021 - Simplifying Sundays. Bringing Back Humanity & Fun

Talking about giving in church is always a loaded conversation, with several ways for people to walk away feeling guilted or offended. Colorado Cmmunity Church, in Aurora, CO has a  plan they call 5+5 that leaves people excited about the topic. At the core, their approach is deeply spiritual, and gives people a ton of personal choice and responsibility. I'm very grateful to Robert Gelinas, their Lead Pastor, for joining me to share how it works. Good Ideas for Churches is a joint project between Matt Whitman's The Ten Minute Bible Hour and Eyes Up.

Social media is the chief discipler of our age, and it isn't even close. Chris Martin has spent the last 10 years managing 100s of social media accounts for large Christian publishers. This has given him a unique window into how these platforms have a negative impact on people. He's also written two books on the topic, as well as a regular newsletter on substack. His first book is Terms of Service. His substack is under the same name. And his newly released The Wolf in Their Pockets is written specifically for Christian leaders to help them overcome the all-pervasive power of social media on the people they lead and love. Good Ideas for Churches is a joint project between Matt Whitman's The Ten Minute Bible Hour and Eyes Up.

Team Preaching typically is the territory of larger churches with a larg staff. But it can work in a small church too, and brings a lot of benefits beyond just sharing the load. I'm joined in this episode by Eric Hoke. Eric is a co-vocational pastor who works on wall street in addition to pastoring. This is Eric's story of how he set up a preaching team for his fresh-out-of-the-box church plant in the Bronx. He also has an incredible ministry to pastors with a coaching business. Eric specializes in helping pastors find additional work, or transitioning to a career in business. You can contact him from his website at https://www.ihelpastorsgetjobs.com/home.   Good Ideas for Churches is a joint project between Matt Whitman's The Ten Minute Bible Hour and Eyes Up.

How do you help someone heal, and continue to trust God when they've experienced unthinkable trauma? I learned so much from this conversation with Jennifer Greenberg, and hearing explain her own process of healing. Her book, Not Forsaken: A Story of Life After Abuse: How Faith Brought One Woman from Victim to Survivor, is a great resource for someone who has been abused, or for a leader who might be looking for a starting point to help someone. She also has a great, free resource for church leaders at her website. You can download her Not Forsaken: A Shepherd's Guide here. She's also a musician, and you can find her music here as well, or wherever you stream. Good Ideas for Churches is a joint project between Matt Whitman's The Ten Minute Bible Hour and Eyes Up.

This is the story of how a church in GA did some self-examination during Covid shutdown, and came back with a radically different minsitry. In the process, they made some important discoveries about who they wanted to be, and found a lot of benefits they didn't see coming. Special thanks to Madison Tompkins, the 1-Service Church evangelist, and Lead Pastor Justin McTeer of His Hands Church in Woodstack, GA for sharing their story with me! Good Ideas for Churches is a joint project between Matt Whitman's The Ten Minute Bible Hour and Eyes Up.

Supporting police has become a controversial idea in the US. Some communities, for good reason, have lost faith in the institution because some officers have abused their trust. Many others are trying to do good in a system that's broken, and face incredible pressures. All of it invites the question: What could we do to make it better? This episode provides a first step toward something that could help. Spoiler: I think it applies to any area of ministry. My guest is Jared Altic, who is a Full Time pastor, but also volunteers as a police chaplain in Kansas City, MO. Jared also hosts the Hey Chaplain podcast. Good Ideas for Churches is a joint project between Matt Whitman's The Ten Minute Bible Hour and Eyes Up.

Is watching a sermon on my phone the same as going to church? Does the device change the message in any way? Shouldn't we be utilizing these devices to reach & connect with people? Smartphones and the internet aren't going away, & every ministry needs to wrestle with these questions.  Now a classic, Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, has a lot of wisdom for the world we find ourselves in today. My guest is Dr. Arthur Hunt, a retired Professor of Mass Media & Communications, and an expert in Postman's ideas. One organization has even created a Postman Pledge for those who would like to take an extra step in putting the concepts into real life! Good Ideas for Churches is a joint project between Matt Whitman's The Ten Minute Bible Hour and Eyes Up.

Spiritual Formation: How does it differ from discipleship & and how can we think intentionally about the habits that shape us? This concepts means something different to anyone you ask. But I guarantee it is something that is happening to all of us. In this episode I'm joined by Rev. William Mack III to explore the idea and consider how we might think about our partnership with the Holy Spirit a little differently. "Mack" is credentialed as a Spiritual Director, and serves as the Director of Pastoral Care with Rooted Ministries – a resource to help pastors know the love of God and stay mentally healthy. Some Resources on Spiritual Formation: Two books by Dallas Willard have been very helpful for me, Renovation of the Heart, and the first few chapters of The Spirit of the Disciplines.  "Renovation" was also converted to be slightly more accessible in this book. Two books recommended by Mack: Renovated: God, Dallas Willard, and the Church that Transforms, by Jim Wilder; Anatomy of the Soul, by Curt Thompson Donald Whitney has also written some very good titles: Praying the Bible, & Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Good Ideas for Churches is a joint project between Matt Whitman's The Ten Minute Bible Hour and Eyes Up.

How can churches better support their missionaries? What would your missionary want to say to you if they felt they could? How can we support kids who have grown up in a missions context, and now feel displaced back 'home?' In this episode I talk with Alan Steier. He and his wife Judy work fulltime with Barnabas International to provide spiritual and emotional care and support to a flock of 100 missionaries in Japan. He's spent years as a missionary, and serving missionaries and has invaluable wisdom on how churches can better serve and partner with the missionaries they support financially. Good Ideas for Churches is a joint project between Matt Whitman's The Ten Minute Bible Hour and Eyes Up.

Not all of us will be church planters, but we all need to shift our mindset to thinking like church planters. In the post-Christian west, fewer and fewer people have a context for Christian terms and meaning. My guest, Nathan Dean planted and served a church in downtown Atlanta for 12 years. He and his wife were very successful in explaining the Christian life in ways that were not just clear, but appealing. They're now planting Blue Mountain Church in Blairsville, GA. He's also written "The Song: The Story of Our Hope and Rescue," a picture book, to explain the biblical story to beginning readers. Good Ideas for Churches is a joint project between Matt Whitman's The Ten Minute Bible Hour and Eyes Up.