The Small Church Ministry Podcast

Laurie Graham Ertl
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  • Christianity
  • Updated weekly

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 Ministry and the Small Church Network, Laurie Graham Ertl shares why small churches matter—not as a scaled-down version of something bigger, but as powerful communities with their own unique strengths. Each episode offers creative solutions to real challenges with a mix of honest encouragement, leadership skills, and actionable next steps.  Laurie hosts the show with a perspective shaped by decades in ministry on every side of small church life—as a volunteer, staff leader, and pastor’s spouse. She knows both the pressure and the beauty of small churches firsthand, and brings steady encouragement, practical wisdom, and deep care for both volunteers and ministry leaders.

  1. 5 days ago

    235: 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 pastorsThe role ordinary people play in a healthy churchWhat shared ownership actually looks likeWhy participation matters more than observationHow healthy churches are built together RESOURCES MENTIONED Join the Network for $6 for your first month here! Join our free Facebook Community Get the Ministry Bundles here! 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

    24 min

  2. 23 Jun

    234: 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 othersThe difference between caring and effectivenessWhy practical skills aren't competing with faithHow communication, conflict resolution, and leadership skills shape ministry outcomesWhy 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 the Ministry Bundles here! 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

    40 min

  3. 16 Jun

    233: "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 beliefThe hidden cost of reserving growth for a few peopleWhy staying small can feel safer than growingHow healthy churches develop people, not just leadersWhat 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 the Ministry Bundles here! 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

    33 min

  4. 9 Jun

    232: 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 thingHow everyday people impact a church's healthWhy the future of your church isn't sitting in one officeWhat influence actually looks like in a small church RESOURCES MENTIONED Join our free Facebook Community Get the Ministry Bundles here! 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

    32 min

  5. 2 Jun

    231: 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 changeDeeper patterns underneath emotional exhaustion and overfunctioningHow chronic pressure and overresponsibility can reshape our nervous systemsWhy many people struggle to actually recover, even after resting RESOURCES MENTIONED Join our free Facebook Community Get the Ministry Bundles here! 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

    40 min

  6. 26 May

    230: 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 ministryWhy constant availability slowly drains usWhat happens when we keep leading without space to recoverHow guilt and responsibility quietly shape our choicesReconnecting with Jesus outside constant output RESOURCES MENTIONED Join our free Facebook Community Get the Ministry Bundles here! 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

    41 min

  7. 19 May

    229: 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 doThe difference between real limits and self-created pressureWhat it sounds like when we start blaming people, ministry, or the systemSmall shifts that move you out of reaction and back into agency RESOURCES MENTIONED Join our free Facebook Community Get the Ministry Bundles here! 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

    34 min

  8. 12 May

    228: 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 finishedThe simple shift that moves people from the sidelines to the fieldWhat most of us miss when we try to “build buy-in”A different way to gather input that actually leads somewhereWhy this works—and why it feels so different from typical planning RESOURCES MENTIONED Join our free Facebook Community Get the Ministry Bundles here! 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

    26 min
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About

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 Ministry and the Small Church Network, Laurie Graham Ertl shares why small churches matter—not as a scaled-down version of something bigger, but as powerful communities with their own unique strengths. Each episode offers creative solutions to real challenges with a mix of honest encouragement, leadership skills, and actionable next steps.  Laurie hosts the show with a perspective shaped by decades in ministry on every side of small church life—as a volunteer, staff leader, and pastor’s spouse. She knows both the pressure and the beauty of small churches firsthand, and brings steady encouragement, practical wisdom, and deep care for both volunteers and ministry leaders.

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