30 episodes
Can This Work In A Small Church? Karl Vaters
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- Religion & Spirituality
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4.9 • 18 Ratings
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Can This Work in a Small Church? is hosted by Karl Vaters, a small church pastor and author of several books including Small Church Essentials.
Each episode looks at a specific church leadership topic from a small church perspective.
We'll describe how smaller congregations need to approach most aspects of ministry differently than big churches do, but the goal will always be to find practical answers as we follow Christ's mission together.
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Ending Human Trafficking, with Dr. Sandra Morgan
Karl Vaters interviews Dr. Sandie Morgan, co-author of the new book, Ending Human Trafficking.
In this episode we talk about how healthy churches are uniquely positioned to help prevent human trafficking, including:
What signs to look for in people who may be vulnerable
How to partner with other agencies and law enforcement
How to set proper policies
Why we need to pay more attention to labor trafficking, not just sex trafficking
How to find resources in our neighborhood
And so much more, including a take on the biblical story of Elisha and the widow (2 Kings 4) that any pastor can preach from to help your congregation understand the importance of this issue and how to prevent it.
Dr. Morgan is also the host of the Ending Human Trafficking podcast, and the director of the Global Center for Women and Justice at Vanguard University. She also served by presidential appointment on the Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking.
Links from this episode:
Ending Human Trafficking
Sweat and Toil app
endinghumantrafficking.org
gcwj.org
Sandie Morgan social media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
For a Transcript of this episode visit the Pivot Blog
Support This Work:
Visit the Website
Subscribe to weekly Newsletter
Contribute financially at KarlVaters.com/support
Visit our Youtube Channel
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The Unexpected Origins of the Church Growth Movement, with Dr. Gary McIntosh
Karl Vaters interviews Dr. Gary McIntosh about Donald McGavran's role as the pioneer of the church growth movement.
But don’t let the term "church growth movement" stop you from listening. Dr. McIntosh tells us that the origins of church growth are far different than what most of us have been taught recently.
Some of the misunderstandings he clears up include:
That it came from the heart of a missionary, not a pastor
That it was about being cross-cultural, not omni-cultural
That it was focused as much or more on the impact of smaller congregations than the building of bigger ones
Donald A. McGavran: A Biography of the Twentieth Centurys Premier Missiologist
For a Transcript of this episode visit the Pivot Blog
Support This Work:
Visit the Website
Subscribe to weekly Newsletter
Contribute financially at KarlVaters.com/support
Visit our Youtube Channel
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Destigmatizing the "M" Word (Marketing) with Austin Savage
An interview with Austin Savage about the role of marketing in church leadership, including what marketing is, what it isn’t, and why we need to destigmatize it to use it effectively.
You may know Austin from the work he did with 95Network.com, including several years co-hosting the 95Podcast with Dale Sellers. Recently, he established Austin Savage & Co. to help churches with creating content and using media in the church.
In this conversation, Karl and Austin talk about
The difference between Marketing and promotion/advertising
How to put the content your church is already creating into the marketplace in creative ways
How to get started without costing any money
Links
Asana
95network.org
Austinsavage.co
For a Transcript of this episode visit the Pivot Blog
Support This Work:
Visit the Website
Subscribe to weekly Newsletter
Contribute financially at KarlVaters.com/support
Visit our Youtube Channel
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Why Your Church Needs A Website And Social Media, with Josh Givens
So, your church has a Facebook page? In a small church, that should be enough of an online presence, right? Wrong.
It finally happened! The answer to the question, "Can This Work In A Small Church?" isn't "yes"! (Well, not entirely, anyway.) Find out why in this interview with Josh Givens.
Topics include:
The importance of getting online
Why we must stay connected to the people we meet there
Why we must invest money and time to own online real estate (a website)
The importance of the pastor’s personal online presence
How much your church communicates before people step inside the building
Josh is the Communications Director for Northside Bible Church in Mobile AL, and for 614Ministries.org.
Links
NorthsideMobile.org
Using Photos Online (YouTube video)
Unsplash.com (Free photos)
614Ministries.org
JDGivens.com
CornerstoneFV.com
Canva
For a Transcript of this episode visit the Pivot Blog
Support This Work:
Visit the Website
Subscribe to weekly Newsletter
Contribute financially at KarlVaters.com/support
Visit our Youtube Channel
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
Rural Church Rescue, with Jon Sanders
An interview with Jon Sanders, the founder of SmallTownBigChurch.com, co-host of the EntrePastors podcast and author of Rural Church RESCUE: A Call to Restore Healthy Churches to Rural North America.
Jon and Karl talk about how Jon used the principles he learned as a firefighter to help churches better understand how to do ministry that matters. The parallels between the roles of firefighter and pastors are vivid, and the lessons are clear.
Subjects include the need for a clear mission and vision, the need to adapt, and the necessity of training and working as a team.
Links:
Rural Church RESCUE: A Call to Restore Healthy Churches to Rural North America
Calendly
Smalltownbigchurch.com
EntrePastors podcast
For a Transcript of this episode visit the Pivot Blog
Support This Work:
Visit the Website
Subscribe to weekly Newsletter
Contribute financially at KarlVaters.com/support
Visit our Youtube Channel
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices -
A Christian's Guide To The Gender Revolution, with Dr. Vince Gil
Karl Vaters interviews Dr. Vincent E. Gil, the author of A Christian's Guide Through the Gender Revolution: Gender, Cisgender, Transgender, and Intersex (Cascade Publishing, 2021.) .
Dr. Gil taught human sexuality and counseled at a conservative Christian college for 38 years. He has been a consultant on sexual issues for church leaders and denominations, and is himself a licensed minister.
This is a sensitive subject that often causes division, or gets ignored due to some of the complexity and concerns. In this conversation, Karl and Dr. Gil talk about how to understand the current “gender moment,” and negotiate a better way than taking sides on issues.
Karl and Dr. Gil address issues of concern to pastors, and provide a dialogue on how to approach varied sex/gender concerns in congregants and beyond.
(Our apologies for a technical issue. In the front half of the podcast there are several times when you can hear a thumping in the background while Dr. Gil is talking. We have done our best to limit it, but we were not able to remove it.)
Links:
Dr. Gil’s Webpage: drvincegil.com.
Dr. Gil’s recent book: A Christian's Guide through the Gender Revolution: Gender, Cisgender, Transgender, and Intersex (2021). Available in Hardcover, paperback and Kindle editions at Amazon.
For a Transcript of this episode visit the Pivot Blog
Support This Work:
Visit the Website
Subscribe to weekly Newsletter
Contribute financially at KarlVaters.com/support
Visit our Youtube Channel
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Customer Reviews
6 stars… no really
Karl is a gift to small church pastors. I’m sorry to say I didn’t catch this from the beginning, but now I get to binge 2 months worth at once. That means more great moments like Darth Vader wielding a dog brush. Lots of guys have been championing small church over the last 5 years, but Karl was the original. Thankful God has enabled him.
So needed!
Karl Vaters has his finger on the pulse of a small church. Make sure to check out his book The Grasshopper Myth. Changed my view of what the small church is. Great stuff!
Finally!
This is great. I love the premise. Big churches are good and have their place, but solutions for a big church and a small church are different. Thank you for making this.
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