We think we are serving in God's power, but if you had a gun to your head, would you say you're serving out of the power of Jesus Christ? Or your own power.

Pastors, I think this is a HUGE issue in our churches. We need the power of the LORD, not the power of a blog post, or the latest self-help book.

Where DO you get your power?

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For more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of the 200churches Podcast!

Pastor, how do you get the ball down the field, and anywhere close to the end zone, when you have opposition, when you have opposers?

How do you get things done in church? How do you enact new programs and initiatives?

How do you create change?

That's what I'm going to talk with you about this week...

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For more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of the 200churches Podcast!

Kay Warren joined me and my friend/colleague Jonny Craig to talk about mental illness, its presence and, unfortunately,  stigma in the local church.

Rick and Kay Warren lost their youngest son, Matthew, to suicide almost ten years ago, and they have devoted their lives to helping others who struggle with mental illness.

You can see everything that Kay is doing in her quest to help others, right here: https://kaywarren.com/mentalhealth

In this Weekend Edition episode, Kay shares some very practical things you can do to help your church become more "mental illness literate."

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For more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of the 200churches Podcast!

In Episodes 152-155 Jeff argues that there is ONE THING that he would ask his congregation to do, above everything else.

In Episode 156, he gives his closing argument. 

This is our mandate, our charge to keep, to teach this to our people, and teach them to obey it...

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For more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of the 200churches Podcast!

Love is candy, roses, Valentines, velvet, fluffy, soft, compromising, weakness, fall over, take-it-on-the-chin, anything goes Christianity.

No, not really.

Our culture trashes the meaning of love. They've lost it completely.

Here's my best shot at the meaning of truly biblical love...

This is the ONE THING I want my people to live out, more than ANYTHING else!

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For more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of the 200churches Podcast!

Have you ever had an encounter with someone (in the church) where they weren't very loving toward you? Okay, actually, where there was ZERO love in your interaction with them?

I have.

Many times.

There's lots of reasons for that.

But we can't indulge it anymore.

No more church demons!

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For more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of the 200churches Podcast!

Sometimes the most important, crucial truth - is also the most fundamental, the most elementary, the most basic. 

The ONE thing I want my church to be known for, about everything else.

So it is with the ONE thing I want my church to be known for, to be about. It's not rocket science. It's not profound or transcendent.

But it is absolutely necessary, and before all else, primary and the #1 Priority.

In this episode I reveal what the ONE thing is I want all new members to do.

And for the record, I had FUN recording it! Enjoy!

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For more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of the 200churches Podcast!

If you held a membership class, and could only tell your new members ONE thing - ONE thing that they absolutely had to do, had to keep in mind - ONE thing that if they stayed focused on that, everything else would take care of itself - what would that ONE thing be??

This week I want to talk to you about what is most important, most foundational. 

I'm going to boil it down to the irreducible minimum, and encourage you to teach your new members that. It's what I do. I've been doing it for years. And all my new members know what it is.

Because it's ONE thing, they don't forget. It helps that I repeat it often. Here we go! Enjoy!

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For more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of the 200churches Podcast!

Dave Jacobs from SmallChurchPastor.com joins me to talk about church growth - the things we've been told - and the things we should reconsider.

Dave's book, Second Thoughts - 100 Things Small Church Pastors Should Reconsider, is filled with encouragement for pastors of ordinary sized churches. We talk about only one, #75 - Reconsider what the church growth experts have told you.

Also, if you want to experience pastoral coaching, Dave is offering (4) four 45-minute coaching sessions for FREE. This is his gift and ministry to pastors. Four sessions with Dave will give you ample opportunity to discern whether having a pastoral coach is for you.

If you benefit, this could be something that your church helps you afford, even though Dave's coaching is way too cheap! I tell him he needs to raise the amount he charges pastors, but he wants to keep it affordable for small church pastors.

Email Dave at [email protected]. Tell him Jeff sent you! He routinely offers one free 45-minute call, but for my listeners he's offering four! :-)

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For more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of the 200churches Podcast!

Richard Foster wrote the book, Celebration of Discipline - The Path to Spiritual Growth, and Chapter 5 is The Discipline of Study. Wow. This is a great book.

So I snatched the best of the best in that chapter, and then lay out for you a 3-step process to attack that discipline of study. The 3rd step in the process is the $$$ step! Without it, you'll probably flame out. With it, you almost can't lose.

Enjoy, my friend!

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For more great content and conversations for pastors, check out the over 400 episodes of the 200churches Podcast!