Every Church Flourishing

07/29/2026

For the last two weeks, the Every Church Flourishing podcast had missions strategist Chris Reinolds as our guest, and we had two fantastic conversations with him. (Episode links in the comments)

Here are some of the things we talked about in snippet form:
Vision vs management - why one needs to drive, and one needs to ride in the back seat.

Why are churches moving away from their primary purpose of discipleship, and what can be done to get back on track? What is the cure for purpose drift?

Buffalo Wing Soda - One of us almost liked it, and one of us couldn't stand it.

Balancing competence, confidence, and humility in leadership.
The wisdom of saying "I don't know."

The loneliness epidemic. Why are we so lonely in a highly connected world?

Church people looking up to their pastors as spiritual gurus with all of the answers leads to dangerous dynamics, including loneliness for the pastor, lack of accountability for the pastor, and the elevation of flawed humans to positions that they are not fit to occupy.

Why is it important for local churches and pastors to come together in associations?

The dangers of seminary-trained pastors talking over the heads of church members about important biblical truths.

Christopher Cole, Great Commission Association

05/02/2026

A couple of Cali guys tackle Scotland's #1 Soda - Irn Bru - made from steel girders (allegedly).
Great Commission Association Chase Thompson Christopher Cole

1 like. "Irn Bru Scottish 'Coca-Cola' Review + Today's Trash that Literally was MORE Valuable then Gold!"

04/22/2026

PREACHER MYTHS! Did Paul fall off a horse on the Damascus Road? Did Mary ride a donkey to Bethlehem? Will the lion really lie down with the lamb? Did Jesus leave a folded napkin in His tomb as a coded message? Today, we discuss and expose preacher myths - urban legends that are (mostly) unintentionally spread by pastors.

subscribe at: www.podfollow.com/ecf or https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/at-the-end-of-your-rope-preacher-myths-lions-lay/id1872005721?i=1000762379897 or www.EveryChurchFlourishing.com

ALSO: In Episode 14 of the Every Church Flourishing Podcast, Dr. Chase Thompson and Dr. Mike Stewart sit down with Pastor Grant Combs of Lighthouse Baptist in Seaside, California, to talk about the warning signs that a pastor or church leader is reaching the end of the rope, and the practical steps to take before disaster hits. This episode is packed with real help for pastors, ministry leaders, and churches who want to stay healthy, effective, and faithful for the long haul. Sponsored by the Great Commission Association: If you are a California pastor or church leader looking for encouragement, partnership, and a place to belong, visit GCASBC.org.

04/22/2026

Check it out!

04/09/2026

“They don’t need you to Band-Aid their gaping wound; they need you to be present in their grief.”

Comment "Easter Book," to get a FREE book on how we can know the resurrection of Jesus was historical, rational, and reasonable!

Dr. Michael Stewart, the head of California’s Great Commission Association of Churches, and podcast host Dr. Chase Thompson interview Dr. Chris Smith, a former missionary and current leader of the Great Commission Training Institution, an online ministry training school, and Pastor Grant Combs, the pastor of Lighthouse Baptist Church in Seaside, California. We are talking about relationships in the church. How can pastors and leaders cultivate deep friendships inside the church, and how can pastors protect their families well inside the church? The advantage of having great deacons. How can introverts in the church manage over-peopling? How can pastors and church leaders make deep friends that are safe to confide in?

Dr. Chris Smith: “If I'm not in a good place, if I'm not serving and ministering from the overflow of what God is doing in my life, and that includes the community of others and the love that I have for others, then it's not going to be real. And it's not going to be a place where we can truly see God work in a miraculous way that we have that genuine community that's around us.”

Podcast by the Great Commission Association. GCASBC.Net - NEW WEBSITE. If you are a pastor looking for a team - a family - we want to hear from you!

In the second half of the podcast, we talk deeply about grief, and how to help those who are grieving.

Liquid Death Cereal Criminal Fruity Pebbles flavor. “You think you’re about to be in Heaven, but then the aftertaste kicks in, and you realize you are in soda purgatory.”

Upcoming soda reviews: Cheerwine and Irn-Bru, the soda "Made in Scotland from Girders". But not tonight because caffeine.

03/14/2026

Would you like to listen to a podcast that features hosts with a combined six decades of church pastoral experience talking about church ministry and church health? A podcast that gives you practical tips for church renewal and church growth while also encouraging you and exhorting you in your role as a church leader or church pastor? A show that covers the latest news and trends in church life, with cutting-edge statistical analysis of trends impacting followers of Christ? A podcast that also includes the following conversation:

“I think you would be an excellent X-Man.”
“Thank you, in fact, I got myself a pair of metal Wolverine claws for Christmas!"

If so, then we've got a show for you! Almost certainly, the ONLY podcast in the world that fits that bill is the Every Church Flourishing podcast, where we interweave about 80 percent joyful, helpful, wise, and edifying content with about 20 percent whimsy, fun, and frivolity! Subscribe to the show at www.PodFollow.com/ecf
Today's episode features Superintendent of Schools, Lannette Lozano (Anthem Christian School), who talks about the difficulties of being a teacher in 2026. What does she say is the single hardest thing about being a teacher today? Listen and find out! Great Commission Association

03/13/2026

“Some of my best friends are pastors, and some of the most annoying people I’ve ever known are pastors.” That and more on episode #6 of the podcast featuring Dr. Se J. Won from the Great Commission Association, who did not say that awful thing about pastors. (Chase Thompson did.) Subscribe to the show: www.podfollow.com/ecf.

Pastor Se J.: “Worship is the missing element in many of our churches…if we don’t prioritize worship, which I believe is the precursor to prayer, then we’re all dry…something’s off, and you’re not connecting with God at the right frequency. Worship is crucial for me because that is how I connect with God.”

You Ain’t Got This - I Need Help. Learning from failure. Needing God for everything - even the practical things like leaky faucets.

Sometimes you just have to go out and find a seasoned leader and say, “Hey! You’re going to mentor me!”

03/13/2026

On episode #5, we interview Great Commission Association director Dr. Michael Stewart, the second-longest serving director of missions in the 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!"

https://www.everychurchflourishing.com/artificial-intelligence-and-the-church-gca-director-michael-stewart-the-soda-that-never-plays-it-safe/

03/11/2026

A great mystery: An unsub (unknown subject) sent us a twelve pack of Inca Kola to review. Inca Kola, the number one soda in Peru, is golden colored and supposedly delicious. Stay tuned for our review - coming soon!! Subscribe to the podcast at www.podfollow.com/ECF for more soda reviews and in depth church health talk and encouragement...the game is afoot! (Apologies for that abomination at the end)