Unconventional Ministry

An Interactive App That Will Revolutionize Your Family Devotions with Ben Meyers S4 EP#96

In this episode, you will learn about a unique and interactive app that will revolutionize your family's devotions while disciplining the family. My guest is Ben Myers, founder of the ActorsBible app.

One hundred years ago, it was the norm for dads to wake up early to meet with God and have something called "family worship." This was time spent together praying and singing a worship song to God, followed by the reading of a portion from the Bible and a brief discussion about the text. Sadly, this does not happen in most homes today.

The role fathers play in the spiritual formation of their children is at the core of this exciting new tool to help fathers play their part in family discipleship.

3 Important Realities in Global Christian Media with Dr. Craig D. Forrest S3 EP#95

In the episode, hear from Dr. Craig Forrest, an award-winning filmmaker who has traveled to 151 countries and six continents. He shares his perspective on Christian media from around the world.

He discusses:

• Why Christian media opportunities are incredible
• Why more and more ministries are turning to media
• How streaming is changing everything
• How the lack of vision and funding is limiting impact

Passionate about inspiring a young generation to harness the power of media production to further the Gospel, Craig has become a frequent speaker at TV and media conferences throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America; and most recently, he has served as an adjunct professor of media production at Pepperdine University, Regent University, and Concordia University.

https://www.craigforrest.com/ 

https://www.matchstickmedia.org/

Our Family Christmas Traditions from Living Internationally with Dennis Wiens Family S3 EP#94

In this episode, my wife Cindy and our daughters Brooke and Brynden join me to reminisce about some of our family Christmas traditions. Most families have Christmas traditions, but for us, many of our traditions come from living internationally, working with the Church in Africa, and raising our daughters there.

What is a unique Christmas tradition your family has? Please share in the comments.  Merry Christmas!

Listener-Centric Innovation in Christian Radio with David McIver S3 EP#93

In this episode, hear from Praise Live CEO Dave McIver on the innovative Christian radio program format of Praise Live, his impressions after attending the SAT-7 Network Meeting in Beirut, Lebanon, and Praise Live’s significant expansion into Africa.

In 1995, God spoke to Dave in a dream about creating a radio station format to focus on preparing listeners' hearts through praise and worship, resulting in prayer for the nations. Praise Live is about reaching people with worship music, scripture, and stories of hope. Now, Praise Live is seeing the vision being fulfilled as people all over the world are participating in worship through the station.

Echoing God’s Glory: Where Faith and Fun Collide with Brynden Wiens S3 EP#92

In this episode, learn about a fresh ministry idea from Brynden Wiens, the Echo Ranch Bible Camp administrator in Juneau, Alaska. This premier summer camp of southeast Alaska has been striving to echo God’s glory for everyone who comes around Echo Cove, whether for an afternoon or for a whole summer. It’s here that hundreds of kids every year discover and connect with the God who loves them, have the best weeks of their summers, and make lifelong friends.

Imagine getting to camp by either a plane or a boat from various remote towns of SE Alaska. Listen and learn how hay and scholarships play a vital role at Echo Ranch.

Helping Organizations Grow Through Innovation with Dave Raley S3 EP#91

In this episode of Unconventional Ministry, learn from Dave Raley’s decades of work experience with over 100 ministries, churches, and organizations as he helps them connect the dots. One common thread is helping organizations grow through innovation.

What is innovation? Understanding trends means understanding people’s behaviors and how they react. Could it be not so much technology but personal gifting?

Dave Raley is Founder and President of Imago Consulting and host of the Purpose & Profit podcast.

Every Friday, Dave sends out “The Wave Report,” highlighting one trend or insight “wave,” from donor and consumer trends to innovation in different industries, or new models for growth.

 

A Biblical Social Justice for the Orphan and Vulnerable Child with Herbie Newell S3 EP#90

There are over 2 million families waiting to adopt in the U.S. alone. In this episode, learn about the paradigm shift that has happened with adoption. My guest is Herbie Newell, Executive Director of Lifeline Children’s Services, the largest Christian adoption agency in America that believes that adoption is essential for building the future of families in America.

Although no more than 2% of Americans have actually adopted, more than 1/3 have considered adoption. Learn how the Church plays an important role in providing biblical social justice for orphans and vulnerable children, serving as a vital source of community for the adoptive families in preparing for adoption, as well as providing foster care.

Using Technology to Grow Disciples During the Great Reshuffle with Isaac Johnson S3 EP#89

In this episode of the Unconventional Ministry podcast, we visit with Isaac Johnson in Singapore. He has experience as a pastor, on staff of a mega-growing church, as well as involvement in missions and helping churches and missions solve their IT issues. This experience positions Isaac to shed light on what is happening within the Church and the great reshuffle taking place.

Learn why engagement is a much better measurement for your church than counting attendance. People are 5x more likely to get involved with your church if there is a clear path to engagement. Learn what “phygital” is all about and why it is important to you and your church.

Isaac Johnson has free resources at www.geekout.biz  for using technology to grow disciples.

How Story-centric Discipleship Could Change Your Church with Tara Rye S3 EP#88

In this episode, my guest Tara Rye (https://www.cultivatinghearts.org/) shares about her "story-centric discipleship" approach. She discusses the importance of communicating the message of Christ to people in ways that make sense to them – instead of in ways that make sense to us. 

According to Lausanne, the world is made up of 80% of oral learners or oral-preference learners. The majority of the people groups around the world comprise oral learners of people who can’t, don’t, or won’t read due to cultural tradition, illiteracy, or physical limitations. 

This represents one-third of the world who cannot read the language they speak. Another third of the world chooses to learn through non-written methods. 

Tara has discovered that if she can help build story recall, it builds story confidence that causes people to share the Word of God. Tara ask questions about the people group to determine their preferred access to learning and then uses that as a tool to help them recall stories of the Bible. Once they have established a simple method for story recall, Tara trains them on how to dig deep into the Word of God by asking questions that cause the people to discover the truth for themselves. https://audioscripture.org/ 

Could the story-centric discipleship approach work in your church? Please add your comments and let us know your thoughts.

Why American Christianity Is in the Midst of a Precipitous Fall withPastor Austin Wofford S3 EP#87

In this episode, Pastor Austin Wofford shares why he believes that American Christianity is in the midst of a precipitous fall. Millennials and Gen Z are feeling the ache of loneliness and long to belong. They are also exiting the American church at such a dramatic clip that the fundamental spiritual fabric of our country will be eroded over the next thirty years.

From the recent Pinetops Foundation research on the great opportunity, they show that if the trend continues, more than 1 million youth in the American Church today will choose to leave each year for the next three decades! Between 20 to 40,000,000 youth, raised in families that call themselves Christians, are projected to no longer claim Christ by the year 2050.

For so long, the Church has thought the way to reach the next generation is through making church “cool” again – leaning into perfectly curated livestream experiences, engaging social media posts, and the latest trends – but really, the only way the Church is going to garner this generation’s trust and attention before it’s lost to what the world has to offer is through giving these individuals what the larger world can’t: genuine community.

Austin Wofford explains a new way to do church in his new book Forged: Communities of Renewal for the 21st Century. It is available for purchase here.