Influence Podcast
253 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 58 ratingsThe Influence Magazine Podcast is a chance for you to hear from the premiere voices in church leadership…voices who are redefining what church leadership looks like. It's the audio companion to Influence Magazine, a resource full of practical tools, informative news and powerful biblical principals aimed at empowering all leaders. Visit us online at InfluenceMagazine.com
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Episodes
200. The Rise and Fall of “Evangelical America”
November 21, 2019 09:00 - 38 minutes - 53 MBWelcome to the 200th episode of the Influence Podcast! I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Dr. Mark Noll about the rise and fall of “evangelical America.” Dr. Mark Noll is the Francis A. McAnaney Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Notre Dame and author or editor of over 40 books, including the two books we’ll discuss in this episode of the Influence Podcast—A History of Christia...
199. Sex Trafficking, Pornography, and Domestic Violence
November 14, 2019 09:00 - 39 minutes - 54.1 MB“Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes on Earth,” writes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the U.S. State Department’s 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report. “We must band together and build momentum to defeat human trafficking.” I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Dr. Sandra Morgan about one form of human trafficking: sex trafficking and how it relates to pornography and domestic viol...
198. The Coming Revolution in Church Economics
November 07, 2019 09:00 - 49 minutes - 67.7 MB“A still small but growing movement of economic innovation is under way in local churches throughout the United States, one that is indicative of a fundamental, necessary, and systemic shift that is taking place,” write Mark DeYmaz and Harry Li in their new book, The Coming Revolution in Church Economics. “Embracing this shift can help you lead a church from survival to stability and in time from stability to sustainability, where finances and funding are concerned.” I’m George P. Wood, ex...
197. The Battle over Religious Liberty in America
October 24, 2019 08:00 - 49 minutes - 67.5 MB“We’ve long lived in a country where religious freedom was secure, and we didn’t need to give it much thought,” writes Luke Goodrich. “Now we’re realizing the country is changing and we might not enjoy the same degree of religious freedom forever. If we don’t start thinking about it now, we’ll be unprepared.” I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine, coordinator of Religious Freedom Initiatives for the Assemblies of God (USA), and your host. In this episode of the Influen...
196. Blessed to Bless
October 17, 2019 08:00 - 24 minutes - 33.5 MB“The blessing of God is the solution to your biggest problem, the answer to your boldest prayer, and the fulfillment of your bravest dream,” writes Mark Battersonin his new book, Double Blessing. But God doesn’t want us merely to receive His blessing, He wants us to give it away too. We are, as Batterson puts it, “blessed to bless.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, George P. Wood, Influence magazine’s executive editor, talksto Mark Batterson about this “double blessing.” Batterso...
195. How to Walk Away from Toxic People
October 10, 2019 08:00 - 26 minutes - 35.9 MB“Sometimes to follow in the footsteps of Jesus is to walk away from others or to let them walk away from us.” That’s what Gary Thomas writes in his new, When to Walk Away, published this past Tuesday by Zondervan. I’ll be talking with him about how to walk away from toxic people in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Gary Thomas is writer-in-residence at Second Baptist Church in Houston, Texas, and adjunct faculty...
194. Meet the Assemblies of God’s New General Treasurer
October 03, 2019 08:00 - 35 minutes - 48.4 MBThis past August, the Assemblies of God Executive Presbytery appointed Wilfredo De Jesús as general treasurer of the denomination. Best known as “Pastor Choco,” De Jesús succeeds Rick DuBose in that office, which is charged with oversight of the Division of Treasury. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to to Pastor Choco about his life, ministry, and new responsibilities. Until his appointment as general treasurer, Pastor Choco was senior pastor of New Life Covenant Church, ...
193. How to Make Disciples in Digital Babylon
September 26, 2019 08:00 - 36 minutes - 49.8 MB“Millennials, and now Gen Z, aren’t going to ruin the world or the church,” write David Kinnaman and Mark Matlock in their new book, Faith for Exiles. “We, the Christian community, would do well to put our confidence in them.” I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to David Kinnaman about how to make disciples of young adults in our current culture. Kinnaman is president of Barna Group and the author o...
192. Make Your Church Safe for Kids!
September 19, 2019 08:00 - 36 minutes - 50.2 MBIn a recent articlefor InfluenceMagazine.com, Mark Entzminger wrote: “[A] poorly designed or implemented safety plan can not only damage the church’s reputation in the community but, more importantly, it can also damage the heart and spirit of a child for a lifetime.” I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Mark Entzminger about why churches must put child safety first and how they can do so. Entzmi...
191. The State of AG Ministers’ Personal Finances
September 12, 2019 08:00 - 31 minutes - 43 MBMany Assemblies of God ministers are doing fine financially, but a significant group is experiencing considerable financial difficulty.” That’s the first sentence of the Ministers and Finances Study published by the AG’s Center for Leadership and Stewardship Excellence. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, George P. Wood talks to Rollie Dimos about the concerning results of that study, as well as what to do about them. Wood is executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Ro...
190. How to Have Better Spiritual Conversations
September 05, 2019 08:00 - 30 minutes - 41.9 MB“Americans today are less involved in spiritual conversations than we were twenty-five years ago,” writes Don Everts in his new book, The Reluctant Witness. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, George P. Wood, Influencemagazine’s executive editor, talks to Everts about why this is the case and what we need to do to have better spiritual conversations. Don Everts is a writer for Lutheran Hour Ministries and associate pastor at Bonhomme Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Missouri. He is ...
189. Best Practices of Conversion-Growth Churches
August 22, 2019 11:00 - 37 minutes - 52 MB“Many churches in America are stalled in their conversion growth, but it doesn’t have to be that way,” writes Rick Richardson in his new book, You Found Me. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, George P. Wood, executive editor of Influencemagazine, talks to Richardson about the best practices of congregations that are “effectively reaching people and having an impact in their communities.” Rick Richardson is director of the Billy Graham Center Institute and its Church Evangelism Initi...
188. The Booming Marketplace of Replacement Religions
August 08, 2019 08:00 - 38 minutes - 52.3 MBStories about the rise of the “Nones,” that share of the American populace which identifies with no religion, give the impression that religion in America is in steep decline. “What they fail to report,” writes David Zahl, “is that the marketplace in replacement religion is booming.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, George P. Wood talks to David Zahl about the contours of this new secular religiosity. George P. Wood is executive editor of Influencemagazine, and your host. David ...
187. The Myth of the Dying Church
August 01, 2019 08:00 - 31 minutes - 43.3 MBRead the headlines, and you just might come to the conclusion that Christianity in America is dying. “Christianity Faces Sharp Decline as Americans Are Becoming Even Less Affiliated with Religion,” according to a Washington Postheadline. A BeliefNet story was titled, “Declining Christianity: The Exodus of the Young and the Rise of Atheists.” According to National Public Radio, “Christians in the U.S. on Decline as Number of ‘Nones’ Grows, Survey Finds.” So is American Christianity really d...
186. Leveling the Praying Field
July 18, 2019 08:00 - 27 minutes - 38.1 MB“Too often,” writes Donna Barrett, “prayer looks like an activity on a sports field. You know, a select group of athletes make up two teams who are in fantastic shape, well-practiced, and highly trained. They do their thing at such a level of expertise that the spectators in the stands are awed and amazed. Though a fan may toss the ball around in their backyard, that person knows full well they can’t play at the level of the pros down on the field.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast...
185. Change the World By Starting with Yourself
July 03, 2019 08:00 - 27 minutes - 37.9 MB“Every movement begins with revolutionaries who grow disillusioned with how things are and imagine how things could be,” writes Hal Donaldson in his new book, Disruptive Compassion: Becoming the Revolutionary You Were Born to Be. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine, talks with Donaldson about how to become a compassion revolutionary who changes the world … starting with yourself. Hal Donaldson is CEO of Convoy of Hope, a faith-...
184. Embracing the Apostolic and the Prophetic with Discernment
June 27, 2019 08:00 - 34 minutes - 47.6 MBIn Ephesians 4:11–12, the apostle Paul writes, “Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” Pentecostals believe this fivefold ministry continues today. Any spiritual gift can be abused, however. And when it comes to the apostolic and the prophetic specifically, unfortunately, abuses are all too common. How, then, should Pentecostals develop the proper use o...
183. Why Grace Is More Liberating Than You Believe
June 20, 2019 08:00 - 35 minutes - 48.4 MB“There is power available to you that can unlock your soul and all of its hidden longings,” writes John Lindell—“the buried hopes of the past, the strength needed for the moment, and the dreams for a beautiful future. That is the power of the best news: the gospel is able to change your life at this moment, even now.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, George P. Wood, executive editor of Influencemagazine, and your host, talks with John Lindell about this power, which is the power o...
182. Best Practices for Developing Women Leaders
June 13, 2019 08:00 - 30 minutes - 41.5 MBWomen constitute a majority of church attendees but a minority of its pastoral leaders. In the Assemblies of God, for example, women and girls account for 55 percent of all Sunday morning attendees, but only 25 percent of credentialed ministers. This is true even though AG theology affirmsthat “God pours out His Spirit upon both men and women and thereby gifts both sexes for ministry in His Church.” This raises the obvious question: How can we do better at developing women leaders? That’s...
181. Trends in Bible Engagement
June 06, 2019 08:00 - 30 minutes - 42 MBSixty-three percent of U.S. adults “agree somewhat or strongly that the Bible contains everything a person needs to know to live a meaningful life,” with 38 percent “strongly” agreeing. That seems like a good thing, right? Unfortunately, the “data shows a continuing downward trend from the previous year (42% who agree strongly) and the all-time high of 53% in 2011.” For the past decade, the American Bible Society, in conjunction with the Barna Group, has released an annual State of the Bib...
180. Why Honor Is Key
May 30, 2019 08:00 - 33 minutes - 46 MB“The stories of honor contained in the Word of God start from the first verses in Genesis and continue to the last words in Revelation.” So writes Rich Wilkerson Sr. in his new book, I Choose Honor. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, George P. Wood, Influencemagazine’s executive editor, talks to Wilkerson about why honor is the key to relationships, faith, and life. Rich Wilkerson Sr. senior pastor of Trinity Church in Miami, Florida, and founder of Peacemakers, a Christian, nonpr...
179. Thinking Christianly about American History
May 23, 2019 08:00 - 39 minutes - 53.6 MB“Christians believe the kingdom of God is our ultimate commitment, and we should confuse no temporal nation with that kingdom,” writes evangelical historian Thomas S. Kidd in his new, two-volume history of the United States. “But we are also thankful for the ways God has moved in American history, redeeming untold millions of people and building his church in each generation.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, Influence magazine Executive Editor George P. Wood talks to Thomas S. Ki...
178. How the Church Can Serve the City
May 16, 2019 07:30 - 32 minutes - 44.2 MBOn the Day of Pentecost, the first Christians preached the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Soon after, they also organized ministries to help the poor. This combination of evangelism and compassion is a biblical hallmark of Spirit-filled ministry. It’s also a template for action today. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, George P. Wood, executive editor of Influencemagazine, interviews Dave Donaldson and Wendell Vinson about how the local church can serve the ...
177. How to Talk to Doubters about Jesus
May 02, 2019 08:00 - 30 minutes - 42 MBAccording to the Pew Research Center, “the share of Americans who believe in God with absolute certainty has declined in recent years, while the share saying they have doubts about God’s existence – or that they do not believe in God at all – has grown.” And while most Americans continue to believe in God, the god in whom they believe is not necessarily the God of the Bible. The decline of belief in God, together with changes in the way people understand the word god, poses profound ministr...
176. How to Read Galatians for Preaching and Teaching
April 25, 2019 07:30 - 48 minutes - 66.3 MBPaul’s letter to the Galatians is brief but theologically profound. It centers on the nature and implications of the gospel itself. The letter was born out of Paul’s controversy with the so-called Judaizers, and it continues to be a source of controversy among scholars today because of the so-called New Perspective on Paul. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, Influencemagazine’s executive editor, George P. Wood, talks to Craig S. Keener about how to read Galatians for preaching and t...
175. Is Contemplative Spirituality Christian?
April 18, 2019 07:30 - 44 minutes - 60.9 MBIf Christian book publishing trends are any indication, contemplative spirituality is a hot topic among Christian readers — hotin the dual sense that it arouses intense interest as well as intense opposition. Proponents claim it is an ancient Christian practice capable of deepening a person’s love for God and neighbor. Opponents counterclaim that it is biblically subpar, smacks of medieval Catholicism, and opens the door to New Age mysticism. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, Georg...
174. Evangelizing the Unsaved Christian
April 11, 2019 07:30 - 28 minutes - 39.7 MB“The Bible Belt is the most difficult place in America to pastor a local church.” That’s what Dean Inserra’s friend Matt told him as they left seminary to plant churches, Dean in Florida and Matt in California. “In California, there is rarely confusion. Either you’re a Christian or you’re not. In the Bible Belt, many people think they’re Christians but have no concept of…the overall message of the gospel.” In Episode 174 of the Influence Podcast, Influence magazine’s executive editor, Geor...
173. Islam and Christian Mission
April 04, 2019 07:00 - 1 hour - 83.9 MBWhat should Christians believe about Islam? And how should Christians treat their Muslim neighbors? Contemporary events both abroad and in the U.S. require thoughtful Christians to answer these questions. In Episode 174 of the Influence Podcast, George P. Wood, Influencemagazine’s executive editor, interviews Mark Brink, Mark Hausfeld, and Mark Refroe about Islam and Christian mission. All three are veteran Assemblies of God missionaries to Muslim-majority nations. Mark Brink is internat...
172. Truth + Love = Influence
March 28, 2019 07:00 - 33 minutes - 46.2 MBJesus Christ is the greatest news the world has ever heard, and the internet and social media give contemporary Christians effective means to share it. Unfortunately, a lot of Christians are blowing their chance, as even a quick glance at Christians online shows. How can we better use these communication tools for greater gospel influence? In Episode 172 of the Influence Podcast, Influence magazine Executive Editor George P. Wood talks with Matt Brown about the biblical formula for influen...
171. Pentecostals and Social Injustice
March 21, 2019 07:00 - 40 minutes - 73.4 MBAccording to the International Labour Organizationof the United Nations, over 40 million people around the world are victims of modern slavery. Nearly 5 million are victims of forced sexual exploitation. This exploitation disproportionally affects women and girls, who constitute 99 percent of victims in the commercial sex industry. How should Pentecostals respond to this particular evil? More generally, how should they speak out prophetically against social injustice? That’s the question ...
170. Praying through All the Seasons of Life
March 07, 2019 07:30 - 29 minutes - 40.5 MBThe Book of Psalms is the prayer book of the Church. It shows Christians all the ways to pray through all the seasons of life, the good and the bad, the high and the low. No wonder the New Testament quotes it more than any other Old Testament book! In this episode of the Influence Podcast, Dr. George O. Wood explains how to read the Book of Psalms for preaching and pastoral ministry. Dr. Wood is chairman of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, former general superintendent of the Assemb...
169. The Challenge of Sharing Faith in America Today
February 18, 2019 07:30 - 28 minutes - 39.3 MB“Almost Half of Practicing Christian Millennials Say Evangelism Is Wrong,” reads the headline of a story about a new report from Barna Group. Titled Reviving Evangelism, that report details the erosion of support for evangelism among next-generation Christians. In Episode 169 of the Influence Podcast, David Kinnaman shares the findings of that report with George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine. Kinnaman is president of Barna Group, a leading research and communications com...
168. The Color of Compromise
February 11, 2019 07:30 - 46 minutes - 64.2 MBRacism has been described as America’s original sin. While great strides have been made in the journey toward equality between blacks and whites, there still is much work to do. In Episode 168 of the Influence Podcast, George P. Wood talks to Jemar Tisby about the history of racism in American Christianity, as well as what steps need to be taken for authentic racial reconciliation to occur. Wood is executive editor of Influence magazine and the host of the Influence Podcast. Tisby is a...
167. How to Read the Former Prophets for Preaching
February 04, 2019 07:30 - 43 minutes - 59 MB“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” writes the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16. While all Christians agree that Scripture is useful, we don’t often understand how to use it. In today’s podcast, Influence magazine’s executive editor, George P. Wood, begins a series of occasional podcasts designed to help pastors improve how they read Scripture so that they can preach Scripture better. Joining Wood in this conversat...
166. Help! I’m in Charge
January 28, 2019 07:30 - 30 minutes - 42.2 MB“If you want to make a difference,” writes Rod Loy, “if you want to fulfill God’s calling for your life, if you want to be a leader, you have to be willing to pay the price. This is the difference between changing the world and living your life without impact.” In Episode 165 of the Influence Podcast, Influence magazine’s executive editor, George P. Wood, talks to Rod Loy about this and other leadership insights from his new book, Help! I’m in Charge. Rod Loy is senior pastor of First A...
165. Is Your Church Disability Friendly?
January 21, 2019 07:30 - 31 minutes - 43.8 MBThe Americans with Disability Act defines a disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activity.” How many Americans suffer from a disability? Estimates range from 13 percentof the U.S. populace to 20 percent. That’s between 40 and 60 million persons. In Episode 165 of the Influence Podcast, Influencemagazine’s executive editor, George P. Wood, talks to Charlie Chivers about how to make your church disability friendly. Chivers is fou...
164. The Couple That Prays Together…
January 14, 2019 07:30 - 27 minutes - 37.5 MB“What your marriage will become is determined by how you pray,” write Joel and Nina Schmidgall in their new book, Praying Circles Around Your Marriage. “Prayers for your marriage will allow you to claim God-given promises, fulfill God-given dreams for your family, and seize a God-ordained legacy for generations.” In Episode 164 of the Influence Podcast, Influence magazine executive editor George P. Wood talks to the Schmidgalls about their book, which offers great advice about prayer, marr...
163. Eight Purposeful Habits for a Spiritually Focused Life
January 07, 2019 07:30 - 31 minutes - 43.6 MBEvery New Year, millions of Americans take time to write resolutions about who they would like to become or what they would like to do in the next 365 days. Researchers at the University of Scranton suggest that only 8 percentof people keep their resolutions. According to U.S. News & World Report, 80 percentof those resolutions fail by the second week of February. What if we’re chasing the wrong thing? What if we need new habits, not New Year’s resolutions? That’s the question raised b...
162. Helping the Hurting During the Holidays
December 17, 2018 08:00 - 28 minutes - 38.5 MBFor most people, the Christmas holiday is a wonderful time of the year. Families come together to celebrate Christ’s birth and exchange gifts. Churches welcome one and all to worship Christ, the real Reason for the season. The words “Merry Christmas!” and “Happy Holidays!” seem to be on everyone’s lips. Not everyone is having a good time, though. It’s a myth that suicides increase at Christmastime. But it’s a very real fact that some people are sad and lonely during this season. As Christi...
161. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
December 10, 2018 08:00 - 30 minutes - 41.6 MBAndy Williams sang that Christmas is “the most wonderful time of the year.” He was right, though for the wrong reasons. Now, don’t get me wrong! “Parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, and caroling out in the snow” are great and everything, but they’re not what Christmas is ultimately about. In Episode 161 of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Dr. Joseph Castleberry about the real reason why Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year. We also debunk a few myths people believe ab...
160. Who Owns This Problem—Me, You, or God?
November 26, 2018 08:00 - 29 minutes - 40 MBWhen a problem hits a church, who’s responsible for fixing it? That’s the question Influencemagazine’s executive editor George P. Wood discusses with Rob Ketterling in Episode 160 of the Influence Podcast. Ketterling is the founder and lead pastor of River Valley Church, a multisite congregation that currently serves more than 10,000 people weekly in greater metropolitan Minneapolis, Minnesota. He’s also author of the just-released book, Fix It!, which talks about three categories of own...
159. Christians in the Age of Outrage
November 12, 2018 08:00 - 28 minutes - 39.6 MBAmerica is angry. Turn on TV news, tune into talk radio, check your timeline on social media, and chances are good you’ll see someone angry—outraged!—about something. Some commentators even worry that our nation is on the verge of a civil war. It would be nice to say that Christians in America are tamping down the fires of outrage, but unfortunately, that’s not always true. Instead, some Christians are fanning the flames. They’re kicking outrage up to 11. One Christian leader who’s tryin...
158. How Should Christians Think about Marijuana Legalization?
November 05, 2018 08:00 - 38 minutes - 53 MBAccording to an October 8, 2018, Pew Research Center report, 62 percent of Americans believe that marijuana use should be legal. That represents a doubling of public support for pot legalization since 2000, and a quintupling since 1969. Although the federal government still classifies marijuana as a prohibited drug, nine states and the District of Columbia permit its use. On Election Day 2018, several other states will consider referenda to legalize recreational and/or medical marijuana u...
157. Leading Healthy, High-Performance Teams
October 30, 2018 07:00 - 28 minutes - 39.8 MBIt’s been said that teamwork makes the dream work. That’s true for any organization, but it’s especially true for churches. After all, the business of Church isrelationship—with God and with others. Unfortunately, many churches experience relational dysfunction in the leadership team, the congregation as a whole, or both. They also often fail to realize the vision for the Church laid out by Christ in the Great Commission. In High Impact Teams, Lance Witt explains why churches don’t have to...
156. With God in the Valley of the Shadow of Death
October 22, 2018 07:00 - 29 minutes - 40.2 MBPsalm 23 is one of the best recognized and most loved passages of Scripture. For three millennia, its words have comforted believers in good times and bad. In his new book, Grace in the Valley, Heath Adamson explores a baker’s dozen of lessons the psalm teaches about life and ministry under the Shepherdhood of God. Heath Adamson serves as chief of staff at Convoy of Hope, “a faith-based, nonprofit organization with a driving passion to feed the world through children’s feeding initiative...
155. Two Dozen (or So) Arguments for God
October 15, 2018 07:00 - 43 minutes - 59.1 MBPublishers harvested a bumper crop of atheist book in 2006 and 2007. Letters to a Christian Nationby Sam Harris, The God Delusionby Richard Dawkins, Breaking the Spellby Daniel C. Dennett, and God Is (Not) Greatby Christopher Hitchens come readily to mind, among many others. Each of these book claimed in one way or another that belief in God was intellectually deficient, a matter of faith rather than reason. The philosophers who contributed to Two Dozen (or So) Arguments for Godbeg to diff...
154. The Hospitable Leader
October 02, 2018 06:00 - 35 minutes - 48.3 MBHospitality is a Christian virtue. “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers,” Hebrews 13:2 tells us, “for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” According to the apostle Paul, one of the requirements for holding church office is being “hospitable” (1 Timothy 3:2, Titus 1:8). At minimum, hospitality means providing food and shelter for those in need. But what if that’s only the start? What if hospitality is a mindset that has multiple expressio...
153. How to Create a Volunteer-Friendly Culture at Your Church
September 10, 2018 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40.4 MBGod designed the Church to run on volunteer power. Every member of the congregation is a spiritually gifted individual, after all, called and empowered to do “the work of ministry” (Ephesians 4:12 ESV). And yet, many churches experience a chronic shortage of volunteers. What is the cause of this shortage, and what can pastors and other church leaders do about it? Those are the questions Influence magazine executive editor George P. Wood explores with Jill Fox in Episode 153 of the Influe...
152. How to Overcome Cynicism, Compromise, and Disconnection
September 04, 2018 06:00 - 31 minutes - 43.4 MBCynicism. Compromise. Disconnection. Irrelevance. Pride. Burnout. Emptiness. No one expects to experience these negative feelings, but everyone does. As Christians and as leaders in the church, the question we need to ask ourselves is what we should do about them. That’s the question Influence magazine executive editor George P. Wood explores with Carey Nieuwhof in Episode 152 of the Influence Podcast. Carey Nieuwhof is pastor of Connexus Church in Barrie, Ontario, and author of Didn’t S...
151. Why Missions Needs Missionaries
August 27, 2018 06:00 - 36 minutes - 50.6 MBThis past summer, thousands of Assemblies of God churchgoers went on short-term missions trips. These trips often do much good. They certainly change the people who go on them for the better. But is it a good idea to shift a church’s missions strategy to short-term missions? Similarly, churches are increasingly supporting “social justice” causes such as anti-human trafficking initiatives and water well drilling as an important part of missions. Granted, these are great causes, but are they...