Simplify Church | Helping Everyday Pastors Simplify Life In Ministry
Welcome to Simplify Church, the podcast for everyday pastors who are tired of doing it all alone, and long to lead their church from a place of joy, not overwhelm and burnout. Most churches in America have an average worship attendance of less than 350. This means for most pastors and church planters, you have to wear a lot of different hats. And what works for a large church, might not work for you. It’s crazy to say, but it can be really hard to find community, encouragement and practical ideas for your congregation - especially if you’re not serving at a large church or part of a large network. We’re here to help fill the void that exists for ”everyday” church planters, leaders and pastors. Drawing on decades of experience from serving in various roles and types of churches, our hosts Mike Whittymore and Greg Braswell share actionable tips, honest conversations, and interviews with those in the trenches of doing life and ministry. We discuss mental health for pastors, church growth strategies, and the practical challenges of leading a budget-strapped congregation and leading people to Christ. We dive into topics like: How do you lead from a healthy place? How do you manage it all when you can’t afford to hire another staff member? How do you know when you’re approaching burnout…and what can you do about it? How do you grow a small, struggling church? How do you deal with discouragement? Each week you will find encouragement, wisdom, and practical tools and support to equip and encourage you as you lead your church. More than that, you’ll find a weekly oasis from the burdens of ministry.
Listen on:
Episodes
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
Tuesday Feb 21, 2023
This week, Mike & Greg get practical about how to be effective with ministry planning at your church. Regardless of the size of your congregation or what role you serve in, these 5 steps will radically improve how ministry is planned and executed.
Want to continue the conversation? Email us: podcast@simplifychurch.com
FREE PASTORAL RESOURCES
7 Keys to Building a Solid Financial Foundation for Your Church
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
Tuesday Feb 14, 2023
On this week's episode, Mike and Greg break down the importance of developing life giving relationships that exist outside the scope of our personal ministries. They give 6 very practical and helpful steps that you can take right now to see these relationships develop.
FREE MINI COURSE
Bookkeeping Basics for Busy Pastors: What Every Pastor Needs to Know About Church Money Management
FREE PASTORAL RESOURCES
7 Keys to Building a Solid Financial Foundation for Your Church
SIMPLIFY CHURCH INSIGHTS
Get church financial advice, leadership tips, and organizational best practices delivered to your inbox to help you simplify and grow your church. Subscribe Now.
A BETTER WAY TO BUDGET
Church Budget Blueprint: The #1 Church Budgeting Course for Small & Growing Churches
WE MAKE MANAGING CHURCH FINANCES SIMPLE
Grab a Free Consult: SimplifyChurch.com
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
Tuesday Jan 31, 2023
On this weeks show, Mike & Greg talk thru the importance of learning how to create a new metric for what success in ministry looks like. They explore the importance of becoming Gospel fueled.
With practical solutions and clear next steps, this episode is sure to be challenging and encouraging no matter what your role in the church is.
Books discussed in the show:
1: LEAD - Paul David Tripp : https://www.amazon.com/Lead-Gospel-Principles-Leadership-Church/dp/1433567636
2. Gospel Fluency - Jeff Vanderstlet : https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Fluency-Speaking-Truths-Everyday/dp/1433546035
WE MAKE MANAGING CHURCH FINANCES SIMPLE
Grab a Free Consult: SimplifyChurch.com
Tuesday Jan 24, 2023
Tuesday Jan 24, 2023
This week Greg, Mike & Special Guest Josh Henry talk about the unique type of exhaustion that Pastors and Church Leaders deal with.
According to a study in 2022, 42-46% of Pastors are feeling burned out and overwhelmed. It's a special kind of tired that we understand.
In this episode we offer rest for tired souls. Listen and share!
Show Notes:
1: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/28/opinion/pastor-burnout-pandemic.html
2: https://frankpowell.me/consequences-hurried-busy-life
3: https://www.amazon.com/Ruthless-Elimination-Hurry-emotionally-spiritually/dp/1529308380
FREE MINI COURSE
Bookkeeping Basics for Busy Pastors: What Every Pastor Needs to Know About Church Money Management
FREE PASTORAL RESOURCES
7 Keys to Building a Solid Financial Foundation for Your Church
SIMPLIFY CHURCH INSIGHTS
Get church financial advice, leadership tips, and organizational best practices delivered to your inbox to help you simplify and grow your church. Subscribe Now.
A BETTER WAY TO BUDGET
Church Budget Blueprint: The #1 Church Budgeting Course for Small & Growing Churches
WE MAKE MANAGING CHURCH FINANCES SIMPLE
Grab a Free Consult: SimplifyChurch.com
Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
Tuesday Jan 17, 2023
In this weeks episode, Greg and Mike tackle the very nature of biblical hospitality and why churches need to rethink their approach to it.
They give practical and insightful tips as well as challenges on how to shift to a more authentic & gospel centered approach to hospitality.
Links: https://www.amazon.com/Gospel-Comes-House-Key-Post-Christian/dp/143355786X (one of the books in our giveaway)
FREE MINI COURSE
Bookkeeping Basics for Busy Pastors: What Every Pastor Needs to Know About Church Money Management
FREE PASTORAL RESOURCES
7 Keys to Building a Solid Financial Foundation for Your Church
SIMPLIFY CHURCH INSIGHTS
Get church financial advice, leadership tips, and organizational best practices delivered to your inbox to help you simplify and grow your church. Subscribe Now.
A BETTER WAY TO BUDGET
Church Budget Blueprint: The #1 Church Budgeting Course for Small & Growing Churches
WE MAKE MANAGING CHURCH FINANCES SIMPLE
Grab a Free Consult: SimplifyChurch.com
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
Tuesday Jan 10, 2023
On this weeks episode, Mike & Greg talk about the present challenges of pastoring in this modern era and the pressure that comes with needing to be relevant. They break down the impact of the last 50 years of ever changing church culture and the ripples we are seeing today. - Truly a conversation you don't want to miss.
Want to catch up on previous episodes: https://simplifychurch.com/podcast/
Continue the conversation: https://www.facebook.com/simplifychurch
Additional Resources:
FREE MINI COURSE
Bookkeeping Basics for Busy Pastors: What Every Pastor Needs to Know About Church Money Management
FREE PASTORAL RESOURCES
7 Keys to Building a Solid Financial Foundation for Your Church
SIMPLIFY CHURCH INSIGHTS
Get church financial advice, leadership tips, and organizational best practices delivered to your inbox to help you simplify and grow your church. Subscribe Now.
A BETTER WAY TO BUDGET
Church Budget Blueprint: The #1 Church Budgeting Course for Small & Growing Churches
WE MAKE MANAGING CHURCH FINANCES SIMPLE
Grab a Free Consult: SimplifyChurch.com
Tuesday Jan 03, 2023
Tuesday Jan 03, 2023
This week Greg & Mike get real about the struggles and hangups that come with maintaining a consistent daily devotional time. They talk about the challenges of over packed schedules, the pressure of weekly lesson or sermon prep, and unrealistic expectations that make it hard to feel effective.
They also get into the weeds of how to break through all of these challenges and develop a healthy, vibrant devotional time.
Show Notes:
F260 Reading Plan: https://replicate.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/F260-Reading-Plan-2018.pdf
Books:
-Be Thou My Vision by Jonathan Gibson
-The Valley of Vision (Puritan Prayer)
-In The Secret Place by Jerry Rankin
-New Morning Mercies by Paul David Tripp
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
Tuesday Dec 20, 2022
This week, Mike & Greg welcome Special Guest Josh Henry as they share their hot takes on the best Christmas movies and worst Christmas songs. They share some hilarious stories about Christmases long ago and some epic yuletide fails you won't want to miss!
LINKS:
FREE MINI COURSE
Bookkeeping Basics for Busy Pastors: What Every Pastor Needs to Know About Church Money Management
FREE PASTORAL RESOURCES
7 Keys to Building a Solid Financial Foundation for Your Church
SIMPLIFY CHURCH INSIGHTS
Get church financial advice, leadership tips, and organizational best practices delivered to your inbox to help you simplify and grow your church. Subscribe Now.
A BETTER WAY TO BUILD YOUR CHURCH BUDGET
Church Budget Blueprint: The #1 Church Budgeting Course for Small & Growing Churches
READY TO OUTSOURCE YOUR OVERWHELM?
Grab a Free Consult: SimplifyChurch.com
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
Tuesday Dec 13, 2022
Be honest...which camp do you find yourself in? Do you secretly loathe December? Or do you love soaking up all the moments of joy and beauty this month?This time of year, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all the events...and lose sight of the big picture. Before you know it, the year is over.
One of the things that often gets lost in the shuffle is time for reflection.
On this week's episode, Mike & Greg discuss how important it is to have the right tools so that you can end your year in ministry well. They walk through a very helpful checklist designed for healthy and meaningful reflection and evaluation.
As John C Maxwell puts it, " Experience is not the best teacher. Evaluated experience is."
Download the Year End Checklist: https://simplifychurch.com/podcast/what-does-it-mean-to-finish-the-year-strong/
FREE MINI COURSE
Bookkeeping Basics for Busy Pastors: What Every Pastor Needs to Know About Church Money Management
FREE PASTORAL RESOURCES
7 Keys to Building a Solid Financial Foundation for Your Church
SIMPLIFY CHURCH INSIGHTS
Get church financial advice, leadership tips, and organizational best practices delivered to your inbox to help you simplify and grow your church. Subscribe Now.
A BETTER WAY TO BUILD YOUR CHURCH BUDGET
Church Budget Blueprint: The #1 Church Budgeting Course for Small & Growing Churches
Ready to Outsource Your Financial Overwhelm?
Grab a Free Consult: SimplifyChurch.com
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
Tuesday Dec 06, 2022
Is Christmas a busy time of year for you? Do you ever find yourself wondering how in the world you are supposed to cram everything onto your schedule? Do you sometimes find this month to be more draining than it is life-giving?
This week Mike and Greg sit down with Pastor Jeff Smith, a bi-vocational pastor in the greater Cincinnati area. Pastor Jeff gives us incredible insight and tips on how to navigate the busyness of the Christmas season. If you are struggling to navigate life and ministry in this season, you will not want to miss this episode.
FREE MINI COURSE
Bookkeeping Basics for Busy Pastors: What Every Pastor Needs to Know About Church Money Management
FREE PASTORAL RESOURCES
7 Keys to Building a Solid Financial Foundation for Your Church
SIMPLIFY CHURCH INSIGHTS
Get church financial advice, leadership tips, and organizational best practices delivered to your inbox to help you simplify and grow your church. Subscribe Now.
A BETTER WAY TO BUILD YOUR CHURCH BUDGET
Church Budget Blueprint: The #1 Church Budgeting Course for Small & Growing Churches
READY TO OUTSOURCE YOUR OVERWHELM?
Grab a Free Consult: SimplifyChurch.com