When You Know It's Time to Lead in Your Church
Today, we're diving deep into the leadership crisis that's strangling 90% of American churches. Yes, you heard that right - nine out of ten churches are dying a slow death because they lack one critical ingredient. And I'm going to show you exactly how to address it. Whether you're a pastor, board member, or someone faithfully sitting in the seats thinking, 'this doesn't apply to me' - stick around. Because by the end of this episode, you'll know exactly why your church's future depends on YOU stepping up, and I'll give you a proven framework to do it.
"When you step into leadership, you're not just helping with a program - you're creating a culture."
Other Quotes in this episode:
"Church vitality isn't about size - it's about health. And health comes when people like you step up."
"The question isn't whether you're qualified - the question is whether you're available. The question isn't whether you have all the answers - the question is whether you're willing to learn."
"Leadership isn't about having a title. It's about influence. And if people come to you for advice, if they trust you with their problems, if they look to you when things get tough - you're already leading."
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* Since data shifts are continual and explanding, statistics and data may change or shift prior to this episode launch.
Data:
¹ Hartford Institute for Religion Research. (2021). Twenty Years of Congregational Change: The 2020 Faith Communities Today Overview. Faith Communities Today. Retrieved from https://faithcommunitiestoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Faith-Communities-Today-2020-Summary-Report.pdf
² Thumma, S., & Bird, W. (2020). Megachurch 2020: The Changing Reality in America's Largest Churches. Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Retrieved from https://hirr.hartsem.edu/megachurch/megachurches.html
³ LifeWay Research. (2022). 7 Aspects of Healthy Church Leadership. LifeWay Christian Resources. Retrieved from https://research.lifeway.com/2022/06/06/7-aspects-of-healthy-church-leadership/
Church Growth & Decline Statistics:
⁴ Cooperative Congregational Studies Partnership. (2021). FACT 2020 Survey Results: 15,278 congregations across 80 denominations. Faith Communities Today. Retrieved from https://faithcommunitiestoday.org/fact-2020-survey/
⁵ Barna Group. (2023). A New Chapter in Millennial Church Attendance. Barna Research. Retrieved from https://www.barna.com/research/church-attendance-2022/
⁶ Barna Group. (2024). Small Churches Struggle to Grow Because Of The People They Attract. Barna Research. Retrieved from https://www.barna.com/research/small-churches-struggle-to-grow-because-of-the-people-they-attract/
Evangelism & Commitment Data:
⁷ LifeWay Research. (2022). 22 Vital Stats for Ministry in 2022. LifeWay Christian Resources. Retrieved from https://research.lifeway.com/2022/01/05/22-vital-stats-for-ministry-in-2022/
⁸ Barna Group. (2023). Year in Review: Barna's Top 10 Releases of 2023. Barna Research. Retrieved from https://www.barna.com/research/year-in-review-2023/
Leadership Development Research:
⁹ LifeWay Research. (2025). Equipping Men for Spiritual Leadership at Home and in the Church. LifeWay Christian Resources. Retrieved from https://research.lifeway.com/2025/07/17/equipping-men-for-spiritual-leadership-at-home-and-in-the-church/
¹⁰ Barna Group. (2023). Five Trends Defining Americans' Relationship to Churches. Barna Research. Retrieved from https://www.barna.com/research/current-perceptions/
Data Collection Periods Noted:
Most statistics reflect pre-pandemic (2019-2020) or post-pandemic (2021-2025) data.
