In this episode, analytics consultant and creator of Viz.Bible Robert Rouse joins Nick Runyon as they talk about how the concepts of data visualization and business intelligence play huge roles…
In this episode, innovation marketing consultant James Poulter joins Nils Smith as they take the discussion of Alexa further into the roles, opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence in…
In this episode, Kenny Jahng joins Nils Smith and shares his takeaways from the recent Grow with Video Live Conference with our friend Sean Cannell in Las Vegas. Learn about…

(Recently featured in Leadership Network Advance.) We were all stunned by the death of Lead Pastor Andrew Stoecklein from California. Pastor Stocklein’s wife wrote an incredible tribute to her husband…
In this episode, Social Media Church legends DJ Chuang and Kenny Jahng join Nils Smith as they revisit what online churches were five years ago, and what they are today….
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Larry’s original interview appeared on the Harper Collins blog: Lead Like A Shepherd: The Secret to Leading Well. We are reposting with permission. What makes leading like a shepherd so…

Dr. Warren Bird recently announced that he has some big news, Warren, what’s your news? After a great 13-year run with Leadership Network, I’ve become Vice President of Research and Equipping…
While Facebook continues to grow globally, younger generations are spending more time on other platforms. Join Nils and Nick in this podcast as they share opinions, trends and tips on…
Instagram has made some noise this week with its unexpected launch of IG TV. Join Nils and Nick in this podcast as they talk about what opportunities IG TV provides…
For Autumn Miles, social media is home. In this episode of the podcast, Nils and Nick are joined by Autumn Miles in a conversation about how social media can be…
Church boards have been much in the news of late. For example, we see more churches with external boards these days, especially prominent churches – why is that? What are…
In this episode of the podcast, Nils and Nick are joined by Nona Jones of Facebook’s faith-based projects and Bishop Joseph Walker of Mt. Zion Church in Nashville. Listen as…

In Lead Like A Shepherd, The Secret of Leading Well, pastor, author and leadership consultant, Larry Osborne unpacks instruction for church leaders found in 1 Peter where…
A few weeks ago, we informed you that Bob Buford had died. The response from you was overwhelming. Every message you sent meant a great deal to us. For those…

Another edition of THE STIR – our podcast with host Dave Travis and featuring Greg Ligon Notes from this episode: Notes on our Accelerators Rethink partnerships – one of the…

Last week we shared the news that Bob Buford had died and now is safe in the arms of Jesus. That content and the accompanying blog article were written by Dr….

by Warren Bird, Ph.D. Bob Buford, age 78, died April 18, 2018 after a lengthy illness near his home in Dallas, Texas. Through philanthropy and personal engagement, Buford significantly contributed to…
In this episode of The Stir, Greg Ligon, one of the pioneers of multisite, explains the first of the movemental shifts happening across the field. He shares some of the…
Phil Cooke, co-author of “The Way Back: How Christians Blew Our Credibility and How We Get It Back”, joins Nils, Nick and Chad in a conversation about his newly launched…
We have 168 hours each week with an average of one hour spent at a church service on Sunday, but how do we seize the remaining 167 hours for our…
Who mentored you or believed in you before you believed in yourself? That person is your Hero Maker! If you pick a recent day from your calendar, and review the…
Host Dave Travis interviews Brent Dolfo in this 16 minute show about church leadership development. Notes from this interview: It’s time to rethink the process in churches. How Leadership Development…
Our 2018 Survey of Large Church Salary, Staffing and Benefits is now LIVE and ready for participants! Widely known as our “salary survey,” this research identifies benchmarks, ratios and salary…
D.J. Soto, founder and pastor of Virtual Reality Church, shares with us his story on how the first VR Church came to life. Nils Smith and Nick Runyon also discuss…
“It isn’t about the leader. It never was about the leader. It will never be about the leader. It will always and only be about Jesus and his people.” –…

The STIR- is the new podcast from Dave Travis of Leadership Network. What is the latest in Leadership Development in large churches? This edition focuses on Church Leadership Development. The…

When church leaders ask questions like this… How much should we keep in cash reserves? How much debt is safe? What financial measures should our church’s leadership monitor each month?…

Here’s something exciting to start off the year! Nils Smith and Nick Runyon break the biggest news on Social Media Church to date and shares with us their social media…
Your tax-deductible donations will support the general work of Leadership Network. Our clients pay some of the costs through their program fees. All of our programs have a fee attached…

“I can’t wait until we are in our own building.” Not so fast. This statement is heard a lot among church planters and campus pastors who are currently in portable…

In our continuing list of nuggets uncovered in our Leadership Network/Portable Church Industries upcoming report, this insight sounds obvious. Recall first that the churches in Leadership Network’s sample universe tend…
As we near the end of 2017, givers will once again be looking for ways to be generous while maximizing their tax benefits associated with charitable giving. ECFA’s blog “7…

Pastoral training models are constantly evolving. In our continuing series (link to the previous here, here, and here) of nuggets discovered in our soon-to-be released report from Leadership Network/Portable Church…

Millennials are leaving the church in droves. Can evangelical Christianity survive without them? Through a unique and brilliant synthesis of theology and sociology, David John Seel argues that millennials can…

Recently, I sat down with Alan Briggs, author of Everyone’s a Genius: Unleashing Creativity for the Sake of the World, a recent release through Leadership Network’s NEXT series. Alan, through…

By Chris Willard with Warren Bird I call it “The Sermon on the Amount.” Everybody knows it’s coming: ”Turn in your Bibles to Malachi.” Veteran Christians can predict that it’s…

How much cash should our church have set aside in reserve? If you’ve ever been guilty of asking this question (and you should be!), you’ll love this short blog from…

Multisite churches rate themselves 82% more likely to be multipliers than a church that has never launched a new campus or site. We continue to unpack some of our findings…

What does it take to develop generous givers in your church, and address people’s hearts more than their wallets? Churches need to shift the conversation from obligatory tithing and meeting…

by Jenni Keller See below for the most important webinar you’ll attend this year. If you could identify every single person in your community who would respond favorably to an…

See below for the most important webinar you’ll attend this year. Nehemiah asked his brother for two key data points after his brother returned from Jerusalem (Neh.1:2): “Tell me about…

Being a couple in ministry is a daunting and difficult task. Many couples find that ministry is all-encompassing, time with your spouse is hard to prioritize, the pressure is overwhelming…

Here’s a collection of interesting, thought-provoking articles from around the web from recent weeks. For more links, check out our Flipboard magazines: Leadership Network Today, Leadership Network Deep Trends, and Ideas…

Yes it does, but not exactly how you might guess. The reality is that most Protestant churches in North America are smaller, as the visuals illustrate below. Further, about 80% are…

Which pastors are more likely to have visions for planting new churches or new sites? In an upcoming major research report from Leadership Network and Portable Church Industries, we found…

83% of Pastors Under Age 40 “Have a Future Vision to Plant/Launch” a New Church or New Site In an upcoming major report that Leadership Network and Portable Church…

It could take years of conversations, lots of patience and hard work for married couples to move from financial “roommates” to soulmates who are pursuing biblical stewardship together—but it’s worth…