It's no secret that the church at large faces a major shortage of qualified pastors and ministry leaders. This affects all areas from the senior/lead role, student and kids ministry, and even prospective church planters. Thankfully, some churches are responding to this trend by creating in-house residency opportunities. One of those is Southwest Church in Indian Wells, CA. In this episode, Residency Director Young Song shares the vision and details of how they plan to train the next generation of pastors by offering paid positions along with formal seminary education. If you or someone you know are interested in this opportunity, or if you want to create your own residency program, check out their website or reach out to Young directly at [email protected].

At the time of this recording, the fires are still burning in and around the Los Angeles area. At some point, however, the fires will go out, the news cameras will leave, but the devastation and trauma will remain. This is where EFCA Crisis Response comes in. In this episode, Dan Holman explains to District Superintendent Tim Jacobs how critical trauma care training is, as it equips those who will walk alongside their friends and neighbors who have lost their homes and neighborhoods. Drawing on his experience in working with victims from both the Paradise and Maui fires, Dan helps understand the long term work that must happen to help bring real restoration to people's lives, and how the church is uniquely positioned to accomplish that long after everyone else has left.

Please feel free to reach out to Dan to learn more about how you and your church can partner with Crisis Response. He can be reached at [email protected]. Or contribute to the relief fund here: LA Fires Response.

In a city that’s skeptical of church and religious institutions, what’s next for evangelism? Join Katie and Mike from the San Francisco Initiative as they apply lessons from post-Christian Europe, dive into the unique spirituality of San Francisco and offer practical insights for churches and individuals longing to reflect Christ in a post-Christian era.  

The past few decades have seen tremendous strides in church planting... but what about church revitalization? And what is the difference? In this episode, Pastor Andrew Smith from Bridge Church in Fresno, CA, an EFCA West church, talks about his experience over the last seven years of leading an existing church through a revitalization effort. While there are some similarities to church planting, there are many unique aspects of this type of effort that require, among other things, perseverance, faith, and all-out grit! But Andrew's message is that is can be done, and he walks us through how he is doing it. If you're inspired by his story and you want to learn more or have questions about what revitalizing your church might look like, feel free to reach out to Andrew at [email protected] or contact EFCA West at [email protected].

Are you a woman or do you know a woman who would love the opportunity to get solid theological training but aren't able to attend seminary or go to a Bible college? EFCA has launched Prepared, an innovative opportunity for women nationwide to grow in their knowledge of theology, hermeneutics, homiletics, and ministry leadership. Director Gloria Grell and Dr. Pam MacRae talk about why this program was launched and what it hopes to accomplish. One of the key insights is that many women don't set out early in life to be in vocational ministry. However, because of their giftedness and availability, they are asked to serve in a local church role where this kind of training would greatly increase their ministry effectiveness. The time to sign up for the next cohort is now, and space is limited. Also, ten scholarships covering up to 50% of the tuition are available for women serving in EFCA West churches. Contact [email protected] for more info.

While the refugee crisis that engulfed large regions of Iraq and Syria several years ago has long since disappeared from the news cycle, it remains an ongoing catastrophe. The damage inflicted by ISIS further devastated much of these already war-torn lands, and  unspeakable acts of violence and horror were committed against innocent men, women, and children. These victims are now trying to forge a life out of the ashes. John Cook, of Indigenous Ministries, International, has built relationships with key leaders in Iraq and has established a strong ministry that uses child sponsorship as a way to bring not only resources like food and clothing to refugees, but the Gospel as well. This episode dives into what long-term commitment to a region requires, and how local churches can help bring real hope and restoration. If you are interested in learning more, go to the site or contact John at [email protected].

One of the biggest challenges facing the church today is effectively developing young leaders. If they sense that there is no place for them, or that there is no intentionality involved in helping them grow, they will eventually go elsewhere. But it doesn't have to be that way. In this episode we talk about the challenges young leaders face.

The United States’ recent departure from Afghanistan has resulted in thousands of refugees arriving in the US to be resettled. Their lives have completely upended and they now face the challenge of learning a new language, adopting a new culture, and beginning a new life. It is in times like these that the church has often risen up to care for those who are in vulnerable situations. Tom Shook, along with his wife Gayle, work with the EFCA National Ministries as refugee immigrant mission advocates and have become experts at helping churches reach out to and meet the needs of our new neighbors. In this episode, Tom will offer creative ideas on how any church can show hospitality as well as cultural intelligence insights that are necessary for this type of endeavor. He also specializes in consulting with individual churches either in person or online. Listen to this episode and then reach out to Tom at [email protected].

Sometimes the best way to hang in there over the long haul is to hear stories of others who have hit hard times and have prevailed. Pastor Scott McKinney has been pastoring CenterPoint Church in Orem, UT, for over thirty years, and his is one of those stories. When he first arrived back in the 1980's from Southern California, everyone thought he was crazy for taking over a dying church that didn't seem to stand a chance in the middle of an LDS-dominant culture. However, Scott committed himself to long-term ministry there, and the result has been a church that is flourishing. His book, Keep Showing Up: A Utah Pastor's Journey, is a fantastic read, as it not only chronicles the ups and downs that come from church revitalization in a difficult community, but it is also instructive on how to understand your cultural context and even learn to love it, especially as a "religious minority." This episode is full of practical wisdom and encouragement for anyone who wants to finish well in ministry!

Every single day, untold numbers of people will leave this earth. Some of them will, like the thief on the cross, be with Jesus in paradise “today.” Others, however, will step into a place of punishment and pain that is beyond imagination. As much as we’d rather not think about it, Hell is a real place with which we must contend. In this episode, Greg Strand, director of Theology and Credentialing for the Evangelical Free Church of America, takes us deep into the reality and implications of “eternal conscious punishment." He also helps us understand why annihilationism threatens our entire theological orthodoxy. While Greg recommends a variety of resources for further study, one in particular is Hell Under Fire by Christopher Morgan.