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Church Consultants React to Social Media Christmas Clips

Release Date: 12/17/2025

Three Ways Being "Nice" is Killing Your Church Revitalization

The Church Revitalization Podcast

Being nice sounds like a virtue, but in church revitalization it can quietly work against you. In this episode, Scott and A.J. walk through three specific ways that avoiding hard conversations and tolerating the wrong things in the name of kindness can stall or even sabotage your church's mission. The goal is not to be harsh, but to lead with the kind of courageous clarity that actually serves your congregation well. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are ministry strategists and consultants with the Malphurs Group, a firm dedicated to helping churches develop healthy, mission-driven cultures. Each...

How to Know if Your Church Has Expired Vision

The Church Revitalization Podcast

Is your church's vision still guiding decisions and inspiring people, or has it quietly expired without anyone noticing? In this episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast, Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu walk through three clear signs that a church's vision has gone stale, and they offer practical next steps for auditing and renewing it before it does more damage. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are the co-hosts of the Church Revitalization Podcast and consultants with the Malphurs Group, a ministry dedicated to helping churches develop healthy, strategic frameworks for growth and renewal. Each...

Why Churches Stop Growing at Predictable Barriers

The Church Revitalization Podcast

Every growing church eventually hits a wall, and in this episode, Scott and A.J. walk through three predictable barriers that slow or stall church growth. These are not problems that cause growth to begin in the first place, but rather real, pragmatic obstacles that show up when a healthy church is already moving in the right direction and needs to clear the path ahead. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are lead consultants at the Malphurs Group, a church consulting organization focused on helping churches become healthier and more effective in their mission. Each week on the Church Revitalization...

Three Signs of Low Emotional Intelligence in Pastors

The Church Revitalization Podcast

In this episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast, Scott and A.J. walk through three practical signs that a leader may be operating with low emotional intelligence. From confusing anger with authority to struggling to read a room to reacting instead of responding, the conversation is honest, self-aware, and grounded in real pastoral experience. The goal is not to point fingers at others but to help leaders identify areas where they can grow. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are church consultants with the Malphurs Group, a ministry dedicated to helping churches thrive through practical...

Three Things Growing Churches Do With Their Facilities That Declining Churches Don't

The Church Revitalization Podcast

Growing churches and declining churches handle their facilities very differently — and it often has nothing to do with budget or building size. In this episode, Scott and A.J. break down three practical philosophies that healthy, growing churches apply to their physical spaces that plateaued or declining churches tend to overlook. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are the co-hosts of the Church Revitalization Podcast, produced by the Malphurs Group, a church consulting organization dedicated to helping churches grow healthy and reach their communities. Each week, Scott and A.J. bring practical,...

Healthy Churches Have Healthy Pastors

The Church Revitalization Podcast

Pastor failures -- moral, emotional, and relational -- are rarely just personal crises. Too often, the church itself has inadvertently created the conditions for them: isolated leaders, missing accountability, and no margin for rest. In this episode, Scott and A.J. make the case that keeping a pastor healthy is a team responsibility, and walk through three practical systems any church can put in place before a problem develops. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are the hosts of the Church Revitalization Podcast, produced by The Malphurs Group -- a church health and strategic planning consultancy....

Stop the Summer Slump Before It Starts

The Church Revitalization Podcast

Every church feels it: attendance dips, energy fades, and ministry momentum stalls somewhere between Memorial Day and Labor Day. But the summer slump isn't inevitable. It's the result of low expectations and no plan. In this episode, Scott and A.J. make the case that April is exactly the right time to get ahead of summer, and they give you three practical categories of action to help your church stay healthy and even grow through the slower months. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are the hosts of the Church Revitalization Podcast, produced by The Malphurs Group, a church health and strategic...

The Missing Link Between Your Sermon and Your Worship Service

The Church Revitalization Podcast

Most churches run their preaching ministry and worship ministry on parallel tracks that never really meet. The result is a Sunday service that feels more like a playlist followed by a sermon than an integrated, unified experience. In this episode, Scott and A.J. explore the practical steps any church can take — regardless of size or style — to build real collaboration between the pastor and the worship leader so that Sunday morning becomes a cohesive whole. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are church health consultants with The Malphurs Group and co-hosts of the Church Revitalization Podcast....

3 Reasons Your Church Isn't Keeping Its Guests

The Church Revitalization Podcast

You've got guests showing up on Sunday — but they're not sticking around. In this episode, Scott and A.J. break down three common, fixable reasons your guest assimilation process is losing people, and what you can do to turn things around without a massive budget overhaul. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are the hosts of the Church Revitalization Podcast, part of The Malphurs Group — a church health and strategic planning consultancy that has helped hundreds of churches across the country get healthy and grow. Each week they bring practical, actionable insights to help church leaders move...

Three Budget Areas Your Church is Underfunding

The Church Revitalization Podcast

Most church budget conversations focus on what to cut. But what if the real problem is what you're not funding? In this episode, Scott and A.J. make the case that churches are dangerously underfunding three key areas — and the cost shows up in plateaus, burnout, and declining impact long before leaders realize why. Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu are the hosts of the Church Revitalization Podcast and consultants with The Malphurs Group, a church health and strategic planning organization helping churches across the country move from plateau and decline toward fruitful, sustainable ministry. ...

More Episodes

In this special Christmas episode of the Church Revitalization Podcast, Scott Ball and A.J. Mathieu react in real time to a series of viral Christmas-themed church and Christian videos circulating online. From funny and lighthearted moments to intense theological takes and over-the-top productions, this episode explores how Christians communicate faith during the Christmas season—and how those messages are received by both believers and the watching world.

Scott Ball is joined by co-host and fellow church consultant A.J. Mathieu as they offer candid, unscripted reactions rooted in decades of ministry experience. Together, they discuss pastoral wisdom, cultural engagement, outreach effectiveness, and where well-intended Christmas expressions may help—or hurt—the church’s witness.

Chapters

[00:00] Introduction

[02:15] Pastors, humor, and calling out fruitcake from the pulpit

[04:41] “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and why punctuation matters in theology

[07:45] Is Christmas pagan? Responding to extreme anti-Christmas arguments

[12:44] Cross-shaped Christmas trees and symbolic overcorrections

[18:08] “Christmas at the Movies” sermon series—helpful or overdone?

[24:20] Mega-church Christmas productions, ticket prices, and public perception

[34:12] A deeper look at A Christmas Carol and the dangers of moral rigidity

Links & Resources

Healthy Churches Toolkit - https://healthychurchestoolkit.com
The Malphurs Group - https://malphursgroup.com
Facebook - https://facebook.com/malphursgroup
Instagram - https://instagram.com/malphursgroup
YouTube - https://youtube.com/themalphursgroup
X (Twitter) - https://x.com/malphursgroup

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