Claim OwnershipThe Small Church Ministry Podcast
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© 2025 The Small Church Ministry Podcast
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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 the Small Church Network, Laurie J. Graham 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.
209 Episodes
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As we wrap up 2025, we’re looking at the conversations that truly landed with small churches - the episodes and quotes that sparked response, resonance, and even pushback. Topics like decline, pressure, money, conflict, and culture change weren’t just popular; they named real life. In this episode, we explore what that tells us. And why honesty mattered more than neat solutions. You’ll hear: What this year’s most-downloaded episodes and most-shared posts reveal for all of usWhy ho...
This final episode in the finance series is a gentle reminder that the weight of your church’s future was never meant to sit on your shoulders. We talk about the very real year-end stress small churches feel, how Jesus measures ministry differently than we do, and why rest is an act of faithfulness, not neglect. If your church feels tired or stretched this month, this conversation will take the pressure down a notch. Listen in to hear: Why December pressure feels so personal - and...
Money conversations in small churches get tense for reasons that go way deeper than dollars - fear, pressure, old stories, and unspoken roles all show up at the table. In this episode, we talk honestly about why finances can feel so emotional and how clearer, healthier conversations bring the room back together. It’s real, relatable, and the kind of clarity that lets everyone breathe again. You’ll learn: Why money in a church is never “just numbers” - it’s identity, trust, and re...
Most small-church budgets weren’t really created; they just grew over time. Leftovers from last year, assumptions from a decade ago, and line items no one can quite explain anymore. And when a budget is shaped by nostalgia, fear, or “what we used to do,” it can make a church feel like it’s failing even when it’s not. In this episode, we explore how to see your budget as a story and how to shift that story from scarcity to possibility. You’ll learn: How churches unintentionally bui...
This episode unpacks one of the most misunderstood issues in small churches: declining giving. It’s not that people have stopped being generous - generosity is everywhere. The real challenge is that many churches have slowly lost the connection between giving and a visible, meaningful impact. When we stop assuming stinginess and start rebuilding trust, clarity, and a real mission, generosity has a way of returning naturally. You’ll learn: Why generosity isn’t dying (but obligation...
A large part of a small church budget often goes to paying the pastor. Most small churches assume there’s only one “real” model of leadership - usually the one we’ve always known - and anything different feels like failure, pride, or danger. But there’s no single “biblical” or “more noble” model here. Healthy, vibrant churches exist in every structure: fully paid, bi-vocational, and completely volunteer-led. This episode lifts the shame, clears out the judgment, and helps churches learn...
This episode reframes the entire money conversation by separating the Church from the nonprofit structure that houses it. We name the fear, pressure, and assumptions that swirl around finances - and then clarify why revenue impacts the organization, not the mission. When we stop confusing the two, financial decisions get calmer, clearer, and more grounded. You’ll learn: The difference between the Church and the 501(c)(3) that supports itWhy money isn’t needed to save your church (...
Finding the right kind of help shouldn’t feel complicated - but between long waitlists, confusing titles, and church mixed messages about therapy, it often does. In the final part of the Do No Harm series, Laurie and licensed therapist Kati Quigley talk about what makes finding help so hard, and why it’s still worth the effort. Together, they unpack the difference between a counselor, coach, and spiritual director, why “biblical counseling” can unintentionally do harm, and how to find a...
In small churches, we’re often the first people others turn to when life falls apart - whether we’re on staff, leading worship, teaching kids, or serving on the elder board. In Part Two of the Do No Harm series, Laurie and licensed therapist Kati Quigley talk about what churches can do to help create more emotionally healthy spaces. This isn’t about becoming counselors, giving advice, or providing solutions. It’s about practicing empathy, allowing people to lean into their own pai...
When the Church tries to heal what it doesn’t understand, even good intentions can cause real harm. In this first conversation of the Do No Harm series, Laurie and licensed therapist Kati Quigley talk about the unseen damage that happens when untrained pastoral or biblical counseling takes the place of trauma-informed care. It’s not about blame; it’s about awareness, wisdom, and protecting the people we’re called to love well. In this episode: The difference between spiritual care...
In this Church Spotlight, Ruth A. Popkin shares how her small church started A Really Free Market - a ministry built on listening, not assumptions. Instead of following trends, they followed people, meeting real needs with dignity and creativity. It’s a story of simple generosity that’s reshaping how small churches think about outreach. Listen in for: How to listen to your community before deciding what they “need”The difference between following people and following trendsWhat makes A ...
When a pastor retires, moves, or suddenly steps away, small churches often feel lost in the in-between. If this is hitting home for you, you’re not alone. Pastoral transitions are on the rise as more pastors retire and fewer step into ministry roles. In this episode, Laurie talks with Kari Bartkus, who served on her church’s pastoral transition team, about what it really looks like to help your church through a season like this—without panic, burnout, or losing your sense of purpose. In...
If your church feels “too old” or “too small” to reach young families, this episode is packed with simple, practical ideas you can try this week. We’re talking about how small churches can connect with young families—not by doing more, but by showing up differently. It’s not about flashy programs or keeping up with trends. It’s about presence, warmth, and creating spaces where tired parents feel seen, supported, and safe. Because maybe your steady, faithful little church is exactl...
You don’t need a title to change the culture of your church. You’re already carrying influence—whether anyone names it or not. In this Lead Well replay, we’ll talk about how emotional health, spiritual maturity, and everyday presence shift the room around us—and why that matters more than chasing status or hustling harder. What you’ll hear in this episode: Why influence isn’t about titles, but about how you show upThe link between emotional health and the culture women create in small c...
Tradition can be beautiful — but when “we’ve always done it this way” becomes the default answer, it stops being wisdom and starts being a wall. In this episode, we talk about why resistant church culture burns women out, silences new ideas, and quietly drives people away. And honestly? It’s costing us more than we realize. What you’ll hear in this episode: Why “we’ve always done it this way” feels safe — but slowly kills momentumHow resistant culture silences women’s voices and fresh i...
In small churches, titles can build invisible walls—like pastors’ wives on one side, “regular” women on the other. Or ministry leaders here, and occasional volunteers over there. But those labels don’t tell the whole story, and they often keep us from the deep, honest community we long for. In this episode, Kristen Joy Humiston and I share from both sides of the wall, uncovering how much more we have in common than what separates us. What you’ll hear in this episode: How titles like “pa...
Women have often been told to be strong, hold it together, and do it all for everyone else. But the truth? That version of “strength” is quietly breaking us — and it’s breaking our small churches too. In this episode, we name the lie, call out the pressure, and talk about a better way to live and serve. What you’ll hear in this episode: Why the “do it all” mindset isn’t holy at allHow invisible labor is crushing women in small churchesThe hidden cost of always being “the strong one”Why burnou...
Women in small churches often feel like we have to hold it all in or keep it together for everyone else. But shutting down emotions doesn’t make us stronger — it cuts us off from one of the main ways God shapes us. In this episode, Becky Brown and I bust the myth that emotions are a weakness and show why they might be your greatest strength. What you’ll hear in this episode: Why “managing” your emotions can backfire — and what to do insteadThe surprising connection between emotional growth an...
When people don’t show up, it’s easy to assume they don’t care. But labeling them “uncommitted” doesn’t make us stronger leaders—it just makes us bitter, burned out, and less curious. In this episode, we’re calling out the commitment myth that keeps showing up in church conversations—and talking about what it really means to lead with presence, hope, and agency. Because what we believe about people? It shows up in how we treat them. In this episode: Why labeling people “uncommitte...
If you listened to Episode 189, you know we tackled the hard truth about what happens when grace gets twisted into protecting bullies in the church. This episode stands on its own — but it’s also a continuation of that conversation. We’re getting real about how to handle church conflict in a healthy, biblical way … and why the space between ignoring bad behavior and asking someone to leave matters so much. Here’s what’s inside: The “in-between” - why it matters and how to live there wit...
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I have recently started listening to your podcast and have really appreciated some of your insights for smaller churches. I have to say though that I'm very disappointed with this particular podcast. I feel like you're putting God and the wisdom of the Bible in a box and creating a false dichotomy between the spiritual realm and the rest of our existence. Do you not believe in the sufficiency of the Scriptures? There is a place for true medical interventions but we are unified beings.