FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELT FOR THIS EPISODE!
Melissa MacDonald met us on our recent trip to Vail, CO and talked all things Children's Ministry and Pastors! This is a great episode, probably the longest episode we've ever produced - but FULL of great inspiration, encouragement, tips, and practical wisdom as it relates to church leadership, mission, vision, and Kid's Ministry.
Melissa's great book, MISSING: AN URGENT CALL FOR THE CHURCH TO RESCUE KIDS, is available below. Her website is full of practical wisdom and encouragement for your Children's Ministry staff and volunteers at MelissaJMacDonald.com. Melissa talked about the following Children's Ministry Curriculum - and here are the links below: TRU - Then, click here for the free 7 Family Ministry Essentials from TRU Curriculum! D6 2nd Generation What's In The Bible? 
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Jeff and Jonny are in Vail, CO this week for a Pastor's Retreat. They recorded this episode on Tuesday evening, September 22, 2015 from their hotel room in the Rockies - just for you!
In episode 140 they talk about all the ways that small churches are great and small church ministry is A-1 ministry - in their never ending quest to encourage pastors of small churches! Enjoy! 
John and his son Luke taking in a great game of Australian Rules Football - A crazy game to us Americans!
This episode was borne out of a blog post that John Finkelde wrote for his website, GrowAHealthyChurch.com titled: 5 Things I Would Say To A Young Pastor.
Here are the five things that John shares: 1. Love your spouse unreservedly & flee adultery like it was a hellish plague. 2. Focus on church growth & church growth alone & your soul will shrivel. 3. Never forsake the place of personal, private prayer & bible study. 4. Get some good ministry friends & love them generously. 5. Get a recreational pursuit that has nothing to do with church. The guys talk through each of these at length - and have produced a very entertaining and encouraging episode for pastors of all size churches, but especially pastors of small churches! Enjoy! You can find all of John and Dianne Finkelde's resources and books at www.GrowAHealthyChurch.com. 
TODAY’S PODCAST EPISODE
What is the DNA of your church? If they spliced and diced the genetics of your church, what would they find? Jeff and Jonny talk about the DNA of their church. They focus on the past two Sunday messages – one by each of them. Jonny spoke from Romans 12:1,2 and talked about the difference between a church attender and a follower of Jesus. He said that TRANSFORMATION is a key distinction for a follower of Jesus! A disciple is transformed by the power of Christ, lives in the Kingdom of God, and follows the teaching of the King. Their faith in Jesus is an all-encompassing reality that informs every aspect of their life. Jeff spoke from John 12:34,35 and Galatians 5:14. He asked the questions: What is the active ingredient that produces transformation in us? and What practice or discipline activates that transformation in the life of a Jesus follower? The answer to both of the questions is the same: LOVE. A life transformed by the love of Jesus, and in turn living out that love with others, is the DNA of their church! BACK IN THE STUDIO Jeff and Jonny are back today, in the studio, to record this episode. They have not recorded since April! They recorded ahead in the spring, yet released the episodes fresh every week. But on September 8, they recorded a brand new episode for September 9.
Pastor Rob and his wife Kelly outside their Northeast Philadelphia church. Bethel, the Church at Philadelphia Mills. Bethel hosts the Willowcreek Leadership Summit each year!
Rob and I sat down in his office this summer to record this conversation for the 200churches Podcast. Rob has pastored Bethel since Easter Sunday 1996. Bethel is a special place that exhibits both grace and mercy to run-of-the-mill sinners, as well as notorious sinners!
Rob and I were notorious roommates in our college days, and have been best friends ever since, now over thirty years! There is not much we don't know and understand about each other. Rob is a 200church pastor about 8-times over. His church has grown from 80 to around 1,600 in the past 19 years. That is very slow, but very steady growth. He is a 200church pastor in the very best sense of the term. Rob speaks with passion, conviction, and clarity in this episode about being the kind of church that attracts and loves the people Jesus hung around with - which caused the religious elite to say he was a "friend of sinners." We know you will be encouraged and challenged by this episode. A Great 200church Side-Story...
I (Jeff) was stuck in NY this week without a printer, and needed to print off an important insurance document to help my mother. I dropped by the neighborhood 200church - the Avon Wesleyan Church (Avon, NY) and Pastor Peter Maclauchlan was very willing to help me out! (I mispronounce his name in this episode, at 46:11) Sorry Peter!
Peter had never met me, yet was willing to adjust a busy schedule on the fly to help a total stranger. A big SHOUT-OUT to Pastor Peter! THANKS for helping a fellow pastor in a time of need. You get the gold star this week from the 200churches Podcast! You can view the Avon Wesleyan Church website right here! 
Pastor Peter in his lobby, trying to smile for the weird guy who wanted to snap his picture!
A classic 200church auditorium! This church is making a difference in their neck of the woods!
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