Why Churches Fail To Develop Volunteers

Hey, it’s Brady,

13 years ago, my pastor put an entry-level camera in my hand and said:

“Go make a video.”

Wanna know the crazy part?

Most of you reading this wouldn’t have trusted me with that project.

Because I had no existing camera skills. I was unremarkable.

But isn’t that your story, too?

Forgive me if you were a prodigious talent.

But most church creatives I speak to tell me the same origin story - something like, “I had used Photoshop once, but that’s it.”

Here’s the secret to developing talent:

Step #1: Confidence breeds competence.
Step #2: Greater competence breeds greater confidence.
Step #3: Repeat forever.

13 years ago, I didn’t have confidence. No competence either. So then what?

My pastor gave me confidence.

By trusting me with that video project he put his confidence in me. That motivated me to gain the competence needed. Which in turn made me more confident. Which in turn…

…you get the picture.

Churches always want to discover competence.

Instead, they need to focus on building confidence.

The competence will follow. I promise.

Alarming Stats About Declining Religion

The most religious cities in America are places you might suspect.

Like Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta.

However, there’s a weird addition here - a city in California where nearly 30% are monthly attenders. Who would have thought?

What city is that? And which cities are the least religious in the country?

This week on the pod we’re joined by Ryan Burge from Graphs About Religion. He's the preeminent source on data and faith.

Full podcast here.

Thanks as always for your time, attention, and trust. Talk to you next Thursday. - Brady Shearer