A recent seminary graduate who happened across the “Church Leadership Podcast” told co-host Andy Frazier it opened his eyes to what local church leadership is like.
He also said it was “one of the most helpful things he had listened to, read or learned from in the last several years,” Frazier recounted.
That’s exactly what Frazier and co-host Mark Gainey are aiming for. Their Birmingham-based Incite Ministries helps average-sized churches become revitalized and healthy, and they have extended the reach of their consulting services since launching the podcast in 2019. Their audience now spans the globe.
Other Christians can have similar impact through podcasting, they say.
‘Something to offer’
“Everybody has something to offer” through podcasting, noted Frazier, pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Sumiton. “If you’re trying to go out there and do what somebody else is doing, it’s probably not beneficial. But if you find your niche,” a podcast may be worth the effort.
An increasing number of Alabama Baptists have recognized that wisdom. Ministries large and small are discovering podcasts as another way to connect with target audiences, and they are entering the market with no shortage of offerings.
According to the website PodcastInsights.com, there are more than 2 million podcasts with at least 48 million episodes. Those statistics have left some churches, associations and state conventions wondering if there’s room for them to enter the pool.
Yet the statistics suggest there’s an audience for new material. Half of all U.S. homes are podcast fans, according to PodcastInsights, and 75% of the population is familiar with the term “podcasting.”
Frazier and Gainey have won listeners by interviewing Christian leaders — both high-profile and “average” pastors — for ministry insights. Their guests have included Southern Baptist Convention President Ed Litton, disciple-making expert Robert Coleman and Gateway Seminary President Jeff Iorg.
Continually learning
“There’s not a week in my life that goes by that I don’t apply something I’ve learned on a conversation in this podcast,” said Gainey, lead pastor of First Baptist Church in Fultondale and an associate in Sunday School and Discipleship with the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions. “If nobody listened, we’d still do it because we want to continually learn.”
The SBOM has found its own podcasting niche and plans to launch “One Mission: The Podcast,” with co-hosts Doug Rogers and Karen Gosselin. The goal is to personalize state missions by introducing listeners to people fulfilling the Great Commission across Alabama. The inaugural episode will feature an interview with SBOM executive director Rick Lance.
“Podcasting continues to gain in popularity and audience size,” said Rogers, director of communications and technology services. “It is appealing because it’s a way to connect with people that listeners can control in terms of when they want to listen and where they are when they listen.”
Associations are also entering the podcasting world. In March, Birmingham Metro Baptist Association is launching “The Undivided Podcast,” an effort to highlight ministries of the association and its partners. With an interview format hosted by BMBA executive director Chris Crain, initial episodes will highlight hospital chaplain ministry amid COVID-19 and the work of Discovery Clubs making disciples in public schools.
It’s almost necessary to have a podcast in 2022, Crain said. “It’s almost the legitimizing factor as to whether your ministry or your organization is relevant. You need to have all forms of communication that people are engaging in.”
Simple technology
Leaders at First Baptist Church in Enterprise agree. In May 2020 it launched a daily 10-minute podcast called “Simple Rhythms.” Each episode features a church staff member reading a Scripture passage and offering devotional thoughts related to the next Sunday’s sermon.
No complex equipment is required. Most staff members record on their phones and upload the audio to Google Drive.
“In the internet age, you can listen to podcasts of pastors and preachers from literally anywhere,” said Frank Craft, director of media and communications for First, Enterprise. “You can listen to pastors and preachers that are way better than us. But we believe there’s something special about the pastoral ministry.”
The podcast gives people “access to a steady rhythm” of their pastors, he said.
For churches and ministries considering podcasts, Craft has two pieces of advice: Just do it and keep it simple.
“You’re never going to have the perfect format,” he said. “It’s never going to be the perfect time. You’re never going to have the perfect idea. But just get after it.”
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