The Small Church Ministry Podcast

By Laurie Graham Ertl

The only podcast created for volunteers and everyday leaders in smaller congregations, this show embraces small church ministry as a place where God is already at work. Founder of Small Church

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9696 ratings

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FAQs about The Small Church Ministry Podcast:

How many episodes does The Small Church Ministry Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 245 episodes available.

The Small Church Ministry Podcast episodes:

June 30, 2026235: We've Expected Too Much from Pastors - and Underestimated Everyone Else
I've been told more than once that the real leverage point in a church is the pastor. Get the pastor healthy, and everything else will follow. I don't buy it.
In this episode, we're talking about why pastors matter, why ordinary people matter too, and why healthy churches are usually built by lots of people growing, participating, and taking ownership together.
In this episode, we're talking about:
Why we've put so much pressure on pastors
The role ordinary people play in a healthy church
What shared ownership actually looks like
Why participation matters more than observation
How healthy churches are built together

RESOURCES MENTIONED
Join the Network for $6 for your first month here!
Join our free Facebook Community
Get your FREE ticket to the Women Reaching Women Conference! smallchurchsummits.com
Support the show

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.
🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!

FOLLOW US:
➡️ Website: smallchurchministry.com
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Facebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Creative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministry
➡️ Small Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership
...more
25min
June 23, 2026234: Great Volunteers Need More Than Spiritual Gifts
Great volunteers aren't just gifted. They keep growing.
In this episode, we're talking about why practical ministry skills matter more than many churches realize and how growing yourself may be one of the greatest gifts you can give your church.
In this episode, we're talking about:
Why some volunteers create more impact than others
The difference between caring and effectiveness
Why practical skills aren't competing with faith
How communication, conflict resolution, and leadership skills shape ministry outcomes
Why healthy churches are built by people who never stop learning

RESOURCES MENTIONED
Join the Network for $6 for your first month here!
Join our free Facebook Community
Get your FREE ticket to the Women Reaching Women Conference! smallchurchsummits.com
Support the show

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.
🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!

FOLLOW US:
➡️ Website: smallchurchministry.com
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Facebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Creative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministry
➡️ Small Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership
...more
41min
June 16, 2026233: "I'm Just a Volunteer" Might Feel Safer. But It's a Myth.
"I'm just a volunteer."
That one phrase - one we've all heard and many of us have said - reveals a bigger problem than we realize.
In this episode, we're talking about what happens when churches concentrate growth, development, and learning into a handful of people while everyone else is expected to simply help. We'll explore why healthy churches aren't built by a few highly developed leaders.
In this episode, we're talking about:
Why "I'm just a volunteer" may reveal a deeper belief
The hidden cost of reserving growth for a few people
Why staying small can feel safer than growing
How healthy churches develop people, not just leaders
What happens when more people learn, grow, and take ownership

RESOURCES MENTIONED
Join the Network for $6 for your first month here!
Join our free Facebook Community
Get your FREE ticket to the Women Reaching Women Conference! smallchurchsummits.com
Support the show

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.
🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!

FOLLOW US:
➡️ Website: smallchurchministry.com
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Facebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Creative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministry
➡️ Small Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership
...more
33min
June 09, 2026232: The Most Influential People in Your Church Might Not Be the Pastor
We spend a lot of time talking about pastors, church leaders, and people with titles. But what if I told you some of the most influential people in your church will never stand on a stage, lead a meeting, or sit on a board?
In this episode, we're talking about the people shaping church culture every single week - and why the future of many small churches isn't sitting in the pastor's office.
In this episode, we're talking about:
Why influence and authority aren't the same thing
How everyday people impact a church's health
Why the future of your church isn't sitting in one office
What influence actually looks like in a small church

RESOURCES MENTIONED
Join our free Facebook Community
Get your FREE ticket to the Women Reaching Women Conference! smallchurchsummits.com
Support the show

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.
🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!

FOLLOW US:
➡️ Website: smallchurchministry.com
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Facebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Creative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministry
➡️ Small Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership
...more
32min
June 02, 2026231: Why “Take a Break” & “Just Say No” Aren’t Fixing Ministry Burnout
Burnout recovery goes deeper than just taking a break.
In this episode, we’re talking about why surface-level burnout advice often isn’t enough, the deeper patterns underneath emotional exhaustion, and why so many people in ministry still feel depleted even after trying to rest, set boundaries, or “do less.”
Listen in for:
Why quick burnout fixes often don’t create lasting change
Deeper patterns underneath emotional exhaustion and overfunctioning
How chronic pressure and overresponsibility can reshape our nervous systems
Why many people struggle to actually recover, even after resting

RESOURCES MENTIONED
Join our free Facebook Community
Get your FREE ticket to the Women Reaching Women Conference! smallchurchsummits.com
Support the show

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.
🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!

FOLLOW US:
➡️ Website: smallchurchministry.com
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Facebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Creative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministry
➡️ Small Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership
...more
41min
May 26, 2026230: You Can’t Help Everyone (And It’s Exhausting)
A lot of people in ministry feel like they’re constantly choosing who to disappoint. The church needs something. The team needs something. People want access to you. Your family needs you too.
And eventually, it starts feeling impossible to hold it all together without losing yourself somewhere in the process.
In this episode, we’re talking about:
The pressure to always be available in ministry
Why constant availability slowly drains us
What happens when we keep leading without space to recover
How guilt and responsibility quietly shape our choices
Reconnecting with Jesus outside constant output

RESOURCES MENTIONED
Join our free Facebook Community
Get your FREE ticket to the Women Reaching Women Conference! smallchurchsummits.com
Support the show

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.
🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!

FOLLOW US:
➡️ Website: smallchurchministry.com
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Facebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Creative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministry
➡️ Small Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership
...more
42min
May 19, 2026229: Ministry Burnout Is Real (But It’s Not Inevitable)
Burnout is real … but a lot of the time, we’re not as stuck as we think we are. We say we’re overwhelmed, but we’re still saying yes, still filling gaps, still stepping in “just this once.”
At some point, we have to get honest about where we actually have a choice. Because if we don’t use it, we slowly build a version of ministry we don’t even like being part of.
Where we still have more choice than we’re acting as we do
The difference between real limits and self-created pressure
What it sounds like when we start blaming people, ministry, or the system
Small shifts that move you out of reaction and back into agency

RESOURCES MENTIONED
Join our free Facebook Community
Get your FREE ticket to the Women Reaching Women Conference! smallchurchsummits.com
Support the show

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.
🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!

FOLLOW US:
➡️ Website: smallchurchministry.com
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Facebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Creative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministry
➡️ Small Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership
...more
35min
May 12, 2026228: How to Get People to Step Up at Church (Without Asking for Volunteers)
At some point, we have to admit that recruiting isn’t fixing our volunteer problem. We keep planning … and then trying to get people to care about it afterward. And that’s where things break down.
But what if the real shift happens before anything is planned? When people are part of the process early, something changes. They don’t just hear the plan- they help shape it. And when that happens, ownership follows.
In this episode:
Why ownership starts before the plan is finished
The simple shift that moves people from the sidelines to the field
What most of us miss when we try to “build buy-in”
A different way to gather input that actually leads somewhere
Why this works—and why it feels so different from typical planning

RESOURCES MENTIONED
Join our free Facebook Community
Get your FREE ticket to the Women Reaching Women Conference! smallchurchsummits.com
Support the show

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.
🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!

FOLLOW US:
➡️ Website: smallchurchministry.com
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Facebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Creative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministry
➡️ Small Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership
...more
27min
May 05, 2026227: Why People Stop Volunteering at Church (And How To Fix It)
Most people don’t say no to serving - they say no to how it feels. And often, that feeling comes from how ministry is built in the first place.
When a few key shifts happen, things become more relational, more sustainable, and something people actually want to be part of.
In this episode:
Why people step back from serving (even when they care)
The 4 shifts that change how ministry feels from the inside
What happens when you move from managing people to building ministry with them
How small changes create a completely different experience

RESOURCES MENTIONED
Join our free Facebook Community
Get your FREE ticket to the Women Reaching Women Conference! smallchurchsummits.com
Support the show

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.
🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!

FOLLOW US:
➡️ Website: smallchurchministry.com
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Facebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Creative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministry
➡️ Small Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership
...more
34min
April 28, 2026226: Why You’re Struggling to Get Church Volunteers (It’s Not What You Think)
Most churches assume they have a numbers problem. They’re trying to get more volunteers, when what really needs attention is the experience people walk into.
It’s rarely a recruiting problem. It’s a culture issue that started long before the ask - shaped by what people have seen, heard, and come to expect from “volunteering.”
In this episode:
Why “we need more volunteers” is often the wrong starting point
What’s really influencing whether people say yes - or quietly opt out
The hidden patterns that make ministry feel like drudgery instead of joy
Why this changes how you approach everything … even if you’ve tried all there is to recruit more volunteers

RESOURCES MENTIONED
Get your FREE ticket to the Small Church KidMin + Youth Ministry Conference: Summer Edition
Join our free Facebook Community
Get your FREE ticket to the Women Reaching Women Conference! smallchurchsummits.com
Support the show

SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW
If you loved this episode, please take a moment to subscribe and leave a review on Apple Podcasts! Your support helps us reach more people -- just like you -- in small churches who need to hear this.
🎙 Thanks for tuning in to Small Church Ministry Podcast! See you next week!

FOLLOW US:
➡️ Website: smallchurchministry.com
➡️ Instagram: instagram.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Facebook: facebook.com/smallchurchministry
➡️ Creative Solutions for Small Churches Facebook Community: facebook.com/groups/smallchurchministry
➡️ Small Church Network: smallchurchministry.com/membership
...more
33min

FAQs about The Small Church Ministry Podcast:

How many episodes does The Small Church Ministry Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 245 episodes available.

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