The Church Revitalization Podcast

The Malphurs Group
  • 5.0 (41)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

Each week, The Malphurs Group team tackles important, actionable topics to help your church succeed in revitalization and leadership. We want to equip your church break through barriers and maximize your impact.

  1. 6d ago

    Title: Moving Men from Consumers to Contributors

    Many churches struggle to move men from the seats to meaningful service, and this episode tackles that challenge head-on. Scott and A.J. dig into the mismatch between what men bring to the table professionally and what churches typically ask of them, offering practical ways to close that gap. If your church has untapped male talent sitting in the pews, this conversation is for you. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are the co-hosts of the Church Revitalization Podcast, produced by the Malphurs Group, a ministry consulting organization dedicated to helping churches thrive. Scott and A.J. work as church consultants and coaches, bringing a mix of practical wisdom and theological grounding to topics that matter most to pastors and church leaders navigating the challenges of revitalization. [3:15] Why men volunteer less and where the real gap is in middle-aged men [4:27] The communication mismatch between a man's professional identity and church service [5:34] Low-leverage versus high-leverage volunteer roles and why both matter [14:36] Identifying and personally inviting the right men into meaningful roles [19:14] The toolbox framework: knowing what skills and gifts your people actually have Free 7-Day Trial of the Healthy Churches Toolkit: https://healthychurchestoolkit.com Episode Article: https://malphursgroup.com/361 Facebook: https://facebook.com/malphursgroup Instagram: https://instagram.com/malphursgroup YouTube: https://youtube.com/themalphursgroup X: https://x.com/malphursgroup

  2. Sep 23

    How to Jumpstart Church Growth from a Plateau

    If your church has hit a plateau, this episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast gives you a practical, no-nonsense framework to get things moving again. Scott and A.J. walk through four key questions every church leader should honestly answer, covering community presence, follow-up systems, barrier removal, and mobilizing your people to serve. Whether you have been plateaued for a while or just feel like you need a kick in the right direction, this episode is packed with actionable next steps you can start on this week. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are the co-hosts of the Church Revitalization Podcast and consultants with the Malphurs Group, a ministry dedicated to helping churches develop healthy strategy, leadership, and discipleship culture. Each week they bring honest, practical conversations designed to help pastors and church leaders move their congregations forward with clarity and confidence. [4:52] Question 1: Are we aggressively present in our community? [7:48] Question 2: Are we aggressively following up with new contacts? [11:07] Question 3: Are we removing barriers to the next step? [16:23] Question 4: Are we aggressively asking our people to serve? [22:24] Getting started this week: picking one thing to work on Free 7-Day Trial: https://healthychurchestoolkit.com Episode Article: https://malphursgroup.com/358 Facebook: https://facebook.com/malphursgroup Instagram: https://instagram.com/malphursgroup YouTube: https://youtube.com/themalphursgroup X: https://x.com/malphursgroup

  3. Sep 15

    Are You Ready to be a Church Consultant QUIZ

    Have you ever wondered if you have what it takes to be a church consultant? In this episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast, Scott and A.J. walk through a 10-question quiz designed to help you honestly assess your readiness for church consulting work. Whether you are exploring certification or just curious about what good consulting looks like, this episode gives you a practical, candid look at the skills, mindset, and motivations that matter most. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are church consultants and the hosts of the Church Revitalization Podcast, produced by the Malphurs Group. Each week they tackle practical topics to help church leaders move their congregations toward health and growth. Scott brings deep experience in pastoral ministry and strategic planning, while A.J. brings a background rooted in business and church leadership development, and together they serve churches across the country through consulting and certification training. [2:31] Question 1: The number one skill a church consultant needs [8:14] Question 3: What a consultant's job actually is (and is not) [11:16] Question 4: Why a repeatable framework matters more than raw talent [19:57] Question 6: The authority (or lack of it) a consultant actually holds [30:09] Question 9: The biggest reason new consultants fail Guide Certification Information: https://malphursgroup.com/certification Episode Article: https://malphursgroup.com/357 Facebook: https://facebook.com/malphursgroup Instagram: https://instagram.com/malphursgroup YouTube: https://youtube.com/themalphursgroup X: https://x.com/malphursgroup

  4. Sep 9 ·  Video

    Three Fixes for Failing Strategies

    Many churches abandon strategies too quickly, assuming an idea simply "didn't work" when the real problem may be in how the strategy was implemented. In this episode, Scott and A.J. walk through three key diagnostic questions to ask before scrapping a ministry initiative, helping church leaders check their work rather than just look it over. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are church revitalization consultants with the Malphurs Group, a firm dedicated to helping churches develop healthy, sustainable ministry strategies. Each week on the Church Revitalization Podcast, they bring practical, field-tested insights drawn from years of consulting with churches of all sizes across the country. [9:13] Fix 1: Check for a lack of leadership or training among those responsible for executing the strategy [14:28] Fix 2: Evaluate whether the strategy had the resources and focus it actually needed to succeed [27:29] Fix 3: Examine how success was being measured and whether the timeline was realistic [22:08] The long-term perception damage that comes from repeatedly launching and abandoning initiatives [26:36] Asking the foundational question: was there actually a clear, shared plan to begin with   Leadership Pipeline Cohort: https://malphursgroup.com/pipeline-cohort/ Free 7-Day Trial: https://healthychurchestoolkit.com Episode Article: https://malphursgroup.com/356 Facebook: https://facebook.com/malphursgroup Instagram: https://instagram.com/malphursgroup YouTube: https://youtube.com/themalphursgroup X: https://x.com/malphursgroup

  5. Sep 2

    Why Your Church Needs a Formal Review Process

    Most churches skip formal review processes entirely, leaving staff, board members, and volunteers without the feedback they need to grow. In this episode, Scott and A.J. walk through three distinct areas where intentional reviews can strengthen your church: staff performance, board accountability, and volunteer development. Whether you are a solo pastor or leading a multi-staff church, this conversation gives you a practical starting point for building a culture of healthy, consistent evaluation. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are church consultants with the Malphurs Group, a ministry dedicated to helping churches revitalize and grow through practical strategy and leadership development. Each week on the Church Revitalization Podcast, they bring candid, actionable conversations designed to help pastors and church leaders move their congregations forward with clarity and confidence. [1:09] Why churches avoid reviews and why that needs to change [6:14] People are more likely to quit because of a lack of feedback than too much of it [12:44] Reviewing church staff: moving beyond a simple performance checklist [15:15] Reviewing the pastor and the board: a shift most churches have never considered [24:30] Reviewing volunteers: what they actually want from the process Free 7-Day Trial: https://healthychurchestoolkit.com Episode Article: https://malphursgroup.com/355 Facebook: https://facebook.com/malphursgroup Instagram: https://instagram.com/malphursgroup YouTube: https://youtube.com/themalphursgroup X: https://x.com/malphursgroup

  6. Aug 26

    Three Volunteer Recruitment Mistakes

    Every church knows the panic of scrambling for volunteers at the last minute, but reactive recruiting is just one of the mistakes that keeps your bench thin and your team burned out. In this episode, Scott and A.J. walk through three of the most common volunteer recruitment mistakes churches make and, more importantly, how to fix them with practical systems you can put in place right away. If your church is tired of guilt-tripping people from the pulpit, this conversation is for you. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are the co-hosts of the Church Revitalization Podcast, produced by the Malphurs Group, a ministry dedicated to helping churches develop healthy strategies for growth and renewal. Together, Scott and A.J. bring practical, field-tested insight to church leaders each week, covering topics from leadership development to volunteer management to organizational health. Whether you are a senior pastor or a ministry director, their goal is to give you tools you can actually use. [4:47] Mistake 1: Recruiting Reactively Instead of Proactively [6:42] Building a Volunteer Pipeline to Replace Last-Minute Scrambling [8:54] Mistake 2: Relying on Gut Instinct Instead of Objective Information [16:13] Mistake 3: No Follow-Up After a Volunteer Says Yes [20:41] Using the Healthy Churches Toolkit to Systematize Your Pipeline Free 7-Day Trial of the Healthy Churches Toolkit: https://healthychurchestoolkit.com Episode Article: https://malphursgroup.com/354 Facebook: https://facebook.com/malphursgroup Instagram: https://instagram.com/malphursgroup YouTube: https://youtube.com/themalphursgroup X (Twitter): https://x.com/malphursgroup

  7. Aug 19

    Solving the "Next Generation" Leadership Crisis

    Many churches are facing a quiet crisis: the average age of senior pastors in America is rising into the mid-50s, and the problem runs deeper than the pulpit. In this episode, Scott and A.J. walk through the signs that church leaders may be unintentionally holding back the next generation, and they offer practical moves to start reversing that trend. Whether you lead a congregation in the U.S. or an international church with a transient membership, this conversation will challenge you to think honestly about who you are developing and empowering right now. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are the co-hosts of the Church Revitalization Podcast, produced by the Malphurs Group, a ministry dedicated to helping churches move toward health and effectiveness. Scott serves as a lead consultant and trainer, and A.J. brings a global perspective shaped by years of working with international churches. Together they offer a warm, practical, and biblically grounded approach to the real challenges facing church leaders today. [7:32] Sign 1: You consult next gen leaders but never really include them in decisions [11:23] Sign 2: You celebrate next gen wins but struggle to tolerate their failures [16:42] Sign 3: The vision of the church is entirely dependent on one person [19:56] Practical Move 1: Give real ownership with real budget in a ministry area [22:53] Practical Move 3: Have their back publicly when things go sideways Free 7-Day Trial of the Healthy Churches Toolkit: https://healthychurchestoolkit.com Episode Article: https://malphursgroup.com/353 Facebook: https://facebook.com/malphursgroup Instagram: https://instagram.com/malphursgroup YouTube: https://youtube.com/themalphursgroup X: https://x.com/malphursgroup

  8. Aug 12

    Reasons Your Gut Feeling is a Dangerous Growth Strategy

    Most church leaders trust their gut more than they realize, and that instinct can quietly steer a congregation in the wrong direction. In this episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast, Scott and A.J. walk through the most common pitfalls of gut-driven decision making, explain why anecdotal information is not the same as real data, and offer practical questions leaders can ask to start making better, more informed choices for their churches. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are the co-hosts of the Church Revitalization Podcast, produced by the Malphurs Group, a consulting firm that helps churches develop healthy strategies for growth and ministry effectiveness. Scott and A.J. bring a blend of theological grounding and practical church leadership experience to every conversation, making the show a trusted resource for pastors and ministry leaders who want their churches to thrive. [1:08] Why gut feelings can be confirmation bias dressed up as Spirit-led discernment [5:02] Problem 1: Treating anecdotes as data and confusing what is loud with what is true [9:15] Problem 2: Silence in your church is not the same as satisfaction or health [13:59] Questions to test your assumptions about ministry programming and strategy [16:49] Who in your church holds a different view, and have you actually listened to them? Free 7-Day Trial: https://healthychurchestoolkit.com Episode Article: https://malphursgroup.com/352 Facebook: https://facebook.com/malphursgroup Instagram: https://instagram.com/malphursgroup YouTube: https://youtube.com/themalphursgroup X: https://x.com/malphursgroup

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Each week, The Malphurs Group team tackles important, actionable topics to help your church succeed in revitalization and leadership. We want to equip your church break through barriers and maximize your impact.

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