The Church Leadership Pulse

By Todd

Church Leadership Radar is your daily catch-up call for what's happening in church leadership across America. In just 3-4 minutes each weekday morning, get the headlines, trends, and stories th

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FAQs about The Church Leadership Pulse:

How many episodes does The Church Leadership Pulse have?

The podcast currently has 189 episodes available.

The Church Leadership Pulse episodes:

August 10, 2026Church Leadership Radar - Monday, August 10, 2026
It's Monday, August 10, 2026 - here's what's on the Church Leadership Radar today:
Stories covered:
Bethel Church pauses sale of The Passion Translation Bible amid scholarly concerns

Southern Baptist Convention named as federal co-defendant in sex abuse class action lawsuit

Carey Nieuwhof's must-read piece on AI grief tech and pastoral care in 2026

Bright Spot: Forrest Frank's Jesus Generation Tour leads 50,000+ students to Christ
Source Links:
What To Do When Someone Uses AI to Talk to a Deceased Loved One - Carey Nieuwhof
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6min
August 08, 2026Ministry Week in Review – August 8, 2026
Ministry Week in Review – August 8, 2026
This week Ted Rhoades (Todd's AI twin brother) covers the big stories in church leadership:
Arizona Supreme Court Ruling: Clergy cannot be required to report abuse disclosed during confession — a unanimous First Amendment ruling that touches every pastoral tradition

In-Flight Evangelism: An evangelist removed from an Alaska Airlines flight raises real questions about the line between boldness and being a bad witness

Pastor Well-Being Research: New survey shows pastors are more confident in their calling than ever — but still report significant physical and mental health needs

AI & Discipleship: Carey Nieuwhof's piece on what happens to spiritual formation when people get instant AI answers but rarely sit with the slower work of hearing from God

Bright Spot: St. Eugene Catholic Church in Oklahoma City raised $25,000 — and erased $6.5 million in medical debt for 2,700 families through Undue Medical Debt
Sources & Further Reading:
Carey Nieuwhof: The Discipleship Crisis Nobody Saw Coming

Best Christian Workplaces Institute — Pastor Well-Being Research

Undue Medical Debt
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🎙️ Healthy Church Staff Podcast
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11min
August 07, 2026Church Leadership Radar - Friday, August 7, 2026
It's Friday, August 7, 2026. Today on Church Leadership Radar:
A historic Michigan church destroyed by fire overnight — the congregation is already talking about rebuilding

What happens when your senior leader won't make the call (and the five steps for staff stuck in that spot)

How one ministry nearly tripled its backpack giveaway by partnering with 22 community groups

Why the executive pastor — not the senior pastor — may be the key to a successful building campaign
Sources referenced in this episode:
Troy Church of Christ fire — Michigan congregation plans to rebuild

Five steps for staff when their senior leader won't make the call

Fresh Wind Ministry, Pueblo CO — back-to-school community event

The executive pastor's role in building campaigns
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Also check out the Healthy Church Staff Podcast
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5min
August 06, 2026Church Leadership Radar - Thursday, August 6, 2026
Today on Church Leadership Radar: More than 45 congregations are weighing a split from the Evangelical Presbyterian Church to form a new group, the Westminster Association of Churches. Federal prosecutors have arrested someone in connection with an arson at a historic Brooklyn church. Plus, a piece asking who's actually checking on your pastor's wellbeing, and a good-news story: a Lexington, Kentucky church has built a congregation-wide "adoption culture" mobilizing families to foster and adopt kids.
Sources & Links:
Churches Plan to Leave EPC, Create New Denomination — MinistryWatch

Suspect Arrested for Arson of Historic Brooklyn Church — U.S. Department of Justice (EDNY)

Every Pastor Is Expected to Carry the Weight. Few Are Asked If They're Okay — Best Christian Workplaces

Kentucky Church's "Adoption Culture" Rooted in the Gospel Draws Families Into Foster Care and Adoption — Baptist Press
Get the free daily Church Leadership Radar newsletter, and check out our sister show, the Healthy Church Staff Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.
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5min
August 05, 2026Church Leadership Radar - August 5, 2026
Church Leadership Radar — Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Ted Rhoades fills in for Todd today with a roundup of stories every church leader should know about:
The Arizona Supreme Court's unanimous ruling that clergy can't be forced to report abuse disclosed during confession — a First Amendment ruling with implications for every tradition with confidential pastoral disclosure.
An evangelist removed from an Alaska Airlines flight for in-flight preaching, and the growing conversation about boldness vs. being a bad witness in public spaces.
Why letting go of a beloved but ineffective staff member, done well, protects both the person and the team.
Good news: North Carolina Baptists on Mission volunteers doing flood recovery and church repair work in West Virginia — with several people coming to faith along the way.
Takeaway: keeping someone in a role they can't do well isn't kindness — it's avoidance dressed up as kindness. As Craig Groeschel has said, people would rather follow a leader who's always real than one who's always right.
Subscribe to the Church Leadership Radar newsletter for daily insights. Also check out the Healthy Church Staff Podcast.
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4min
August 04, 2026Church Leadership Radar - August 4, 2026
Today on Church Leadership Radar: Ted Rhoades (Todd's AI twin) fills in while Todd takes a day off. In this episode:
Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson's viral post about needing Jesus daily has racked up 1.3M+ views.
An update on Pastor Greg Locke's federal banking saga and his church's move to a new building, alongside reports of a major attendance drop.
A Baptist Press piece on the gap between the 90% of evangelical pastors who are married and the 49% of Americans who are single today — and what it means for how churches evaluate leadership candidates.
The takeaway: are you evaluating character and calling, or just whether someone fits an unexamined mental picture?
Sources:
TreVeyon Henderson's viral X post on needing Jesus daily
Reporting on Pastor Greg Locke's banking issues, new church building, and attendance changes since the federal raid
Baptist Press: marriage rates among evangelical pastors vs. singleness in America
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4min
August 03, 2026Church Leadership Radar - August 3, 2026
Today on Church Leadership Radar, Ted Rhoades reflects on Andy Stanley's call to do the hard thing first—and why healthy church cultures make room for questions that test a leader's assumptions.
Takeaway: The health of your culture is measured not only by how smoothly things run when everyone agrees, but by whether people can raise a thoughtful concern without fear of being dismissed.
Sources & Links
Andy Stanley — self-leadership, working from strengths, and cultures that welcome difficult questions
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Listen to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast: healthychurchstaff.com
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4min
August 01, 2026Ministry Week in Review — August 1, 2026
Ministry Week in Review — August 1, 2026
It's the Saturday deep-dive. Ted (Todd's AI twin) walks through the four biggest church leadership stories of the week and what they mean for the trust your church is building with its people.
This Week's Stories
Elevation Church withdraws from the Southern Baptist Convention — the Matthews, NC megachurch quietly ended two decades of cooperation with a brief letter to the SBC Executive Committee.
AI in the pulpit: a widening trust gap — a new Barna survey shows AI-assisted sermon writing nearly doubled since 2024 (12% to 24%), with 93% of pastors using AI in some form — but only 9% of churches have a formal AI governance policy, and 46% haven't disclosed AI use to their congregations.
Carey Nieuwhof: sermon quality alone isn't enough anymore — with great Bible teaching available on a dozen podcasts, community and belonging are becoming the real differentiators for why people show up on Sunday.
A church turns a movie theater into its new home — a Loveland, Colorado congregation sold its traditional building and bought the local theater, repurposing a space already built for gathering people.
Hunter Street Baptist Church (Alabama) prepares for its first new senior pastor in 40 years, in a calm, well-planned transition — a contrast to churches where slow disclosure turns problems into lawsuits.
First Presbyterian Church, Hazard, Kentucky finally completes a 20-year dream: a free shower and laundry facility in their basement for people experiencing homelessness and future disaster victims, born out of lessons learned sheltering flood victims in 2022.
The Big Idea
Every story this week comes back to trust. The churches earning trust over the next decade won't be the ones with the cleanest story — they'll be the ones willing to tell the real one, even when nobody's forcing them to.
Subscribe to the newsletter: truenorthchurchgroup.com
Check out the Healthy Church Staff Podcast: healthychurchstaff.com
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10min
July 31, 2026Church Leadership Radar - Friday, July 31, 2026
Today on Church Leadership Radar: Elevation Church in Matthews, N.C. quietly withdraws from the Southern Baptist Convention without explanation. A new Barna survey shows AI-assisted sermon writing has nearly doubled since 2024, even as most pastors admit some hesitation about the technology. Plus, why being a "friendly church" isn't the differentiator it used to be, and a good-news story: a Kentucky church finishes a nearly 20-year plan to offer free showers and laundry for the homeless and disaster victims.
Sources & Links:
Elevation Church Withdraws From SBC Cooperation After Two Decades — Baptist Press

Pastors Increasingly Using AI in Ministry, Barna Survey Finds — The Washington Times / Barna Group

Why "Friendly Church" Is No Longer Enough — Church Answers

Kentucky Church's 20-Year Basement Renovation Now Offers Free Showers and Laundry for the Homeless and Disaster Victims — WYMT
Get the free daily Church Leadership Radar newsletter, and check out our sister show, the Healthy Church Staff Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts.
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5min
July 30, 2026 Church Leadership Radar – July 30, 2026
Today on Church Leadership Radar, Ted Rhoades covers Tavner Smith's new church-plant fundraising after Venue Church's bankruptcy; the Baptist General Convention of Texas staff realignment; the Southern Baptist Convention's new disability-ministry framework; and a Loveland, Colorado church that made a local movie theater its worship home.
Today's takeaway: Trust is not rebuilt with a great pitch. It is rebuilt with open books, real oversight, and consistent transparency over time.
Subscribe to the Church Leadership Radar newsletter and listen to the Healthy Church Staff Podcast.
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5min

FAQs about The Church Leadership Pulse:

How many episodes does The Church Leadership Pulse have?

The podcast currently has 189 episodes available.