Some time ago, a pastor called Chris Sonksen and confessed, “Our church is stuck, and I feel empty. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this.”

A lot of pastors feel this way. One Lifeway Research study found that six in 10 Protestant churches are plateaued or declining. More than half of churches saw fewer than 10 converts in the previous year.

Another Lifeway Research study reported that more than 60% of pastors say that stress weighs heavily on them, with at least half reporting that their burdens have robbed them of joy in ministry.

These pastors and the churches they lead seem like trains stuck on the tracks. What can they do to gain traction and get moving again?

That’s the question I ask Chris Sonksen in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Chris Sonksen is founding pastor of South Hills Church, a multi-state, multi-campus church based in Southern California, CEO and founder of Church Boom, and an ordained Assemblies of God minister. Most recently, he is author of Traction: Five Proven Principles for Unstoppable Growth, published by Avail.

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This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Audacious Faith.

This six-week women’s Bible study will define biblical faith, address questions head-on, and unpack what it means to have audacious faith. Learn how to replace hopelessness and despair with vibrant faith that pleases the Lord and repels the enemy.

For more information about Audacious Faith visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

“The best days of the church are ahead,” write Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Raymond Chang.

“Don’t get us wrong. We are under no illusion that churches have it easy in this season. These days the church can feel … So fractured, So distracted. So divided and politicized. So exhausting. So hard to lead. Like everything is an uphill battle.”

So why are these authors confident about the future of the church? That’s the question I ask Kara Powell in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Kara Powell is chief of leadership formation and executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, and a credentialed Assemblies of God minister. She is coauthor, with Mulder and Chang, of Future-Focused Church: Leading Through Change, Engaging the Next Generation, and Building a More Diverse Tomorrow, published by Baker Books.

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This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards.

Strengthen your family's relationships with God and each other with these easy-to-use Conversation Cards. Each card is uniquely designed with a question, faith builder statement, and a Bible verse to spark meaningful conversations that cultivate an open and nurturing environment in your home.

For more information about the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

“God could have spoken the heavens and earth into existence with a single word on a single day,” writes Rick DuBose. “He did not need seven days in which to do His work.”

“But that is not how Genesis records it. God, for all His creative power, intentionally chose to work through seven days of creation. God worked in seven creative stages. Our world exists because of that process. And it’s in that process you can begin to better understand how God continues to work in your life.”

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to DuBose about why God uses a process to transform our lives, and what the stages of that process are like. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Rick DuBose is assistant general superintendent of the Assemblies of God and author of The Creator’s Wheel: 7 Phases of Godly Transformation, published in January by Chosen Books.

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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler.

The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler equips you with an understanding of the Holy Spirit's role in your life. As a resource for both laypeople and ministry leaders, it also imparts practical insight for anyone discipling others in receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

For more information about The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

“Pentecostal historians have always acknowledged the miraculous stories accompanying the Azusa Street revival as an integral part of the Pentecostal experience,” writes Ruthie Edgerly Oberg.

“However, the pressing question is whether the dubious and exaggerated claims of [author Tommy] Welchel will overshadow the genuine stories of ordinary men and women transformed by the Spirit, who carried the Pentecostal message into towns, cities, and nations, sparking a global movement.”

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Oberg about numerous problems with the histories of the Azusa Street Revival authored by Tommy Welchel. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Ruthie Edgerly Oberg is an ordained Assemblies of God minister and a conference speaker for the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center in Springfield, Missouri. Our conversation is based on an academic paper Oberg presented at the 53rdAnnual Meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, which was titled, “The Mythologizing of Pentecostal History.”

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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of The Creator’s Wheel by Rick DuBose, coming out from Chosen Books on February 11.

Our world demands faster speeds, quicker deliveries. We want change now, transformation in a moment. But God, who spoke galaxies into existence with a single word, took seven days to bring about His full and magnificent creation — and He takes His time with us.

In The Creator’s Wheel, Rick DuBose shows how, just as God reached into that dark and chaotic mess to form space and time, He reaches into the mess of our lives, initiating a process that transforms us into masterpieces.

Visit MyHealthyChurch.com to pre-order your copy of The Creator’s Wheel.

If you are a Christian, chances are you know someone who has deconstructed their faith or is doing so right now. You want to help them reconstruct their faith in Jesus, but you don’t know how to act or what to say.

“The truth is that we can’t control someone’s reconstruction,” writes Ian Harber.

“What we can do is create environments — both in our interpersonal relationships and in our churches — that help minimize the intensity of someone’s deconstruction by being a non-anxious presence, creating healthy relationships and churches full of trust and care, and having a more robust understanding of our faith to talk through with them.”

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Harber about what deconstruction is and how to be a better Christian friend and church community for someone who is experiencing a crisis of faith. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Ian Harber is author of Walking Through Deconstruction, published by InterVarsity Press. A writer and Christian media producer, he has written for The Gospel Coalition, Mere Orthodoxy, and RELEVANT. He writes about reconstructing faith in his newsletter Back Again, and about faith, media, and technology at Endeavor. He lives in Denton, Texas, with his wife and sons.

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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler.

The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler equips you with an understanding of the Holy Spirit's role in your life. As a resource for both laypeople and ministry leaders, it also imparts practical insight for anyone discipling others in receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

For more information about The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

In Matthew 12:38–40, Jesus compared himself to Jonah. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

That comparison got Gerad Strong thinking about other points where Jonah and Jesus present a study in contrasts. He recently spoke about those contrasts at the biweekly chapel service of the Assemblies of God national office.

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Strong about those contrasts. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Gerad Strong is the director of Training and Church Health with the Church Multiplication Network of the Assemblies of God. Formerly lead pastor of a rural church, Strong led a revitalization effort, resulting in the establishment of seven new church campuses in two years. He is author of The Forgotten Field: Using Multisite Models to Reach and Revive Rural Communities with the Gospel, published in 2022 by Baxter Press.

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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of The Creator’s Wheel by Rick DuBose, coming out from Chosen Books on February 11.

Our world demands faster speeds, quicker deliveries. We want change now, transformation in a moment. But God, who spoke galaxies into existence with a single word, took seven days to bring about His full and magnificent creation — and He takes His time with us.

In The Creator’s Wheel, Rick DuBose shows how, just as God reached into that dark and chaotic mess to form space and time, He reaches into the mess of our lives, initiating a process that transforms us into masterpieces.

Visit MyHealthyChurch.com to pre-order your copy of The Creator’s Wheel.

“Extensive research reveals that only 10 percent of people possess the raw talent to manage,” writes Stephen Blandino. “And while there are clear differences between leading and managing, Gallup merges the two by defining a manager as ‘someone responsible for leading a team toward common objectives.’”

Blandino goes on to say that while most people are not “natural leaders,” they can become “learned leaders.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to him about learning to lead. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influencemagazine and your host.

Stephen Blandino is lead pastor of 7 City Church in Fort Worth, Texas; a leadership coach, blogger, and host of the Leader Fluent Podcast; and author of Insanely Practical Leadership: 12 No-Nonsense Keys to Master the Art of Leading Yourself and Others, published by Avail.

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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.

The Bible Engagement Project library includes free adult small group resources that build Bible-based small groups. With these resources, your small group will learn how to dig into the Bible and apply it to life. Enriching videos and intriguing discussion questions will create the kind of moments that inspire members to continue engaging deeply with the Bible all week long.

Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to create your free account and get started.

“Establishing the Church among all peoples everywhere by reaching, planting, training, and serving” is the mission of Assemblies of God World Missions. AGWM divides its work into five regions: Africa, Asia Pacific, Eurasia, Europe, and Latin America. Over the next few months, I plan to interview AGWM’s five regional directors about the challenges, opportunities, and key initiatives they lead.

I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Larry Henderson about Assemblies of God World Missions’ efforts in Europe.

Larry Henderson serves as AGWM’s Europe Regional Director. In that role, he oversees 504 missionaries and associates. He also serves as a liaison between the U. S. Assemblies of God and its fraternal fellowships in the region.

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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.

The Bible Engagement Project library includes free adult small group resources that build Bible-based small groups. With these resources, your small group will learn how to dig into the Bible and apply it to life. Enriching videos and intriguing discussion questions will create the kind of moments that inspire members to continue engaging deeply with the Bible all week long.

Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to create your free account and get started.

“Establishing the Church among all peoples everywhere by reaching, planting, training, and serving” is the mission of Assemblies of God World Missions. AGWM divides its work into five regions: Africa, Asia Pacific, Eurasia, Europe, and Latin America. Over the next few months, I plan to interview AGWM’s five regional directors about the challenges, opportunities, and key initiatives they lead.

I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Jeff Hartensveld about Assemblies of God World Missions’ efforts in Asia Pacific.

Jeff Hartensveld serves as AGWM’s Asia Pacific Regional Director. In that role, he oversees 505 missionaries and associates. He also serves as a liaison between the U. S. Assemblies of God and its fraternal fellowships in the region.

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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.

The Bible Engagement Project library includes free adult small group resources that build Bible-based small groups. With these resources, your small group will learn how to dig into the Bible and apply it to life. Enriching videos and intriguing discussion questions will create the kind of moments that inspire members to continue engaging deeply with the Bible all week long.

Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to create your free account and get started.

“Establishing the Church among all peoples everywhere by reaching, planting, training, and serving” is the mission of Assemblies of God World Missions. AGWM divides its work into five regions: Africa, Asia Pacific, Eurasia, Europe, and Latin America. Over the next few months, I plan to interview AGWM’s five regional directors about the challenges, opportunities, and key initiatives they lead.

I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Greg Beggs about Assemblies of God World Missions’ efforts in Africa.

Greg Beggs serves as AGWM’s Africa Regional Director. In that role, he oversees 350 missionaries and associates. He also serves as a liaison between the U. S. Assemblies of God and its fraternal fellowships in the region.

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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Bible Engagement Project.

The Bible Engagement Project library includes free adult small group resources that build Bible-based small groups. With these resources, your small group will learn how to dig into the Bible and apply it to life. Enriching videos and intriguing discussion questions will create the kind of moments that inspire members to continue engaging deeply with the Bible all week long.

Visit BibleEngagementProject.com to create your free account and get started.