EST. - For the Established Church with Sam Rainer and Josh King

Latest Episodes:

Making The Leap to a Different Size Church (Ep. 223) Mar 05, 2021

Show notes

Most pastors will transition to a different size church. Many move to larger churches, but some move to smaller churches. On this episode, Sam and Josh discuss the heart issues and organizational expectations when making the leap to a church of a different size. We offer some tips on how to prioritize your first few months and connect with people in the church. Whether you move to a larger or smaller church, the transition will impact your mind and soul. We discuss how to prepare for the transition and what to do once you arrive.
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is committed to providing theological education for individuals engaging in Christian ministry. Southwestern Seminary offers a variety of degree programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. Just this year, our friends at Southwestern launched new 8-week online classes, which means you don’t have to wait until the next full semester to begin. If you are interested in taking the next step in ministry, visit SWBTS.edu to learn more about how you can get started.
You need to learn more about two great resources from Church Initiative. The makers of GriefShare and DivorceCare offer a team of experienced coaches. They equip your church members to get the program started—so it’s not on your plate.
Pastors are saying these are among the easiest, most effective ministries they’ve ever offered. Check out GriefShare and DivorceCare.

When Your Family Needs You More than Your Church (Ep. 222) Feb 26, 2021

Show notes

Ed Litton joins the show again to talk about the importance of ministering to your family, especially during a time of acute crisis. He shares his personal story of losing his first wife to a car accident. On this episode, Ed gives some of the best advice we've ever had on the podcast. We ask him pointed questions about what to do when your family is going through a horrible tragedy.
Episode Sponsors:
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is committed to providing theological education for individuals engaging in Christian ministry. Southwestern Seminary offers a variety of degree programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. Just this year, our friends at Southwestern launched new 8-week online classes, which means you don’t have to wait until the next full semester to begin. If you are interested in taking the next step in ministry, visit SWBTS.edu to learn more about how you can get started.
You need to learn more about two great resources from Church Initiative. The makers of GriefShare and DivorceCare offer a team of experienced coaches. They equip your church members to get the program started—so it’s not on your plate.
Pastors are saying these are among the easiest, most effective ministries they’ve ever offered. Check out GriefShare and DivorceCare.

Name and Location Changes with the Established Church (Ep. 221) Feb 19, 2021

Show notes

When the community changes around a church, should the congregation change the name? Ed Litton of Redemption Church joins the show today. He shares the story of the name change at his church. The New Testament word for church is ekklesia, which implies a mobile group of people. The church must be flexible to accomplish the vision. On this episode, we cover good motivations for a name or location change, as well as bad motivations.
Episode Sponsors:
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is committed to providing theological education for individuals engaging in Christian ministry. Southwestern Seminary offers a variety of degree programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. Just this year, our friends at Southwestern launched new 8-week online classes, which means you don’t have to wait until the next full semester to begin. If you are interested in taking the next step in ministry, visit SWBTS.edu to learn more about how you can get started.
You need to learn more about two great resources from Church Initiative. The makers of GriefShare and DivorceCare offer a team of experienced coaches. They equip your church members to get the program started—so it’s not on your plate.
Pastors are saying these are among the easiest, most effective ministries they’ve ever offered. Check out GriefShare and DivorceCare.

What to Do Right Now to Recruit More KidMin Volunteers Post-COVID (Ep. 220) Feb 12, 2021

Show notes

Almost every church is smaller right now, which means the pool of potential volunteers is even smaller. Nowhere does a church feel this impact like in children's ministry. Jenny Smith joins the show and shares what churches can do right now to recruit more people. She talks about what it means to have a reset mindset and how to stabilize a volunteer base when people are not able to commit weekly. On the show, we talk about a few "wake up calls" for the future of children's ministry.
Episode Sponsors:
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is committed to providing theological education for individuals engaging in Christian ministry. Southwestern Seminary offers a variety of degree programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. Just this year, our friends at Southwestern launched new 8-week online classes, which means you don’t have to wait until the next full semester to begin. If you are interested in taking the next step in ministry, visit SWBTS.edu to learn more about how you can get started.
You need to learn more about two great resources from Church Initiative. The makers of GriefShare and DivorceCare offer a team of experienced coaches. They equip your church members to get the program started—so it’s not on your plate.
Pastors are saying these are among the easiest, most effective ministries they’ve ever offered. Check out GriefShare and DivorceCare.

Getting the Whole Family Involved in Church (Ep. 219) Feb 05, 2021

Show notes

Many established churches struggle to incorporate the whole family into the ministry of the church. While the need for age-segmented ministries will always exist, silos can form with age groups. Jenny Smith joins the show today to discuss how a church can equip the entire family together. Her ideas include a new way of doing a children's sermon, how to write your own curriculum that matches the sermon, and how to integrate children and students into the ministry of the church.
Episode Sponsors:
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is committed to providing theological education for individuals engaging in Christian ministry. Southwestern Seminary offers a variety of degree programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. Just this year, our friends at Southwestern launched new 8-week online classes, which means you don’t have to wait until the next full semester to begin. If you are interested in taking the next step in ministry, visit SWBTS.edu to learn more about how you can get started.
You need to learn more about two great resources from Church Initiative. The makers of GriefShare and DivorceCare offer a team of experienced coaches. They equip your church members to get the program started—so it’s not on your plate.
Pastors are saying these are among the easiest, most effective ministries they’ve ever offered. Check out GriefShare and DivorceCare.

Best Practices with Pastors and Their Credit Cards (Ep. 218) Jan 29, 2021

Show notes

Credit cards can be helpful, but pastors need to be careful using them. On this episode, Josh King and Sam Rainer discuss best practices for pastors and church leaders when using credit cards. What limits should be on the card? How do you track receipts? Have a clear process with your church credit cards because it's something most church members don't see. Accountability and transparency are a must.
Episode Sponsors:
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is committed to providing theological education for individuals engaging in Christian ministry. Southwestern Seminary offers a variety of degree programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. Just this year, our friends at Southwestern launched new 8-week online classes, which means you don’t have to wait until the next full semester to begin. If you are interested in taking the next step in ministry, visit SWBTS.edu to learn more about how you can get started.
You need to learn more about two great resources from Church Initiative. The makers of GriefShare and DivorceCare offer a team of experienced coaches. They equip your church members to get the program started—so it’s not on your plate.
Pastors are saying these are among the easiest, most effective ministries they’ve ever offered. Check out GriefShare and DivorceCare.

Training & Straining Your Preacher Voice (Ep. 217) Jan 22, 2021

Show notes

Your voice is one of the most used tools in the pastor toolbox. If you preach regularly, then you must have a strategy for training your voice and a recovery method for your voice. On this episode, Josh and Sam talk about their voice strategies. We discuss whether or not pastors should sing in the service and how to engage people on Sunday morning without straining the voice. Credit for this episode goes to one of our listeners, Dan Glenn, who suggested we cover the topic.
Episode Sponsors:
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is committed to providing theological education for individuals engaging in Christian ministry. Southwestern Seminary offers a variety of degree programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. Just this year, our friends at Southwestern launched new 8-week online classes, which means you don’t have to wait until the next full semester to begin. If you are interested in taking the next step in ministry, visit SWBTS.edu to learn more about how you can get started.
You need to learn more about two great resources from Church Initiative. The makers of GriefShare and DivorceCare offer a team of experienced coaches. They equip your church members to get the program started—so it’s not on your plate.
Pastors are saying these are among the easiest, most effective ministries they’ve ever offered. Check out GriefShare and DivorceCare.

Planning Your Best Year Now (Ep. 216) Jan 15, 2021

Show notes

The opportunity in 2021 is bigger than the crisis of 2020. In this week's episode, Josh and Sam talk about how they are planning for the upcoming year. They share some personal goals and goals they are setting for their churches. Your ability to pivot is just as important as the quality of your planning.
Episode Sponsors:
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is committed to providing theological education for individuals engaging in Christian ministry. Southwestern Seminary offers a variety of degree programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. Just this year, our friends at Southwestern launched new 8-week online classes, which means you don’t have to wait until the next full semester to begin. If you are interested in taking the next step in ministry, visit SWBTS.edu to learn more about how you can get started.
You need to learn more about two great resources from Church Initiative. The makers of GriefShare and DivorceCare offer a team of experienced coaches. They equip your church members to get the program started—so it’s not on your plate.
Pastors are saying these are among the easiest, most effective ministries they’ve ever offered. Check out GriefShare and DivorceCare.

When Do You Change Your Sermon Based on Breaking News? (Ep. 215) Jan 08, 2021

Show notes

Everything is breaking news now, and it's hard to discern what is important. Not everything being reported is newsworthy, and most media outlets sensationalize their stories. Josh and Sam discuss the ways they discern when to change a sermon based on a national or global event. Two key questions help. First, is it a biblical issue? Second, is it a culture-shaping event? Much of what is reported is forgotten in twenty-four hours. Shepherd your people through current events, but do not follow the media with your sermons.
Episode Sponsors:
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is committed to providing theological education for individuals engaging in Christian ministry. Southwestern Seminary offers a variety of degree programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. Just this year, our friends at Southwestern launched new 8-week online classes, which means you don’t have to wait until the next full semester to begin. If you are interested in taking the next step in ministry, visit SWBTS.edu to learn more about how you can get started.
You need to learn more about two great resources from Church Initiative. The makers of GriefShare and DivorceCare offer a team of experienced coaches. They equip your church members to get the program started—so it’s not on your plate.
Pastors are saying these are among the easiest, most effective ministries they’ve ever offered. Check out GriefShare and DivorceCare.

Raw Honesty About Racial Diversity & The Church (Ep. 214) Jan 01, 2021

Show notes

Every pastor and church leader needs to have an appreciation and understanding of race, ethnicity, and culture. Chip Luter of Idlewild at the Springs joins Sam and Josh on today's episode. Chip shares his experience in transitioning from a predominantly black church in New Orleans to a diverse church in Tampa. Don't be afraid to talk with people of different ethnicities, hear their stories, and ask questions. Engage with people in your community Instead of getting your talking points from the talking heads of media.
Episode Sponsors:
Located in Fort Worth, Texas, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary is committed to providing theological education for individuals engaging in Christian ministry. Southwestern Seminary offers a variety of degree programs at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels. Just this year, our friends at Southwestern launched new 8-week online classes, which means you don’t have to wait until the next full semester to begin. If you are interested in taking the next step in ministry, visit SWBTS.edu to learn more about how you can get started.
You need to learn more about two great resources from Church Initiative. The makers of GriefShare and DivorceCare offer a team of experienced coaches. They equip your church members to get the program started—so it’s not on your plate.
Pastors are saying these are among the easiest, most effective ministries they’ve ever offered. Check out GriefShare and DivorceCare.

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