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.
What if you’re not doing as well as you think?
Hi Reader, Have you ever wondered if you’re not doing as well as you think you are? There was a season in my 30s when I thought I was doing great. Our church was growing more than 30% a year. People were getting baptized. I was driven, productive, and pushing hard. Meanwhile, my wife was telling me I needed counseling, my mentors could see things I couldn’t, and eventually I burned out. That’s part of what made my conversation with therapist Chuck DeGroat so fascinating. Chuck has spent years...
AI answers instantly. God sometimes doesn’t.
Hi Reader, You’ve probably told your congregation a hundred times that patience is a virtue. Learning to wait on God is part of the Christian life. But how do you disciple someone into patience when they’re used to getting an answer in half a second? Because that’s the world every person in your church lives in now. AI answers instantly... every time, on every topic, with total confidence (even when it’s wrong). God, as you know, sometimes doesn’t answer at all. Scripture treats that silence...
On The Rise: Why young adults go to church + Patrick Lencioni on what AI can’t do
Welcome to the On The Rise newsletter, where I feature fascinating, helpful, and sometimes curious content that caught my attention this week. Today, fresh Barna data on the reasons young adults like attending church, Patrick Lencioni weighs in on AI at the office, answers to where is God when you don’t understand, and the most popular baby names the year you were born. The Social Reasons Young Adults Go to Church New Barna data reveals what young adults want out of church. What are young...
What’s killing the church? Maybe it’s refusing to celebrate growth?
Hi Reader, Imagine being 28-years-old, planting a church, and two years later, breaking 1,000 in attendance. What's that journey like? Well, believe it or not, it's...mixed. Among the hardest challenges you'll get are the cynical critics who complain that you're growing that fast. Yep, fellow church leaders hate on growing churches. That's Andrew Hopper's story, and he doesn't sugarcoat any of it. In this episode, we get into what it actually costs to grow that fast, why the church world has...
Tired of being misunderstood? It's actually your job.
Hi Reader, It's Pastor Appreciation Month, but I'm guessing you feel under-appreciated. I've been there. And one of the chief ways senior leaders feel under-appreciated is because they feel misunderstood. Truthfully, if you've been a senior leader for more than ten minutes, you've likely made a decision that has left you feeling misunderstood. You had to make a tough call, but it's not appropriate (thanks to confidentiality) to fully explain why you made it. You made a hard staff or volunteer...
On The Rise: Fake experts everywhere, housing then and now + Gullible church leaders
Welcome to the On The Rise newsletter, where I feature fascinating, helpful, and sometimes curious content that caught my attention this week. Today, a thoughtful article on the epidemic of fake experts our culture has produced, and how to spot and resist them. Plus, the real cost of housing forty years ago versus today, and an insight from Chuck Colson that sent chills down my spine. How to Spot a Fake Expert A thoughtful piece on agency and spotting fakespertise. In an age where everyone...
Why "successful" leaders still crash
Hi Reader, One of the more sobering questions you can ask yourself as a leader is this: Am I becoming the kind of person who can sustain the life I’m building? Jimmy Mellado has spent more than three decades as a CEO, including 21 years helping lead the Willow Creek Association and the last 13 at Compassion International. Along the way, he watched leaders he admired make decisions that devastated their marriages, ministries, and lives. It forced him to wonder whether leadership failure was...
AI intimidate you? You don't need to become a tech expert (here's what to do instead)
Hi Reader, 87% of pastors say they're already using AI... are you one of them? If you've been feeling like everyone else has this figured out and you're behind, take a breath. Most leaders I talk to are in the exact same spot: experimenting a little, unsure a lot, and quietly wondering if they could be doing something different. But becoming more tech savvy is not about chasing every trend or turning yourself into a technology expert. It's about having a curious, adaptable posture and the...
What to do when you can't understand what God is doing?
Hi Reader, This one’s personal. I sat down with my wife Toni, Ann Voskamp, and John Ortberg for the kind of dinner-table conversation I love bringing to the podcast. Think of this conversation as three friends who have walked through real pain, talking honestly about what they’ve learned, to help you learn how God acts when nothing makes sense. Here’s what you’ll take away: 👉 Why AI’s instant answers are making it harder to wait on God (and what we’re actually losing)👉 What Dallas Willard...
The hidden AI stupid tax (are you paying it?)
Hi Reader, Does using AI make you dumber? Actually, it might. But here's the important nuance: it's not whether you use AI, it's how. Let me show you what I mean. A Brown University economics professor has taught the same course for over thirty years. Last spring, he moved his midterm to a take-home exam. Enrolment nearly tripled. And when the exams came back, the class average was 96 percent (on a harder exam than usual), in a course where the historical average runs 65-80. Something felt...
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.