Influence, Attendance, and… Woodstock? (w/ Karl Vaters) – Episode 5
Join us for episode 5 of The 95 Podcast as we talk with Karl Vaters, a widely-respected voice for small churches, to talk through influence and attendance.
Practical conversations for small and midsize church leaders.
Hosted by Dale Sellers, Executive Director of 95Network and former small church pastor, the 95Podcast addresses the real challenges pastors face every week—from church health, leadership clarity, to the everyday realities of leading without large staff or large budgets. These are straightforward conversations rooted in experience, not theory.
New episodes release every Tuesday wherever you listen to podcasts or delivered straight to your inbox.
Join us for episode 5 of The 95 Podcast as we talk with Karl Vaters, a widely-respected voice for small churches, to talk through influence and attendance.
Join us for episode 4 of The 95 Podcast as we talk with Tony Morgan, founder of The Unstuck Group, to talk through 10 characteristics of unstuck churches.
Join us for episode 3 of The 95 Podcast as Dale and Austin take some time to talk about having a vision for the future, particularly as it relates to reaching the next generation.
Join us for episode 2 of The 95 Podcast as we talk with Aimee Cottle, Director of Marketing at Fishhook, about some practical ways smaller churches can be using Facebook Groups to create community and improve discipleship within their ministry.
What better place to start for the very first episode of The 95 Podcast than talking about our favorite topic: small churches.
Equipping can’t be reduced to a weekly performance; it requires presence, relationship, modeling, and shared life.
“If you got a pulse, he’s got a purpose for you.” Retirement isn’t the end of ministry; it’s a new season with fresh opportunities to serve, mentor, and impact the kingdom.
Self-awareness protects leaders from self-deception. Honest feedback is a guardrail for character and culture.
Build discipleship around practice, not just information. People grow through doing, feedback, and repetition in relationships.
Prayer is the engine, not the accessory. Easter effectiveness is not primarily about production, but about God’s presence.
Less Is More—With Intentionality. Doing less with your whole heart is better than doing more and being worn out. Fewer tactics executed with great intentionality will be more effective than an overwhelming production.
Have the Conversation Before There’s a Problem. You can’t wait for something negative to happen before talking to volunteers. Schedule regular check-ins not just about their area of service but about their lives.
The personal God gets personal with us. Biblical counseling explores the active, desiring heart beneath behavior and connects it to Christ’s finished work and the Spirit’s present ministry.
America’s churches are over-inspired and under-trained. People hear great messages but don’t know how to actually do ministry. The solution is creating workshop environments where people learn by doing, not just listening.
With a possible 160,000 churches facing pastoral transitions in the next decade, there’s a critical shortage of developed leaders ready to step into these roles.