loader from loading.io

419. Why Most Small Churches Get Stuck (And How to Bring Them Back to Life)

The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count

Release Date: 05/08/2026

419. Why Most Small Churches Get Stuck (And How to Bring Them Back to Life) show art 419. Why Most Small Churches Get Stuck (And How to Bring Them Back to Life)

The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count

📝 Why Most Small Churches Get Stuck (And How to Bring Them Back to Life) Boston Interviews #4 In this episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast, Rob sits down with Joel Nagel, a leader with a deep passion for helping small churches grow, thrive, and become vibrant again. Joel shares insights from his work with the Small Church Initiative, an experimental cohort designed to strengthen churches with fewer resources and limited training opportunities. With most churches being under 100 members, this conversation addresses a critical question: 👉 Why do so many small churches get stuck—and how...

info_outline 418. From Electrician to Ministry: How This Young Couple Is Building a Thriving Teen Ministry (Boston Interviews #3) show art 418. From Electrician to Ministry: How This Young Couple Is Building a Thriving Teen Ministry (Boston Interviews #3)

The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count

📝 From Electrician to Ministry: How This Young Couple Is Building a Thriving Teen Ministry (Boston Interviews #3) In this episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast, Rob sits down with Tim and Susie Tang Creel, who lead a thriving youth and family ministry in Auckland. Their ministry is growing fast—with over 35 teens and climbing—and what’s even more inspiring is that they’ve only been in full-time ministry for about a year. So what’s working? Tim and Susie share the simple but powerful principles behind their impact—along with the personal sacrifices, faith decisions, and daily...

info_outline 417. How AI Could Fund the Future of Ministry (Boston Interviews #2) show art 417. How AI Could Fund the Future of Ministry (Boston Interviews #2)

The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count

📝 How AI Could Fund the Future of Ministry (Boston Interviews #2) What if ministry funding didn’t have to be the biggest limitation for growing churches? In this second episode from the Boston conference interview series, Rob sits down with Nate Bigby, a church leader and innovator who is helping reshape how ministry can be funded in today’s world. Nate and his wife lead a church in Corpus Christi, Texas—but beyond that, Nate has been developing practical solutions for bivocational ministers, helping them generate income through AI-based businesses. In this conversation, Nate shares...

info_outline 416. What Leaders Are Hoping for Before a Major Conference (Boston Interviews #1) show art 416. What Leaders Are Hoping for Before a Major Conference (Boston Interviews #1)

The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count

📝 What Leaders Are Hoping for Before a Major Conference (Boston Interviews #1) What are church leaders really hoping for when they come to a major conference? In this special episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast, Rob sits down for a quick, candid conversation with leaders gathered in Boston just before the Church Builders Conference begins. Featuring: Chris Schwarzenberger (Spokane, Washington) Brock and Anne Roby (SF Bay Fellowship, San Francisco Bay Area) Pam Skinner Together, they share their expectations, hopes, and what they’re really looking for going into the weekend—from...

info_outline 415. Stop Waiting: Why “Not Ready Yet” Is Holding You Back show art 415. Stop Waiting: Why “Not Ready Yet” Is Holding You Back

The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count

📝 Stop Waiting: Why “Not Ready Yet” Is Holding You Back What if the biggest thing holding you back
 isn’t lack of ability—but your habit of waiting? In this episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast, Rob tackles one of the most common—and dangerous—mindsets that keeps people stuck: 👉 Waiting for the “right time.” Whether it’s starting something new, stepping out in faith, or pursuing what God has put on your heart, many people delay action while trying to feel “ready.” But as Scripture reminds us: “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything...

info_outline 414. Feeling Anxious About the Future? Build This Foundation Instead show art 414. Feeling Anxious About the Future? Build This Foundation Instead

The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count

📝 Feeling Anxious About the Future? Build This Foundation Instead Feeling pressure, uncertainty, or anxiety about your future? You’re not alone. In this episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast, Rob tackles one of the biggest challenges facing disciples today—how to stay grounded when everything around you feels unstable. From shifting job markets to rapid technological change, from global conflict to personal uncertainty, it’s easy to feel like you’re falling behind. But here’s the truth: 👉 You don’t need a perfect plan
 you need a solid foundation. Drawing from powerful...

info_outline 413. Breakthrough Is Right There
 So Why Are You Still Stuck? show art 413. Breakthrough Is Right There
 So Why Are You Still Stuck?

The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count

📝 Breakthrough Is Right There
 So Why Are You Still Stuck? Why do so many people stay stuck
 even when breakthrough is right in front of them? In this episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast, Rob dives into one of the most powerful stories in the Bible—when the Israelites stood on the edge of the Promised Land
 and didn’t go in. Not because they couldn’t. 👉 But because they wouldn’t. Drawing from Numbers 13–14, Rob unpacks the moment everything changed—not because the facts changed, but because their faith did. Twelve leaders saw the same land. They saw the same...

info_outline 412. The 3 Mindsets That Will Transform Your Faith (Most Christians Ignore This) show art 412. The 3 Mindsets That Will Transform Your Faith (Most Christians Ignore This)

The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count

📝 The 3 Mindsets That Will Transform Your Faith (Most Christians Ignore This) What if your spiritual growth isn’t about trying harder
 but thinking differently? In this episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast, Rob breaks down three powerful identities every serious disciple must embrace: 👉 Soldier. Athlete. Farmer. Drawing from 2 Timothy 2:3–7, Rob explains how these aren’t just metaphors—they’re expectations for anyone who wants to live a no-regrets life and truly make an impact. Each identity reveals a critical mindset: The soldier teaches focused obedience The athlete teaches...

info_outline 411. What If You Get to Heaven
 and Can’t Get In? show art 411. What If You Get to Heaven
 and Can’t Get In?

The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count

📝 What If You Get to Heaven
 and Can’t Get In? What if you showed up at Heaven’s gate
 and were turned away? It’s a sobering question—but one that every person needs to consider. In this episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast, Rob shares a powerful personal story from his time living in Japan—when he was denied boarding on a flight because he didn’t have the right visa. No matter how much he reasoned, explained, or hoped
 👉 Without the right documentation, he wasn’t getting on that plane. And that moment became a lasting spiritual lesson. Because when it comes to...

info_outline 410. This One Leadership Skill Changes Everything (Most People Miss It) show art 410. This One Leadership Skill Changes Everything (Most People Miss It)

The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count

This One Leadership Skill Changes Everything (Most People Miss It) What if your future success came down to one simple—but overlooked—skill? In this episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast, Rob shares a powerful leadership principle that impacts everything: 👉 Your ability to recognize and recruit the right people. Through a personal story that starts with an unexpected phone call during COVID, Rob unpacks how one decision—to invest in the right person—led to far more than he ever imagined. That young man didn’t just become a leader
 He became family. Drawing from 1 Samuel 14:52, this...

info_outline
 
More Episodes

📝 Why Most Small Churches Get Stuck (And How to Bring Them Back to Life) Boston Interviews #4

In this episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast, Rob sits down with Joel Nagel, a leader with a deep passion for helping small churches grow, thrive, and become vibrant again.

Joel shares insights from his work with the Small Church Initiative, an experimental cohort designed to strengthen churches with fewer resources and limited training opportunities.

With most churches being under 100 members, this conversation addresses a critical question:

👉 Why do so many small churches get stuck—and how can they grow again?

đŸ”„ What You’ll Learn in This Episode

  • Why small churches often experience an “existential crisis” when growth stalls
  • The importance of community and connection for isolated leaders
  • How weekly cohorts and training are transforming struggling churches
  • Why church culture (“the soil”) matters more than quick results
  • The difference between a church that’s growing—and one that just looks active
  • How to build a vibrant, alive church environment that leads to growth

💡 Key Insight

Growth doesn’t start with numbers.

👉 It starts with culture.

When a church becomes spiritually alive—when people are engaged, connected, and excited—growth follows naturally.

đŸŒ± Why This Matters

Many small churches don’t fail because of a lack of faith.

They struggle because of:

  • Isolation
  • Lack of training
  • Limited support systems

The solution?

👉 Connection, coaching, and culture.

📣 Get Involved

If you’re a small church leader and want to be part of a future cohort, Joel shares how to get connected and take the next step toward building a thriving church.

🔗 Next Steps

  • Subscribe for more leadership insights from around the world
  • Share this episode with a church leader who needs encouragement
  • Sign up for Rob’s weekly newsletter at RobSkinner.com

🔁 Series Note 

This episode is part of a special series of short interviews from the Boston Church Builders Conference, featuring leaders focused on growing healthy, thriving churches around the world.