unSeminary Podcast Rich Birch

Welcome back to the unSeminary podcast. Today we’re talking with Nathan R. Elson. He is the founder and chief theorist with the organization, A Better Theory.







Every ministry, every church, and every leader has problems they have to deal with. Regardless of the size of your problems, it is possible to develop a pattern of behavior around solving them and continue to push forward in your mission. Tune in as Nathan provides a framework through which you can tackle your problems and accomplish more from less.









* A framework for problem solving. // A common misconception in problem solving is the belief that our problems are unique. While the nuances may differ, the underlying issues are often universal. By recognizing this, we can apply proven frameworks to address our problems in better ways.







* More from less. // There are two things that underpin the framework Nathan has put together: the idea of exploitation and the idea of limitations. We often don’t make full use of the resources God is giving us, whether it’s time, talent, treasure, people, and so on. The result is we end up throwing more at a problem trying to overwhelm it rather than solve it. The idea of exploitation puts the focus on challenging ourselves to do more with what we already have. God also created us with limited capacity so we need to look at how to maximize those limits.







* Think creatively. // Look at your situation and ask: What do we have? What are we limited by? Problem solving is a creative endeavor. Outlining our parameters allows us to exercise creative problem solving more effectively.







* Three maxims in problem solving. // The framework in A Better Theory’s methodology has three maxims: Be realistic, seek simplicity, and remove friction. Being realistic is important because you have to be honest with God, yourself, your team, and your congregation about where you are and what specifically you need. Ask yourself if you’ve really taken the time to think about what it will take to achieve what it is you want. Often leaders start building before knowing what is needed.







* Complex yet simple. // As you approach problem solving, the solution needs to be complex enough to solve the problem, yet simple enough to be replicated. If you can’t replicate what you’re doing and teach it to someone else then it won’t be sustainable. Lastly, identify where you might be introducing friction to your problem and how you can stop that.







* How A Better Theory helps. // The team at A Better Theory can help you identify the problems your church is facing, and find a better solution by doing more from less. To get the free e-book that dives deeper into Nathan’s problem solving framework and start applying it in your church, visit www.abettertheory.com/unseminary.









Learn more about A Better Theory and contact Nathan at www.abettertheory.com.







Thank You for Tuning In!







There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose unSeminary, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the left hand side of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes, they’re extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that...

In this episode of the unSeminary Podcast, we delve into the transformative impact of magnetic community service on building a vibrant church invite culture. Drawing inspiration from outreach initiatives at prominent churches like Elevation’s Love Week and Church of the Highlands’ Serve Day, we explore how strategic mass outreach can drive your congregation’s growth and engagement.







Key Factors That Shape Magnetic Community Service:









* The More Volunteers Factor: The first key to driving invites is the sheer number of volunteers mobilized. When 60-70% of the adult community actively participates in impactful community service, engagement skyrockets, leading to natural conversations and opportunities for members to invite their friends to church. By empowering people to leave their seats and make a tangible difference, they naturally want to share their experiences.







* The T-Shirt Factor: Visibility is essential. Wearing matching shirts and being seen doing good in the community reinforces the positive image of the church. People feel a sense of pride and fulfillment when they’re visibly making a difference, and this visibility motivates them to share their stories, post photos, and invite others.







* The Day Of Factor: The holy ruckus created by community-wide outreach spills over into conversations, social media posts, and networking opportunities that naturally generate buzz and invites. Mobilizing large groups to help neighborhoods, host events, or run awareness campaigns creates a memorable spectacle that leaves people curious and engaged.







* The Afterglow Factor: The positive ripple effects from a mass outreach initiative can last months or even years. People who participate continue to talk about it, share photos, and tell stories, all of which reinforce the culture of generosity and outreach that the church embodies. This afterglow can be leveraged in future outreach, campus launches, and community engagement efforts.









Ready-to-Implement Outreach Ideas:









* Shop of Wonders: Create a dignified and empowering Christmas shopping experience for hundreds of families in need. Display donated gifts like a shop, providing families with hope and joy.







* Serve Day: Mobilize your entire church to serve the community by cleaning parks, running garage sales, offering free services, and more.







* Night to Shine: Host a prom for individuals with special needs using the resources from the Tim Tebow Foundation.









Magnetic community service, as outlined in this episode, can catalyze your invite culture and make a lasting impact on both your congregation and your local community. It’s time to unlock new potential by moving your members from their seats and into the streets!

Thanks for tuning in to the unSeminary podcast. We’re talking with Brad Dreibelbis, Next Gen and Operations Pastor at The Journey, a church in Delaware.







How do you identify and find high caliber leaders, particularly from the next generation? Too many churches wait for young leaders to be trained in other places instead of raising them up from within their church. Listen as Brad shares how The Journey is raising up young leaders and providing opportunities for them to develop both character and competency.









* Take risks on young leaders. // No church ever feels they have enough leaders, and at The Journey they’ve taken a proactive approach to this issue by investing in students and young adults. Think of it like Moses turning over the reins to Joshua and Caleb and leaving that legacy to the next generation. Help people early in their faith to grow in their character and calling to support what God is doing in their leadership.







* Focus on the next generation. // The target demographic of who The Journey is trying to reach is framed through the lens of an 18 to 30 year old man. It’s important to have on-ramps for older followers too and remind them they are important in the church, but investing in and taking risks on the next generation ensures that you are building for the future.







* Make disciples. // Brad’s team completes monthly reports that include identifying an 18-30 year old who could move into their leadership pipeline. Talking about potential leaders as a team adds a layer of accountability and encourages the staff to bring others alongside them and make disciples. It’s important to give young leaders opportunities even though it will be messy at times.







* Play the long game. // Don’t neglect that your kids and student ministries are your best feeder for young leaders because they’ve already been baked into your culture. Start investing in them when they’re young children. Teach them biblical principles and give them chances to lead as they grow.







* 90-day contracted internships. // There aren’t always open staff positions at The Journey so they have created 90-day contracted internships for young people in the church who have potential. The interns are paid as employees for 90 days and are in charge of a particular ministry or objective. This short-term opportunity offers young leaders a chance to grow and build skills while allowing staff to evaluate their character. After the 90 days, some interns may stay on for more growth opportunities or be offered a staff position.







* Ministry boot camp. // The Journey runs a ministry boot camp for 10 weeks during the summer for students and young adults—anyone who has finished eighth grade through 30 years old. The camp is a 20-hour-a-week commitment to help young leaders grow in their relationship with God while learning practical ministry. Participants commit to attending 12 hours during the week on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and then serving during weekend gatherings so they gain ministry experience while interacting with people.







* Learn to listen. // All of us are wired by God for a calling, even if it may not be in paid ministry. Help young people at your church to hear from God and create enough space to prioritize their faith. In The Journey’s ministry boot camp, the first hour is spent sitting and listening to Him—a new experience for some of the participants.







* Monthly focus. // Every month The Journey sets a different goal as part of their monthly focus strategy. This strategy sets a vision area that the whole church should be focused on, defines a vehicle to achieve it, and establishes measurable goals.

Today, we’re continuing our series on how your church can expand from 1,000 to 2,000 members in just 1,000 days. We’re focusing on the practical steps and metrics essential for managing such significant growth without overburdening your team or losing touch with the community’s needs. This discussion builds on our ongoing series, where we explore strategic engagement of new guests to achieve a sustainable and impactful growth rate—a growth rate that outpaces the community’s growth, ensuring that our church not only maintains its presence but also amplifies its influence. Join us as we unpack the crucial metrics that can help us double our congregation size while fostering a welcoming and vibrant church environment.









* Sustainable Growth Rate: We unpack the “Goldilocks” growth rate that is neither too fast to exhaust the church team nor too slow to impact the community. The ideal growth rate should outpace the community’s growth, ensuring the church gains influence and doesn’t lose ground.







* Attrition and Growth Metrics: Churches typically face a 15% annual attrition rate, including departures for various reasons—ranging from natural attrition to discontent with church dynamics. A growth of at least 15% annually is necessary to maintain current congregation sizes. However, to achieve a doubling in size, Rich advises targeting specific metrics:



* 3% Average Documented New Guests Weekly: Aim to attract new guests equivalent to 3% of the church’s size each week.







* 26% Retention of New Guests: Of the new guests that visit, retaining 26% is crucial to achieving the desired growth.













Focus on New Guest Metrics









* Average Documented First-time Guests: It’s vital to have documented evidence of first-time guests, which includes obtaining contact information (email, phone number, and ideally a mailing address). This allows for effective follow-up and integration into the church community.







* Weekly Consistency: The focus should be on consistent weekly engagement rather than sporadic bursts, ensuring that every weekend offers opportunities for newcomers to visit and feel welcomed.









Best Practices for Guest Information Collection









* Ethical Bribe: Using incentives like mugs, water bottles, or t-shirts as a welcoming gift can encourage guests to provide their contact information.







* Dedicated “New Here” Area: Churches should have clearly designated areas for new guests, staffed by personable and engaging team members, to make newcomers feel acknowledged and valued.







* Ongoing Engagement: It’s important to maintain an ongoing strategy for guest engagement, with regular prompts during services and events to remind and encourage participation.









Future Steps: The discussion on retaining 26% of newcomers will continue in future episodes, outlining specific strategies and follow-up actions to help solidify the initial contact and integrate new individuals into the church community.







This episode of the Unseminary Podcast lays down a practical blueprint for church growth, focusing on the crucial first steps of attracting and documenting new guests. With a systematic approach to guest engagement and information collection, churches can set the stage for substantial and sustainable growth, moving towards doubling their congregation in a realistic timeframe.

Welcome back to the unSeminary podcast. We’re talking with Zach Zehnder, the co-founder of Red Letter Living. Zach is a pioneer in creating 40-day challenges that have transformed discipleship and church growth in over 1000 churches. He’s also the teaching pastor at King of Kings in Omaha, Nebraska.







You know that disciple-making is important, but do you feel stuck on how to make it happen at your church? Wondering how to align your whole church, from kindergarten to adult, so everyone is focused on the same teaching and growing together? Tune in as Zach shares how a 40-day challenge can jumpstart your church’s growth and discipleship.









* Discipleship-centered challenges. // The 40-day challenges offered by Red Letter Living are not just about absorbing information; they are about taking action and experiencing life change. Included are message series, daily readings, and small group materials. There are also resources for kids and students. The beauty of this approach is its ability to align the entire church around a common idea, focusing on Jesus at the center. Whether you use one of Red Letter Living’s 40-day challenges or not, Zach recommends that you rollout an all-in church series once or twice a year.







* A huge impact on churches. // Over 1000 churches have participated in Red Letter Living’s 40-day challenges and the results speak for themselves. Most notably, it has helped to grow church small groups by about 40% during the 40-day challenge. A church could spend about 700 hours creating just first drafts of all the resources Red Letter Living already provides. Taking advantage of this turnkey solution removes a huge burden so church staff can focus on other aspects of ministry. And in times when division can easily creep into our congregations, these challenges also serve as a unifying force, centering us on Jesus and his teachings.







* The best way to follow Him. // The premise of the Red Letter Challenge is that the best way to follow Jesus is to simply do what he said and did. Rather than reinventing discipleship, this and other challenges by Red Letter Living focus on the words, life, and habits of Jesus. The Red Letter Challenge revolves around five key targets found in Jesus’ words: being, forgiving, serving, giving, and going. The first five days of the challenge introduces those five targets, and then a full week is spent on each of the targets, equaling 40 days. Each week participants engage in daily challenges and devotions that bring Jesus’ words to life.







* More challenges to offer. // In addition to the Red Letter Challenge, Red Letter Living offers other 40-day challenges that zero in on a particular topic Jesus talks about. For example, the Being Challenge focuses on practicing the five keystone habits of Jesus. The Forgiving Challenge is about receiving God’s freedom for yourself and then giving it away to others. The Serving Challenge looks at five aspects of how Jesus served us and then how to implement them.







* Special offer and more resources. // Any pastors and church leaders who would like a free copy of a Red Letter Living book can request one here. You can choose which book you’d like to sample and Red Letter Living will cover shipping costs within the United States. If you’re outside the US, a free digital copy is available. There are other supplies for the challenges that are offered for free on Red Letter Living’s website, including sermon manuscripts, videos, kids church curriculum, small group guides and videos, and more. Plus check out Red Letter Challenge in Spanish too.

You’ve often heard me stress the importance of culture, revenue, and vision in our churches, and our approach to hiring is at the heart of shaping our culture. Let’s explore five counterintuitive truths about hiring that I’ve uncovered through my experiences and coaching other church teams.







1. Judge by the Past, Not by Potential In our line of work, we are naturally inclined towards seeing the potential in people. However, when it comes to hiring, I’ve learned that it’s crucial to focus on what candidates have actually accomplished rather than what they might achieve. This approach reduces the risk of being disappointed by unmet expectations. In interviews, it’s vital to map out a candidate’s past behaviors and achievements to the needs of the role they’re applying for. Ask yourself, “If they replicate their past performance here, would it be a success?” This shift in perspective can lead to more reliable hiring decisions.







2. Enthusiasm is Overrated It’s easy to be charmed by a candidate’s zeal to join our team. However, enthusiasm does not always equate to effectiveness. We must dig deeper and evaluate the substantive skills and real impact a candidate brings. A high energy level can be a great asset, but it’s the combination of passion and proven ability that truly makes a difference. During interviews, look beyond a candidate’s excitement and assess their ability to contribute meaningfully to our goals.







3. Momentum vs. Metamorphosis Deciding between hiring internally and externally can dramatically affect the trajectory of our church’s development. Internal hires often help maintain momentum, sustaining the ongoing operations and preserving the culture. Conversely, external hires can be pivotal when you’re aiming to transform or significantly improve an area. Each hiring decision should be strategic: choose internal candidates to keep the wheels turning smoothly, or bring in fresh external perspectives to catalyze fundamental changes.







4. Hiring Can Hinder Growth It sounds paradoxical, but adding more staff doesn’t always accelerate growth. In fact, it can do the opposite by diminishing volunteer involvement and adding to our operational costs. Remember, every team member should ideally contribute to scaling up our efforts by equipping and empowering volunteers, not just by executing tasks. Reflect on this when considering new hires: Will this person enable more volunteers to engage, or will they fill a role that could be a growth opportunity for a volunteer?







5. Adaptability Over Skill In the dynamic environment of church leadership, the ability to adapt is invaluable. When hiring, prioritize candidates who demonstrate flexibility and a proven track record of adapting to new challenges. The future will likely ask them to handle roles that don’t even exist yet. During the hiring process, explore scenarios with candidates where they’ve had to adjust to significant changes or take on new responsibilities.







These insights into the hiring process are designed to foster stronger, more adaptable teams that align closely with our mission and values. As leaders, we must be intentional and thoughtful in our hiring practices to truly enhance our church’s capacity to thrive and grow.







As we continue to navigate the complexities of church management and leadership, let’s keep these counterintuitive truths in mind to refine our approach and achieve better outcomes. Thanks for tuning in, and here’s to building teams that make a lasting impact!