Recreation ministry is one of the biggest opportunities for churches right now. It's a great way to connect spiritual health with physical health. Josh and Sam interview Drew Provence, the Director of Partner Engagement at Upward Sports. The three of them discuss how every church can utilize recreation ministry. Visit Upward.org/ChurchAnswers. - Why is now the right time for churches to consider recreation ministry? - What does a successful recreation ministry look like? - Is recreation ministry only for large suburban churches? - What about rural churches or smaller churches? Episode Sponsors: Churchteams: Are you tired of multiple applications for church check-in, giving, membership, and scheduling? Churchteams was built to bring together all your people and data under one umbrella with best-in-class quality features. Get value without compromise. Pricing is simple and based on the number of people in the database. This includes all the essential features so that you can grow into using more without having to pay more. Plans start at $37 per month for churches under 200 people. Get two months free at https://info.churchteams.com/church_answers! Upward Sports: Upward Sports equips churches to run self-sustaining sports ministries in their communities. Whether you are a sports fanatic, or on staff at a church, Upward Sports will give you all the tools you need to run a first-class sports ministry that allows you to reach families in your community. Upward Sports offers basketball, soccer, flag football, cheerleading, volleyball, baseball and softball through league and camp offerings. At Upward Sports, we want to help your church make a difference, and give you increased opportunities to share the gospel. Learn more today at http://upward.org/ChurchAnswers.

The month of December is a chaotic mess of busyness for most pastors. Josh and Sam discuss why in this episode. The co-hosts give some practical tips on how to manage the stress of December and have a little fun. Episode Sponsors: Churchteams: Are you tired of multiple applications for church check-in, giving, membership, and scheduling? Churchteams was built to bring together all your people and data under one umbrella with best-in-class quality features. Get value without compromise. Pricing is simple and based on the number of people in the database. This includes all the essential features so that you can grow into using more without having to pay more. Plans start at $37 per month for churches under 200 people. Get two months free at https://info.churchteams.com/church_answers! Upward Sports: Upward Sports equips churches to run self-sustaining sports ministries in their communities. Whether you are a sports fanatic, or on staff at a church, Upward Sports will give you all the tools you need to run a first-class sports ministry that allows you to reach families in your community. Upward Sports offers basketball, soccer, flag football, cheerleading, volleyball, baseball and softball through league and camp offerings. At Upward Sports, we want to help your church make a difference, and give you increased opportunities to share the gospel. Learn more today at http://upward.org/ChurchAnswers.

There is a growing trend of pastors seeking a marketplace job outside of ministry. What's happening? Eric Hoke joins Josh and Sam to discuss the implications. More pastors are finding it difficult to make ends meet financially, while at the same time, ministry is becoming more stressful. You can learn more about some of Eric's solutions at http://ihelppastorsgetjobs.com/. Episode Sponsors: Churchteams: Are you tired of multiple applications for church check-in, giving, membership, and scheduling? Churchteams was built to bring together all your people and data under one umbrella with best-in-class quality features. Get value without compromise. Pricing is simple and based on the number of people in the database. This includes all the essential features so that you can grow into using more without having to pay more. Plans start at $37 per month for churches under 200 people. Get two months free at https://info.churchteams.com/church_answers! Upward Sports: Upward Sports equips churches to run self-sustaining sports ministries in their communities. Whether you are a sports fanatic, or on staff at a church, Upward Sports will give you all the tools you need to run a first-class sports ministry that allows you to reach families in your community. Upward Sports offers basketball, soccer, flag football, cheerleading, volleyball, baseball and softball through league and camp offerings. At Upward Sports, we want to help your church make a difference, and give you increased opportunities to share the gospel. Learn more today at http://upward.org/ChurchAnswers.

Does a pastor's salary matter? If so, to what degree? Art Rainer, president of Christian Money Solutions, joins Sam on this week's episode. They discuss the sensitive subject of money. Ministry can be tough for a variety of reasons, but financial frustrations are often at the top of the list. You can learn more at ChristianMoneySolutions.com. Episode Sponsors: Churchteams: Are you tired of multiple applications for church check-in, giving, membership, and scheduling? Churchteams was built to bring together all your people and data under one umbrella with best-in-class quality features. Get value without compromise. Pricing is simple and based on the number of people in the database. This includes all the essential features so that you can grow into using more without having to pay more. Plans start at $37 per month for churches under 200 people. Get two months free at https://info.churchteams.com/church_answers! Upward Sports: Upward Sports equips churches to run self-sustaining sports ministries in their communities. Whether you are a sports fanatic, or on staff at a church, Upward Sports will give you all the tools you need to run a first-class sports ministry that allows you to reach families in your community. Upward Sports offers basketball, soccer, flag football, cheerleading, volleyball, baseball and softball through league and camp offerings. At Upward Sports, we want to help your church make a difference, and give you increased opportunities to share the gospel. Learn more today at http://upward.org/ChurchAnswers.

What's the best way to use technology to communicate with your church? Boyd Pelley, co-founder of Churchteams, joins Sam on the show to discuss how churches use different system to communicate with people throughout the assimilation process. When should you use texting? And when should you use a church app? We have some specific and practical answers to these questions. You can learn more at Churchteams.com. Episode Sponsors: Churchteams: Are you tired of multiple applications for church check-in, giving, membership, and scheduling? Churchteams was built to bring together all your people and data under one umbrella with best-in-class quality features. Get value without compromise. Pricing is simple and based on the number of people in the database. This includes all the essential features so that you can grow into using more without having to pay more. Plans start at $37 per month for churches under 200 people. Get two months free at https://info.churchteams.com/church_answers! Upward Sports: Upward Sports equips churches to run self-sustaining sports ministries in their communities. Whether you are a sports fanatic, or on staff at a church, Upward Sports will give you all the tools you need to run a first-class sports ministry that allows you to reach families in your community. Upward Sports offers basketball, soccer, flag football, cheerleading, volleyball, baseball and softball through league and camp offerings. At Upward Sports, we want to help your church make a difference, and give you increased opportunities to share the gospel. Learn more today at http://upward.org/ChurchAnswers.

Churches should provide basic tools for pastors and staff to accomplish their jobs. Josh and Sam discuss the best practices for providing church staff with technology needs. They share how to set up the budget and what accountability should be in place to avoid abuses of the system. Episode Sponsors: Churchteams: Are you tired of multiple applications for church check-in, giving, membership, and scheduling? Churchteams was built to bring together all your people and data under one umbrella with best-in-class quality features. Get value without compromise. Pricing is simple and based on the number of people in the database. This includes all the essential features so that you can grow into using more without having to pay more. Plans start at $37 per month for churches under 200 people. Get two months free at https://info.churchteams.com/church_answers! Upward Sports: Upward Sports equips churches to run self-sustaining sports ministries in their communities. Whether you are a sports fanatic, or on staff at a church, Upward Sports will give you all the tools you need to run a first-class sports ministry that allows you to reach families in your community. Upward Sports offers basketball, soccer, flag football, cheerleading, volleyball, baseball and softball through league and camp offerings. At Upward Sports, we want to help your church make a difference, and give you increased opportunities to share the gospel. Learn more today at http://upward.org/ChurchAnswers.

On this episode, Josh proposes what he believes is a secret weapon for church leaders. Ad Hoc committees are used to make specific decisions within a determined timeframe. Sam counters with why he believes standing committees are also important. When should you use each one? The co-hosts debate the issue. Episode Sponsors: Churchteams: Are you tired of multiple applications for church check-in, giving, membership, and scheduling? Churchteams was built to bring together all your people and data under one umbrella with best-in-class quality features. Get value without compromise. Pricing is simple and based on the number of people in the database. This includes all the essential features so that you can grow into using more without having to pay more. Plans start at $37 per month for churches under 200 people. Get two months free at https://info.churchteams.com/church_answers! Upward Sports: Upward Sports equips churches to run self-sustaining sports ministries in their communities. Whether you are a sports fanatic, or on staff at a church, Upward Sports will give you all the tools you need to run a first-class sports ministry that allows you to reach families in your community. Upward Sports offers basketball, soccer, flag football, cheerleading, volleyball, baseball and softball through league and camp offerings. At Upward Sports, we want to help your church make a difference, and give you increased opportunities to share the gospel. Learn more today at http://upward.org/ChurchAnswers.

Sam moved his office to the third floor of the church's education building. Josh moved his entire team to an offsite office building two miles from the church campus. Who made the best move and why? On this episode, the cohosts discuss the benefits and downsides of office arrangements. People can have an emotional connection to the church building, and there is a sociological benefit to office space. Josh and Sam go at it with two different perspectives. Episode Sponsor: Are you tired of multiple applications for church check-in, giving, membership, and scheduling? Churchteams was built to bring together all your people and data under one umbrella with best-in-class quality features. Get value without compromise. Pricing is simple and based on the number of people in the database. This includes all the essential features so that you can grow into using more without having to pay more. Plans start at $37 per month for churches under 200 people. Get two months free at https://info.churchteams.com/church_answers!

Many churches killed their worship bulletins during the pandemic. Are they totally dead? No, and they are beginning to make a comeback. Josh and Sam discuss their perspective on how churches can use print media in strategic ways. What should the print bulletin contain now? And how should it differ from your digital communication? Episode Sponsor: Are you tired of multiple applications for church check-in, giving, membership, and scheduling? Churchteams was built to bring together all your people and data under one umbrella with best-in-class quality features. Get value without compromise. Pricing is simple and based on the number of people in the database. This includes all the essential features so that you can grow into using more without having to pay more. Plans start at $37 per month for churches under 200 people. Get two months free at https://info.churchteams.com/church_answers!

Current and accurate megachurch stats are hard to find. While there are still many megachurches in the United States, the movement is beginning to wane. What was a Baby Boomer movement is not energizing younger generations in the same way. What does the future hold? Josh and Sam take a deeper dive into the current impact of megachurches and speculate some about the future direction of these churches. Episode Sponsor: Are you tired of multiple applications for church check-in, giving, membership, and scheduling? Churchteams was built to bring together all your people and data under one umbrella with best-in-class quality features. Get value without compromise. Pricing is simple and based on the number of people in the database. This includes all the essential features so that you can grow into using more without having to pay more. Plans start at $37 per month for churches under 200 people. Get two months free at https://info.churchteams.com/church_answers!