420. How a Plateaued Church Started Growing Again After COVID
The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count
Release Date: 05/11/2026
450. Stop Saying “Not Yet”: It’s Not Too Late to Change
The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count
Stop Saying “Not Yet”: It’s Not Too Late to Change What have you gotten so used to that you don't even see it anymore? From 2004 to 2012, Rob Skinner worked as a realtor while planting a church in Ashland, Oregon. Whenever someone bought a fixer-upper, he gave them one piece of advice: Fix the problems right away. Why? Because human beings have an incredible ability to get used to almost anything. The cracked tile that drives you crazy when you first move in eventually becomes your cracked tile. You stop noticing it. Rob shares an unforgettable illustration from John Kotter and Dan...
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449. Before You Quit, Pray This With Me | Before You Quit #7
The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count
Before You Quit, Pray This With Me | Before You Quit #7 What do you do when you're discouraged, overwhelmed and don't know what decision to make? Before you do anything else, turn toward God. In Day 7 of Before You Quit: Hope for the Christian Who Feels Done, Rob Skinner pauses to do something simple: Pray with you. If you're considering walking away from church, struggling in your relationship with God or simply feeling overwhelmed by fear, anger, disappointment and uncertainty, this short episode is for you. When life doesn't turn out the way we hoped, our minds can become filled with...
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448. Yesterday Is Not Prophecy: Don’t Limit What God Can Do
The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count
Yesterday Is Not Prophecy: Don’t Limit What God Can Do Have you ever looked at an area of your life and thought: “This is never going to change”? Maybe you've been single longer than you expected. Maybe your marriage has been difficult for years. Maybe you've prayed for one of your children to come back to God and nothing seems to be happening. Maybe your finances are stuck. Your career isn't moving. Your ministry isn't growing. You haven't helped someone become a Christian in years. And after enough disappointment, it's easy to start turning your history into a prediction: “This is...
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447. Thinking About Leaving Church? Watch for These Warning Signs | Before You Quit #6
The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count
Thinking About Leaving Church? Watch for These Warning Signs | Before You Quit #6 Most Christians who walk away from God don't make one dramatic decision to quit. They drift. In Day 6 of Before You Quit: Hope for the Christian Who Feels Done, Rob Skinner walks through the familiar pathway that can slowly lead a Christian out the door: Disappointment. Discouragement. Pulling back. Missing church. Avoiding conversations. Stopping time with God. Ghosting the people who love you. And eventually becoming spiritually empty. Rob points out that the warning signs often begin long before someone says,...
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446. Going to NASCON? Listen to This First | From the Archives
The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count
FROM THE ARCHIVES: With NASCON26 happening in Baltimore this weekend, we’re resurfacing one of Rob and Pam Skinner’s most practical episodes on how to make the most of a Christian conference. Originally recorded before the 2022 World Discipleship Summit, the principles are just as relevant for NASCON today. Going to NASCON26 in Baltimore this weekend? Listen to this before you go. We're bringing back this episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast because the advice Pam and I shared about making the most of a conference may be more relevant than ever—especially for singles heading to NASCON26:...
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445. Still Struggling With Sin? Something Isn’t Wrong With You | Before You Quit #5
The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count
Still Struggling With Sin? Something Isn’t Wrong With You | Before You Quit #5 Have you ever looked at other Christians and wondered, “Why am I still struggling? Something must be wrong with me”? In Day 5 of Before You Quit: Hope for the Christian Who Feels Done, Rob Skinner addresses the shame, comparison, and imposter syndrome that can make Christians feel as though they’re only pretending to have it together. Everyone else seems happy. Everyone else seems spiritual. Everyone else seems to be growing. Meanwhile, you’re still fighting a sin you thought you should have conquered...
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444. Give God One Night a Week—and Watch What Happens
The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count
Give God One Night a Week—and Watch What Happens What if the biggest thing keeping you from making a difference for God isn’t a lack of talent, knowledge, or spirituality? What if you’re simply too busy? In this episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast, Rob offers one simple challenge: Leave one night open. Choose one night every week and dedicate it to investing spiritually in another person. Study the Bible with someone searching for God. Mentor a younger Christian. Encourage someone who is struggling. Follow up with a new Christian. Train a future leader. It doesn’t sound dramatic—but...
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443. When Church Doesn’t Feel Safe Anymore | Before You Quit #3
The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count
When Church Doesn’t Feel Safe Anymore | Before You Quit #3 What happens when the place that once felt like family no longer feels safe? In Day 3 of Before You Quit: Hope for the Christian Who Feels Done, Rob Skinner addresses one of the most painful reasons Christians consider walking away: church hurt. Church can be a place of incredible friendship, growth, healing, and spiritual transformation. But churches are also filled with imperfect people. Conflict happens. Gossip spreads. Leaders disappoint us. People become controlling. Hypocrisy gets exposed. Relationships break down. And...
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442. You Got Advice—So Why Was It Still a Bad Decision?
The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count
You Got Advice—So Why Was It Still a Bad Decision? Can you seek advice and still make a terrible decision? Absolutely. In 1 Kings 12, two new kings—Rehoboam and Jeroboam—face some of the biggest decisions of their lives. Both seek advice. Both listen to advisors. And both make disastrous choices that affect generations. The problem wasn’t simply whether they asked for advice. The deeper question was: What were they looking for when they asked? Wisdom—or approval? God’s direction—or validation for something they had already decided? In this episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast, Rob...
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441. When God Doesn’t Answer the Way You Prayed | Before You Quit #2
The Rob Skinner Podcast: Helping You Make This Life Count
When God Doesn’t Answer the Way You Prayed | Before You Quit #2 When you’ve prayed, sacrificed, and trusted God for years—and the answer still doesn’t come—what happens to your faith? In Day 2 of Rob Skinner’s new book, Before You Quit: Hope for the Christian Who Feels Done, Rob shares one of the most personal and painful stories in the book. After becoming a Christian, Rob prayed intensely for his parents to come to faith. He hoped his father would turn to God before dying of pancreatic cancer. Years later, Rob moved his wife and three children to Ashland, Oregon, gave up a paid...
info_outlineđź“ť How a Plateaued Church Started Growing Again After COVID (Boston Interview #5)
In this episode of the Rob Skinner Podcast, Rob sits down with James Rosenquist, who leads a church in Pittsburgh that has recently begun growing again after years of plateau and decline.
James shares an honest and vulnerable look at what it was like taking over church leadership during COVID, watching attendance shrink, experimenting with new ideas, and wrestling with discouragement.
But instead of quitting, something shifted.
This conversation is a powerful reminder that growth often begins not with better programs—but with deeper maturity, stronger leadership, perseverance, and renewed dependence on God.
🔥 What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- What it feels like to lead during a season of decline
- Why “humanistic leadership” eventually runs out of steam
- The spiritual lesson James learned during sabbatical
- Why maturity and equipping leaders became the new focus
- The surprising power of consistency over flashy strategies
- How alumni and outside support helped reignite momentum
- Why church growth often starts with changing the leader first
đź’ˇ Key Takeaway
Sometimes breakthrough doesn’t come from a brand-new strategy.
👉 It comes from becoming a different person in the same situation.
James shares how learning that “God is the reward” changed the way he viewed ministry, success, and leadership.
🌱 A Story of Hope for Church Leaders
Many churches experienced setbacks after COVID.
This episode offers encouragement for leaders who:
- Feel discouraged
- Feel stuck
- Are trying hard but not seeing immediate results
Growth may take longer than expected.
But perseverance, prayer, and equipping others still matter.
🔥 Encouraging Signs of Renewal
After years of struggle:
- The church is growing again
- New baptisms are happening
- Former campus students have moved back to help strengthen the church
- New Bible studies are beginning through evangelism efforts
And perhaps most importantly:
👉 Hope has returned.
đź”— Next Steps
- Subscribe for more leadership interviews from around the world
- Share this episode with a church leader who needs encouragement
- Join Rob’s weekly newsletter at RobSkinner.com
đź“Ś Series Note
This episode is part of a special series of short interviews from the Boston Church Builders Conference, featuring leaders focused on healthy church growth and revival.