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The Small Church Ministry Podcast

Author: Laurie Graham Ertl

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The only podcast created for volunteers and everyday leaders in smaller congregations, this show embraces small church ministry as a place where God is already at work. Founder of Small Church Ministry and Everyday Influence, Laurie Graham Ertl shares why small churches matter—not as a scaled-down version of something bigger, but as powerful communities with their own unique strengths. Each episode offers creative solutions to real challenges with a mix of honest encouragement, leadership skills, and actionable next steps. 

Laurie hosts the show with a perspective shaped by decades in ministry on every side of small church life—as a volunteer, staff leader, and pastor’s spouse. She knows both the pressure and the beauty of small churches firsthand, and brings steady encouragement, practical wisdom, and deep care for both volunteers and ministry leaders.

253 Episodes
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What does a purple rock with a zebra on it have to do with changing small church culture? More than you might think, especially when we start questioning why we give so much attention to titles, platforms, accomplishments, and volunteer positions while overlooking the people right in front of us. We say everybody matters in church, but what if some of our everyday habits are telling a completely different story? In this episode, we're talking about: ➡️ Why the people making the bi...
Ever had an idea at church but kept it to yourself because you figured it wasn't your decision? Or assumed someone with more experience, a title, or an official ministry role should be the one to step up? For many of us, that's the church we grew up in. But what we've accepted as normal isn't the same as what's possible. In Part 2, we're flipping the camera around to look at how we sometimes accept church habits as just the way things are, without realizing how they limit our own influe...
We say everyone matters, everyone's voice counts, and everyone has something to offer. So why do the same three people make all the decisions, and why are we still asking people to fill jobs instead of finding out what they'd actually love to do? In Part 1, we're looking at how the decisions we make and the way we lead can actually get in the way of what we want for our churches. In this episode, we're talking about: ➡️ The church habits we've stopped noticing (but everyone else might see!) ➡...
What do you do when the pastor says no, the board chooses something different, or a ministry decision you care deeply about doesn't go your way? It's easy to go from disappointment to feeling like we have no power at all. In this episode, Laurie talks about how to care for what's happening inside us, recognize what was actually decided, and find the choices and influence that are still ours. Listen in for: ➡️ Why not having the final say doesn't mean having no say at all ➡️ Laurie's 4 A...
In this episode, Laurie talks about what happens after the numbers disappoint us. Because the problem usually isn't that we wanted more people to come. It's what we start making that number mean about the people who didn't come, the ministry we planned, ourselves, or even what God is doing. Listen in for: ➡️ Why it’s okay to want more people to show up ➡️ What happens when disappointment turns into blame ➡️ What attendance numbers can tell us ... and what they can’t ➡️ Why a smaller num...
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