The Church Lobby

Karl Vaters interviews John C. Nugent about this subject, which is at the root of some of the biggest challenges pastors are facing today.

Dr. Nugent is the author of several books including Endangered Gospel: How Fixing the World Is Killing the Church. He is a professor of Old Testament studies at Great Lakes Christian College, and co-host of the After Class Podcast.

John’s approach helps us understand where common misunderstandings about these issues come from so we can address them lovingly and biblically. He also frames these issues according to the entire story-arc of scripture, rather than just proof-texting.

This is a great way to see the church for what Jesus called us to be. Not isolated from the world, but as a representation of the Kingdom of God within the world.

Links:

• Endangered Gospel
• After Class podcast
• JohnNugent.net
• Works of Gerhard Lohfink

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Karl Vaters interviews Cory Hartman, co-author of Future Church: Seven Laws of Real Church Growth about what happened when church growth answers didn't work for him or the church he served.

His background and experiences will sound familiar to most small church leaders. And this conversation will be very encouraging.

In this conversation, Cory and Karl talk about 

• How Cory, a “failed” small church pastor became the co-author of a book about church growth (including an update of what "failure" really means)
• The essential distinction between what he calls Upper Room and Lower Room churches
• The four “can’t miss” answers for church growth, and how they did miss for him 
• How he redefines some important terms like “church growth”, “success”, "discipleship” and “conversion” in more biblical ways

And more.

Links:

• Future Church: Seven Laws of Real Church Growth
• Becoming a Disciple Maker: The Pursuit of Level 5 Disciple Making
• Futurechurch.co

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Karl Vaters interviews Dr. Sandie Morgan, co-author of the new book, Ending Human Trafficking.

In this episode we talk about how healthy churches are uniquely positioned to help prevent human trafficking, including:

• What signs to look for in people who may be vulnerable
• How to partner with other agencies and law enforcement
• How to set proper policies
• Why we need to pay more attention to labor trafficking, not just sex trafficking
• How to find resources in our neighborhood

And so much more, including a take on the biblical story of Elisha and the widow (2 Kings 4) that any pastor can preach from to help your congregation understand the importance of this issue and how to prevent it.

Dr. Morgan is also the host of the Ending Human Trafficking podcast, and the director of the Global Center for Women and Justice at Vanguard University. She also served by presidential appointment on the Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking.

Links from this episode:

Ending Human Trafficking

Sweat and Toil app

endinghumantrafficking.org

gcwj.org

Sandie Morgan social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram

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Karl Vaters interviews Dr. Gary McIntosh about Donald McGavran's role as the pioneer of the church growth movement.

But don’t let the term "church growth movement" stop you from listening. Dr. McIntosh tells us that the origins of church growth are far different than what most of us have been taught recently.

Some of the misunderstandings he clears up include:

• That it came from the heart of a missionary, not a pastor
• That it was about being cross-cultural, not omni-cultural
• That it was focused as much or more on the impact of smaller congregations than the building of bigger ones

Donald A. McGavran: A Biography of the Twentieth Centurys Premier Missiologist

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An interview with Austin Savage about the role of marketing in church leadership, including what marketing is, what it isn’t, and why we need to destigmatize it to use it effectively.

You may know Austin from the work he did with 95Network.com, including several years co-hosting the 95Podcast with Dale Sellers. Recently, he established Austin Savage & Co. to help churches with creating content and using media in the church.

In this conversation, Karl and Austin talk about

• The difference between Marketing and promotion/advertising
• How to put the content your church is already creating into the marketplace in creative ways
• How to get started without costing any money

Links

Asana

95network.org

Austinsavage.co

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So, your church has a Facebook page? In a small church, that should be enough of an online presence, right? Wrong.

It finally happened! The answer to the question, "Can This Work In A Small Church?" isn't "yes"! (Well, not entirely, anyway.) Find out why in this interview with Josh Givens.

Topics include:

• The importance of getting online
• Why we must stay connected to the people we meet there
• Why we must invest money and time to own online real estate (a website)
• The importance of the pastor’s personal online presence
• How much your church communicates before people step inside the building

Josh is the Communications Director for Northside Bible Church in Mobile AL, and for 614Ministries.org.

Links

• NorthsideMobile.org
• Using Photos Online (YouTube video)
• Unsplash.com (Free photos)
• 614Ministries.org
• JDGivens.com
• CornerstoneFV.com
• Canva

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An interview with Jon Sanders, the founder of SmallTownBigChurch.com, co-host of the EntrePastors podcast and author of Rural Church RESCUE: A Call to Restore Healthy Churches to Rural North America.

Jon and Karl talk about how Jon used the principles he learned as a firefighter to help churches better understand how to do ministry that matters. The parallels between the roles of firefighter and pastors are vivid, and the lessons are clear.

Subjects include the need for a clear mission and vision, the need to adapt, and the necessity of training and working as a team.

Links:

Rural Church RESCUE: A Call to Restore Healthy Churches to Rural North America

Calendly

Smalltownbigchurch.com

EntrePastors podcast

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Karl Vaters interviews Dr. Vincent E. Gil, the author of A Christian's Guide Through the Gender Revolution: Gender, Cisgender, Transgender, and Intersex (Cascade Publishing, 2021.) .

Dr. Gil taught human sexuality and counseled at a conservative Christian college for 38 years. He has been a consultant on sexual issues for church leaders and denominations, and is himself a licensed minister.

This is a sensitive subject that often causes division, or gets ignored due to some of the complexity and concerns. In this conversation, Karl and Dr. Gil talk about how to understand the current “gender moment,” and negotiate a better way than taking sides on issues.

Karl and Dr. Gil address issues of concern to pastors, and provide a dialogue on how to approach varied sex/gender concerns in congregants and beyond.

(Our apologies for a technical issue. In the front half of the podcast there are several times when you can hear a thumping in the background while Dr. Gil is talking. We have done our best to limit it, but we were not able to remove it.)

Links:

Dr. Gil’s Webpage: drvincegil.com.

Dr. Gil’s recent book: A Christian's Guide through the Gender Revolution: Gender, Cisgender, Transgender, and Intersex (2021). Available in Hardcover, paperback and Kindle editions at Amazon.

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Karl Vaters and Jeff Hamilton (founder of Dad Academy) talk about the importance of helping men become the dad they want to be by becoming at least as intentional in their parenting as they are in their job.

Topics include:

• Why “Dadding” is so important and so challenging
• The importance of having an intentional plan
• The impact of building a positive culture in your home by creating a more Christ-like value system

Links:

• Dadacademy.info
• [email protected]
• Whereby
• Switcher Studio
• Instagram: Dad Academy
• Facebook: Dad Academy

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The Bible-Reading Coach is a guide to help anyone read through the entire Bible in 52 weeks.

It all starts with a weekly podcast, available in both audio and video formats, hosted by pastor and author Karl Vaters, it’s designed to help beginners and longtime Bible readers get more out of your journey through God’s Word by making your reading journey Simple, Understandable, and Rewarding.

• SIMPLE: A weekly introduction to readings from Genesis to Revelation that helps you know what to look for as you read.
• UNDERSTANDABLE: Helps you see how this ancient wisdom applies to the way we live, think, and believe today.
• REWARDING: We want to help you read all the way from Genesis to Revelation by showing you what to look for and how to apply it to your everyday life.

Are you a follower of Jesus who’s tried and failed to read through the Bible before? Follow our plan. This time, you’ll finish.

Are you new to the Bible and the Christian faith? We welcome you! This can be a helpful first step to 1) understand what the Bible says, 2) discover why this collection of ancient texts is essential to the life and faith of billions of people, and 3) inspire you to dig even deeper.

See what's coming in the weeks ahead on the Bible outline.

Transcripts will be available in advance of each episode.

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Find more resources for small church ministry at KarlVaters.com.