s no clear exit, service slowly turns into obligation. In this episode, we talk about why healthy ministries build off-ramps on purpose — and how giving people freedom actually builds more trust, not less. In this episode, we cover: Why every volunteer role should have a clear and normal way to endHow guilt-based retention quietly da...

This episode in Stop Doing This to Volunteers: Top Mistakes Our Churches Are Making looks at how we unintentionally sideline volunteers before they even begin. We’ve been taught in leadership to make plans first and ask for help later. Turns out, that’s a great way to make people feel unnecessary, unimportant, and often unseen. In this episode, we cover: How early planning decisions limit participationWhy people disengage when they’re brought in too lateWhat shared ownership actually lo...

In this episode of Stop Doing This to Volunteers: Top Mistakes Our Churches Are Making, we talk about something subtle but powerful: the way our language and posture shape culture. When we treat people like “just volunteers,” we reinforce hierarchy instead of partnership, and “helping” instead of ownership. In this episode, we cover: How subtle language changes send powerful messagesHow hierarchy creeps in without us noticingSmall shifts that move us toward shared ownership RESOURCES M...

This episode kicks off our Stop Doing This to Volunteers series by naming a simple but overlooked leadership habit: never revisiting where someone serves once they’ve said yes. We talk about the fear that keeps churches from inviting movement, and the belief many people carry that enjoying their role — or wanting something different — is somehow selfish instead of faithful. In this episode, we cover: Why long-term service doesn’t always mean long-term fitThe fear that asking “what would...

We’re sharing something special this week. Right after our Women’s Ministry for Small Churches Conference, we’re bringing you the opening mainstage session - a conversation that pushes back on the pressure-filled, program-heavy version of outreach many of us were handed. In this episode, we explore: Why traditional outreach models often don’t work in small churchesHow Jesus-centered outreach starts with people, not programsWhat it looks like to live with our communities instead of trying to d...

So much women’s ministry is built on calendars, themes, and events - and yet many women still feel unseen, overwhelmed, or disconnected. In this episode, Jessica Francavilla and I talk about what it looks like to actually discern what women need in a given season, and why programs alone often miss the deeper spiritual and emotional realities women are carrying. We share how a small, multi-generational team listened, paid attention, and responded in ways that were more relational, ...

Burnout doesn’t happen because your pastor failed, your church is unhealthy, or no one stepped up to help. It happens when we believe we have no choice and keep serving under pressure instead of agency. In this episode, we talk honestly about why burnout isn’t someone else’s fault, why that truth can feel uncomfortable at first, and why it’s also the doorway to real change. You’ll hear: The stories that keep us stuck in burnout without realizing it Why waiting for leade...

This final episode in the finance series is a gentle reminder that the weight of your church’s future was never meant to sit on your shoulders. We talk about the very real year-end stress small churches feel, how Jesus measures ministry differently than we do, and why rest is an act of faithfulness, not neglect. If your church feels tired or stretched this month, this conversation will take the pressure down a notch. Listen in to hear: Why December pressure feels so personal - and...

Most small-church budgets weren’t really created; they just grew over time. Leftovers from last year, assumptions from a decade ago, and line items no one can quite explain anymore. And when a budget is shaped by nostalgia, fear, or “what we used to do,” it can make a church feel like it’s failing even when it’s not. In this episode, we explore how to see your budget as a story and how to shift that story from scarcity to possibility. You’ll learn: How churches unintentionally bui...

A large part of a small church budget often goes to paying the pastor. Most small churches assume there’s only one “real” model of leadership - usually the one we’ve always known - and anything different feels like failure, pride, or danger. But there’s no single “biblical” or “more noble” model here. Healthy, vibrant churches exist in every structure: fully paid, bi-vocational, and completely volunteer-led. This episode lifts the shame, clears out the judgment, and helps churches learn...