Episode 83: Using Big Data to Inform Generosity Strategy
Nov 04, 2020
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by Andrew Esparza, the founder of Kingdom Analytics. During their conversation they discuss the topic of big data and how it can be leveraged for kingdom good.
Best Quotes
“As humans we tend to fear the things we don’t understand.”
“When we are working with churches, the first thing we want to do is define who is our community.”
“We look at the demographics of the community and compare those to the congregation.”
“When someone is walking into our door for the first time, how can we give them the best guest experience?”
“A lot of church plants want to know what the community they are going into looks like and how they can prepare.”
“About 80% of the churches we work with, the congregation tends to have a higher income than the community.”
Voted a Top 100 Marketing and Advertising Leader for 2020, Andrew Esparza comes from a background in the Themed Entertainment Industry. After traveling to over 50 countries he has gained an “eye” on the world and is able to approach projects from a big picture perspective. Andrew founded a virtual tourism company that utilizes aerial photography to capture immersive video. He has worked for companies that have designed and built everything from “tiny houses” to theme parks. He also has experience in the church world working for the largest high school ministry in the country at North Point Community Church. Andrew previously worked on the Real Estate & Design side of Visioneering Studios working on projects with budgets from $60K – $160 million. Andrew is the founder Kingdom Analytics, a company that has had the opportunity to help well over 300 Churches, Schools, Non-Profits, and Businesses better connect and understand their community, congregation, student families, or customers using advanced demography research and their unique access to 1000s of data points on nearly every American household. Andrew’s focus is in using creative problem solving and data to produce unique and memorable guest experiences.
Episode 82: The Presence of God and Generosity
Oct 28, 2020
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by Vance Pitman, the pastor at Hope Church in Las Vegas, Nevada. During their conversation they discuss the power of God’s presence and how His kingdom ushers in generous living.
Best Quotes
“We all know He is faithful in calling us, what we sometimes don’t have is the confidence that He is also faithful in bringing it to pass.”
“My job is to pursue Him and find out what He is doing and where He is at work.”
“A lack of clarity is always an invitation to deeper intimacy.”
“God will use every decision, even the wrong ones you make, to shape you and write your story.”
“The bigger arc of the story God was writing was more important than the detail of that particular decision.”
“God can do more with His manifest presence in 5 minutes than we can accomplish in 50 years.”
“For us as the church to capture the wind of the movement of the Holy Spirit of God, we must be people who pray, we must be people who are grounded in the Word, and when we do that we see God move in power to expand His kingdom to the ends of the earth.”
“The Christian life is not me living for Jesus, but Jesus living His life in and through me.”
“In the midst of the toughest year in the last 50 years in America, our church has experienced the greatest year of financial generosity in the history of our church.”
“If you are going to be a pastor who leads your church to have a culture of generosity, you personally must be someone who lives generously.”
“When you obey God in the principles of generosity, you will be overwhelmed at the provision and the faithfulness of God.”
“God has always required a portion, but then sometimes God calls us to radical sacrifice and that is how God fuels His mission.”
“The primary call on your life is not ministry. The primary call on your life is intimacy.”
Vance Pitman is the Senior Pastor of Hope Church, a family of believers in Las Vegas, NV, who are focused on the mission of connecting people to live the life of a Jesus follower. As a seasoned church planter who has commissioned more than 50 churches in the western United States, he is also a national mobilizer for NAMB, and a national resource leader for The 6:4 Fellowship. Vance speaks across the country and all over the world to inspire people to join in God’s eternal, redemptive mission of making disciples and multiplying the church among every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. Vance resides in Henderson, NV with his wife Kristie, has four children and two grandchildren, and is the author of UNBURDENED: Stop Living for Jesus So Jesus Can Live Through You.
Episode 81: Generosity Strategy of Propel Church
Oct 21, 2020
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by Nick Newman, Lead Pastor at Propel Church in Mount Pleasant, NC. During their conversation they discuss generosity ministry in the different stages of a church plant and how to start something you can build upon year after year.
Best Quotes
“When it comes to generosity in a church plant, there are four things: training, networking, actual funding, and then team building.”
“What you have to figure out early on is what works for where you are, but build the process for a few stages ahead in the game.”
“How am I preparing for the church to be financially stable after the wedding day?”
“Outside support for a church plant should always be supplemental not the source of your sustainability.”
“You need to prep your church early for the future.”
“Every single time you open God’s word is the opportunity to share vision.”
“As pastors and leaders, we have to do a better job of not making money so hard to talk about.”
“I wanted to teach our church financial principles that were biblically sound, but helped them understand that increase in the right way is biblical and that you’ve been blessed to be a blessing.”
“God doesn’t mind when you have stuff, but He minds when stuff has you.”
“What we consistently teach is equal sacrifice not equal giving.”
“Money talks will only be as awkward as you make them.”
Nick Newman is the founder and Lead Pastor of Propel Church in Mount Pleasant, North Carolina. He is the author of Bridge the Gap, a book designed to help communicators deliver sermons that lead to conversion rather than confusion. Nick also serves numerous organizations and pastors by helping them live better and lead better through coaching.
Episode 80: Maximizing Your Virtual and Social Engagement
Oct 14, 2020
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by Chris Martin, former social media manager. During their conversation they discuss creating a long-term strategy for social media.
Best Quotes
“The entire Internet is social, not just the social media apps that come to mind.”
“How we use the social Internet is revealing about who we are and what we’re like.”
“One of the pitfalls we fall into is seeing online church as a sort of replacement for incarnational in-person church.”
“I’ve seen churches use the social Internet to create community, even though it may be a full substitution right now, they understand it’s not the same.”
“Because a lot of people just don’t understand social media statistics and how they are counted, I saw a lot of folks in ministry playing up numbers, caring too much about how many people watched the video.”
“I think Facebook is the most important social media platform in the world. It is that way because a third of the world – at least a billion people a month – are using Facebook.”
“When it comes to a church staff connecting with people, Facebook is probably the most effective use of your time.”
“I like to think of the Facebook page as a front porch for your church.”
“Continue to see digital ministry as supplemental not substitutional.”
Chris Martin just finished a 7-year tenure with Lifeway, where he served in several roles, lastly as the Social Media Manager for Lifeway and the General Editor for Lifeway Voices. He now works for Moody Publishers, where he helps create products and content alongside the trade books that Moody Publishes.
Episode 79: Is Your Church Brand Generosity Friendly?
Oct 07, 2020
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by Lee Ann Martin, the President of Design373, and Nathan Gaddis, the Ministry Strategist for Design373. During their conversation they discuss why a church brand matters.
Best Quotes
“When we partner with churches all over the country and we start with social media, everything that we do will fall into one of eight buckets.”
“Social media and digital outreach for churches was always seemingly a luxury item pre-COVID.”
“If you’ve built an authentic brand of who you are as a church in the community, then they will be drawn to that.”
“A brand is not a logo. A logo enhances a brand. The brand is basically who you are and how that is communicated.”
“The brand is the day-to-day and it is the discipleship that happens.”
“You can be very purpose-driven in your brand or it can be done for you by default.”
“You can have the coolest logo in town as a church, but if who you are as a church isn’t saturating the community as much as your logo, then your logo is useless.”
“Don’t be scared of going after the people that are not yet there.”
“Shift your language to include the people who don’t believe the same things you believe without sacrificing your theology and belief systems.”
Design373 is a Digital Outreach Company for churches. All of our lives have changed since the arrival of COVID19 in March. This is especially true with churches. What was once often a low priority has now been forced to move to front and center! D373 works with churches to provide social media, web and digital discipleship options. They are helping churches all over the country navigate the current climate and make decisions that will strengthen their digital outreach options into the future.
Episode 78: What Is Happening In Stewardship Ministry Around the Globe?
Sep 30, 2020
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by Brandon Sieben, CEO of Compass Global. During their conversation they discuss global resources, trends, and movements.
Best Quotes
“We’ve got a huge amount of passion for leadership, and specifically Jesus being the prime example to follow there.”
“We need the church to be successful to advance the Kingdom, including handling finances God’s way.”
“Our ministry’s vision is to advance the Kingdom by making financial disciples so that they can become free to serve Him, come closer to Christ, and fulfill the Great Commission.”
“When you are on the ropes, dealing with the pandemic, and having money issues, there is really nothing else to do but give it to Christ.”
“What’s unique around the wold right now is that they are playing offense and we are playing defense in America.”
“They are extremely bold on faith. They are serious about obedience. And they are aggressive on financial discipleship.”
“Let’s get back on offense. How do we get back to the basics – the Bible, Jesus, and discipleship?”
“To the outside world, the church has been largely silent on where God is in all this and what we should be doing as Christians.”
“Stewardship is managing your time, your talent, your treasure, and improving your situation financially. In discipleship the focus is clearly on other people and helping other people grow. Financial Discipleship is the evolution of stewardship.”
Brandon Sieben graduated with a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois and an MBA from the University of Iowa. He also studied International Business at the Universidad de Alicante in Alicante, Spain and Latin American business and culture at the Instituto de Idioma Espanol in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Brandon is the former President of Allsteel and officer of HNI Corporation, one of the largest manufacturers of office furniture in the world. During his tenure at HNI Corporation (1994-2019), Brandon held multiple senior leadership roles spanning a variety of global and domestic businesses, markets, and customers. His broad-based business background includes creating and executing vision and strategy for growth and turnaround companies. Brandon also serves on the board of directors of Central Banc, Inc. in Illinois. Brandon was raised in a committed Christian family and married his high school sweetheart, Deb. They have three daughters Kay, Nina, and Georgia, and currently reside in Iowa City, Iowa. They have been applying what the Bible says about handling money their entire marriage and are actively involved in ministry in their local church and community. After nearly three years in a mentoring relationship with Founder and Chairman Howard Dayton, Brandon joined Compass – finances God’s way as its President and CEO in September, 2019. Brandon is excited to serve Compass in pursuit of its global vision to see everyone, everywhere, faithfully living by God’s financial principles in every area of their lives.
Episode 77: Serving Generosity for Your City
Sep 23, 2020
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by Dino Rizzo, the Executive Director of the Association of Related Churches, also known as ARC. During their conversation they discuss how every church regardless of size, age, or resource depth can serve its city to the highest level.
Best Quotes
“Every community has a vulnerability and you have to discover what that is.”
“Is there something that God almighty put on your heart?”
“You want to figure out what type of outreach can you sustain over the long haul.”
“I think that some of the greatest outreaches I am seeing around the country right now are by smaller churches because they are a little more agile.”
“Outreach grows a church. Outreach helps you build a brand that you have for Christ and you have for people.”
“There are so many people around us today that have reduced opportunities.”
“There are people in your community who are struggling or who are experiencing trauma or pain. That is a place to start.”
“I believe in outreach, but I also believe in the span of care for the people in my own church who are hurting.”
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Dino Rizzo serves as the Executive Director of ARC (Association of Related Churches), an organization he co-founded which has planted hundreds of churches across the country. He is also the author of the book Servolution. In 1992, Dino and his wife DeLynn founded Healing Place Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, a church they pastored for twenty years. Today, Dino also serves as an Associate Pastor at Church of the Highlands in Birmingham. Dino and DeLynn have three incredible children.
Episode 76: Leading the 5 Types of Givers in Your Church
Sep 16, 2020
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by Jeff Crook, senior pastor of Christ Place Church in Flowery Branch, GA. During their conversation they discuss launching a strategic discipleship pathway for generosity by uniting clear vision language and the five types of givers.
Best Quotes
“Everything we do is flowing out of our mission and our vision.”
“Over the years of ministry, I have been addicted to capital campaigns.”
“When we began to embrace a culture of generosity, it was like an evergreen tree.”
“For so long I would attach vision to building buildings.”
“We believe that God owns everything and we are looking for opportunities to be conduits of His blessings.”
“Generosity is more about what God wants for you than from you.”
“Generous living is increasingly representing God’s heart to the world.”
“Generous living is not an act we do, it is a way we live.”
Jeff Crook and his wife Becky live in Buford, Georgia, with their two children, Macie and Josiah. He became the Lead Pastor of Christ Place Church in November 2003. God has blessed by adding over 4,000 new members, and today Christ Place Church has a membership of over 8,000. During that time, Christ Place has celebrated more than 3,000 baptisms. Jeff is a graduate of the Baptist College of Florida and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He has served as pastor of four SBC churches since 1993.
Episode 75: The Art of Processing Church Trends
Sep 09, 2020
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by Warren Bird, Vice President of Research and Equipping at the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). During their conversation they discuss facts and trends, how to sift through them, and lead with confidence.
Best Quotes
“My role with the research side is to help identify best practices and other keys to greater effectiveness.”
“There is a direct research link between trust and generosity.”
“What new opportunities for the gospel does this information open up for me and the church I serve?”
“Churches with a greater emphasis on missions see higher financial giving per household in the church.”
“In 2000, only 50% of large churches said that small groups are central to their strategy of Christian formation and discipleship. Today, in 2020, it’s 90%.”
“You get bigger by getting smaller, by people finding their identity in a group within the whole.”
“Some churches have moved far beyond just going online, but figured out new ways to mobilize the saints.”
“Churches that were economically fragile going into the pandemic – this issue of church mergers is going to become much bigger.”
“Merging is often triggered by a financial issue.”
“There is a direct relationship between the more people volunteer in church, the more they give. The more people are engaged in a small group in church, the more they give.”
Warren Bird, Ph.D., is ECFA’s vice president of research and equipping. He serves ECFA by increasing the scope, impact and depth of our knowledge base while equipping ECFA’s members to apply what ECFA is learning through research. Warren is widely recognized as among the nation’s leading students, researchers, and writers about megachurches. As @lensweet recently tweeted, “No one knows more about megachurches than @warrenbird.” An ordained minister with a big heart for the local church, Warren has led in various pastoral positions, taught at several seminaries, and served most recently for 13 years at Leadership Network, overseeing their research department where they’ve released several dozen groundbreaking reports on topics like multisite churches, large-church compensation, church planting, and church internships and residencies. An award-winning writer, he has also co-authored 30 books for church leaders on topics like breaking growth barriers, healthy mergers, and pastoral succession.
Episode 74: Why Every Church Needs a Partner Foundation
Sep 02, 2020
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by Bill High, the President of The Signatry, a global Christian foundation. During their conversation they discuss why every church needs an actual relationship with an institution known as a Christian Foundation.
Best Quotes
“So many times we see people who grow in spiritual disciplines, but the last area of discipline is how they steward their money.”
“When people recognize that God is the owner of everything, that’s when their lives begin to radically transform.”
“The idea of a Christian foundation is really the idea of a partner organization.”
“We want to inspire, but we also want to nudge people to action.”
“When churches have a partner organization like us, we can come in and provide some of that inspiration but at the same time provide practical suggestions for members in the congregation to take action.”
“Whenever we see people who make gifts of something other than cash that’s where we see one of the great impetuses to generosity.”
“Too many times I see pastors who think of themselves as like a retail store. They are waiting for people to walk in the door and to hopefully leave a check in the offering plate or give an online gift.”
“In the next four months, people are going to be making giving decisions that the church and the pastor could be a fundamental part of that would unleash a new realm of generosity and a new realm of discipleship for so many people.”
Bill High practiced law for 12 years before becoming the CEO of the The Signatry. As CEO, he has spent over 18 years helping families live simply and give generously. He specializes in coaching families, individual givers, and financial advisers regarding biblical generosity and family legacy. He and his wife Brooke have four children and two grandchildren.
You can learn more about Bill’s ministry here: www.billhigh.com.
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