Intentional Churches Podcast

The future of the church in America is increasingly multicultural—compelling leaders to be intentional about fostering environments where diverse cultures can thrive together. Juan Carlos Heredia, Spanish Ministry Pastor at Houston’s Sugar Creek Baptist Church, joins Doug for this eye-opening episode of The Intentional Churches podcast to discuss the evolution of Hispanic ministry, the importance of personal ownership in evangelism, and how churches can strategically integrate different cultural groups without forcing assimilation.

During their conversation Juan Carlos shares his personal story of growing up between Ecuador, Mexico, and the U.S., how his calling led him into ministry, and the challenges of leading a Spanish-speaking congregation. He also gets into why Houston is a strategic hub for global missions and how its diversity presents both opportunities and challenges for churches.

This timely episode offers practical advice for churches looking to engage Hispanic communities, emphasizing the need for leadership that understands both cultures and the importance of contextualizing ministry without losing the gospel’s core message.

The Intentional Churches Community is free-to-join online community platform designed to foster individual growth while nurturing collective wisdom and best practices from church leaders like yourself from across the country. Get started with your free account at intentionalchurches.com/community

Don’t forget to reserve your spot for the Intentional Churches Conference in April here: https://www.intentionalchurchesconference.com 

New to Intentional Churches? Start here: 
https://intentionalchurches.com/radical-alignment 

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com            
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         
Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 - The Importance of Tools in Evangelism
00:17 - Welcome & Introduction to Juan Carlos Heredia
01:42 - Juan Carlos’ Background and Calling to Ministry
04:59 - The Diversity of Houston as a Mission Field
07:14 - Integration vs. Segregation in Houston’s Cultural Landscape
09:09 - Challenges of Hispanic Ministry in America
12:35 - Creating a Culture of Invitation and Evangelism
15:19 - How Sugar Creek Integrates Spanish Ministry
19:10 - The Future of Multicultural Church Partnerships
24:54 - Practical Steps for Assimilation Without Assimilation
30:44 - Personal Ownership of the Great Commission
33:35 - Using Events as Evangelistic Tools
37:22 - The Challenge of Retaining Young Generations in Faith
40:08 - Final Thoughts & Leadership Challenge

The Intentional Churches Conference is not your typical church leadership event—it's a movement. In this week’s special bonus episode, Erin sits down to interview Doug all about how The Intentional Churches Conference is evolving and what attendees can expect this year.

Doug explains that IC is about more than just content—it's a collaborative network where church leaders learn from one another in real-time. Last year’s conference highlights included a hands-on coffee-making experiment, a panel of non-Christians sharing their perspectives, and interactive networking designed to spark innovation.
This year, IC is introducing new tools, including a conference-exclusive book—Radical Alignment to Personal Ownership of the Great Commission—and a role-based track system to help church leaders implement practical strategies in their ministries.

If you're looking for an event that prioritizes collaboration over consumption, don’t miss this year’s Intentional Churches Conference! 

Join us April 29-30! Register now at intentionalchurchesconference.com.

New to Intentional Churches? Start here: 
https://intentionalchurches.com/radical-alignment

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com            
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         
Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         
Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          
X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches  

Chapters:
00:00 The Unconference: A New Kind of Church Leadership Gathering
01:35 What is IC Becoming? A Collaborative Movement
04:00 Highlights from Last Year’s Conference
06:24 What Makes This Conference Different?
08:51 Practical Ways This Year’s Conference Will Help Church Leaders
11:31 Final Invitation: Join Us in April!

What does it mean to cultivate a “missional mindset?” In this week’s episode of the Intentional Churches Podcast, Momentum Christian Church’s Sheryl Riggins sits down with Erin and Doug to share her personal journey of moving from a traditional church background to a mission-driven approach to faith.

During their conversation, Sheryl opens up about her early years as a preacher’s kid, her career at Coca-Cola, and her unexpected path to leadership at Momentum. She also dives into how Momentum is making shifts to prioritize relational evangelism, from practical preaching series to encouraging personal connections in everyday life.

This episode is full of insights for church leaders looking to mobilize their people, as well as for anyone hoping to make their faith more outward-focused. Listen in to hear Sheryl’s inspiring story and learn how you, too, can be more intentional in reaching the ones close to you but far from God.

Don’t forget to reserve your spot for the Intentional Churches Conference in April here: https://www.intentionalchurchesconference.com 

New to Intentional Churches? Start here: 
https://intentionalchurches.com/radical-alignment

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com            
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         
Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         
Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          
X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches  

CHAPTERS:
00:00 Welcome and Introduction
01:29 Sheryl’s Background and Journey to Momentum
04:46 Sheryl’s Musical Career and Time in Divine
08:31 Career at Coca-Cola and Ministry Priorities
15:26 Activator Training and a Shift in Mindset
21:46 The Role of Scripture in Mobilizing Believers
32:47 Living with Intentionality for the Ones
37:20 How Momentum is Raising Awareness for the Great Commission
41:30 Final Thoughts and Closing

How can churches move beyond an internal focus to reach their cities with the Gospel? Mark Ashton—lead minister at Christ Community Church in Omaha, NE—joins Erin and Doug on this week’s episode of The Intentional Churches podcast, sharing how his church—and a network of 60 churches in Omaha—is making relational evangelism a top priority.

During their conversation, Mark introduces the concept of the "fat fringe"—individuals who self-identify as Christians but lack a genuine faith in Jesus. He explains how to train leaders to engage these individuals in relational evangelism. Mark also walks us through how the Within Reach network was formed, bringing churches together to share best practices, plant churches, and support citywide Gospel efforts.

Throughout the episode, Mark offers practical strategies for church leaders, including how to instill a culture of evangelism within staff and congregations, ways to leverage local networks for greater Gospel impact, and how to overcome competition between churches.

With powerful stories of the church working together and innovative outreach methods—like counseling centers that integrate faith and psychology—this conversation will challenge and inspire pastors and church leaders to rethink the way they see evangelism! 

Learn more about Mark and Christ Community Church on their website: https://www.cccomaha.org/. 

Don’t forget to reserve your spot for The Intentional Churches Conference in April here: https://www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. 

New to Intentional Churches? Start here: 
https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchos

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com            
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         
Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         
Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          
X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches  

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction & Conference Announcement
01:10 Meet Mark Ashton: His Ministry & Evangelism Journey
04:25 The "Fat Fringe" & Evangelism in Omaha
09:01 The Within Reach Network: A Collaboration for the Gospel
16:15 Success Stories from Church Collaboration
20:37 Mark’s Personal Conviction for Evangelism
25:59 Creating a Culture of Evangelism in Church Staff
31:33 How Within Reach Stirs Evangelism Across Churches
34:50 Practical Evangelism Tactics for Church Leaders
40:08 Lessons from Willow Creek’s Evangelism Model
43:30 The Future of Evangelism & Final Takeaways

We’re back this week with another powerful conversation, this time with pastor and church planter Lou Pizzichillo of Long Island, NY! Lou and his wife planted Community Church in Long Island back in January of 2020 (ideal timing, as any church leader would know!), and he’s sharing with us the many lessons he’s learned in the five years since. 

Together Erin and Doug invite Lou to share his unique story of growing up Catholic in Long Island and how he eventually came to plant an evangelical church in his hometown. Along the way Lou learned the power sharing authentic stories can hold, how to navigate being a church for those who don’t go to church, and the challenges (and opportunities!) of having a lot of 1’s without as many 99’s. Towards the end of their conversation, Lou shares his best advice for continuing to disciple those 1’s in a fast-growing church environment, without expecting them to be “perfect” Christians right out of the gate. 

Especially if you find yourself in a similar context to Lou where going to church is the norm, but not everyone knows what an authentic relationship with Jesus truly looks like, you’re not going to want to miss this episode! 

Don’t forget to reserve your spot for The Intentional Churches Conference in April here: https://www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. 

New to Intentional Churches? Start here: 
https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchos

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com            
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         
Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         
Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          
X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches  

CHAPTERS
00:00 Navigating Church Planting Challenges
03:01 Cultural Context of Long Island Ministry
06:09 The Birth of Community Church
09:04 Relational Evangelism and Church Growth
11:57 Building a Culture of Authenticity
14:55 Harnessing Technology for Community Engagement
18:11 The Power of Storytelling in Ministry
21:05 Discipleship Challenges in a Growing Church
23:58 Strategies for Effective Discipleship
26:45 Navigating Growth and Cultural Dynamics
30:07 Embracing the Journey of Faith
33:05 Conclusion and Future Outlook

Welcome to a new year and a brand new season of The Intentional Churches podcast! We’re switching things up in 2025—shifting from a weekly release schedule to releasing longer, more in-depth conversations with leaders from around the country every other week. We’re so glad to have you along for the ride in Season 7! 

To kick things off, Erin and Doug are joined by Jim Sheldon, the Executive Pastor of Mission Church in Ventura, CA. Jim helped plant Mission in 2011 along with a team of other ministry leaders, and in that time he’s learned what’s worked (and what hasn’t) in Ventura’s unique community. Together Erin and Doug invite Jim to share his ministry story, plus dive in to what he means by doing more than “ordinary” church, aka activating your people to lead and disciple rather than just preaching more head knowledge from stage. The three also hit on how Jim personally  pursues the ones in his life, his advice for putting together teams that can be the hands and feet of Jesus as soon as there’s a need, and what it looks like to lead through the unexpected. 

We’re excited to kick off this new season, and new format, of Intentional Churches with you! Thanks for tuning in this week! 

Don’t forget to reserve your spot for The Intentional Churches Conference in April here: https://www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. 

New to Intentional Churches? Start here: 
https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchos

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com            
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         
Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         
Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          
X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches  

CHAPTERS

00:00 Understanding the Desire for Depth in Faith
10:30 Creating a Culture of Activation
20:09 Relational Evangelism: The Power of Personal Connection
29:53 Navigating Crisis with Authentic Vulnerability

For this final episode of 2024, Erin and Doug sit down with First Orlando’s Tracy Bowen to talk staff culture and how to create an irresistible cultural environment based on pursuing The Great Commission. Tracy holds a unique title at First Orlando—managing director of staff engagement and culture—and she’s used the position to help align the church’s staff towards reaching the ones far from Jesus and the church. 

Throughout today's conversation Erin and Doug invite Tracy to share her story—from how she finds new hires that align with the church’s culture to helping build that faithful and fruitful culture from the ground up. Together the three talk about why a healthy culture is so important on a staff team (big or small), how a pursuit of The Great Commission has changed that staff culture, and Tracy’s practical tips for building what she calls an “irresistible” place to work and serve. As we approach the end of the year, this is a conversation you and your staff team are not going to want to miss! 

Thanks for another great year of The Intentional Churches podcast! We’ll see you back here in 2025! 

Register for The Intentional Churches Conference 2025 here: www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. 

New to Intentional Churches? Start here: 
https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchos

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com            
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         
Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         
Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          
X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches  

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to Intentional Churches Podcast
03:07 Tracy Bowen's Role and Background
06:02 The Importance of Church Culture
08:46 Building Relationships and Community
12:05 Aligning Staff with the Great Commission
15:00 Practical Steps for Cultural Improvement
17:59 Staff Engagement and Development
20:53 Communication Strategies for Teams
24:11 Conclusion and Future Insights

Larry Kelley has been with New Hope Church in Houston Texas for 16 years now, and in that time he’s seen the church go from a small group gathered in a YMCA auditorium to a large multi-site church. How have Larry and the staff stayed aligned to New Hope’s greater mission amidst all that growth and change? Today’s Intentional Churches episode is all about Larry’s answer to that question. 

For this super practical conversation on pursuing greater alignment on your staff team, Erin and Doug invite Larry to share his experience at New Hope—beginning as a video editor up to serving on their executive team today. Together the three discuss how New Hope’s implementation of the IC operating system allowed their staff to come together in reaching their ones, some of the challenges that still exist as the church strives to fulfill The Great Commission, and Larry’s practical advice for churches—and church staffs—of all sizes. 

No matter how big or small your team is, the language you use and the mission you follow is so important to the pursuit of alignment. Don’t miss this episode! 

Register for The Intentional Churches Conference 2025 here: www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. 

New to Intentional Churches? Start here: 
https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchos

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com            
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         
Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         
Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          
X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches  

CHAPTERS 

00:00 The Power of Personal Evangelism
03:08 New Hope Church: A Journey of Growth
05:52 Implementing the Operating System
08:53 Relational Evangelism and Community Impact
11:55 Baptisms and Personal Stories of Faith
14:48 Challenges in Alignment and Communication
18:08 Practical Advice for Church Leaders

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly altered the way we view online church, but where most churches have gone back to physical services, some decided to go all-in on the digital space. Enter Mark Lutz and his fully-online church, Lux. Mark served as the pastor of a traditional physical church for more than a decade before he felt God calling him into full-time online ministry. Lux launched in 2021, and the lessons Mark’s learned about relational evangelism in this fully online space serve as the foundation for today’s Intentional Churches conversation. 

Together Erin and Doug invite Mark to share the story behind starting Lux, his strategies for building actual engagement (not just “likes” or comments) in an online church space, and why relational evangelism and pursuing the one is so important—maybe even more important—online than it is in a traditional church setting. During their conversation Doug digs into IC’s Great Commission Engine, and Mark expands on how Lux implements these tools and others to reach those far from God. The episode ends with Mark sharing stories of usernames turning into actual, life-giving relationships, plus his advice for churches wanting to make their online services more fruitful. 

Register for The Intentional Churches Conference 2025 here: www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. 

New to Intentional Churches? Start here: 
https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchos

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com            
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         
Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         
Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          
X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches   

CHAPTERS

00:00 The Relevance of Digital Ministry
04:24 Launching a Digital Church: The Lux Experience
08:11 The Impact of COVID-19 on Church Dynamics
11:34 Navigating the Challenges of Digital Engagement
15:43 Understanding Ecclesiology in the Digital Age
18:31 The Great Commission Engine: Strategies for Engagement
23:52 Relational Evangelism in the Digital Space
28:55 Success Stories: Transformative Relationships Online

Most, if not all, churches have a mission that drives what they do, but how often are we making radical alignment to that mission the main thing? Today on The Intentional Churches podcast Erin and Doug sit down with Travis Kaiser, lead pastor of Florence Baptist Church in Florence, Kentucky. Travis is passionate about fostering a Great Commission-driven mission in every aspect of his church’s culture. How does he do it? Erin and Doug ask him exactly that. 

Given Florence Baptist’s historical roots (the church was originally founded in 1855!), Erin and Doug invite Travis to share a bit of the context and history behind the church before jumping into their conversation on mission. Travis then walks us through how the church went from an organization of siloed teams to a culture of mission-focused disciples bent on reaching their ones. Travis also talks about some of the challenges behind aligning to a shared mission, stories of pursuing his ones, and the practical steps any church leader can take today to make a mission based on The Great Commission the main thing for their people and church. 

Register for The Intentional Churches Conference 2025 here: https://www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast. 

New to Intentional Churches? Start here: 
https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchos

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com            
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C         
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/    
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches         
Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches          
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/         
Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches          
X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches   

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction to Intentional Churches Podcast
03:05 Travis Kaiser: Background and Church Context
05:53 Radical Alignment and Leadership Challenges
08:51 Building Trust and Relationships in Ministry
12:07 Living the Great Commission: Personal Stories
17:46 Creating a Culture of Mission
21:07 Aligning Staff and Leadership with Mission
26:02 Practical Steps for Greater Alignment
32:04 Conclusion and Conference Invitation