The Small Church Ministry Podcast

Great volunteers aren't just gifted. They keep growing. In this episode, we're talking about why practical ministry skills matter more than many churches realize and how growing yourself may be one of the greatest gifts you can give your church. In this episode, we're talking about: Why some volunteers create more impact than othersThe difference between caring and effectivenessWhy practical skills aren't competing with faithHow communication, conflict resolution, and leadership skills ...

We spend a lot of time talking about pastors, church leaders, and people with titles. But what if I told you some of the most influential people in your church will never stand on a stage, lead a meeting, or sit on a board? In this episode, we're talking about the people shaping church culture every single week - and why the future of many small churches isn't sitting in the pastor's office. In this episode, we're talking about: Why influence and authority aren't the same thingHow every...

A lot of people in ministry feel like they’re constantly choosing who to disappoint. The church needs something. The team needs something. People want access to you. Your family needs you too. And eventually, it starts feeling impossible to hold it all together without losing yourself somewhere in the process. In this episode, we’re talking about: The pressure to always be available in ministryWhy constant availability slowly drains usWhat happens when we keep leading without spac...

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...