Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 42

In this episode of What’s Next with AI for Churches?, AI NEXT Director, Kenny Jahng sits down with Jason Moore, author of the book, AI and the Church, to explore the real opportunities and challenges of AI in ministry. Jason breaks down common misconceptions, addresses ethical concerns like data privacy, and highlights how AI can assist—not replace—church leaders. From practical use cases that save time to tips for fostering open conversations about AI in your church, this episode offers a balanced, no-hype perspective on navigating this powerful technology. Don’t miss Jason’s insights on the future of AI and how churches can embrace it responsibly and creatively.

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Host:

Kenny Jahng – AI NEXT Director

Guest:

Jason Moore, Midnight Oil Productions, Principal

Category: AI NEXT

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

AI & The Church

Midnight Oil Productions

ChatGPTforChurches.com

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 41

In this episode, Kenny Jahng, Director of AI NEXT, interviews Natchi Lazarus, an internationally recognized expert in faith-based marketing and AI innovation. Together, they dive into a powerful and often-overlooked opportunity: how church leaders can leverage AI to become true digital disruptors and pioneers in the crowded world of social media and content creation. The conversation revolves around a critical question: How can the church maintain authenticity and lead in a digital age dominated by AI-generated content and attention scarcity? Natchi shares his journey from media and marketing into faith-based work, highlighting how the emergence of AI represents not just a technological shift, but an opportunity for ministries to redefine their presence and influence. He offers specific, actionable insights on how AI can amplify the church’s impact while preserving its mission, and the surprising ways ministries can set a new standard for trust in an era where authenticity is often questioned.

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Host:

Kenny Jahng – AI NEXT Director

Guest:

Natchi Lazarus, co-founder of Open Minds Digital Agency & Connected Church Academy

Category: AI NEXT

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

AI Tools: Perplexity, ChatGPT, Syllaby

Book: The Connected Church

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 40

In this episode, host Kenny Jahng sits down with Brian Beauford, Executive Pastor at Grace Church, to explore how pastors can use AI to repurpose their sermons into powerful, engaging content. Learn how to transform long-form sermons into short video clips, blog posts, discussion guides, daily devotionals, and more—reaching your congregation and beyond throughout the week. Packed with practical tools, creative ideas, and actionable tips, this conversation will help you maximize your content’s impact while saving time and energy. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover how AI can supercharge your ministry’s reach.

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Host:

Kenny Jahng – AI NEXT Director

Guest:

Brian Beauford – Executive Pastor, Grace Church

Category: AI NEXT

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Resources mentioned in this episode:

Productive Pastor: productivepastor.com

Repurpose Your Sermon: repurposeyoursermon.com

SermonShots Repurposing Tool: SermonShots.com

Free transcription tool: riverside.fm/transcription

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 39

Episode Description: In this episode, we talk with Dave Miller, co-founder of Leadership Pathway and Cliff Forbes, Executive Director of Trellis Churches. Both of these organizations are rethinking leadership development for the next generation through an innovative approach to funding, training, and equipping future pastors and leaders.

Explore NEXT Ventures and our portfolio of projects at exponential.org/ventures.

Host: Jon Wiest – NEXT Ventures, Director

Guests:

Dave Miller – Leadership Pathway, Co-Founder

Cliff Forbes – Trellis Churches, Executive Director

Category: NEXT Ventures

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Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 38

In this episode, we have a conversation with Drew Cline, a pastor and church planter in Little Rock, AR that successfully relaunched a historic legacy church and is now reinventing the ministry once again through South City 2.0/317 Coffee & Cafe. We also hear from Joel Lutz, Executive Director of mosaiXmultiply, an organization helping to plant hundreds of multi-cultural churches around the globe.

Explore NEXT Ventures and our portfolio of projects at exponential.org/ventures.

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Host:

Jon Wiest – NEXT Ventures Director

Guests:

Drew Cline – South City Church, Lead Pastor

Joel Lutz – mosaiXmultiply, Executive Director

Category: NEXT Ventures

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Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 37

In this episode, we chat with Jordan Bochinski, one of the founders of the Collide Conference now reaching thousands of young adults in Canada. Jordan shares his story of revival and life transformation in this post-Christian country. We then talk with Emilee Westervelt, Executive Director of The Lovely Project, a non-profit empowering young women in midde schools and high schools across central Florida.

Explore NEXT Ventures and our portfolio of projects at exponential.org/ventures.

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Host:

Jon Wiest – NEXT Ventures Director

Guests:

Jordan Bochinski – Co-Director/Founder, Collide Conference

Emilee Westervelt – Executive Director, The Lovely Project

Category: NEXT Ventures

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Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 36

In this episode, we begin with an interview with Greg Atkinson, founder of EntreChurch, a ministry that helps pastors and churches rethink missional engagement by starting and supporting local businesses. We then hear the story of Carl Johnson, an entrepreneurial pastor in St. Paul, MN, who has a passion to “vigorously plant churches in impoverished communities” through an entrepreneurial approach with Faith City Church Network.

Explore NEXT Ventures and our portfolio of projects at exponential.org/ventures.

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Host:

Jon Wiest – NEXT Ventures Director

Guests:

Greg Atkinson – Founder, EntreChurch

Carl Johnson – Lead Pastor, Faith City Church

Category: NEXT Ventures

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Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 35

In our second episode of this series, we feature Victor Glover, CEO of Fathers on the Move, an organization empowering formerly incarcerated men to lead their families and churches on purpose. We will also learn from Akram Hadeed, an app developer and the founder of Streets of Prayer, whose audacious dream is to cover every street in the world with prayer by 2030.

Explore NEXT Ventures and our portfolio of projects at exponential.org/ventures.

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Host:

Jon Wiest – NEXT Ventures Director

Guests:

Victor Glover – CEO, Fathers on the Move

Akram Hadeed – Founder, Streets of Prayer

Category: NEXT Ventures

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Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 34

In our first episode, we will feature Josh Dotzler, CEO of Abide Ministries in Omaha, Nebraska. Josh is pioneering a new approach to cultivating God’s presence in the city by purchasing and renovating distressed homes and then placing families to reach their neighborhoods for Christ through Lighthouse Project. Our second conversation is with Juan Chavez, Director of AZ Reach in Phoenix, AZ who has launched a mentoring ministry in inner city schools that’s bearing much fruit.

Explore NEXT Ventures and our portfolio of projects at exponential.org/ventures.

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Host:

Jon Wiest – NEXT Ventures Director

Guests:

Josh Dotzler – CEO of Abide Ministries

Juan Chavez – Director of AZ Reach

Category: NEXT Ventures

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Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 33

Church leaders will need to learn how to embrace the many modes of church and work collaboratively with others to transform a community. In the first half of this episode, co-authors Daniel Yang, Warren Bird and Adelle Banks discuss models that range from mega to micro — and some that are both.

As the conversation continues, the co-authors provide a “next steps” overview of the shifts proposed in the book Becoming a Future-Ready Church.

To pre-order your copy of Becoming a Future-Ready Church, click HERE

Hosts:

Daniel Yang – World Relief, National Director of Churches of Welcome

Warren Bird – ECFA, Senior Vice President of Research

Adelle Banks – Religion News Service, Projects Editor & National Reporter

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