[00:00:00] Before we turn the page on this year, I always like to go back and see, you know, speaking
[00:00:05] of episodes, what were the most popular episodes this last year?
[00:00:10] Because it makes me think, well, that's what people want to listen to.
[00:00:13] And so what was it about that episode that really rang true for people or got them to
[00:00:17] listen and piqued their interest?
[00:00:20] And then just to reflect a little on them.
[00:00:23] Welcome to our year end review of the top five episodes you selected based on the
[00:00:27] number of downloads they received.
[00:00:30] It's episode 319 and we're going to take final stock of 2023 and look forward to 2024.
[00:00:37] That's today on The Reclaimed Leader.
[00:00:38] Hey everyone, welcome to episode 319, the final episode of 2023.
[00:00:50] 319 of The Reclaimed Leader.
[00:00:52] I'm Jason Tucker back again with Jesse Skiffington.
[00:00:55] How's it going, Jesse?
[00:00:56] I'm doing good, Jason.
[00:00:57] It's great.
[00:00:58] It's amazing to think another year coming to a close and completely arbitrary.
[00:01:03] It's a date on account, but somehow it feels like with Christmas being in the rearview
[00:01:07] mirror and a new year on the horizon, kind of an opportunity to reflect and reset and
[00:01:13] then get up and do it all over again.
[00:01:14] So yeah, it's good to just to kind of stop and think back over the course of the year
[00:01:19] and celebrate some things here on the podcast.
[00:01:21] Yeah.
[00:01:22] So again, pastors, church leaders out there and Jesse's mom is listening.
[00:01:28] Great Christmas.
[00:01:29] Happy new year.
[00:01:30] And listen, it's been a really great year doing the podcast.
[00:01:33] In fact, we've had more, I don't know the exact number right now, but we've had more
[00:01:38] downloads this year than we had in any other prior year, which is really exciting
[00:01:43] because I'm a tinkerer though.
[00:01:44] We're working on some tweaks and some changes to keep making it better because the goal
[00:01:50] of this podcast is to help as many churches as possible get healthier, become more effective
[00:01:56] in bringing the gospel to their communities.
[00:01:58] That's really the only thing that I care about and we just want to be a resource to help.
[00:02:03] So we're going to work on some things.
[00:02:06] One thing I want to work out, Jesse and I were talking about before we hit record,
[00:02:09] just trying to continue to make the podcast more and more practical.
[00:02:13] I would love for you to listen and feel like you're developing kind of a bank
[00:02:18] of resources that you could draw upon as you need them.
[00:02:22] And so we're going to bring back a version of show notes.
[00:02:25] Well, we'll have an episode page on our website that will have some links and maybe
[00:02:30] some takeaway. So we're still working on that.
[00:02:32] We've been experimenting with some of those free resource guides just trying to figure
[00:02:37] out how can we give you something that's really transferable that you can then take
[00:02:42] and plug and play as much as possible into your church.
[00:02:46] So yeah, that's one of the things.
[00:02:48] And then another thing, Jesse, and we didn't talk about this before we hit record
[00:02:53] is thinking about what it would look like if we started to offer some opportunities
[00:02:56] for gatherings of people within the reclaimed leader community.
[00:02:59] And I'm not thinking it's got to be some big church conference,
[00:03:02] but almost like a mastermind or some sort of like we get some some folks
[00:03:07] together, we meet a couple of times a year and just talk about it's so
[00:03:11] different. We're talking about it in person rather than the vacuum of the internet.
[00:03:15] Right. Yeah, I know. So true.
[00:03:16] I think innovate innovation think tanks or kind of group problem solving,
[00:03:21] bringing a couple of things you're working on as a church and talking shop
[00:03:24] with each other and workshopping it together. That's always I think it's
[00:03:27] life giving to be around other people in the trenches doing the work
[00:03:31] and learning from each other and being inspired by each other and all that.
[00:03:35] So yeah, that sounds good to me.
[00:03:37] Yeah, so so as that's those are things we're looking forward to 2024.
[00:03:42] And before we turn the page on this year, I always like to go back
[00:03:46] and see, you know, speaking of episodes, what were the most popular
[00:03:50] episodes this last year? Because it makes me think, well, that's what people
[00:03:54] want to listen to. And so what was it about that episode that really rang
[00:03:58] true for people or got them to listen and peak their interest and then just
[00:04:02] to reflect a little on them. So I created clips out of the top five
[00:04:06] episodes and we're going to reverse count it down just like a New Year's
[00:04:10] tradition, right? We just recount it down from from number five to number
[00:04:14] one. And it was interesting, the episodes that were the most popular
[00:04:17] as you'll see. So here's the first one. Number five was episode 277.
[00:04:23] Is this the revival we've been waiting for? And this is the episode that
[00:04:28] was talking about kind of everything going on and how the spiritual
[00:04:32] kind of feeling it seems electric right now that people seem were
[00:04:36] searching after God and how exciting that is and what does it all mean?
[00:04:41] So I'll play a clip of that and we could talk a bit about that.
[00:04:43] This is from episode 277.
[00:04:48] If you're listening to this in real time, we're just coming off of the end
[00:04:52] of the Asbury, Kentucky revival.
[00:04:58] We are we just had a Christian movie launch that was produced from
[00:05:05] the great glory folks called Jesus Revolution all about Calvary
[00:05:11] Chapel and Chuck Smith and Lonnie Frisbee and that whole story.
[00:05:15] I've not seen it yet. Interested in seeing it and then he gets us
[00:05:19] campaign and then kind of what we're seeing going on around us.
[00:05:23] I mean, it definitely feels like something is going on.
[00:05:26] I think the question is, is this the revival that we've been waiting for?
[00:05:30] Because I don't know about you, Jesse.
[00:05:33] It feels like my whole adult life ever since I came to Christ.
[00:05:38] I've been praying for revival.
[00:05:39] I can't tell you how many times I've been in a ministry setting
[00:05:44] and I'm just praying, man, I just I pray that this building fills up with
[00:05:49] people that are hungry for God or that this camp fills up with kids or
[00:05:54] so many times I've daydreamed in sanctuaries thinking, wow, what would
[00:05:59] this be like if everybody came and was hungry for God?
[00:06:03] And I'm starting to wonder, is this the time?
[00:06:07] Is are we about to experience or are we beginning what could be
[00:06:11] a time of revival in the United States?
[00:06:14] I think it's a fair question based on everything that we've seen.
[00:06:18] I don't know about you. Have you I'm assuming, Jesse,
[00:06:20] I know you well enough to know that you've had those dreams too.
[00:06:23] So yeah, yeah, I think I think it's something to kind of pay attention to.
[00:06:27] But it feels like everybody's kind of afraid to go all in on an answer
[00:06:32] to that question. Is this the revival we've been waiting for?
[00:06:35] I think any of us who end up in ministry, maybe not any, many of us,
[00:06:40] I'll say that myself included.
[00:06:42] We have a heart, a longing to see people know and love and follow Jesus
[00:06:46] and experience his love and goodness in their lives and see their families
[00:06:50] transformed because of that and communities impacted because of that.
[00:06:54] And so I think that longing is a healthy thing.
[00:06:57] And when we get a glimpse of it or we see something that feels like maybe
[00:07:01] this is an example of it or maybe God is doing something in a fresh way
[00:07:06] now that we can be a part of and see God's kingdom breaking in
[00:07:10] and lives being changed and worship happening in this free way.
[00:07:15] Like that is kind of the picture that we long to see.
[00:07:22] I think there is a missing charitableness
[00:07:26] and generosity of spirit and a benefit of the doubt
[00:07:30] that we need to give those who are trying to introduce Jesus to people
[00:07:34] in a new way that brings them back to the core truths of the gospel.
[00:07:41] I love it, Jason.
[00:07:42] You know, I think as we were talking about that, thinking about this,
[00:07:46] what we were noticing and seeing and hoping for.
[00:07:49] And I think there has been something of a continuation of that.
[00:07:52] There is still a spiritual hunger and openness.
[00:07:55] And there's a kind of an everyday revival sort of happening
[00:07:59] in that people are leaning in or maybe coming in and participating
[00:08:04] in ways they haven't before.
[00:08:05] But there's still that longing to see God do something and that
[00:08:09] that's a really healthy desire.
[00:08:11] Lord, would you move in our time and do something in our midst
[00:08:15] to draw people to yourself?
[00:08:17] Yeah, a few weeks ago, we were talking about
[00:08:20] we're launching a new worship service.
[00:08:21] So we launched it. It launched.
[00:08:23] It worked. People showed up, which is, you know, the thing
[00:08:26] that you just never know what's going to happen.
[00:08:29] And here's the wild thing is
[00:08:32] since we launched our new service,
[00:08:35] an extra hundred people a week have been coming.
[00:08:39] Where do they come from?
[00:08:41] I mean, I really I have no idea other than
[00:08:45] as we prayerfully listened to what God was sort of telling us
[00:08:48] about launching another service, we listened and then people showed up.
[00:08:51] But I'm like wondering what's behind that
[00:08:53] and not all of them are new.
[00:08:55] There's a lot of new people, but not all of them are new.
[00:08:58] I'm wondering why.
[00:09:00] Are more people coming now?
[00:09:04] It's because of the options and I did hear from people.
[00:09:06] It's the time options are nice and it sort of created space
[00:09:09] for people with complicated Sunday mornings.
[00:09:13] I heard from a volunteer that said,
[00:09:14] well, now I could volunteer and go to church, which like, you know,
[00:09:17] let's fill our church with those people, you know, yeah, I know kidding.
[00:09:20] Yeah, I love it.
[00:09:21] But but where did they come from?
[00:09:23] And I do I do think.
[00:09:25] We are experiencing a revival, at least a micro one here in
[00:09:28] Mommeth County, New Jersey, where where our November,
[00:09:33] we just did the November metrics.
[00:09:35] This November, we worshiped 152 more people a week than 2022.
[00:09:42] It's crazy like where they coming from?
[00:09:45] What's going on?
[00:09:45] And so it feels like this is the revival we've been waiting for here.
[00:09:50] Maybe it's just very contextual right now, you know.
[00:09:52] No, I think it's a combination of not just hoping for the best
[00:09:56] and hoping for God to do something.
[00:09:58] But it's it's listening well to the things that God is calling you to do
[00:10:01] that create the environment for people to come and experience it.
[00:10:04] So it's like this partnership and we know that and revival sometimes
[00:10:08] is just as my dad used to call it a sovereign move of God.
[00:10:11] And I think a lot of the time it's our faithfulness over time
[00:10:16] that leads to people having an opportunity to lean in
[00:10:19] and connect more deeply in their faith or come to know Christ
[00:10:22] for the first time and those kinds of things.
[00:10:24] Yeah, I was talking to a friend of ours, Robbie,
[00:10:28] who was sharing a bit about Tim Keller's church in New York City Redeemer
[00:10:34] and how he seemed to think that revival in his whole time there.
[00:10:38] He was talking about how revival was really only in this small season.
[00:10:42] And the rest of it was just like good church maintenance.
[00:10:45] It just made me think of, you know, revivals don't last forever.
[00:10:49] How long how long is this trend going to last?
[00:10:52] How long will it last in your church?
[00:10:53] We don't know, but make hay while the sun's shining. Right.
[00:10:56] Yeah. And be faithful all the rest of the time
[00:10:58] so that you're ready when those times do come. Yeah.
[00:11:02] All right. So that was number five.
[00:11:03] Number four, episode two eighty six, an episode we did on church systems
[00:11:09] called Uncreatively Three Questions to Fix Church Systems.
[00:11:13] I'm like, I must not have been feeling it that way.
[00:11:16] I mean, we must be pastors that are working in churches because we're like,
[00:11:20] I don't can't think of a clever title.
[00:11:22] Just here's what we're going to talk about.
[00:11:23] I mean, there were there were a lot of other options in that.
[00:11:26] But anyway, and really the heart of this episode is that most of the time
[00:11:31] we don't have as much a strategy problem as a systems problem.
[00:11:35] Right. And so we dive into that here.
[00:11:37] And here's the clip from two eighty six.
[00:11:41] Are our resources lining up with what we're trying to accomplish in ministry?
[00:11:46] Yeah. Because if they're not,
[00:11:48] we're never going to get where we're hoping to go.
[00:11:51] And as you and I have talked about in the past, and I'm sure we heard this
[00:11:56] from Andy Stanley, if I recall correctly, about systems being like a rubber band
[00:12:00] is that you could push your ministry forward and get all these new
[00:12:03] ministry initiatives, but it's always going to snap back to whatever the system is.
[00:12:08] And oftentimes we do things and they seem like they're going to work.
[00:12:11] And maybe they got a good response, but we couldn't sustain them.
[00:12:14] Why? Sometimes it's a systems problem.
[00:12:19] I was in the teaser for the episode I was talking about Star Trek,
[00:12:23] you know, that picture of Scotty, right?
[00:12:26] She can't take much more.
[00:12:27] I've given her all she's got, Captain.
[00:12:29] And I don't have the power, right?
[00:12:32] And I wondered why they never upgraded that engine.
[00:12:34] But, you know, that's that's the issue is they really needed
[00:12:38] a new and more powerful engine.
[00:12:39] If it's constantly being pushed beyond its capabilities.
[00:12:43] Yeah, all the resources were going to the holodeck instead or whatever.
[00:12:46] I don't know. That's right.
[00:12:47] It's OK. All the nerds.
[00:12:49] I don't even know. I'm not. I'm a Star Wars guy.
[00:12:51] So in the same, same.
[00:12:55] Three questions to change church systems, whatever system you're looking at.
[00:12:59] I think these three questions can help you, let's say, stir the pot
[00:13:04] and think about how does it make sense the way we're doing it?
[00:13:08] And do we need to change?
[00:13:09] So let me lay out the questions, then we'll talk about each one.
[00:13:13] Question number one,
[00:13:14] how can we leverage our resources to better serve our core mission?
[00:13:21] Second question is, how can our resources help us take a swing
[00:13:24] on our number one ministry goal?
[00:13:27] What I like about that question is that it assumes that you have
[00:13:30] a number one ministry goal.
[00:13:32] And that's that's a really good thing for churches to think about.
[00:13:34] Oh, we don't really have one.
[00:13:35] Maybe we should think about that.
[00:13:37] And then third, can we get the right people on the bus
[00:13:40] without running over everyone else?
[00:13:45] Yeah, so three questions.
[00:13:46] I mean, I'm sure there's lots of questions to ask,
[00:13:49] but I think it's a good starting point.
[00:13:51] I like that episode.
[00:13:52] This is a starting point of thinking about what's
[00:13:55] actually more faithful with what we have.
[00:13:57] Hey, Reclaim Leader Community,
[00:13:59] do you feel overwhelmed when it comes to leading change in your church?
[00:14:03] Or maybe you feel stuck because you don't know where to start.
[00:14:07] In episodes 314 through 316,
[00:14:09] we introduced our three step guide to simplify leading change.
[00:14:14] And we turned it into a free PDF resource to help you get some clarity.
[00:14:18] All you have to do is go to reclaimleader.com forward slash guide today.
[00:14:23] That's reclaimleader.com forward slash guide.
[00:14:27] Now back to the conversation.
[00:14:29] Well, and I like behind that is the assumption
[00:14:32] that you're moving towards something.
[00:14:35] You're trying to do something.
[00:14:37] And when you start addressing your systems,
[00:14:40] if you don't have something that they're
[00:14:42] it's sort of like putting gears into an engine
[00:14:44] that you have no intention to turn on.
[00:14:46] Then don't bother with systems
[00:14:48] if you don't have a goal or a vision that you're moving toward.
[00:14:51] But if you get that done,
[00:14:53] if you get a picture of where the Lord is leading you,
[00:14:56] then these systems are actually the gears
[00:14:58] that are going to make the work possible
[00:15:00] for you to move in that direction.
[00:15:01] So I love it.
[00:15:02] I think it's systems are, you know, it's one of those things
[00:15:05] they're they're so crucial and helpful
[00:15:08] if we if we spend some time thinking about them.
[00:15:10] And without them, it's we're not going to get traction.
[00:15:13] So you got to do it.
[00:15:14] Good, good thoughts for sure.
[00:15:16] So and all of you out there thought the same
[00:15:18] was that the number four most listened to episode.
[00:15:21] OK, here's number three episode 287.
[00:15:24] When we had a guest, Dan Scott from Orange,
[00:15:27] we talked about helping the next gen win.
[00:15:30] So changing our Sunday School model in 2013,
[00:15:33] 2014 was one of the best things that we did.
[00:15:36] I mean, now we got kids kids are dragging their parents to church
[00:15:39] really is what's happening.
[00:15:40] And it's a big part of the growth that's happened at Tower Hill.
[00:15:43] So now Dan Scott is your contact for Orange, correct?
[00:15:48] That's correct. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:15:49] Yeah, yeah.
[00:15:49] West Coast. Yeah.
[00:15:51] So this is a little bit of our conversation with Dan.
[00:15:55] What I keep telling people is that I believe now
[00:15:57] was the greatest time in my lifetime that we have to reach
[00:16:00] people for Jesus of all ages and stages.
[00:16:04] And there is a hunger that I'm feeling from people
[00:16:07] that's just different.
[00:16:08] And I was wondering if if that's something that you have seen
[00:16:13] because you have this great perspective of seeing all these
[00:16:14] different churches.
[00:16:16] I don't know, is that does that resonate with you when I say that?
[00:16:19] Have you seen that?
[00:16:21] Yeah, it does. I think.
[00:16:25] Generally speaking, we're definitely seeing that spirituality
[00:16:29] is something that that the emerging generations are maybe.
[00:16:34] It's not I wouldn't say maybe more concerned, but they're
[00:16:37] definitely more aware, it seems, than previous generations.
[00:16:42] I mean, you even have, you know, Rainn Wilson, who are,
[00:16:45] you know, who was from the office and he wrote this book
[00:16:49] on how we need to recapture spirituality for human development.
[00:16:53] Right. And so that that is in the collective consciousness
[00:16:59] right now and to be able as the church to speak into that
[00:17:05] into the moment with truth and with direction, I think will
[00:17:10] be really important.
[00:17:12] You know, we're finding, and I'm sure we'll get into this,
[00:17:16] but we did a massive parent survey, right?
[00:17:18] And that parent survey really showed us that.
[00:17:21] Character, spiritual, these things are important to families.
[00:17:25] They're not necessarily finding.
[00:17:29] Places in culture that are answering those questions
[00:17:34] adequately for them.
[00:17:35] And so the church really has an opportunity now to speak into
[00:17:38] that space, you know, for sure.
[00:17:40] So yeah, we're dead at this.
[00:17:42] We're definitely resonating with that.
[00:17:47] Even for teenagers, the research tells us that a parent
[00:17:51] is still the number one influence in a kid's life.
[00:17:54] So it is important that they have, you know, all the different
[00:17:57] adult voices, teachers and small group leaders and coaches
[00:18:00] that are all kind of aligned towards a common, you know,
[00:18:04] goal for that kid.
[00:18:05] But at the end of the day, they're really looking to mom and dad.
[00:18:09] They're watching what mom and dad are doing and whoever is
[00:18:12] in that position of caregiver.
[00:18:14] And so we want to help churches use the time they have
[00:18:18] to influence and impact what can happen during the exponential
[00:18:23] hours, you know, in the life of a family.
[00:18:28] Yeah, that was a good conversation.
[00:18:29] I like that one.
[00:18:30] And, you know, talking about the spiritual openness of
[00:18:34] the next generation, the importance that parents think
[00:18:36] spirituality plays in the lives of their children.
[00:18:38] And so what can the church do about it?
[00:18:41] How could we be that scaffolding, as we say, to help
[00:18:44] the parents raise their children to know Jesus?
[00:18:47] So I don't know what were some of your thoughts
[00:18:49] as we listen back to that.
[00:18:50] I just always appreciated this idea of the partnership
[00:18:53] between the church and the family to bring about vibrant
[00:18:56] faith. That's what orange is about, right?
[00:18:58] Like it's a team thing.
[00:19:00] But I also there was a recognition in there that
[00:19:03] though there aren't a ton of places in our society or
[00:19:06] culture where we're answering those deep questions of who
[00:19:09] am I? How did I get here?
[00:19:11] Does God exist?
[00:19:12] That kind of thing.
[00:19:12] And a lot of times I find that there are families who
[00:19:15] maybe grew up in or around church or maybe we're 90s
[00:19:18] youth group kids that drifted away and 85% that left
[00:19:21] and didn't come back in college years or after things.
[00:19:24] But when their kid asks them, does God, you know, how
[00:19:27] did we get here? Is there such thing as God?
[00:19:29] They're like, I don't know what to say.
[00:19:30] And I want to have something to say.
[00:19:32] And that's when a lot of families show back up.
[00:19:34] And as much as it's an opportunity to help
[00:19:37] their kids know about God's love for them, it's
[00:19:39] also now an opportunity to remind some of these
[00:19:42] adults or maybe for the first time share with
[00:19:44] them that God loves them too and that there's
[00:19:47] community here for them.
[00:19:48] And so it's a it's a tandem thing with kids and
[00:19:51] parents kind of being there together.
[00:19:53] Yeah, super important.
[00:19:54] And I thought a really good conversation.
[00:19:56] Yeah, so good.
[00:19:56] Yeah.
[00:19:57] OK, we're to the top two, Jesse.
[00:19:59] Come on, let's go.
[00:20:00] All right.
[00:20:02] Number two, episode 269, Carl Vaters, talking
[00:20:07] about the greatest need for pastors.
[00:20:10] And actually this this interview spurred another
[00:20:14] two-part series after it.
[00:20:15] So this is a great conversation.
[00:20:17] Carl is known for helping in really small
[00:20:21] church world and being a resource for there.
[00:20:23] But he definitely has expanded.
[00:20:25] I think all of his the things he has to say
[00:20:26] pretty much apply to every size church, in my
[00:20:29] opinion, I think it was great.
[00:20:30] But so let's jump in.
[00:20:31] Let's hear a little bit of his.
[00:20:33] It was very powerful conversation.
[00:20:35] Here's part of it.
[00:20:37] The biggest thing that I'm noticing recently
[00:20:40] and if you'd asked me six months ago, even
[00:20:42] or certainly a year ago, it wouldn't have
[00:20:43] been this, but it's really come huge in the
[00:20:46] last few months is this.
[00:20:48] When I first started, this ministry has been
[00:20:49] just about 10 years ago and everything was
[00:20:51] about getting small church specific resources
[00:20:54] to the people who needed it the most because
[00:20:56] very little is produced from a small church
[00:20:58] concept that works well in a small church
[00:21:01] in a small church context.
[00:21:04] But and that is still the truth.
[00:21:06] So we still continue to try to find and or
[00:21:08] create the best small church specific resources
[00:21:10] we can.
[00:21:11] But in the last six months to a year, as
[00:21:13] I've been traveling around this year, I was at
[00:21:15] I think just over 30 conferences last year.
[00:21:17] So I've had a lot of conversations with a
[00:21:19] lot of small church pastors and all
[00:21:21] denominations you can name.
[00:21:22] So it's a real both broad and deep dive
[00:21:26] that we did unintentionally last year.
[00:21:27] What I've discovered was this.
[00:21:30] Resources is now the second main thing
[00:21:33] that small church pastors are asking for, even
[00:21:36] subconsciously, the main thing they need
[00:21:38] right now is not resources, but rest.
[00:21:41] It used to be resources first, rest second.
[00:21:44] Now it's rest first resources next.
[00:21:46] Everybody's exhausted.
[00:21:48] So there's been a lot of stats coming out
[00:21:50] about all the people who are considering
[00:21:52] leaving ministry and that jumped up higher.
[00:21:54] People considering leaving ministry jumped
[00:21:56] higher during pandemic.
[00:21:57] The actual departures from ministry has not
[00:21:59] spiked.
[00:22:00] I think Lifeway just did a survey on that
[00:22:03] recently that the feared numbers of
[00:22:05] resignations did not come about like
[00:22:08] we expected, which is great news.
[00:22:10] But those of us who are remaining in these
[00:22:12] positions are exhausted on a level
[00:22:15] that I've never seen before.
[00:22:17] So that's the real challenge right now is rest.
[00:22:20] So part of what we're encouraging people to do
[00:22:22] is we're searching for and beginning to create
[00:22:26] ways to give pastors rest in as many ways
[00:22:29] as we possibly can.
[00:22:30] And that's a lot harder to create than resources.
[00:22:35] I can give you stuff.
[00:22:37] It's hard for me to give you rest,
[00:22:40] but that's really the main thing we're working on right now.
[00:22:45] As he talks about that, I just felt it in my soul.
[00:22:49] Yeah, how many deep sides did we take during that?
[00:22:52] Oh my gosh, yeah a lot.
[00:22:53] Yeah.
[00:22:56] So it was good.
[00:22:57] And so we developed, we did a series 270 and 270
[00:23:00] and we talked about rest.
[00:23:01] And by the way, if you just jumped into this podcast
[00:23:04] and you're listening through our year end
[00:23:06] and you're like, what's this all about?
[00:23:08] You can get the probably easiest way
[00:23:10] to find all of these episodes is
[00:23:11] if you go to reclaimleader.com forward slash podcast,
[00:23:14] it has a built in podcast player
[00:23:17] and it's really easy to scroll
[00:23:19] between all the episodes last 320-ish episodes.
[00:23:24] So if you're really bored
[00:23:26] and you have nothing else to do,
[00:23:27] just start scrolling through.
[00:23:28] But anyway, I thought that was a really helpful.
[00:23:30] We're almost to where somebody could listen
[00:23:32] to one episode a day for a whole year.
[00:23:34] Okay so that's gonna be quite something when that happens.
[00:23:38] Yeah, that's quite a thought.
[00:23:38] Yeah but no, I mean, Carl's, I mean, it's spot on.
[00:23:41] I mean, think about it, rest versus resources.
[00:23:45] I mean, both are important and helpful
[00:23:47] but if we're, we can have all the resources in the world
[00:23:50] but if we're just dragging,
[00:23:51] how are we gonna implement any of that stuff?
[00:23:53] And so yeah, I found it helpful
[00:23:55] and challenging and comforting to not be alone in that.
[00:23:59] And then we talked about it some more.
[00:24:01] And so three really kind of pointed episodes
[00:24:04] about rest and leadership in the church.
[00:24:07] All right, so you ready for number one?
[00:24:10] Let's do it, number one.
[00:24:12] Number one was not what I expected to be number one
[00:24:16] but this was episode 273,
[00:24:20] Discipleship on Demand with Brian Mosley
[00:24:23] of Right Now Media.
[00:24:25] I think a lot of people have been curious about
[00:24:28] what is the role of streaming content
[00:24:31] and spiritual formation?
[00:24:33] Yeah.
[00:24:34] Or resources like this and spiritual formation.
[00:24:37] This was a great conversation that we got to have with him
[00:24:40] so I'm gonna play a piece of that right now.
[00:24:44] I don't know if I bought from you or someone else
[00:24:45] when I bought videos,
[00:24:47] especially when I used in youth ministry.
[00:24:49] I remember there's a whole series of videos I did
[00:24:51] with the kids when I was a youth pastor in the 90s,
[00:24:54] late 90s, early 2000s.
[00:24:56] And I was always looking for stuff.
[00:24:58] I was looking for content,
[00:24:59] like good solid content that would make my life easier.
[00:25:04] So I can put it in.
[00:25:06] But it seemed like in the old model,
[00:25:10] all of the resources are only in the leader's hands.
[00:25:13] And the resources are only gonna be used
[00:25:15] in so much as the leader can have bandwidth
[00:25:18] to lead a study.
[00:25:19] This is a different model than that.
[00:25:23] See more about what you're seeing
[00:25:26] in the 25,000 churches and what your hope is
[00:25:29] for this content to use because it's not,
[00:25:32] it's not just in the hands of the leaders.
[00:25:34] I thought maybe say a little bit more about that.
[00:25:36] Sure, yeah.
[00:25:37] I mean, our desire has always been to be focused
[00:25:40] on that discipleship area
[00:25:42] and just truly believe in that discipleship happens
[00:25:44] best in community.
[00:25:45] And so we do believe the small groups
[00:25:48] are a huge part of how God can help people
[00:25:50] grow in their faith.
[00:25:51] And yeah, in the old days when it was on a VHS tape
[00:25:54] or a DVD, the content was locked on that disk.
[00:25:57] It's locked on that piece of plastic
[00:25:59] and only the leader has it
[00:26:01] and they can only share it
[00:26:02] when the people are physically together in the same room.
[00:26:04] And so there's a bit of, yeah,
[00:26:05] just the content itself feels a little bit locked.
[00:26:08] And so then you transition to that streaming world
[00:26:11] and you realize, okay, and we by the way,
[00:26:13] I mean, as we were moving to that world,
[00:26:14] we really had no idea all the ramifications
[00:26:18] of what that would mean in terms of ministry
[00:26:19] and how churches and groups
[00:26:21] and people can even do it differently.
[00:26:23] We just felt like, hey,
[00:26:24] this is a way to distribute content
[00:26:26] that's probably the future.
[00:26:27] But in hindsight, you look back and you realize,
[00:26:29] oh, there's quite a few things that change
[00:26:31] when you make that technological shift in a good way.
[00:26:34] And so, yeah, to your point now,
[00:26:36] all of a sudden that content isn't locked on the disk.
[00:26:39] And so anybody can have access to it
[00:26:41] from a group standpoint,
[00:26:43] makes it a lot easier for the group
[00:26:45] to even share leadership responsibilities
[00:26:47] because no longer do you have to pass this disk around
[00:26:50] and say, well, you can watch it this week
[00:26:51] and just prepare to lead
[00:26:52] and you take the next week and prepare to lead.
[00:26:55] Now everybody has access to the content.
[00:26:56] They can take turns leading.
[00:26:58] People aren't there as part of the group.
[00:27:00] They can catch up on some of the content.
[00:27:02] If they were traveling that week
[00:27:03] and then rejumping the next week
[00:27:05] and not feel like they're out of the loop.
[00:27:07] And then, of course, there's opportunity
[00:27:09] for people to use that content
[00:27:10] in their own spiritual development apart from the group.
[00:27:13] Whether that's with a spouse
[00:27:14] or with their family or on their own.
[00:27:16] And we're big believers that, again,
[00:27:20] that community aspect of discipleship is important,
[00:27:22] but we also know,
[00:27:23] I mean, it's important to be in the word
[00:27:24] and be studying and be growing even as an individual.
[00:27:27] So, yeah, the streaming and the online on-demand access
[00:27:30] gives everybody access to that content all the time,
[00:27:32] which is awesome if people take advantage of it.
[00:27:37] Yeah, I love it.
[00:27:39] Kind of ironic that rest was our number two
[00:27:42] and our resource was number one.
[00:27:44] And so, I don't know.
[00:27:47] But they're both up there, right?
[00:27:49] Because isn't that what we're looking for?
[00:27:52] We want to be revived and rejuvenated in our work
[00:27:54] and we want to have resources.
[00:27:56] And honestly, part of the reason
[00:27:58] why we're so tired sometimes
[00:28:00] is because we're reinventing everything
[00:28:01] that might already exist somewhere else.
[00:28:04] A good church system, a good church resource,
[00:28:07] discipleship content, don't reinvent the will
[00:28:11] if it already exists in a way that you're,
[00:28:13] it's maybe frankly better than what you could pull off
[00:28:16] or as good and so right now,
[00:28:19] of course, is a resource that can help with that.
[00:28:22] And a lot of things to point people toward
[00:28:25] to give content to your groups and to your leaders.
[00:28:28] Yeah, right now, media has been a wonderful resource
[00:28:30] for us and for our church.
[00:28:32] It's for those, well, I'll have you,
[00:28:34] you may want to go back and listen to episode 273
[00:28:36] because I think there's actually an offer in that episode
[00:28:38] that's still good for you to try right now media.
[00:28:41] So if you don't know what it is,
[00:28:43] you want to check it out.
[00:28:44] It's really, they market themselves
[00:28:47] as Christian Netflix.
[00:28:49] It's like you could find Bible studies
[00:28:51] from a lot of different leaders.
[00:28:52] You could find entertainment content, kids content.
[00:28:56] And it's just a really great idea,
[00:28:58] but here's why it's been good for our church.
[00:29:00] And again, right now media does not sponsor the podcast
[00:29:04] and we're not getting paid to say this is,
[00:29:08] it's been really good for as he said,
[00:29:10] our small group leaders who have easy access
[00:29:13] to the content, they could preview it and everything else
[00:29:16] and to individual, for individual discipleship,
[00:29:19] it's been really, really good.
[00:29:21] People have been watching the content
[00:29:23] and really as part of their own personal journey.
[00:29:27] And here's the other thing,
[00:29:28] right now media loves it when you share it.
[00:29:29] So we share it with absolutely anybody
[00:29:31] that walks in the doors of our church
[00:29:32] and make it available to them.
[00:29:34] So I don't know, I'm a big fan
[00:29:36] and that was a great conversation with him.
[00:29:39] So yeah, episode 273, that was our number one.
[00:29:41] So that is funny resource and rest.
[00:29:44] I would talk to you.
[00:29:45] Yeah, it makes tons of sense man.
[00:29:47] So I love that Jason has been a fun year
[00:29:49] talking shop, talking to some of our guests,
[00:29:51] just thinking about how do we have healthy churches,
[00:29:54] flourishing churches, flourishing leaders,
[00:29:56] healthy leader trying to have best practices
[00:29:59] that help our churches and help us grow
[00:30:02] as leaders in those churches.
[00:30:04] And so anyway, I've enjoyed it.
[00:30:05] It's been another great year
[00:30:06] and grateful for our partnership in this.
[00:30:09] Yeah, same, it's been a lot of fun
[00:30:12] and it's great kind of closing the book on 2023.
[00:30:15] And as we said in our last episode
[00:30:17] about looking forward to Christmas,
[00:30:18] just taking a breath, celebrating, saying,
[00:30:21] hey man, another year down
[00:30:23] and hopefully we've helped with our goal
[00:30:26] to help pastors and churches be as faithful as they can be.
[00:30:30] So anyway, everyone, thanks so much for listening.
[00:30:32] If you wanna give us a Christmas or New Year's gift,
[00:30:36] the best way you could do that
[00:30:37] is to share this podcast with your colleagues
[00:30:40] or leave us a review on iTunes or Spotify
[00:30:43] wherever you listen to your podcasts
[00:30:45] and thank you for a great year.
[00:30:47] Happy New Year.
[00:30:48] May God bless us all as we head into 2024
[00:30:51] because ministry is hard.
[00:30:52] It is so much better when we do it together.