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ChurchPulse Weekly Conversations: Andy Stanley on Offering Clarity During Uncertainty

Earlier this year, in the midst of the pandemic, communicator, author and pastor of North Point Ministries, Andy Stanley, made national news when he announced that his church would remain closed to the public through the end of 2020, a decision many church leaders have been unwilling to make. On the most recent ChurchPulse Weekly episode, podcasts hosts Nieuwhof and Kinnaman sit down with Stanley to discuss how he and his team went about making the decision to keep their church buildings closed through the end of the year and what it takes to lead well in the midst of uncertainty.

ChurchPulse Weekly Podcast: Mark Batterson on Pastoring in a Digital Age, Part 2

Last week, podcast hosts Carey Nieuwhof and David Kinnaman sat down with Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Communitny Church in Washington, DC, to discuss ministry in the current digital era. While the COVID-19 crisis has forced many churches to take their weekly outreach online because of social distancing, the ChurchPulse Weekly hosts and guest also discussed how harnessing the internet for ministerial purposes was a growing need, even before the pandemic. This week’s episode is a continuation of last week’s conversation between Nieuwhof, Kinnaman and Batterson, and covers topics such as next gen ministry, city-wide outreach and the importance of remembering to be kingdom minded.

ChurchPulse Weekly Podcast: Mark Batterson on Pastoring in a Digital Age, Part 1

In the most recent ChurchPulse Weekly episode, podcast hosts Carey Nieuwhof and David Kinnaman are joined by Mark Batterson, lead pastor of National Community Church in Washington D.C., to discuss pastoring in the digital age.

ChurchPulse Weekly Podcast: Leslie Mack and Shane Sanchez on Student Ministry

Just a few weeks ago, nearly half of U.S. pastors (47%) shared that one of the greatest challenges they’re facing at this moment is ministry to children and youth. This week, podcast hosts Carey Nieuwhof and David Kinnaman drill deeper into this stat with guest panelists Leslie Mack and Shane Sanchez, seeking to offer clarity and direction to leaders who are struggling with next gen ministry.

COVID-19 Conversations: Kara Powell on Innovative Youth Ministry

Over the past few months, pastors and parents alike have expressed the struggle they face when it comes to ministering to children and youth in a time of social distancing. In a recent ChurchPulse Weekly episode, hosts Carey Nieuwhof and David Kinnaman are joined by Kara Powell, executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute, to discuss the unique challenges pastors, parents and teens are facing in the current moment.

Do Pastors Feel Well-Equipped to Help Congregants Heal from Trauma?

Most pastors agree that trauma is an issue the Church should address, but many church leaders have had little to no training in the way of counseling or trauma care. This article explores how prepared U.S. pastors feel when it comes to helping people heal from trauma, looking specifically at how equipped they feel overall, what—if any—training they’ve received on this issue and what types of trauma they are most comfortable handling.

COVID-19 Conversations: Jon Tyson on the Tensions of Online Ministry

As summer comes to a close, the pandemic continues to grip the United States, forcing pastors to consider what it means to lead online or hybrid church services into the fall of 2020.In this week’s episode, Jon Tyson, author and lead pastor of Church of the City, New York, joins podcast hosts Carey Nieuwhof and David Kinnaman to comment on real time data on the tensions pastor feel when it comes to leading in the current moment.

COVID-19 Conversations: Lysa TerKeurst on Vulnerability & Leading in Crisis

In early April, just a few weeks after local and federal government issued safe at home orders and urged citizens to observe social distancing guidelines, Churchpulse Weekly hosts Carey Nieuwhof and David Kinnaman shared findings related to the mental and emotional health of pastors and their congregants in light of current events. Now, in the most recent ChurchPulse Weekly episode, Nieuwhof and Kinnaman take another look at the numbers, honing in on the data on church leaders’ well-being, before inviting Lysa TerKeurst to comment on the data and offer practical advice for pastors leading through crisis.

COVID-19 Conversations: Scott Sauls on Juggling In-Person Worship & Online Engagement

With COVID-19 cases rising across the nation, ChurchPulse Weekly podcast hosts Nieuwhof and Kinnaman look at tracking data on the pandemic to see how the health crisis is currently affecting pastors and their congregants. Scott Sauls, senior pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN joins the conversation to discuss reopening, in-person worship precautions and ongoing digital engagement.

Church Leaders Share on Welcoming Congregants Back for In-Person Worship

As the United States begins to reopen cities one phase at a time, church leaders are facing a new challenge which poses many questions, including should we reopen, and if so, how? While an ease of social distancing guidelines in certain areas allows congregants to once again gather for worship in their usual church building, are people ready to come back for Sunday services?

COVID-19 Conversations: Three Questions for Church Leaders to Ask Before Reopening

As more areas of the U.S. work through the phases of reopening following the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, churches are faced with the weighty questions of whether to open their doors and, if so, how to maintain safe social distancing while still welcoming people back into their regular locations.

Caring for Souls in a New Reality: A Barna Webcast

On May 20, Barna and project partner Gloo hosted a live webcast to reveal recent findings related to how the COVID-19 crisis has affected the U.S. Church. Barna president David Kinnaman was joined by webcast cohosts Carey Nieuwhof and Nicole Martin. Together, alongside expert guests and fellow thought leaders, the hosts presented findings related to human flourishing, organizational thriving and effective leadership, primarily focusing on three things church leaders can do as they care for the souls entrusted to their leadership: reset, refocus and restore.

COVID-19 Conversations: Many Pastors Are Tired, Overwhelmed and Lonely

Recent ChurchPulse Weekly questions asked of Barna’s pastor panel included how church leaders are personally feeling right now in terms of their well-being, mental health, calling and following government guidelines for reopening their churches, the responses of which we’ll summarize in this article.

Leadership & Mental Health: An Interview with Therapists Sharon Hargrave & Kelly Haer

Pastors Prefer Lay-Led Initiatives to New Church Programs But Struggle to Develop Leaders

Every pastor hopes their church will impact their local community—but even the best ministries and programs have limitations. Often, pastors must rely on the help and leadership of their congregants to invest in their church’s neighborhood. Recently, Barna researchers studied the impact of lay-led initiatives in local communities and what happens when practicing Christians gather together to do good in their neighborhoods. In this article, we’ll take a look at how churches support congregants to serve neighborhood needs.

Pastors Share Hopes for the Church’s Future After COVID-19

For the past six weeks, Barna has been checking in on the state of U.S. pastors through a national pastor panel, gathering data on how church leaders and their congregations are faring in light of the current pandemic. This week on ChurchPulse Weekly podcast, hosts Nieuwhof and Kinnaman were joined by fellow faith leaders Mike Todd, Jo Saxton and Skye Jethani to discuss the importance of authenticity, how churches plan to restructure after the pandemic is over and what pastors say is their greatest hope for the Church after COVID-19.

Well-Being, Attendance, Giving: An Update on Current Church Trends

Over the last four weeks, Barna has been checking in weekly on the state of pastors, their families and their congregants in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis through national pastor panel surveys. In addition to these weekly check-ins, each Monday, Carey Nieuwhoff and David Kinnaman, often accompanied by expert guests and fellow church leaders, have presented and commented on the survey findings during a live broadcast of the ChurchPulse Weekly podcast. In this article, we’ll take a look at the trends we’ve consistently tracked over the last month—the well-being of pastors and their people, when pastors believe they can return to worship in their usual location and the state of virtual attendance and online giving.

Easter & Beyond: 8 Tips for Churches to Consider as They Prepare Digital Services