The Small Church Ministry Podcast Laurie Acker

This episode continues our series about healthy churches, starting with us as individuals and continuing into our relationships. Too often, when we think of church success, we immediately jump to evaluating programs, attendance, and finances when the real success in our local churches is evidenced by how we love. Learn how to grow in understanding for those the hardest for us to love - and why it matters. Email Laurie: laurie@smallchurchministry.comSee our resources for sale: resources.smallc...

If asked to describe the church today, many people might not put “loving” at the top of their list. In this episode, we’re unpacking why this is and what we can do about it. For many churches, our efforts to do more, serve better, and meet our program goals result in neglecting the very people we’re trying to love. The best tools, strategies, and ideas only go so far.If we’re not loving well, all the effort in the world has minimal lasting impact. Listen in to hear:Signs that w...

Too many small churches are filled with saints who are overstretched and disheartened.Our modern church culture hasn’t done us any favors with its focus on church attendance over loving our neighbors. Our bent toward over-programming is exhausting the volunteers we have left and not producing the fruit we think we are working toward. We wonder what is going on and if we can even do better in our current world. The first steps toward overhauling this failing church culture start with...

Today’s guest has been serving in children’s ministry for decades and keeps coming back for more. Listen in as Bill Gunter shares a bit of his ministry journey including church transitions, how he balances a volunteer position with a full-time job, and what keeps him inspired to keep on serving.Connect with Bill Gunter:smallchurchkidmin.com Rate, Review, & Follow Laurie on Apple Podcasts"I love Laurie and The Small Church Ministry Podcast!!" If that's like you, please c...

In this episode, guest Stephanie Carlson shares how their church’s midweek programming went from age-segregated to all-age-inclusive. Stephanie wondered if there was a better model of discipleship than the typical big-church strategy of separating ages. She kept coming back to these four questions:Why are we separating families?We say we’re “equipping,” but are we? Parents don’t feel like they know enough; how do we change that?How do we create a stickier web of influence around our...

From sermons to faith conversations, podcasts can be a great medium to build stronger connections and deeper learning. Listen in to this interview with Tim Hull, owner of Sonimoprhic, as he shares his experience helping smaller churches expand their ministry impact with podcasting.We’re sharing podcast ideas for:Easier replay listening of missed sermonsSustaining community between annual women’s retreats or youth campsSeasonal podcasts to build connection before and after shared eventsFa...