Unconventional Ministry

In the episode, learn from Nick and Alyx Scholl about their intentional relationship-focused ministry model in the country of Italy. The Scholls, serving with Greater Europe Mission, are building authentic relationships with their neighbors and connections through living life alongside their neighbors and new friendships. This is resulting in Gospel conversations resulting is new church plants.

The Good News has been present in Europe for over two thousand years. In Acts 16, we read about the first church ever planted on the European continent. Philippi in Macedonia was started by the Apostle Paul around AD 50 (Acts 16:6-15). Yet Europe today has less than 3% of Europeans who have a relationship with Jesus. The need for the Gospel in Europe has never been greater than it is now. Europe is a post-Christian continent where some churches sit empty and others preach a social Gospel with no mention of the life-changing power of Jesus Christ.

Previous podcast episodes you will enjoy:

• Episode #88 How Story-centric Discipleship Could Change Your Church with Tara Rye

In the episode, hear Dr. Mark Elliot's first-hand perspectives on what he personally observed and learned during the Asbury University revival in February 2023. What started with spontaneous worship and calls to renewal in the lives of college students turned into tens of thousands of pilgrims making their way to a small town in the middle of Kentucky, which then spilled over onto campuses across America and awakenings across the globe. In Taken By Surprise: The Asbury Revival of 2023, Mark R. Elliott writes as the seasoned historian he is—diving into the what, when, and how behind the revival that may very well be the first of its kind in our digital era. #asburyrevival

With a Ph.D. in modern European and Russian history, Dr. Elliot founded the  East-West Church and Ministry Report in 1993. He is now editor emeritus of the report (www.eastwestreport.org)

Previous podcast episodes you will enjoy:

• Episode #93 Listener-Centric Innovation in Christian Radio with David McIver

In this episode, learn why most church planting efforts in America fail when the funding stops. Sean Benesh, Founder and CEO of Intrepid Missions, suggests we may need to throw out many of the present “rules” in the church planting ministry. Listen to the episode to learn Sean’s two threads of reasoning as to why a change is needed with American church planting models. Is it time in America to plant churches, make disciples, launch businesses, and jump into economic development endeavors in America with a missionary and entrepreneurial mindset like you would if you were a missionary and entrepreneur in an international location?

Sean has been involved in church planting for nearly 20 years. He is a church planting strategist, author, and professor. He’s written over 20 books related to church planting, cities, and social enterprises. He teaches at Warner Pacific University and is the Program Lead for the Digital Media and Communications program.

Previous podcast episodes you will enjoy:

• Episode #98 Conversational Apologetics That Results in Transformational Relationships with Dr. Fouad Masri

In this episode, learn how Calvary University's innovation is helping the university navigate the waters of the current culture and climate. Society plummets further into moral decay as truth becomes relative and biblical values are pushed by the wayside. The importance and role of Christian higher education cannot be overstated! My guest is John McGee, Chief Development Officer of Calvary University.

Christian colleges and universities face layered challenges as they strive to prepare students to pursue biblical truth and embody a Gospel witness in a fallen world.

In every class and every program, Calvary University is committed to excellence in preparing men and women to live and serve in the Church and in the world according to the biblical worldview. Check out the university’s Conference On Global Engagement (COGC).

At the moment, Calvary University is ranked in the top 30 out of 1,300 colleges and universities in the United States for the lowest student debt upon graduation.

In this episode, learn why retirement is not a finish line but a starting point: a moment to transition from the conventional to the extraordinary, from passive years to a period of active service in God's Kingdom. My guest is Bruce Bruinsma, Founder and CEO of The Retirement Reformation.  

The Retirement Reformation approach is to shift the understanding of retirement from a traditional perspective. Instead of seeing this phase of life as a winding down and disengaging, The Retirement Reformation envisions it as a time full of potential for active engagement in God's Kingdom.

There are approximately 48 million Christ followers aged 60 and above. Feelings of isolation and loneliness are on the rise, creating significant health challenges. This demographic also represents one of the largest groups leaving the Church today.

Previous Unconventional Ministry Podcast episodes:

• S4 EP#102 Missions Innovation in the Context of Urbanization, Globalization, and Multidirectional Migration with Dr. Jared Loone

Research shows that trust is at an all-time low. In nearly all industries, over the last few years, research shows there's been a decline in trust, both individually and in the marketplace.

In this episode, learn from TrustCentric Consulting Founder and CEO Cory Scheer about the building blocks of trust. While trust is one of the most common words in English, it’s also commonly misunderstood. Trust is one of the most important aspects of relationships.

Learn proven strategies to help you build back trust and thrive in a trust-declining culture. Whether you're building trust with clients, colleagues, or loved ones, it takes intentional effort and a commitment to authenticity.

The TrustCentric Organizational Trust Assessment helps organizations understand the current level of trust among employees, teams, and leaders. Much more actionable than an employee satisfaction survey, the organizational trust assessment reveals tangible and practical ways to build trust so that organizations can become more healthy.

Previous Podcast Episodes:

#123 Saying Yes to God before the Question - Rick McKinney

#124 From Planting Corn to Planting Churches – Cultivating the “Back 40”- Kurt Busenitz

#125 Finally, a Reformatted Readable Bible – Rod Laughlin

In this episode, learn six practices to healthy venting from Pastor Ben Stapley. Did you know that venting your feelings can be healthy and helpful? However, it does not always work this way as venting our feelings becomes toxic and unhealthy.

While sweeping emotions under the carpet is not healthy in our personal or professional lives, neither is the toxic environment of oversharing and venting our feelings.

A healthy venting session occurs when the listener supports the person venting by offering supportive responses, empathy for their situation, and actively listening. Venting is a healthy and helpful exchange between two or more people.

For over 20 years, Ben Shapley has worked in pastoring, preaching, speaking, and blogging. He consults churches and discusses leadership, communication, and creativity at conferences. Read his blog for more ideas:  https://www.benstapley.com/

Previous podcast episodes you will enjoy:

• Episode #107 Music’s Powerful Force in Healing People From Trauma with Dr. Connie Fortunato

In the episode, learn how Rod Laughlin’s insatiable desire to acquaint friends and strangers with the Bible devoted years of his life to developing The Readable Bible. The first complete format update of the Bible in over one hundred years! Accurate. Approachable. Understandable. Groundbreaking.

During the past two hundred years, more than a dozen new formats have been developed to make information easier to read. Yet, Bibles are still using plain text in paragraphs. The 23 types of information found in the Readable Bible are now presented in the 17 formats that are standard in today’s non-fiction books. This update makes accessing and engaging with the timeless teachings of God’s Word easier than ever.

The Readable Bible is available to purchase via Ironstream Media.

Previous Podcast Episodes:

• Episode #112 International Development, How You Help Matters - Tim Brokopp

In this episode, Kurt Busenitz talks about his struggle with the tension of legacy he felt when he left farming to plant churches. With a lack of vibrant, gospel-preaching churches in many rural communities in America, Kurt and Deana, with RHMA, have identified towns in need of a church plant and seek to establish a church there. Tune in to hear Kurt's inspiring story and learn more about the importance of planting churches in underserved and mostly rural communities.

RHMA seeks to impact 40 unreached rural communities in the next 10 years by planning gospel proclaiming, Bible teaching, community engaging, and dynamically reproducing churches. This initiative is called “The Back 40 Unreached Initiative."

In farming, the back 40 is the remote part of a farm or inaccessible part of any place, an uncultivated or undeveloped piece of land of indefinite size. Learn how you can pray for RHMA's "Back 40 Unreached Initiative."

Previous podcast episodes you will enjoy:

• Episode #117 Keeping Kids Connected in Deployed Military Families

In this episode, learn how Rick and Jane McKinney learned to say yes to God before hearing the question. You will better understand from their experience how obedience to God is where a lot of our walk with God hinges.

Rick explains their incredible story about their 6-month trek to share their faith and pray for our nation as they walked across America. While they walked 2,770 miles, over 5 million steps each, it was more about the stops and conversations than the steps they each took.

Once described as “mavericks,” Rick and Jane have literally stepped out into the unknown to embrace God’s call and have experienced God’s presence in a way that only comes through a life of obedience. Whether planting and pastoring churches, traveling the world to perform concerts, building a house in Mexico, or traveling from village to village in India, they had followed God’s voice as He led them forward, one step at a time, even when God asked them to walk across America!

Their story of their walk with God is in their new book And … So We Walked: The Inspirational Story of a Couple’s Walk Across America. This book and many other resources are available at: https://andsowewalked.org/.

Previous podcast episodes you will enjoy:

• Episode #122 With Cancer So Prevalent, Why Do Churches Lack a Cancer Ministry?