Guest Sarah Heath--episode 34

Sarah Heath, senior pastor at First United Methodist Church in Costa Mesa, CA, joins Chris Abel on this week’s podcast. Sarah tells the story of the restart of a hundred year-old church where all six generations are now represented in one location. A church with a lot of history has weathered a lot of difficult times, and creating change must happen in the context of the experiences that members have carried for a long time. How does one create a new environment amidst individuals who have been bruised and burned over the years?

Church life, innovation, leadershipChris FolmsbeeOctober 4, 2017Comment

21st Century masculinity--episode 29

n the past it appeared that churches were filled with a disproportionately large percentage of women. But today it appears that millennial men are more likely to show up at church than were their predecessors. Research suggests that millennial males express their masculinity differently than previous generations, and how they view church attendance is part of this changing view. So what does a 21st Century masculinity look like, and what does the local church need to do to appeal to this changing demographic?

Church lifeBurlapAugust 1, 2017Comment

The idols of Christian leadership, episode 25

In our continuing passion for understanding the do's and don'ts of leadership to millennials and gen Z so that we can do a better job engaging them, Chris and Chris look at four areas--creativity, short-term success, comfort, and command--that can easily displace God as the object of our ministries.

leadership, Church lifeBurlapMay 9, 2017Comment

How the church is like chocolate--video, episode 24

In today’s episode, Chris Folmsbee chats with millennial marketing expert Brad Hanna about how church is like the chocolate industry. You heard that right…chocolate. Brad also gives some excellent ideas of how the church can begin to interact with the millennial generation in ways besides the traditional Sunday morning service (ever heard of “The Sweaty Section”?). You know what…you should probably just listen to it. It’ll make more sense.

Church life, innovation, discipleshipBurlapMay 4, 2017Comment

How old is too old? episode 23

It seems that many churches have trouble finding people of millennial age to lead their gen Y ministries. How important is this for the success of this ministry? Chris and Chris also discuss whether it is the Gospel that people are tired of hearing about, or is it something else?

Church life, leadership, discipleshipBurlapApril 25, 2017Comment

What's working today? episode 22

In this episode, Chris Folmsbee talks with Chris Abel about what encourages and discourages him in his work with millennials, the importance of novelty and collaboration in ministry, and the need to choose one's words carefully. We also explore what appears to be a counter-intuitive trend of progressive young people gravitating towards conservative and neo-fundamentalist churches.

Church life, innovationChris FolmsbeeApril 18, 2017Comment

Generational Differences, episode 21

Generational stereotypes are not doing us any favors. Older generations often look down on those in the millennial generation and generation Z, and younger generations don't have the appropriate respect for the older generations. The resulting cycle of not giving respect because one doesn't get respect only increases the tension between the generations. This is one of the big issues facing churches today.

Church lifeBurlapApril 10, 2017Comment