On today's episode, we interview Great Commission Association Dr. Michael Stewart, the second longest serving director of missions in the entire United States, and we talk to him about church planting on the West Coast...should Christians invest more money into planting churches in California, given the crazy costs of housing? We also discuss taking care of pastors, spiritual formation among church leaders, and why a church would want to join an association.

We discuss artificial intelligence and the church, and one of the best tools that pastors and leaders can use without cheating or letting the machines take over.

We also review the fiery fizzy soda that never plays it safe, AKA "The Baptist Beer!"

From the show:

This here is Old Jamaica ginger beer. And it says that it's made with authentic root ginger.
Nice. Right?
Authentic root ginger. It also says this isn't just a drink, This is a lifestyle.
Okay. Wow.
Now, I don't know what that means, but it says it's spices, it's boldness, it's fiery fizz, it's taste that doesn't play it safe. And it's asking, do you play safe?
Not always.
Not always, right? Yeah. Apparently, we're going to be taking quite a chance drinking this. Now, this is made in the UK.
Okay.Despite its Jamaica name.
I'm surprised to hear that, honestly.
Yeah, it's manufactured in the UK, but it's closely made with the authentic thing, real root ginger.

Big Churches are Growing, Small Churches are Shrinking. Is this good? Literally rich churches are, on average, getting richer, and poor churches are, on average, getting poorer, budget-wise.

Trends in the church, diagnostics, growth. The Walmartization of the Church. Rich getting richer, poor getting poorer - big churches are growing, and smaller churches are, by and large, plateaued and shrinking.

The trend in the U.S. of senior citizens going to church less, and how the church should mobilize its seniors to ministry and not just forget about them, or bench them. Why older people coming to church less is dangerous to the overall health of the church, how to run older people off, and why it is a terrible idea to do so. "The Church is not the NFL - these church members who are older still have a ton of value to contribute to the church." The story of Ms. Eulyne Fulton - the Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle of Valley Baptist Church. A perennial all-star and MVP, even in her 80s. "If you lead the church like you can live without seniors, you will." - Chase

The encouraging revitalization story of a church - First Baptist of Nipoma - that was down to six senior adult ladies, and a few years later is now thriving with a large youth group and tons of baptisms. HOW did it happen??

"Here's some good news: We believe in a God who brought His Son out of the grave. The hope of church renewal is not found in the perfection of human methods or our own strengths or our own wisdom, but the same God who's resurrection power is at work within the lives of the people who are inside our churches. That resurrection power that took us from spiritual death to spiritual life is at work in our churches to this day, and I believe that God wants to see our church to come to not only a place of surviving but thriving, and growth and missional engagement so that we can see the world and the communities around us transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ through that power. That is our hope here on the Every Church Flourishing podcast." - Chris Cole.

Dandelion and Burdock Soda. Ben Shaws Dandelion & Burdock is a classic, traditional British carbonated soft drink made from infusions of dandelion and burdock roots, offering a unique, slightly sweet, earthy, and licorice-like flavor.

Why did Ben Shaw make a tea out of two different flowering weeds? Dandelion tea doesn't taste nearly as good as Milo's sweet tea…how will Ben Shaw's Dandelion and Burdock Soda taste? (Surprisingly good, it turns out!) "It definitely has that sort of herbally flavor, but I feel like I'm drinking purple." "The sucralose and the saccharine are doing some heavy-lifting here." "I'm going to assume our upcoming review of Bacon soda - which we have - will not be suitable for our vegan and vegetarian friends." "I'm going to ask my friend Dr. Google, "Can Vegans drink Coke Zero?" (The astonishing answer awaits you in this episode!) "It doesn't have the bite I look for. I want a little bit of burn…it wakes you up, shakes you up…but this goes down smooth."

Church growth statistics analysis and discussion. Small church vs. Big church - enemies or potential partners?

How to keep your church seniors engaged, thriving, and coming to church.

Turnaround church - How FBC Nipomo went from a church of six senior ladies over 55 to a thriving church of 70 or so on a Sunday morning, and baptized 18 souls last year.

Resource for church revitalization: Diary of David Brainerd. "Ministry has tons of wins and tons of losses"

This week's episode features discussion of diagnostic ways of measuring a church's health. How can you take the pulse and vitals of your church? What are the signs of health and warning signs? How can you know whether or not your church is healthy?

Chase and Chris became senior pastors in their 20s and were clueless.

Lester's Fixins Peanut butter soda - 2 Spurgeons from Chris, 2.5 Spurgeons from Chase. + Is Tab the WORST Soda ever??

Chris Cole, "Jesus' first miracle was at a party, and after His resurrection, when He shows up with His disciples, He even makes them breakfast, and throughout His ministry you see Him eating with the Pharisees and the tax collectors, so try and get people to come over to your house and [feed them] and use that time to do some listening."

Jordan Raynor - Redeeming Your Time. https://www.amazon.com/Redeeming-Your-Time-Principles-Purposeful/dp/0593193075

In this episode of the Every Church Flourishing Podcast by the Great Commission Association of California, hosts Pastor Christopher Cole and Dr. Chase Thompson interview the senior directors of the GCA, including Dr. Michael Stewart, Ms. Lannette Lozano and Dr. Se J. Won about topics ranging from prayer to mission fields, to prayer and great pastoral resources. Chase and Chris also taste test Lester's Fixins Ranch Dressing Soda and barely survive the experience.

In terms of what makes a church healthy and flourishing, there's no good answer to that question that doesn't begin with what Jesus said in John 15 about abiding in Him. - Chris Cole.

Open: What is working to bring church health and flourishing on the West Coast right now. Discussion includes Loving your culture without compromise, having a strong welcoming team and strategy, abiding in Jesus, being authentic and not hypocritical/actors.

"I've been to churches where there is an inauthentic, almost Stepford Wives too bright, too shiny kind of vibe where people greet you like you're their long-lost brother that they haven't seen in years…I would much prefer, rather than bright hot, gleaming and polished smiles, I would much prefer something more genuine, warm real and authentic. The way to make that happen is not a program, but to preach the Gospels, preach the epistles, and cultivate a people who value biblical humility, biblical serving, biblical gentleness and biblical warmth.There's no program or strategy that replaces the kind of outflow of the Fruit of the Spirit that should come from an authentic church with real greeters - that is massively important to reach your community. It may not grow you into a megachurch, but it will grow you into a place where people will come and feel welcomed and feel real warmth."

"People don't want to be sold on Jesus. That's not the same as saying we don't want to invite them to a real-world encounter with the Good News of Jesus Christ and the hope that we have…When we center the gospel into the middle of authentic relationships, it should overflow into how we greet guests, do outreaches, and how we teach people to grow up into disciples of Jesus." Chris Cole

Resources mentioned: Thom Rainer's Becoming a Welcoming Church.

Daniel Henderson's Old Paths, New Power: Awakening Your Church through Prayer and the Ministry of the Word.

"There is a great need for spiritual renewal and awakening…for us to see something that can't be explained by numbers or logic, for us to see God move in such a way that we can only say that was God. If I'm not right with God, then what we do, doesn't really matter." Dr. Se J. Won.

Waking the Dead - John Eldredge (Dr. Stewart)

"Who we are matters more than what we do. We must have a good sense of our relationship with Christ, and who we are in ourselves and how we interact with other people." Chris Cole.

Steve Cuss - Managing Leadership Anxiety, Yours and Theirs

Peter Scazzero: The Emotionally Healthy Leader: How Transforming Your Inner Life Will Deeply Transform Your Church, Team, and the World.

Dr. Se J. Won, "Many people go through unknown pains…unknown trials and challenges that they can't talk about or say outloud. Pain is not a curse."

Paul Brand: The Gift of Pain.

YouVersion Bible App on Android or iTunes.

Chris Cole, "As an ex-missionary, I have put a lot of weird things into my mouth, and this Lester's Ranch Dressing Soda might be moving close to my top ten of weird things to put in my mouth."

"As a Baptist pastor, you would not know what a Pina Colada tastes like!" Spontaneous baptisms, priming the pump, and baptism actors.

How one church baptized a record number for them. The UNsecret to baptizing more people. Hint: There's not a strategy, trick, or hack.

On this inaugural episode, hosts Dr. Chase Thompson and GCA Assistant Director Pastor Chris Cole discuss the importance of ministry TOGETHER, and interview the directors of the Great Commission Association of churches located in North/Central California.

Rational Ministry Topics covered:

Interview with the senior directors of the Great Commission Association, including Dr. Mike Stewart, Dr. Se J. Won, Pastor Christopher Cole and School Superintendent Ms. Lanette Lazano.

A move of God at a local church in Salinas, California that took the pastor by surprise.

Free ProPresenter program called FreeShow: https://freeshow.app/features Review of FreeShow, a free alternative app to ProPresenter

Living in Indonesia and visiting Singapore for medical care as a missionary.

Great prayer resources

Crazy, Beyond The Pale. Topics covered:

Chupa Chups Bubble Gum Soda Tasted and Reviewed on a scale of 1 Spurgeon (gross!) to 5 Spurgeons (The Prince of Sodas!)

Medical Halitosis.

In this trailer for the ECF Pod, you will hear several clips from the first four episodes, including discussions of church revival and renewal, as well as a discusson of California as a mission field, and the most disgusting soda ever made.

The Every Church Flourishing podcast is all about helping churches, leaders, and pastors find health, encouragement, practical advice, soul care, and resources that work together to build up your local fellowship and the broader Kingdom of God. Join hosts Pastor Chris Cole and Dr. Chase Thompson from the Great Commission Association, led by Dr. Mike Stewart, as they explore the frontiers of ministry and aim to make every church flourish!

Broadcasting from the North-Central Coast of California and the beautiful redwoods, We will focus on church growth, pastoral health, church leadership, evangelism, discipleship, denominational news, West Coast church news, California Baptists, apologetics, prayer, and other facets of church health and flourishing. In addition to church health, every show features a semi-rare and interesting soda review, choosing soft drinks from all around the world.