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.
The challenge with Easter
Hi Reader, So, like many of us, you're getting ready to celebrate the greatest moment in human history: Easter. And I need to confess something. I get worked up every year around the messaging for Easter. And Christmas. And Good Friday. Now, let me be really clear right up front. I don’t dislike what these days are about. I love the Gospel. I love the story of Jesus. I believe the resurrection changed everything. But as a pastor? These were always the hardest services to plan for the entire...
On The Rise: How Many People REALLY Go To Church Sunday + 3 Tells of Great Leaders, and Not Disappointing Your Family
Welcome to the On The Rise newsletter, where I feature fascinating, helpful, and sometimes curious content that caught my attention this week. Today, a study that uses cell phone data to track where people really spend Sunday mornings, three tells of great leaders (they’re not what you think), making things fun again, and reflecting on the people you really don’t want to disappoint. How Many People REALLY Go to Church Every Week??? Way less than you think So, you know when you read that 20ish...
The belief that might be holding your church back.
Hi Reader, Ever notice how leaders often know exactly what to do… but still don’t do it? You’ve read the books.You’ve attended the conference.You’ve heard the strategy. But somehow the change never sticks. In this episode of the podcast, I sit down with bestselling author and Stanford lecturer Nir Eyal to talk about something deeper than strategy: belief. Nir argues that most leaders don’t struggle because they lack information. They struggle because of self-limiting beliefs they don’t even...
Your sermon doesn't have to end on Sunday
Hi Reader, You spend days—sometimes weeks— preparing your sermon. Praying. Writing. Editing. ... then it gets 35 minutes of airtime on Sunday morning. And 78 views on YouTube. That's it. Not because it wasn't true. Not because you didn't deliver it well. But because, for so many churches, it's treated like an event. The sermon is rarely the problem. The shelf life is. Your sermon wasn't meant to end on Sunday... If you've preached before, I'm sure you feel the tension. That's why I'm excited...
Carl Lentz on failure, leadership, and what comes next
Hi Reader, Today’s episode is unlike any I’ve done before. I sat down with Carl Lentz for a long, honest conversation about leadership, failure, platform, pressure, and what happens when it all unravels. We didn’t rush it. We didn’t avoid the hard parts. We went there. Leadership comes with influence. It also comes with responsibility. And when integrity fractures, the consequences are real, for you, for your church, for your soul. But this episode isn’t about scandal. It’s about...
The top leaders in the world all do this
Hi Reader, The other day, I asked a multiple New York Times bestselling author if I could share a story he told me in my next book. He got it back to me—signed—in about 90 seconds. This guy has millions of followers, and his response is almost always instantaneous. It didn't sit in his inbox for a few days before getting back to me. It didn't get put on a "get around to that later" list. This is a pattern I’ve noticed before. I’ll text friends who lead some of the largest churches in America,...
On The Rise: Families are more fragile than you think + making typos in the age of AI and sleep tracking limits
Welcome to the On The Rise newsletter, where I feature fascinating, helpful, and sometimes curious content that caught my attention this week. Today, a fresh report on the state of US families. The stress is getting to almost everybody, it seems. Plus, why the best antidote to AI is being more human, how to heal your hurting mind, and the benefits and limits of sleep trackers. Only 14% of US Families are Resilient We’re a little more fragile than we think. If some days it feels to you like...
The lies leaders believe when life gets hard
Hi Reader, If you’ve ever wanted to quit, you’re in good company. I’ve wanted to throw in the towel. And in the last 12 months, Jennie Allen wanted to quit everything, too. In today’s episode of the podcast, Jennie gets painfully honest about what happened after Gather 25 👉 the mountaintop, the crash, and the spiritual battle that followed. We talk about suffering, spiritual warfare, and the lies leaders believe when life starts coming at you from every side. And if you’re one of the 1 in 4...
The problems (and promise) of denominations
Hi Reader, Denominations have shaped Christianity for centuries. But in the last few decades, something has shifted... and not in a small way. Many denominations have declined, sometimes dramatically. Other new denominations have started. And a few are growing. Have denominations drifted and lost their purpose? What's the path forward? The problems (and promise) of denominations in 2026 When protecting the system matters more than advancing the mission, when leaders guard turf instead of...
On The Rise: The Percentage of Pastors Who Still Want to Quit is _______ (+ Freeing Up Church Budget Money)
Welcome to the On The Rise newsletter, where I feature fascinating, helpful, and sometimes curious content that caught my attention this week. Today, the number of pastors considering quitting full-time ministry is at a five-year low, but it’s still too high. Plus, how to almost instantly free up church budget money and grow your giving, and a James Clear quote I’m pondering about scripts. Pastors Wanting to Quit Ministry Drops to Five-Year Low But 1 in 4 are still thinking about packing it...
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.