The Church Lobby

Karl Vaters talks with Nathan Meador and Heath R. Curtis about how to take a more Bible-based and holistic approach to stewardship in the church. It’s not a plea for finances, it’s a basis for a healthy church, life, and ministry.
Based on Nathan and Heath’s book, Stewardship: For the Care of Souls, this conversation focuses on tending well to everything God has entrusted to our care. Especially as pastors, this includes the congregation we’ve been entrusted to serve, and all the responsibilities, challenges and joys that go with this calling.
Their conversation includes several penetrating insights, including:
How stewardship and the care of souls are related to each other
How repentance plays a key role in stewardship
How a pragmatic theology of stewardship is not stewardship at all
How to change the culture so that stewardship focuses on more than the survival of the institution

Links:
Stewardship: For the Care of Souls
Bonus Content Summary
How to Preach on Stewardship, with Heath R. Curtis and Nathan Meador
In this subscribers-only bonus material, Karl Vaters talks with the co-authors of the book, Stewardship: For the Care of Souls about their three main approaches to preaching/teaching about stewardship in a fast-changing culture, where the annual tithing sermon just isn’t cutting it anymore.
Together, they discuss the approaches of:
The lectionary
The sermon series
Lectio continua

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How do you start a YouTube channel at the age of 81, and reach 25K subscribers in less than 6 months? That’s what pastor Mike Bayer did. Now he’s at over 44K subscribers, and it’s providing him with a second source of income in his later years of ministry.
Karl Vaters talks with Mike about how he made YouTube work for him, plus:
The importance of intentional ministry to senior adults
How to use your church’s YouTube channel for better engagement
Ideas for making an income outside the walls of the church
Ministry adjustments for the fourth quarter of life

And more.
Links:
Old Me Living Better: YouTube Channel
Old Me Living: Skool channel
Mike’s Facebook Page
SnugSafe.com
The Aging Pastorate: Sam Rainer on the Looming Pastoral Retirement Crunch (Ep 128)

There is no bonus content for this episode.
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Karl Vaters interviews Todd Wilson about some of the lessons that we need to learn when we look back at the Church Growth Movement.
Todd is the co-founder and founding CEO of Exponential, so he critiques the Church Growth Movement as one of its leaders. This gives him a unique perspective we need to hear.
Karl and Todd talk about the content of Todd’s new book, How Did We Get Here? Examining 70 Years of the Church Growth Movement.
They cover topics such as:
How the modern church has adopted a Consumer-Driven Operating System
How Donald McGavran’s Church Growth methods and language were co-opted
Where the “church as business” model came from
What must come next
And more.

Links:
How Did We Get Here? Examining 70 Years of the Church Growth Movement (Free e-book w registration)
How Did We Get Here? Examining 70 Years of the Church Growth Movement (On Amazon)
Multipliers: Leading Beyond Addition (Free e-book)
Email Todd at Todd@multipliers.org
Techsoup.org
The Unexpected Origins of the Church Growth Movement, with Dr. Gary McIntosh (The Church Lobby, Ep 027)
De-sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next (by Karl Vaters)

Bonus Content Summary
12 Dilemmas Within the Church’s Prevailing Operating System, with Todd Wilson
In Todd Wilson’s book, How Did We Get Here? Looking Back to Look Forward, he refers to the current church systems as functioning under a faulty operating system, and he describes 12 dilemmas within that system.
In this subscriber-only content, Karl Vaters talks with Todd about several of these dilemmas.
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“What's wrong with being just a normal church?” That’s the question at the center of Thomas Austin’s song, Normal Church.
In this episode, Karl Vaters interviews Thomas Austin about the content of his song, including where the idea for it came from, some of the criticism he’s received for it, and what message he’s trying to convey through it.
Some of what comes through in this conversation includes:
Thomas’ love for the church
His (and Karl’s) desire to see normal churches not try to be something they’re not
The problems that happen when normal churches try to copy the megachurch model
The desire for authenticity among younger generations

And more.
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Discontent is a tricky monster. It’s so easy to spot it in others, but easy to overlook in ourselves.
Karl Vaters interviews pastor Chris Maxwell about what contentment is not (laziness or mediocrity), what it is (an inner peace), what causes so much discontentment, why contentment is essential for healthy lives and ministries, and so much more.
This is based on the content of Chris’ new book, Contentment: What You’re Searching for May Already Be Yours.
Bonus Content Summary
How to Practice Contentment In Our Calling, with Chris Maxwell
Karl Vaters talks with Chris Maxwell about 6 simple steps we can practice to overcome discontent and embrace the inner peace of contentment, including”
Redefine Success
Embrace Limits
Celebrate the Ordinary
Stay Curious, Not Competitive
Let Joy Lead You
Stay With God, Not Just the Goal

This is based on the content of Chris’ new book, Contentment: What You’re Searching for May Already Be Yours.
Links:
Contentment: What You’re Searching for May Already Be Yours.
The Bible Project

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