At the end of August 2017, my friend Eddie Ragsdale and I started a new project entitled The Rural Church Podcast. We've been amazed and encouraged at the feedback we've gotten! We would do it even if no one listened because it gives us an excuse to talk to each other once a week. Otherwise, we are too busy.
I thought since we are just about to end the year, I'd share the top 3 episodes that have been listened to the most. We'll start with #3 and go to #1.
3. Episode 4 (9/18/17, 43:17 runtime) Practical Tips for Beginning a New Sermon Series
From the notes: What sort of sermon series should we be preaching in the local church? How do we decide what sort of series to preach? How do we get started in preparing for a new sermon series? All of this and more is discussed in this week's episode!
2. Episode 7 (10/16/17, 47:10 runtime) - Inflated Church Roles
From the notes: After a 1-week hiatus (thanks, Eddie! - Ok, maybe Allen was busy too...) we discuss the issue of church membership rolls that don't accurately reflect the people who actually attend regularly. This is a major problem in many Baptist churches, where membership rolls can be inflated by as much as a 3 to 1 ratio or even worse. Eddie and Allen discuss why this is such a problem and also what are biblical ways all churches can improve in this area.
1. Episode 11(11/27/17, 64:01 runtime) - The Attractional and Affinity-Based Church Movement
From the notes: This week, we turn it up to 11! Well, okay, it's actually just our 11th episode of the Rural Church Podcast!!! Cowboy Church, Biker Church, Outdoor Church, Race Car Church, Gamer Church, Hipster Church, and the list goes on and on and on. Is there anything wrong with the 'affinity' based church movement? Should churches seek to 'attract' people to their main gathering using something other than the gospel? On this week's episode, Eddie and Allen tackle these issues and show why the attraction and affinity-based church movement falls short of the New Testament model of the local church. This is an important discussion...
Hmmm. Seems like the longer we go, the more hits we get. Ha!
It's possible we sneak in one more before the year is over. But if not, we plan to podcast once a week and discuss life, ministry, and theology from the perspective of the local church in 2018. Thanks for listening!
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