Exponential NEXT Podcast

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 102

Series: From Soil to Forest: The Practice of Networked Ministry

Description:

In this episode of the Networks NEXT Series, Patrick O’Connell is joined by Selena Freeman, Church Multiplication Catalyst for the Church of the Nazarene. Patrick and Selena dive into a conversation that helps leaders see that networks don’t start with strategy – they start with trust, and that trust has to be intentionally cultivated. Join us for this important conversation.

Host:

Patrick O’Connell, Networks NEXT, Director

Guest:

Selena Freeman, Church Multiplication Catalyst, Church of the Nazarene

Category: Networks NEXT

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 101

Series: From Soil to Forest: The Practice of Networked Ministry

Description:

In this first episode, Patrick O’Connell, Director of Networks NEXT, talks with Mark Neal, COO of Apsire Network and Co-Founder of Clarity Ministries. The conversation in this episode centers around moving from an isolated ministry toward a mission-oriented community and calling leaders back to a shared mission.

Host:

Patrick O’Connell, Networks NEXT, Director

Guest:

Mark Neal, Aspire Network, COO and Clarity Ministries, Co-Founder

Links Shared in Episode:

Clarity Leadership Collective

Aspire Network

Category: Networks NEXT

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 100

Series: Thinking Ahead: Pastors and AI

Description:

AI is here, and your congregation has questions. Is it a sin to use it? Will AI replace jobs? And what about your kids using it?

Nils Smith, VP of Marketing for Faith Driven Entrepreneur and founder of Amplify Social Media, walks through the top 10 questions pastors are being asked about artificial intelligence.

Learn how AI can be a tool for organizational efficiency and an “incredible tool” for spreading the Gospel, without replacing the essential human connection and worship the church is built on.

Don’t miss Nils’ answers to the deepest question your members are asking: What makes humans special if AI can do what we do, perhaps even better than we can?

This episode is part of the Exponential AI NEXT podcast series. Learn more about how to get up to speed with AI for church at exponential.org/ai-next.

Guest:

Nils Smith, Faith Driven Entrepreneur, Vice President and Amplify Social Media, Founder

Category: AI NEXT

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 99

Series: Thinking Ahead: Pastors and AI

Description: Jay Owen, Chief of Ministry Staff at Church of Eleven22, shares how his team builds custom ministry apps in hours using AI-powered tools. His church now creates software solutions for under $3 that used to cost tens of thousands of dollars and take weeks to develop.

In this practical episode, Jay walks through real examples including:

A personalized wallpaper creator built in 45 minutes the night before a major presentation

A baptism registration system that served nearly 2,000 people

A sermon search tool that indexes 890 hours of content

Landing pages created for $0.50 in 2 minutes

You’ll learn about vibe coding with tools like Replit, where ideas become working applications through simple descriptions. Jay walks through actual builds, shows troubleshooting in real time, and explains which projects work best for this approach.

Whether you’re tech-savvy or someone who barely likes being on the computer, you’ll discover specific tools and workflows that reduce costs, improve user experience, and create stronger discipleship pathways.

This episode is part of the Exponential AI NEXT podcast series. Learn more about how to get up to speed with AI for church at exponential.org/ai-next.

Guest:

Jay Owen, Church of Eleven22, Chief of Ministry Staff

Category: AI NEXT

Exponential NEXT Podcast Episode 98

Series: Thinking Ahead: Pastors and AI

Description: AI is a “force multiplier” for the Kingdom, but instead of being a friend or an enemy, you should make AI your frenemy. In this episode, Jason Morris introduces the “Art of AI Jiu-Jitsu”, teaching pastors how to use AI as an “adversarial network” to leverage its power while avoiding its weaknesses.

Since the average church cannot afford to “own the compute” or “own the model,” the speaker argues that the greatest opportunity for pastors to use AI without becoming a commodity is to own the data.

Some of the critical issues to discuss internally with church leadership are:

Own the Prompts: The question of “who owns the prompts” is becoming more valuable than ever, and pastors should reuse and share them among staff to create efficiency and save time.

Build Contextual Equity: Create a knowledge base of best practices around prompts to help onboard new staff and volunteers quickly.

Leverage Context: Since “content is no longer the king… context is”, your unique human context with your church is your “superpower” that AI will never have.

Focus on the Human Element: AI is designed for “dopamine, not truth” and excels at “sycophancy”. Pastors should prioritize relationships, care, and speaking the “cold hard truth”, actions AI cannot produce.

Jason leads the conversation by showing how AI can be used to handle the “grunt work” like administration and research, freeing you to focus on the relationships and community that only humans can provide.

This episode is part of the Exponential AI NEXT podcast series. Learn more about how to get up to speed with AI for church at exponential.org/ai-next.

Guest:

Jason Morris, thechurch.digital, Director of Equipping & Mobilization

Category: AI NEXT