Podcast Episode 32: My Favorite Sermon Series Ever
Oct 09, 2019
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is
joined by Eric Koehler, Lead Pastor at ValleyPoint Church in Glen Mills, PA.
During their conversation, they discuss why Eric’s sermon series “Life Verse”
is so impactful.
Best Quotes
“What started as a way to fill a few weeks so that we could
get on to something serious, has become something we have done for seven
straight years and has helped our church fall in love with Scripture.”
“If you want this to be your best year, pursue having your
best spiritual year.”
“One of the ways you can potentially have your best
spiritual year is to start it by anchoring your soul with some words of God
that you memorize and hang on to through all the ups and downs you go through.”
“This simple exercise challenges and encourages people to
see God and plant some of His words in their hearts.”
“I encourage families to use this as a time to have great
spiritual conversations centered on God’s Word.”
“When you encourage people to try and pursue God this way,
they do it!”
“People are more generous the more engaged they become.”
“I’m amazed at how many times the verses they chose in
January are exactly what they need for what they are coming to see me for.”
“People are looking for anchor points in their lives. And spiritual disciplines like time in God’s Word have the ability to provide those anchor points.”
Eric serves as the lead pastor of ValleyPoint Church in Glen Mills, PA. Glen Mills is a beautiful community located twenty minutes southwest of Philadelphia. ValleyPoint is passionate about serving the communities within its reach. ValleyPoint’s short story is to accelerate into its surrounding communities at the speed of real relationships and surprise them with the love of Jesus and the joyous impact of his church.
Eric and his wife Tonia recently celebrated twenty-five years of marriage and have six children – three boys and three girls ranging in age from twenty-three to eight.
Podcast Episode 31: Next Generation Giving Is Coming
Oct 02, 2019
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by Gunnar Johnson. Gunnar has a passion for teaching Biblical Generosity and Financial Stewardship to individuals, churches, non-profits, and businesses. During their conversation, they discuss why next generation giving is a big deal for the church.
Best Quotes
“The biggest challenge the church is facing is the decline
in church attendance and the decline in generosity.”
“There are less people giving today than we saw 15 years
ago.”
“More money is coming into the charitable sector, and yet the church is on a 40-year decline in generosity.”
“Giving in the church is largely driven by the Boomer and Greater generations. God isn’t making any more of that generation.”
“These generations are really interested in doing something
that makes a difference.”
“If we can increase their engagement from first to second
time giving, they will stay long term and the church will grow.”
“When a person leaves a church, they stop giving six weeks
prior to actually leaving and walking out the door. That’s a great ministry
opportunity.”
“If you are afraid to talk about the money and what it does
positively, it’s going to be assumed by this generation that the church is an
inward and self-focused institution.”
“Studies have shown that both Millennials and Gen Z long for and desire mentors in their lives.”
Before founding Generosity and Stewardship Strategies and co-founding Financial Freedom International, Gunnar Johnson was a local church Pastor and business owner. He had the privilege of serving as an Executive Stewardship Pastor at Gateway Church in Southlake Texas for 11 years. Prior to Gateway Church, Gunnar served for 2 years as a Stewardship Minister at The Hills Church in North Richland Hills, Texas. Prior to 13 years of vocational ministry, he owned a Drywall business in Florida, and a Chem-Dry carpet cleaning company in Texas while serving on staff with Howard Dayton and Larry Burkett at Crown Financial Ministry.
Gunnar has a passion for teaching Biblical Generosity and Financial Stewardship to individuals, churches, non-profits, and businesses. He loves watching how they grow through the power of God’s Word.
Podcast Episode 30: What do you do when your economy falls apart?
Sep 25, 2019
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is
joined by Mike Walker, Lead Pastor, and Sean Walker, Executive Pastor, from
Bayou Church in Lafayette, LA. During their conversation, they discuss what to
do when people and giving are down.
Best Quotes
“You want to have a great ministry in the community and it
takes money to fund that. All of a sudden you have no money, that doesn’t
change your need for ministry, it changes your approach to do the ministry.”
“I like living outside of the Bible belt because people are
fresh and hungry for what the Scripture teaches.”
“Once you are sure about what your why is, it helps answer
the other questions.”
“Clear vision leads to increased generosity.”
“We took up an offering in the midst of a difficult time in
our church and our people responded and they gave above and beyond.”
“You don’t have to have a lot of resources to be generous.”
“I try to disciple people to become obedient to the voice of
God.”
“In those crisis moments, we felt compelled to do what God
has called us to do – be the hands and feet.”
“You don’t measure your effectiveness in the kingdom of God by the size of your budget.”
“We’ve done more with a million dollars less this year than
we were doing 5 years ago with a million dollars more.”
“God’s economy surpasses anything else that is going on in the country.”
Mike Walker has faithfully served The Bayou Church over 30 years as Senior Pastor. Through his courageous leadership, the church has grown exponentially. His passion and vision are to see lives transformed in Acadiana and beyond through Christ-centered relationships. When not working, Padre enjoys time with his wife, Paula, children, and grandchildren.
Sean Walker serves as the Executive Pastor at The Bayou Church. He officially joined the staff in 2008 as the Student Pastor and led 6th-12th-grade students until 2015. Sean loves having a front-row seat to see God’s miracles in people’s lives every day. When not preaching, leading staff or spending time with people in the church, you can find this Saints fan watching football, training for marathons, or spending time with his wife, Tory, and their two kids.
Podcast Episode: 29 Learn Where Generous Churches Are Trending
Sep 18, 2019
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is
joined by Patrick Johnson, the director of Generous Church. During their
conversation, they discuss statistical trends from generous churches.
Best Quotes
“We get called in if they want to grow generosity apart from
fundraising.”
“There’s a growing trend among churches who are getting
serious about discipleship and are looking for a way to disciple people in
generosity within an affluent western context.”
“If you are truly trying to grow people to be disciples and
true followers of Jesus this is a topic you can’t leave off the table.”
“We can’t be true followers of Jesus if we don’t get this
right.”
“Only 10 to 20 percent of people live in the good soil of
generosity.”
“In most churches, 80 percent of people say they have a
fully integrated faith or a growing faith, but when we compare that to what
they practice and what Jesus says about generosity there is a huge gap.”
“I see a correlation between a church’s gospel focus and the
generosity health of the congregation.”
“Those motivated by the gospel give significantly higher
percentages of income than the other motivations.”
“We don’t fully grasp how enslavement of surplus has captured those we shepherd.”
Patrick is the founder of GenerousChurch and has a passion to see a revolution of whole-life generosity flourish in churches. Over the last 15 years, he’s partnered with Leadership Network, the Wesleyan Denomination, Converge and other church networks to equip leaders to unleash generous disciples. Leveraging the power of Scripture and story, the products and experiences that he’s created have been used by over 2,000 churches to transform the hearts and minds of Jesus-followers toward generosity as a way of living versus an act of giving.
Currently, Patrick directs the vision of GenerousChurch and lives in Prairie Village, KS with his wife, Jennifer, and their children.
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is
joined by Art Rainer, author of The Money
Challenge, The Marriage Challenge,
and The Secret Slide Money Club
series for kids. During their conversation, they discuss how parents can
encourage generosity in their children.
Best Quotes
“Money is often a significant competitor for our heart.”
“The earlier we can teach children about God’s design for
them and their money, the better they will be able to live out God’s design.”
“When you read God’s Word, you see that giving is to be a
priority.”
“You are going to be able to talk to your child about
giving, saving, and spending your money wisely.”
“I answer listener questions in light of God’s design for us and our finances.”
Art Rainer is the author of the best-selling book The Money Challenge. He is a renowned expert in personal finance, stewardship, and generosity.
Learn more about personal stewardship by visiting Art’s website: www.artrainer.com.
Podcast Episode 27: Big Vision Creates Big Generosity
Sep 04, 2019
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by Will Mancini, founder of Auxano, author, speaker, and thought leader. During their conversation, they discuss how a big vision creates big generosity.
We have some copies of Will Mancini’s book, God Dreams to giveaway all you have to do is leave a review on iTunes and then email in a screenshot to LWgenerosity@lifeway.com for a chance to win!
Best Quotes
“I felt that God was calling me to do something about the
problem of photocopied vision.”
“When we are really paying attention and following Him, we
probably aren’t going to be as apt to cut and paste somebody else’s ministry
model.”
“The whole clarity universe has two big components: clarity
of your identity and clarity of direction.”
“I describe vision as a living language that illustrates and
anticipates God’s better future.”
“The breadth and scope of what Jesus has asked the church to
do is so enormous.”
“Being a forward-looking person is so seminal to being a
believer.”
“Generosity is in some ways the ability to tap into this
bigger real world of everything God is up to.”
“Clarify what world-changing value you bring to your community.”
“There’s no such thing as a church vision that’s not a discipleship vision first.”
Will Mancini is the founder of Auxano, a non-profit church consulting group, and Younique, a training and certification company for personal calling and life planning through the church. As a recognized thought leader, he leads a team of “navigators” who work with over 400 church teams a year to create break-thru clarity and execute their vision.
Will’s previous work experience includes more than 20 years in ministry that grew out of his earlier career as a chemical engineer and ad agency executive. A graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary, Will served as pastor of spiritual formation and leadership development at Clear Creek Community Church and FaithBridge, both in Houston.
Will is the author/co-author of multiple books, including God Dreams: 12 Vision Templates for Finding and Focusing Your Church’s Future, Church Unique: How Missional Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture and Create Movement, Innovating Discipleship: Four Paths to Real Discipleship Results and Building Leaders: Blueprints for Developing Leadership at Every Level of Your Church, among others.
Will lives in Houston with his wife, Romy, and his four children, Jacob, Joel, Abigail and Poema. Learn more about Will and his work at willmancini.com. Connect with him on Twitter at @willmancini and Instagram at will_be_clear.
Podcast Episode 26: Who wants a trillion dollars?
Aug 28, 2019
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by Gunnar Johnson, former stewardship pastor and Executive Vice President at MortarStone. During their conversation, they discuss the 30 trillion-dollar wealth transfer.
Best Quotes
“Those dollars represent the accumulated assets of all the
families over this economic boom that we have had in the United States for all
these years, and it has to go somewhere.”
“With the right training and a little bit of insight,
pastors can do this well in the church.”
“Look up passages in the Bible that give you confidence in
biblical inheritance and how well that can be handled.”
“You can encourage your families to create their own family
foundation if they have the assets.”
“Become biblically aware of the principal of inheritance and
get a vision for your future that’s really, really big.”
“Because this area is vast and there are a lot of different
ways to do it, it is good to get an outside perspective on what makes the most
sense for the objectives the church has.”
“Don’t miss out on your opportunity to receive a portion of this gigantic wealth transfer.”
Before founding Generosity and Stewardship Strategies in 2017 and co-founding Financial Freedom International in 2015, Gunnar Johnson was a local church pastor and business owner. He serves as Executive Vice President of MortarStone. Gunnar has a passion for teaching biblical generosity and financial stewardship to individuals, churches, nonprofits, and businesses. You can learn more about Gunnar’s ministry here: www.learngenerosity.com.
Podcast Episode 25: The Yearly Stewardship Plan of Saddleback
Aug 21, 2019
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by a special co-host, George Thompson, Stewardship Pastor at Faithful Central Bible Church and board member of Christian Stewardship Network. Their guest today is Chris Goulard, Pastor of Strategic Advancement at Saddleback Church. During their conversation, they discuss what a churchwide stewardship plan looks like.
Best Quotes
“The idea that everything I have was given to me by God and
still belongs to Him and I am just managing it, has profound spiritual
implications.”
“In America today, do Christians truly live as though God
owns everything they have?”
“Money will always impact your relationship with God.”
“If the people don’t see the senior leader being generous,
they can’t learn from that.”
“It’s not just understanding how to do something, it’s being
challenged with why you want to do it and what it’s going to do for you.”
“Stewardship ministry is a developing field so there is less
information to tap into. You have to be more proactive to go outside the church
and see what else is out there.”
“Stewardship is difficult ministry and is an area that the
enemy is really going to come against.”
“If the leader is not feeling passionate about stewardship
it is not going to get the oxygen that it needs.”
“The way we manage our resources can have an impact on the Kingdom.”
In 2004, Chris left a successful career in the financial services industry and joined the staff of Saddleback Church as the Pastor of Financial Stewardship. Over the past 17 years, Chris has started and led Saddleback’s ministries focusing on discipling people in biblical financial stewardship, including the Financial Freedom Workshop, Estate Planning, Financial Coaching, Compass, Financial Peace University, and all other financial workshops and curriculum.
Now, Chris is focusing his efforts on discipling those to whom God has given a surplus and have the spiritual gift of giving. He runs the Estate Planning Ministry and Kingdom Builders and loves to talk with people about growing in generosity.
Chris is also passionate about helping other churches start and build healthy stewardship ministries and serves as the Chairman of the Christian Stewardship Network, a network of Stewardship Pastors and leaders who serve in congregations around the world.
Chris and his wife, Jenifer have been married for 28 years and have two sons, 21 and 18. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1989 with a BA in Economics, received his CFP designation in 1992, and completed seminary in 2006.
Podcast Episode 24: Not Your Grandma’s Capital Campaign
Aug 14, 2019
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is joined by Greg Gibbs, Director of Strategic Planning at Kensington Church and Lead Navigator with Auxano. During their conversation, they discuss leading a successful capital campaign.
Best Quotes
“If you have high values around clarity and discipleship,
that means you are really caregiving to your people as you are walking them
through what otherwise could be a scary thing.”
“If a capital campaign is done well, it becomes a spiritual
emphasis time in the church, by which people often mark time.”
“You cannot raise extra dollars easily if you are not
connecting people with how that money will impact the community for Christ.”
“A capital campaign is a catalyst for waking people up to
the vision.”
“The work ahead of the campaign is way more important than
the public phase.”
“If you have any trepidation about a capital campaign, but
you have built up levels of trust in your people, you are so far down the road
already to having a successful campaign.”
“The conditions that are ripe for an effective capital
campaign are when there is trust in leadership, there is clear and compelling
vision, and there is a sense that God is already at work.”
“Don’t microwave the process. Make sure that you soak in this for as long as you need to, to make sure that it is a spiritually encouraging process for your people as well as financially successful.”
Jill DeVries Photography
Greg Gibbs was raised in the Philadelphia area but set down roots in the suburbs of Detroit. As the son of an IBM executive, his instincts for leadership were shaped early. He studied Organizational Communication as an undergrad and holds a master’s degree in Theology. After years of pastoral leadership in the church, Greg turned his attention to consulting and has spent time traveling the country working with church leaders.
After twelve years of pastoral ministry and fifteen years as a consultant, Greg joined the Auxano team in 2016 as a Lead Navigator. He coaches senior leadership with Vision Clarity, Long-Range Planning, and Resourcing through Capital Campaigns and Generosity Development. He is the author of Capital Campaign Playbook: An Insider Look at a Church Consultant’s Game Plan.
Greg is both a practitioner and consultant. He holds an adjunct position as Director of Organizational Advancement for Kensington Church – serving his home church by leading Church Planting and Leadership Development initiatives. Kensington is a multi-site church and has helped fund and coach over 70 church plants around the country.
Greg has been married to Andrea for 29 years and they have four children, one daughter-in-law, two dogs named Walter and Gustavo, and like to roast their own coffee with beans they purchase at the Eastern Market in downtown Detroit.
Podcast Episode 23: Curing Random Teaching and Preaching
Aug 07, 2019
Show notes
In this episode of the Generosity Podcast, Todd McMichen is
joined by Michael Kelley, the Director of the Small Group Team at Lifeway.
During their conversation, they discuss how to turn random messages into a
powerful discipleship ministry.
Best Quotes
“If you want to raise generosity levels, more preaching on
the topic is not the way to go.”
“The general principles of discipleship are not that
complicated, but there are unique cultural attributes to how those principles
are exercised that vary a lot from congregation to congregation.”
“Is there a way I can help someone who learns in a different
way process this truth other than just reading the words on the page?”
“Anytime that you communicate in a spiritual way, you are
walking a tightrope between the truth that needs to be communicated and the
manner in which it is communicated.”
“Money is the key to understanding a person’s heart.”
“Money becomes a revelation of the level of our
discipleship.”
“You can preach expositionally through most books of the
Bible and there is going to come a moment where you talk about money.”
“You don’t just need to preach a sermon about money every
six months, you need to have an understanding of generosity as a cultural
attribute of your congregation.”
“The 3 a.m. statement is a short, easy-to-remember, one-sentence summary of your entire message.”
Michael Kelley lives in Nashville, TN, with his wife, Jana, and three children: Joshua (14), Andi (12), and Christian (9). He serves as the Director of Discipleship and Groups Ministry for Lifeway Christian Resources and is the author of Transformational Discipleship; Wednesdays Were Pretty Normal: A Boy, Cancer, and God; Boring: Finding an Extraordinary God in an Ordinary Life; and Growing Down: Unlearning the Patterns of Adulthood that Keep Us from Jesus.
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