The 100 Strong podcast

Past Episodes

Catch up on every live session. New recordings are posted here after each episode.

Wednesday, Oct 7 at 2:00 PM ET

When Church Growth Starts to Change Your Church

Every church says it wants to grow. More visitors. More families. More people getting connected. More lives being changed.

But what happens when your church actually starts growing?

Growth doesn't just bring more people through the doors. It brings **more personalities, more opinions, more expectations, more responsibilities, and sometimes, more problems.**

In this episode of the **100 Strong Church Podcast**, we talk about a side of church growth that doesn't get discussed enough: **growth changes the dynamics of your church.**

When you're a small congregation, everyone tends to know everyone. Relationships are familiar, communication is informal, and the church may feel like one big family. As new people arrive, that begins to change.

Suddenly, you're bringing together introverts and extroverts, early arrivers and last minute walkers, visionaries who want to move quickly, and planners who want every detail figured out first.

None of these personalities are wrong. In fact, **a healthy growing church needs all of them.**

The challenge for church leaders is learning how to recognize those differences, manage the inevitable personality conflicts, and help people find the ministries and responsibilities where they're most likely to thrive.

We'll talk about why growth naturally creates tension, how different personalities contribute to the mission of the church, and why conflict isn't always a sign that something is going wrong.

Sometimes it's a sign that **your church is becoming something bigger than it used to be.**

If you've been praying for your church to grow, you also need to be prepared to lead the church that growth will create.

Wednesday, Sep 30 at 1:00 PM ET

What Keeps Churches From Growing

Why do some churches grow while others remain stuck year after year?

In this episode of the 100 Strong Church Podcast, we break down six common reasons churches struggle to grow and what pastors and ministry leaders can do about them.

It starts with vision. Church leaders often say, "We don't have the money," "We're in the wrong neighborhood," or "We don't have enough room." Those challenges may be real, but effective leadership requires looking beyond today's limitations and moving forward with faith and vision.

We also discuss the importance of prayer. A growing church cannot depend on strategy alone. Prayer, spiritual leadership, and dependence on God must remain at the center of everything we do.

Next, we ask whether your church is prepared to reach the next generation. An outdated mindset, resistance to technology, no website or social media presence, and an unwillingness to invest in outreach can make a church increasingly disconnected from its community.

But getting people through the door is only part of the challenge. Are visitors welcomed? Do outsiders feel judged or accepted? Church leadership sets the standard for creating a culture where people feel genuinely wanted and valued.

We also explore why growth must be intentional. Churches need to invest in evangelism, outreach, discipleship, community, worship, leadership development, and the systems necessary to support growth.

Finally, we talk about organization. What happens after someone visits or accepts Christ? Is there a follow-up process? A path toward baptism and discipleship? Opportunities to build relationships, serve, and eventually lead?

If your church wants to grow, examine these six areas:

Vision. Prayer. Relevance. Hospitality. Intentionality. Organization.

Growing a church isn't simply about getting more people through the doors. It's about becoming a church capable of reaching, welcoming, discipling, and developing the people God brings your way.

Wednesday, Sep 23 at 3:00 PM ET

Why Churches Get Stuck at 100 and How to Break Through

Why do so many churches grow to 50, 75, or even 100 people and then seem to hit an invisible wall?

It usually isn't because the pastor isn't working hard enough. It isn't because the church doesn't care about reaching people. And it isn't necessarily because the community isn't interested.

The problem is that the way you lead a church of 50 eventually stops working when you're trying to become a church of 100, 150, or beyond.

In this episode of the 100 Strong Church Podcast, we break down what we call the 100 Ceiling, the point where the relationships and systems that helped build your church can actually begin limiting its growth.

We'll look at four common ceilings that keep smaller churches stuck: the care ceiling, when the pastor can no longer personally shepherd everyone; the room ceiling, when your facility is more full than you realize; cell saturation, when groups and relationships stop expanding; and the invitation stall, when a comfortable congregation gradually stops bringing new people.

More importantly, we'll talk about what has to change.

You'll learn why churches need to build leadership and infrastructure before they need it, why developing approximately 20 capable leaders can become critical as you approach 100 people, why an 80% full sanctuary may already be functionally full, and why breaking through the next attendance barrier requires turning relationships that once depended on the pastor into structures the entire church can carry.

If your church has been hovering around the same attendance for months or even years, this episode will help you stop asking, "Why aren't we growing?" and start asking the much more useful question:

"What has to change for us to grow?"

Because getting beyond 100 isn't simply about attracting more people.

It's about becoming the kind of church that can sustain them once they arrive.

Thursday, Sep 17 at 12:00 PM ET

Retention: How To Keep People Coming Back to Your Church

Getting new people through the doors of your church is only half the battle. The real question is: **will they come back?**

Churches often put tremendous energy into outreach, advertising, events, and inviting people to attend—but growth doesn’t happen simply because someone visits once. A growing church learns how to turn first-time guests into second-time guests, second-time guests into regular attenders, and regular attenders into connected members of the church family.

In this episode of the **100 Strong Church Podcast**, we talk about **retention—how to create a church experience and follow-up process that gives people a reason to return.**

We’ll explore what happens from the moment a visitor arrives in the parking lot to what happens in the days after they leave. We’ll discuss the small details that can make people feel welcomed and valued, the common mistakes that quietly drive visitors away, and why genuine relationships are ultimately one of the most powerful church-growth tools you have.

You’ll also learn why getting someone to return for a **second, third, and fourth visit** matters so much—and how intentional follow-up, personal connection, involvement, and a clear path toward belonging can dramatically improve your church’s ability to retain the people God is already bringing through your doors.

If your church is getting visitors but struggling to turn those visitors into regular attenders, this episode is for you.

**Getting people through the door is outreach. Giving them a reason to come back is retention. Building relationships that make them feel like they belong is how you build a church that is 100 Strong and beyond.**

Wednesday, Sep 9 at 11:00 AM ET

How to Follow Up on Church Visitor Leads Effectively

Getting someone to express interest in your church is only the beginning. What happens next can determine whether they actually walk through your doors—or simply become another name on a list.

In this practical webinar, How to Follow Up on Church Visitor Leads Effectively, we’ll show pastors and church leaders how to turn new visitor inquiries into real conversations, meaningful connections, and ultimately, church visits.

You’ll learn how quickly your church should respond, what to say in that first conversation, how often to follow up without becoming pushy, and how to create a simple follow-up process your team can actually maintain.

We’ll also cover common follow-up mistakes that cause churches to lose potential visitors and show you how to move someone naturally from “I’m interested” to “I’m coming this Sunday.”

Whether your leads are coming from Facebook and Instagram ads, your church website, community outreach, events, or other sources, this webinar will give you a practical system for making the most of every opportunity.

In this webinar, you’ll learn:

Why speed matters when responding to a new church visitor lead
What to say in your first text, call, or email
How many times you should follow up—and when
How to follow up without making people feel pressured
How to personally invite leads to an upcoming service
How to organize and track your follow-up
How to get staff and volunteers involved in the process
What to do when someone doesn’t respond
How to turn online interest into an in-person church visit

Your church is already doing the hard work of reaching people. Don’t lose them because no one followed up—or because the follow-up stopped too soon.

Join us and learn how to build a simple, personal, and effective visitor follow-up process that helps more people take the next step toward becoming part of your church.

Wednesday, Sep 2 at 11:00 AM ET

Building Your Church to 100 Strong and Beyond

Welcome to the very first episode of the 100 Strong podcast.

Most churches never break past the barriers that keep them small, not for lack of faith or effort, but for lack of a clear, workable plan. 100 Strong changes that. In this show we walk pastors and ministry leaders through the proven methodology behind building a congregation that is 100 strong and growing, using the same guidance and tracking tools thousands of leaders are putting to work every week.

In this opening episode, we lay the foundation: what "100 Strong" really means, why the first 100 is the hardest and most important milestone your church will reach, and the mindset shifts that turn a plateaued congregation into a growing one. We talk about the vision behind the movement, the practical framework you can start applying this Sunday, and what it looks like to keep building long after you hit that first 100.

Whether you are planting, replanting, or leading an established church that feels stuck, this is where the journey starts.