What does your church need to do to connect better with Millennials?
Kara Powell shares insights from research from 250 effective churches on practices that work for any size church in any setting. Plus, she shares how she gets it all done as an academic, mom, church leader, author and speaker.
Welcome to Episode 158 of the podcast.
Guest Links
Kara on Facebook
Kara on Twitter
Ready to define reality for your church with the Growing Young Assessment? Get 30% off any Assessment type (Individual, Team, or Church) with the promo code CAREY until October 19, 2017. Go to fulleryouthinstitute.org/assessment and enter the promo code at checkout.
Links Mentioned
Be a part of the Breaking 200 Without Breaking You launch here
CNLP 101: Turning Around A Dying Church – Lee Kricher On Setting A Church Up For The Next Generation
And the Winner Is!
The podcast turned 3 on September 12th and we had so much fun celebrating with you! Thanks to everyone who sent in comments. Our team loved reading what you had to say.
In addition to giving away free Starbucks every day for a week (congrats to the hundreds of winners!), we’re giving away a Leadership Prize Pack — a bundle of all my books and courses including the brand new Breaking 200 Without Breaking You and a 30 minute phone call with me.
Thanks to everyone who sent in comments. Our team loved hearing your stories!
And the winner? Congratulations to Chuck Carter!
Here’s Chuck’s story:
My name is Chuck Carter and I became the senior pastor at my church two weeks ago after serving four years as youth pastor. I am 29 years old, and married with three kids.
Our church is the classic story of a declining congregation. 35 years ago, we were one of the largest congregations in our area. Now, we have about 100 people in our large facility and we continue to shrink. About a year ago as our leadership board began discussing change, strategy, and vision, the current senior pastor who had been at our church for 25 years, step down saying ” I do not believe I have the temperament or skill set to lead our church through this period of change”
So I am looking for any help I can get to turn our church around. We have an amazing opportunity with our location being directly across the street from one of the largest high schools in our county, but our congregation has turned inward. We need to begin serving and reaching the surrounding community. My goal is to not being another “cool church ” that takes people away from other churches. I hope we become a force for evangelism reaching the lost in our community. But for that to happen, we will seriously need to change the way we do ministry.
I attended the re-think the leadership conference this past summer and the information was so helpful. I know that your resources would also be helpful in leading change in our dwindling congregation.
Really hoping the ministry library and the free consult will help Chuck and his team.
Thank you to everyone who entered! Your stories are so inspiring and the reason we do the podcast.
3 Insights from This Episode
1. There is a huge opportunity for caring adults to speak into the lives of the next generation
It’s no shock to hear that teens and young adults today are experiencing social pressures like never before. They are more stressed and anxious than most generations that have come before them.
The upside to this dis-heartening reality is that these anxieties create an opportunity for caring adults to enter in and show them the love of Jesus. All it takes is finding ways to engage together in meaningful experiences and continued time investing in authentic relationships.
2. Listen to the next generation and watch your church grow young
Churches are well-intentioned and motivated, but often use out-dated efforts to reach the young adults in their communities. The truth is what worked ten or twenty years ago is no longer reliable and church leaders must be open to listening to the needs of the next generation without making excuses or being intimidated by change.
Research shows younger adults are drawn to stripped down worship experiences, investing in friendships and mentorships, networking opportunities, service projects and volunteering within the church. These are areas churches should easily be able to offer the next generation whatever the budget. Tap into the needs of the youth in your communities and watch your church grow in size, energy and passion.
3. You can’t get it all done, but you can focus on what’s most important now
Academic, mom, church leader, author, speaker. Kara Powell has a lot on her plate and she’s the first to admit she can’t get it all done. For her, focusing on what’s most important NOW is key. Here are her go-to strategies for prioritizing well.
- Stay organized.
- Be open to receiving help from others.
- Keep a fixed calendar.
- Make time to reconnect with family.
- Get good at saying no.
- Let go of the inbox.
Quotes from This Episode
CNLP 158: Kara Powell on How to Tell if Your Church is Positioned to Draw Millennials and Her Personal Habits and Rhythms as a Leader and Mom Click To Tweet CNLP 158: Kara Powell on How to Tell if Your Church is Positioned to Draw Millennials and Her Personal Habits and Rhythms as a Leader and Mom Click To Tweet CNLP 158: Kara Powell on How to Tell if Your Church is Positioned to Draw Millennials and Her Personal Habits and Rhythms as a Leader and Mom Click To TweetThe podcast releases every Tuesday morning.
Subscribe for free and never miss out on wisdom from world-class leaders like Brian Houston, Andy Stanley, Louie Giglio, Ravi Zacharias, Craig Groeschel, Sue Miller, Kara Powell, Chuck Swindoll, Greg McKeown, Jon Acuff and many others.
Subscribe via
Plus, I host a second podcast every month called the Canadian Church Leaders Podcast. If you’re Canadian, or just interested in ministry in a post-Christian culture, you can subscribe for free as well at:
Appreciate This? Rate the Podcast.
Hopefully, this episode has helped you lead like never before. That’s my goal. If you appreciated it, could you share the love?
The best way to do that is to rate the podcast on iTunes and leave us a brief review! You can do the same on Stitcher and on TuneIn Radio as well.
Your ratings and reviews help us place the podcast in front of new leaders and listeners. Your feedback also lets me know how I can better serve you.
Thank you for being so awesome.
Next Episode: Ron Edmondson
Leadership is never easy, but too many leaders succumb to myths that simply aren’t true. Ron Edmondson has mentored many leaders and shares a wealth of leadership wisdom that will help all leaders, but especially young leaders.
Subscribe for free now and you won’t miss Episode 159.
