Carey Nieuwhof
Don’t settle for an impact smaller than you’re called to make. It's time to unlock your potential and lead confidently into a future filled with growth — for yourself, your church, and your mission. Get access to some of my best leadership content, only published in my newsletters.
Gen Z sees something about AI that most pastors are missing
Hi Reader, Everyone's talking about how to use AI. But there's a bigger question almost no one is asking in staff meetings, in personal study, or from the pulpit. And it's the much bigger question of what AI might do to us. New Barna research suggests your youngest adults get it. Here's what caught my attention: 20% of Gen Z sees AI as high risk and low opportunity. That's the highest concentration of any generation in any quadrant. Meanwhile, 73% of Boomers are barely tracking with it at...
On The Rise: The Commodification of Christianity, + People In Your Church Struggle With This
Welcome to the On The Rise newsletter, where I feature fascinating, helpful, and sometimes curious content that caught my attention this week. Today, a Gen Z thinker reflects on the commodification of Christianity, a completely fresh way to lose your brain, irrational money moves, and your achievements v. your impact. The Commodification of Christianity I have mixed feeling about this, but she has a point One young emerging voice that constantly makes me think is Freya India (she's coming on...
One week from today, you could be two weeks ahead
Hi Reader, This is your quick reminder... our free 3-Day Sermon Prep Challenge starts this Tuesday, July 7th and there's only a few days left to register. I'm sure there are a hundred things competing for your attention next week... but I also know what it costs to keep scrambling into Sunday (often on fumes). It can be different, and that's what my team and I are trying to solve for you. And here's exactly what you'll get: Tuesday, July 7. You'll explore why you're stuck in reaction mode,...
Why your best advice is making your team worse
Hi Reader, Quick question: how many times did you try to solve a staff problem this week that you already thought you solved three times before? That pattern has a name. Michael Bungay Stanier calls it the advice monster. As the leader in charge, you dispense advice, and nobody follows it. And as long as you keep feeding the advice monster, your team stays stuck, and so do you. In today’s episode, Michael Bungay Stanier, author of the best-selling coaching book, The Coaching Habit, walks...
What load are you carrying that doesn't belong to you?
Hi Reader, Okay so this is a really honest email. Not that the others have been lies, but you know what I mean. Honest. Transparent. Embarrassing. I wrote a book about burnout and I've taught leaders all about margin and guess what? I still carry too much of the leadership load. A book project is a great example of needing an entire team to make something work. Yet there's something in me that makes me think that I'm somehow still responsible for everything. For example, today we released the...
Still finishing your sermon on Saturday?
Hi Reader, Are you feeling pinched on preaching prep time? If you're like most preachers, you probably don't have a sermon prep problem; you have a margin problem. Sunday comes every seven days (whether you're ready or not). And for a lot of pastors, that means Thursday rolls around, the week has already gotten away from you, and suddenly you're writing your message in whatever cracks and corners you have left. You find yourself polishing it up on Saturday night, or even early Sunday...
On The Rise: Do young adults still believe in marriage?
Welcome to the On The Rise newsletter, where I feature fascinating, helpful, and sometimes curious content that caught my attention this week. Today, new Barna data on Gen Z’s attitudes to marriage and family, how to solve some chronic team issues, stolen focus and the gambling on everything craze. Do Young Adults Still Believe In Marriage? Well... The good news is that 78% of Gen Z say they want to get married. The other news is they’re waiting longer than ever and are rethinking family. The...
The trend I should have ranked #1
Hi Reader, A question for you: Who is discipling your church Monday through Saturday? Most pastors would instinctively answer, "The church." But what if that's no longer true? In today’s Church Trends Update, I unpack the trend I underestimated back in January. I originally ranked it fifth. Looking back, it probably should have been number one. Your people spend an average of 49 hours a week on their phones. Every scroll, click, recommendation, and video is shaping how they think, what they...
You’re more creative than you think
Hi Reader, How easy is it for you to be creative? Most leaders will tell you they’re not creative, but Al Gordon says that’s the lie keeping you stuck. Al is the founder of Renaissance and lead pastor of SAINT Church in East London, a city where less than 1% of people attended church when he planted it a decade ago. Al makes the case that creativity isn’t a nice-to-have for the church. It’s the missing superpower. He shared something I hadn’t heard before: neuroscience research showing that...
Your Best Leaders are Leaving (Here's Why)
Hi Reader, Do you have enough high-capacity volunteers right now? I'm talking about volunteers who attract other capable leaders. Who don't drop balls. Who love a challenge and constantly overperform. They can be very hard to find and even harder to keep. If you're like most church leaders I talk to, the honest answer is no. The frustrating part is that those people are probably already in your church. They're sitting in your seats; they're just not serving (or they tried and walked away)....
Don’t settle for an impact smaller than you’re called to make. It's time to unlock your potential and lead confidently into a future filled with growth — for yourself, your church, and your mission. Get access to some of my best leadership content, only published in my newsletters.