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The Small Church Ministry Podcast
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.
Episodes
213 episodes
213: The Church Women Who Shape Our Faith (Without Ever Holding a Title) | with Traci Mason
So much of what forms our faith doesn’t happen in programs, events, or official roles. It happens through real women who show up, listen, love, and stay. In this episode, Traci Mason and I share personal stories of women in our chur...
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42:15
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212: What Women Really Need (And Why Church Programs Keep Missing It) | with Jessica Francavilla
So much women’s ministry is built on calendars, themes, and events - and yet many women still feel unseen, overwhelmed, or disconnected. In this episode, Jessica Francavilla and I talk about what it looks like to actually discern wh...
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25:20
211: What Actually Works in Ministry With Women | with Abigail Doust
After decades of ministry in small churches — including years as a pastor’s wife — Abigail Doust has learned what truly serves women and what quietly pushes them away. In this episode, we talk honestly about moving beyond stereotype...
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31:43
210: Burnout Isn’t Anyone Else’s Fault (And That’s Actually Good News For the Church)
Burnout doesn’t happen because your pastor failed, your church is unhealthy, or no one stepped up to help. It happens when we believe we have no choice and keep serving under pressure instead of agency. In this episode, we talk hone...
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35:49
209: Small Churches Got Honest: What 2025 Revealed About Pressure, Hope, & What’s Next
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 ...
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33:27
208: Rest This Christmas: Jesus Holds Your Church Together (Not Your Year-End Numbers) | Church Finance Series (Part 6)
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 mini...
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25:22
207: When Money Gets Messy: Fear, Power, and the Conversations Small Churches Avoid | Church Finance Series (Part 5)
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...
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37:16
206: Rethinking Your Church Budget: From Scarcity to a Story of Possibility | Church Finance Series (Part 4)
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...
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33:22
205: Why People Aren’t Giving to Churches (And the Hopeful Shift That Brings Generosity Back) | Church Finance Series (Part 3)
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 th...
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34:22
204: Models That Work: Paid Pastors, Bi-Vocational Leaders, and Fully Volunteer Churches | Church Finance Series (Part 2)
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 d...
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37:18
203: Money & Mission: Why Revenue Doesn’t Save the Church | Church Finance Series (Part 1)
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 re...
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37:09
202: Do No Harm - Sorting Through Counselors, Coaches & Confusion (and Why It’s Worth the Effort )| with Licensed Therapist Kati Quigley
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 the...
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43:46
201: Do No Harm - What Churches Can Do to Support Real Healing | with Licensed Therapist Kati Quigley
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 ...
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31:20
200: Do No Harm - The Hidden Damage of Pastoral and Biblical Counseling | with Licensed Therapist Kati Quigley
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 damag...
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42:43
199: Church Spotlight: A Really Free Market - How One Small Church Is Reaching Its Community | with Ruth A. Popkin
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 ...
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41:14
198: Navigating Pastoral Transition Without Losing Your Peace (or Your People)
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 ...
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35:32
197: Reaching Young Families In An Older Church: What Small Churches Can Really Offer
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 mo...
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26:43
196: Say It Louder for the People in the Back! Women, Small Churches, & Culture Change
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 presenc...
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53:16
195: "We’ve Always Done It This Way." The Small Church Lie That Keeps Us Stuck | with Ebonie Mukasa
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 n...
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44:48
194: Pastor. Pastor’s Wife. Volunteer. Leader. Are We Really That Different? | with Kristen Joy Humiston
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 ...
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44:54
193: The “Strong Woman” Lie That’s Breaking Us In Small Churches | with Dee Bryce
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 ...
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49:45
192: Women, You’re Not Too Emotional (You Might Not Be Emotional Enough) | with Becky Brown
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 ...
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43:07
191: Stop Saying People Aren’t Committed - It’s Hurting Your Ministry
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 commitmen...
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32:50
190: Grace, Bullies, & Boundaries: How To Stay In The Conversation
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....
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35:50
189: When “Grace” Protects Bullies: How We Confuse Avoidance With Christlikeness
Sometimes “just be gracious” is really code for “don’t rock the boat.” But when grace gets twisted into silence, avoidance, or fear, it stops looking like Jesus. In this episode, we’re talking about the quiet damage that happens whe...
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32:19