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 Everyday Influence, Laurie Graham Ertl 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
250 episodes
250: Is It Wrong to Want More People to Show Up?
In this episode, Laurie talks about what happens after the numbers disappoint us. Because the problem usually isn't that we wanted more people to come. It's what we start making that number mean about the people who didn't co...
249: What If We’ve Been Getting Empathy Wrong? | with Soul Shepherding’s Kristi Gaultiere
Most of us think we know what empathy is. But what if we’ve spent years caring for people, serving in church, and even trying to love people well without ever really learning how to receive or give it?In this conversation with Soul Sheph...
248: Just Because You Can Do It All, Doesn’t Mean You Should | with Charmaine Stulp
Last week, women from small churches came together for our Women Reaching Women Conference, and this week we're giving you a peek inside! In a small church, being capable can get you into trouble because when you can do a l...
247: From Women’s Ministry to Reaching Women: The Ministry Is in the Conversation | with Dee Bryce
What if reaching women has a lot less to do with getting them to our activities and a lot more to do with how we walk alongside them? In this conversation with Dee Bryce, we’re rethinking women’s ministry, invitations, growth, and e...
246: Strong Personalities, Bullies & Bad Behavior: When Women Hurt Women in Church
What do you do when the difficult person is sitting three chairs down at Bible study... or leading it? Church relationships can get especially confusing when you add in grace, forgiveness, patience, keeping the peace, and that little voice that...
245: Mental Health, Hormones, Rest & Relationships: Understanding Women in the Church | with Dr. Amy Oberg
What if there’s more going on beneath the surface than we realize? In this conversation with Dr. Amy Oberg, we’re talking mental health, hormones, rest, relationships, and why understanding our brains and bodies actually belongs in conversation...
244: The Women Who Make Small Churches Work
Women are woven through almost every part of small-church ministry, and some of their biggest influence happens in relationships, not official roles. But while churches invest in ministry ideas and practical skills, we often assume ...
243: I’m Resigning as the Idea Girl for Small Churches
After years of equipping small churches with practical ideas, my thinking has shifted. Great ministry ideas matter, but they’re only one part of equipping small-church leaders and volunteers with what they need to lead well, develop...
242: Your Church Wants to Reach New Families. So Why Aren't They Coming?
Your small church wants to reach new families. You’re planning events, finding volunteers, inviting people, and trying hard, but sometimes the families you’re hoping to reach still aren’t coming. In this episode, we’re looking under...
241: Healthy Responses to Unhealthy Church Leadership
Churches are made up of people, and people aren't healthy all the time. So what do we do when church leadership isn't at its best? In this episode, we're talking about how to recognize unhealthy patterns, respond wisely, and become ...
240: Is "We've Always Done It This Way" Keeping Your Small Church Stuck?
Most churches don't struggle because people don't care. They struggle because they're trying to solve today's challenges with yesterday's ideas.In this episode, we share one of our favorite strategies for creating a culture of learning t...
239: Healthy Churches Grow by Developing Everyday People | Leading Well Conference
What if one of the most important things your church could do isn't add another program, but intentionally develop the people you already have? Recorded live at our Leading Well in a Small Church Conference, Laurie Graham E...
238: Reaching the Churched, the Unchurched & the Dechurched | with Pastor Patrick Dailey
Reaching your community starts with understanding your community. Pastor Patrick Dailey explains why the words churched, unchurched, and dechurched matter more than ever, what it means to minister in a pos...
237: The Future Of The Small Church: What Has To Change? | with Dr. K. Kale Yu
The church is changing. The question is whether we're willing to change with it. In this conversation, Dr. K. Kale Yu shares why the future of the small church won't be built on better programs or bigger budgets, but on ordinary peo...
236: How to Make Your Small Church Matter in the Community
What if the future of your church isn't determined by how many people attend on Sunday, but by the difference you make the rest of the week? In this episode, Pastor Raymond Cabello shares how his church shifted from focusing inward ...
235: We've Expected Too Much from Pastors - and Underestimated Everyone Else
I've been told more than once that the real leverage point in a church is the pastor. Get the pastor healthy, and everything else will follow. I don't buy it. In this episode, we're talking about why pastors matter, why ordinary peo...
234: Great Volunteers Need More Than Spiritual Gifts
Great volunteers aren't just gifted. They keep growing. In this episode, we're talking about why practical ministry skills matter more than many churches realize and how growing yourself may be one of the greatest gifts you can give...
233: "I'm Just a Volunteer" Might Feel Safer. But It's a Myth.
"I'm just a volunteer."That one phrase - one we've all heard and many of us have said - reveals a bigger problem than we realize. In this episode, we're talking about what happens when churches concentrate growth, development...
232: The Most Influential People in Your Church Might Not Be the Pastor
We spend a lot of time talking about pastors, church leaders, and people with titles. But what if I told you some of the most influential people in your church will never stand on a stage, lead a meeting, or sit on a board? In this ...
231: Why “Take a Break” & “Just Say No” Aren’t Fixing Ministry Burnout
Burnout recovery goes deeper than just taking a break. In this episode, we’re talking about why surface-level burnout advice often isn’t enough, the deeper patterns underneath emotional exhaustion, and why so many people in ministry...
230: You Can’t Help Everyone (And It’s Exhausting)
A lot of people in ministry feel like they’re constantly choosing who to disappoint. The church needs something. The team needs something. People want access to you. Your family needs you too. And eventually, it starts feeling impos...
229: Ministry Burnout Is Real (But It’s Not Inevitable)
Burnout is real … but a lot of the time, we’re not as stuck as we think we are. We say we’re overwhelmed, but we’re still saying yes, still filling gaps, still stepping in “just this once.” At some point, we have to get honest about...
228: How to Get People to Step Up at Church (Without Asking for Volunteers)
At some point, we have to admit that recruiting isn’t fixing our volunteer problem. We keep planning … and then trying to get people to care about it afterward. And that’s where things break down.But what if the real shift happens be...
227: Why People Stop Volunteering at Church (And How To Fix It)
Most people don’t say no to serving - they say no to how it feels. And often, that feeling comes from how ministry is built in the first place. When a few key shifts happen, things become more relational, more sustainable, and somet...
226: Why You’re Struggling to Get Church Volunteers (It’s Not What You Think)
Most churches assume they have a numbers problem. They’re trying to get more volunteers, when what really needs attention is the experience people walk into. It’s rarely a recruiting problem. It’s a culture issue that started long b...