Leading Your Church: Recent Episodes
Rich Cochran
Leading Your Church is a podcast to help pastors and ministry leaders to overcome plateau and decline in their churches. We are your guide for leadership principles and practices to help your church become healthy and bear new spiritual fruit in your church. We also help pastors and ministry leaders renew their heart for God and leading ministry.
In this episode Rich continues the teaching series on Breaking Up with Insanity. Part 2 leads us to explore that changes we need to consider to become the leader we want to be, the leader we are called to be, and the leader your church needs you to be.
Rich talks about the need to explore changes spiritually, emotionally, physically, and in leadership capacity.
Welcome to Episode 018 of "Leading Your Church with Rich Cochran." In this episode, Rich kicks off a miniseries titled "Breaking Up with Insanity: Start Strong in 2024." We've all heard the saying, "The definition of insanity is doing the same things the same way over and over and over expecting different results." And guess what? It's time to break that cycle, especially when it comes to our leadership and our churches.
Join Rich as he shares practical steps and encouraging perspectives needed to lead differently in the upcoming year. Discover actionable ideas to shake up the routine, foster innovation, and cultivate a vibrant community within your church. Whether you're a seasoned leader or just starting out, Rich Cochran provides clear guidance on how to navigate change, inspire your team, and make 2024 a year of true transformation.
Don't miss part one of this compelling miniseries that promises to set the stage for a powerful year ahead. Tune in, take notes, and let's break up with insanity together on "Leading Your Church with Rich Cochran."
Leading Your Church PodcastEpisode 017: Defining Reality
- Introduction:
- Welcome to Leading Your Church! In this episode, Rich Cochran joins us to explore the critical aspects of "Defining Reality" within your church. Get ready to delve into historical stats, community demographics, SWOT Analysis, the art of asking impactful questions, and the challenges of neglecting to define reality in your church.
- Church Historical Stats & Community Demographics:
- Rich Cochran stresses the significance of understanding historical church statistics and the demographics of the community. Key insights include:
- Analyzing past trends and growth to inform future strategies.
- Aligning ministry efforts with the needs and diversity of the local community.
- Rich Cochran stresses the significance of understanding historical church statistics and the demographics of the community. Key insights include:
- SWOT Analysis for Churches:
- Exploring the application of SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Analysis in the church context. Rich Cochran highlights:
- Identifying internal strengths and weaknesses to leverage or address.
- Seizing external opportunities and mitigating potential threats within the church environment.
- Exploring the application of SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Analysis in the church context. Rich Cochran highlights:
- Art of Asking Good Questions:
- Rich Cochran shares the art of posing impactful questions to grasp and shape church reality. Strategies covered:
- Crafting probing questions to unearth insights from congregants and leaders.
- Using questioning as a tool for reflection and refining the church's vision.
- Rich Cochran shares the art of posing impactful questions to grasp and shape church reality. Strategies covered:
- Challenges of Neglecting Reality Definition:
- Rich presents compelling challenges arising from neglecting to define reality in a church setting, emphasizing:
- Missed opportunities for growth and adaptation.
- Potential disconnection between the church's vision and the community's needs.
- Rich presents compelling challenges arising from neglecting to define reality in a church setting, emphasizing:
- Conclusion:
- Summarizing the episode's key learnings, urging leaders to utilize historical data, demographics, analysis tools, and effective questioning to shape a robust church reality aligned with the vision.
In this episode of the Leading Your Church Podcast with Rich Cochran, titled "Gain Momentum by Launching the Fall Season of Ministry," Rich shares practical steps for church leaders to kickstart their fall ministry season.
Rich emphasizes the importance of clear planning, setting goals, and efficient resource allocation. Effective communication within the church community is key, and Rich offers insights into fostering strong relationships and community spirit.
At the end of the episode Rich offers 10 dangers for ignoring this season of your church year. Leading change in your church means you will maximize this prime season in your church.
In this episode we look at 4 things to help you invest your time each week. This is a very practical episode to help you think through your priorities, rhythms, how many hours you spend each week, and two tools to help you make better decisions.
Rich is a recovering workaholic and has been on the edge of burnout. He learned some things to help create a better work week. Listen in and learn from his experience and then figure out what works best for you and your family.
In this episode we continue to review John Maxwell's book, The Leader's Greatest Return. In chapter 2 we look at Attracting Leaders. John talks about creating a Leadership Table. This is a small group environment where leadership of the organization or significant project takes place. It is here that you invite new people to take on new or greater levels of leadership.
Unfortunately, in most churches we aren't thinking about this kind of environment far enough in advance. We only recruit leaders on an as needed basis. This chapter will encourage us to get creative and begin now.
If you are going to lead change. If you are going to grow you will need more and better equipped leaders. Great leaders equip others for ministry. Start now!
In this episode we review chapter one of The Leader's Greatest Return. We explore six questions related to identifying leaders. Take a few minutes and allow your mind to think about how you can identify leaders for your church, ministry, or non-profit.
As pastors and church leaders we have to prioritize prayer-- both personal and pastoral prayer for the people in our church. In this episode Rich shares practical ways you can create a system and habit for weekly praying for the people in your church.
Mondays with Maxwell, Introduction
The Leader’s Greatest Return: Attracting, Developing, and Multiplying Leaders
In the first episode we review the introduction and explore the value of developing the leaders around you.
Join me every Monday as we explore a chapter from one of John Maxwell’s books. Let’s get a little better each week!
In this second episode about hurtful words from church attenders we are encouraged to press on even when words sting your heart.
Most pastors know first hand how even simple comments, much less the big direct mean conversations, can effect your heart for service. In this episode Rich will encourage you not be derailed. You are not alone.
Event the great leader Moses had to overcome words that were mean and untimely. Let us as pastors and ministry leaders press on in spite of words that hurt.
Leading change in our churches is hard. It is incredibly tempting to keep adding and adding ideas in hopes that you will see a glimpse of change. What we need is not more programming, but focus.
These seven ministry essentials can guide you to lead your church to address strategic areas and focus your ministries toward growth and health.
- Pastors and ministry leaders consistently develop leadership skills
- Reimagine God's work in your community
- Create intentional church wide communication
- Execute a group discipleship strategy
- Reengage Sr. Adults to Gospel work
- Full focus on reaching and discipling the next generation
- On going evangelism training
Revitalizing your church we will have you reimagine God's work in your community before you being realigning your church. Along with renewing the leader as we talked about in episode 6, these are two areas that church leaders will have to revitalize in order to see lasting change.
In this episode we will explore the ideas around your community and begin the conversation about realigning your church. Most leaders jump straight to making changes in your church. Overcoming plateau and decline in your church will require you to think, pray, and plan through all three of these areas.
It doesn't take long leading in a church before you will experience hurtful words. Even well meaning people can say words and phrases that really hurt. Especially if you are lead your church to overcome plateau and decline, the words can hit close too home.
In this episode we will talk about how to overcome and get through the hurt and pain of words of criticism and attack.
The first area of revitalization is renewing leadership. Renewing your own leadership and the leadership within your church. The hardest person to lead is yourself.
In this episode Rich discusses why renewing your leadership is hard, why it is important, and how to make progress and grow as a leader.
This is a short bonus episode where Rich opens up about the churches we most want to help. While we hope to help churches of any size, we have a burden to help churches 75 to 400 or 500.
Church size doesn't make a church better or worse it just makes them different. We believe our neighborhoods need medium size churches to be healthy and overcome decline. Rich explains why in this episode.
In this episode you will be encouraged to value your relationship with God more than your work for Him. Our calling and ministries are important. The work God is doing through you is important.
However, if we neglect the work God is doing in us it will have an effect on the work He does through us. Renew your heart daily before God trust Him with the details of your ministry.
Revitalization means CHANGE.
Simply put church revitalization is leading change within your church to produce spiritual fruit.
Statistics says most churches in America are plateaued or declining. These churches could be described as complacent, unhealthy, or dead. Whatever word you choose we know that healthy things grow. A church, made up of followers of Jesus is called to bear spiritual fruit.
We believe your church can overcome the challenges and bear spiritual fruit again!
We have all had days in ministry that brought pain, frustration, and hurt. As ministry leaders we need to tend to our hearts so that we can fulfill the calling God has put in your heart. Psalm 39 helps us remember our days are numbered but our hope is in the Lord.
We must consistently read God's Word, pray, meditate on a verse, and rest in silence. Learning to "abide" is where we keep our heart for the Lord and ready for His service.
Welcome to the pilot episode of Leading Your Church. Get to know a little about Rich and his story so you can trust him as a leadership guide for you and your church. In this episode Rich talks about how church health / grow is spiritual, but it is also systematic. Rich explains this foundational concept so that in the upcoming episodes know that it is God who builds the church, but He chooses to use leaders to move the church forward.