​A great conversation with Phil Bowdle, Creative Arts Pastor at West Ridge Church in NW Atlanta, and author of Rethink Communication - A Playbook to Clarify and Communicate Everything in your Church. Instructive and helpful! https://www.philbowdle.com.

Jeff, Jonny, and Jeff's Executive Assistant, Kathi, all join in this conversation with Phil as he talks about the obstacles to communication and clarity in the local church and the steps he recommends taking to overcome them.

Rob Douglas is a friend and colleague of Jeff's who serves on the District Staff Team of the MidAmerica District of the Christian & Missionary Alliance. Rob's focus is helping churches in the area of missions and outreach.

Rob shares from his heart in this episode about how he has been able to come along side pastors and ministry leaders and coaching them and helping them in their local church leadership.

Josh Park from BranchLife.Church talks with Jeff and Jonny about the adventure of launching a church, with all the prayer and work that goes with it! Josh's words give a ton of great advice and counsel to church planters in this episode!

Josh listened to Episode 305 of the podcast and decided to reach out to Jeff and David Bush, Jeff's health coach. Josh will share in this episode about his own health journey... pretty inspiring!

This episode is all about church planting and church launching - enjoy!

Episode 322 celebrates the wonder and love of local church pastoral ministry! Pastor Bill Larson is a pastor's pastor. At 83 he is still vibrant and passionate about the local church. He has pastored in small and medium sized churches, and has served scores of pastors as their District Minister.

Jeff sat down with Bill and picked his brain about what ministry means to him, and the importance of the pastor to the local church. Bill shared stories and memories of the churches and pastors he's worked with, and offered up some sage advice and counsel for young pastors.

A CLASSIC 200churches episode!

We talk a lot on the podcast about love, but what does love really look like? And are we really supposed to love everyone?

Today Jonny is joined by his wife (and recurring guest) Kayla as shes talks about her work with Preemptive Love and what it means to love anyway. Kayla has been hard at work producing the new Preemptive Love podcast--aptly named "Love Anyway"--and shares stories from the upcoming season. This episode will challenge you to think about people in your own community who God is calling you to love, and hopefully encourage you with the knowledge that God is already out in front of you loving them.

Pastor, isn't it true that while we are helping others, our own souls are crying out within us, "HELP ME!! I'M THE ONE WHO NEEDS HELP! WHO'S GOING TO HELP ME?!"

In Episode 320 Jeff shares some of his own personal learnings from the past six months, and challenges our listeners to live their lives and not allow themselves to get sucked dry by ministry. He also encourages pastors to take next steps if they find themselves drowning in lies, secrets, discouragement, depression, porn, an affair, gambling, drinking, or overeating.

There is help for the hurting pastor, and Jeff encourages them to take the next step to find it.

Life is too short to live a lie. Especially in ministry.

Henty is an Executive Assistant to Pastor Rick Warren at Saddleback Church and he shares a peek into his world, and through him, into the world of Saddleback's ministry, and Rick's ministry as well. Henty is a sharp young man!

Henty talks about the challenges in the 21st century church, as well as Pastor Rick Warren's heart and burden for pastors of smaller churches.

Jeff and Jonny are both present in this conversation with Henty. Henty is from South Africa and moved to the U.S. as a young teenager.

You'll enjoy him, and this entire episode!

This is a very rare "BEST OF" episode with N.T. Wright. If you haven't heard it, it is far and away our most downloaded of all 317 episodes! Dr. Wright was in his living room in Scotland and Jeff and Jonny were in the 200churches Podcast studio for this conversation.

It was so incredibly encouraging to hear Tom Wright's take on Paul's opinion of small church pastors, and his own journey shepherding vicars as the Bishop of Durham in England with the Anglican Church. This is a remarkable episode.

Check out the link below to get access to many online courses taught by Dr. Wright himself. You can use them for small groups or discipleship classes...ntwrightonline.org/

Todd and Jennifer Grant lead Watts Powerhouse Church in Los Angeles and have a remarkable urban ministry and Todd shares so much of it with Jeff in this conversation. Take a look at the two videos below if you want to get a real taste of their ministry. It's amazing!

Again, Todd Grant from the Watts Powerhouse Church in South Los Angeles joins Jeff to talk about the work of God in his urban ministry. Gangs, broken lives, broken families, etc. God is working! This is a very encouraging episode!

Jeff and Jonny forage around the episode digging up all kinds of ministry thoughts and ideas - this was a fun episode! They kicked off the conversation by exploring Jonny's recent thesis that ministry is not programs and curriculum, but ministry is communication and relationships.

From that topic they launch off into all kinds of leadership and ministry topics and ideas. 

Very importantly they reference this episode of The UnSeminary Podcast where Rich Birch talks with Greg Curtis. Check out BOTH links - trust us, you need them and you'll thank us later!

While we are recommending episodes, check out this episode with Carey Nieuwhof and John Ortberg! Solid gold Baby! Again, you'll thank us later!

But first, enjoy this simple classic Jeff & Jonny episode! :-)