The One Thing

Church members leave for all sorts of reasons, and how you respond can shape both their next steps and your church community. This episode explores what a thoughtful exit process looks like, even when departures are hard or messy.
Key
Why churches often don’t track why members leave and how to start doing it
Handling departures that feel personal or painful without taking it on yourself
Conducting exit interviews that care for people while gathering useful insights
Supporting those who stay behind and preventing gossip or resentment
Celebrating departures when people leave for positive reasons, like mission or relocation
Building a church culture where sending people out is expected, celebrated, and healthy

TOOLBOX:
Gaining by Losing by J.D. Greear
The Leader’s Journey by Jim Herrington, Trisha Taylor, and R. Robert Creech

CREDITS:
This episode was brought to you by Lending Hands Mortgage Brokers
The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠
To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠
For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
Support Reach Australia's online library

Every church has a pathway.
It might not be written down or planned, but it’s shaping how people move through our churches.
Derek Hanna and Scott Sanders talk about how to identify the weak spots in your church’s pathway — where people are getting stuck, and how leaders can bring clarity without turning ministry into mechanics.
In this episode, you’ll hear about:
What we mean by a “pathway” in church life

Common blockages: front door, conversion, membership, and serving

Why pathways are about people before they’re about programs

How to decide where to start — and what not to fix first

Who should own pathway thinking in your church

A short listen for teams who want fewer people falling through the cracks, so more people grow to know and follow Jesus.

TOOLBOX:
Framework ebook
Reach Australia Podcast 5.2 Re-Work Your Discipleship Pathway with Scott Sanders
Greg Lee talk: Mission driving the ecosystem
Reach Australia’s National Conference 2026

CREDITS:
This episode was brought to you by Exdia
The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠
To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠
For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
Support Reach Australia's online library

This is a replay of one of your favourite episodes: one you have to get right as we begin the new year.

First impressions matter, and churches often underestimate how much. Peter Blanch and Scott Sanders discuss how small changes can make a big impact in helping people feel seen, valued, and truly at home.
The theological foundation for welcoming
Mistakes from not even thinking about it to overvaluing the newcomer
Mistakes of not thinking about what a new person needs to connect to church
Mistakes of not thinking about the whole experience of welcoming
Welcoming has an important two-way relationship with the rest of the church ecosystem, especially with the mission team
Thinking through the building and how it works
Thinking through the team and what you need
0:00 – Introduction
1:23 – Where churches get it wrong
2:04 – Why Welcome People to Church
4:18 – Where Do Churches Get Welcoming Wrong?
6:01 – The danger of satisfactory
15:05 – Not having a big enough team
17:21 – Fixing the problem
20:11 – Tool Box
Secret shopper checklist
Gospel Growth and Christian Community ebook
Reach Australia Digital (Helping you with branding and website)
Community and Integration Workshop Part 1
Community and Integration Workshop Part 2
This episode was brought to you by Kidswise
The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠
To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠.
For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.
What We DiscussTool BoxCredits

A replay from one of your favourite episodes. One you need to think about as we head into the new year.

Data is just a tool, but it’s an important tool. Its real purpose? Loving and serving your people better. A snapshot of data can give you an idea of your church health. 

What we discuss
Average Attendance: Are people showing up consistently?
Growth Rate: Are you growing each year? What’s a healthy growth rate?
Conversion Growth: How many new believers are you seeing? What’s a good target?
Community Reflection: Does your congregation reflect the diversity of your local area?
Secondary Giving: Beyond general giving, how generous are people with time, talent, and resources?
Newcomer System: Are first-time guests sticking around? If not, what’s falling through the cracks?
Staff-to-Attendee Ratio: Do you have enough leaders? What’s a good ratio?

TOOLBOX:
Church Health Consults
Knowing What to Measure and Why Seminar
Measure What Matters Book

CREDITS:
This episode was brought to you by Church Suite
The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠
To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠.
For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠
To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠here⁠⁠.

A replay from your favourite episodes and coming at a timely part of the year:

Derek and Scott look at the work of Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith on different types of rest.

1. Physical Rest
Giving your body a rest.
2. Mental Rest
It could be that you need to give your mind a rest.
3. Emotional Rest
We can get emotionally tired when we are not paying attention to our emotions.
4. Spiritual Rest
Reconnecting with God
5. Social Rest
Different relationships can ones that build us up or drain us.
6. Sensory Rest
Especially with screens.
7. Creative Rest
Creative rest is not about putting a demand on your creative ability; that’s not rest, that’s work. It is the opposite. It’s allowing white space in your life and giving room for your creativity to show up. Creative rest lets you focus on your basic need for wonder. You can enjoy fulfilling that basic need in ways that don’t put any pressure on your being creative. Yes, creativity may bloom from the seeds planted, but creativity is not the objective, only rest.
Summary
Don’t have to do all of these every day, or every week. But it is helpful to be aware that there are different ways to rest and different people will rest in different ways

TOOLBOX:
⁠⁠Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity⁠⁠⁠ by Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith ⁠
TED Notes from Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith ⁠
TED Talk from Dr Saundra Dalton-Smith ⁠
Rest: Why You Get More Done When You Work Less⁠ Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
⁠Atomic Habits⁠ by James Clear.

CREDITS:
The One Thing is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠
To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠.