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.
On The Rise: The Percentage of Pastors Who Still Want to Quit is _______ (+ Freeing Up Church Budget Money)
Published 10 days ago • 4 min read
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 in.
The latest Barna data shows that fewer pastors than at any point in the last five years are giving serious consideration to quitting ministry.
But the bad news is 24% are still thinking about leaving ministry entirely. Which is still insanely high given that many have left in the last five years. You can read the latest here.
Also, this gives me fuel for doing what I do. Hang in there.
Stop Playing Small (Fund the Future of Your Church)
Bold vision needs funding to fuel it. Here’s how.
When generosity stalls, the vision for your mission shrinks.
Fund the Futuremasterclass gives you a step-by-stepsystem to break out of survival mode and build a culture of transformational generosity at your church.
You’ll hear from some of today’s sharpest minds:
Craig Groeschel—helps you think bigger and believe God for more.
Chris Hodges—breaks down how to cast vision and confidently invite investment.
Ashley Wooldridge—teaches the keys to making generosity part of your church’s DNA.
Dan Clark—shows you have to engage major donors.
These are real, actionable strategies you can put into practice as you work through the course.
So, if you’re tired of feeling awkward about funding your mission and are ready to lead boldly into the future, start the course today.
It’s included in your all-access membership. What are you waiting for?
AI is becoming the story of our lifetime and one of the biggest in human history.
A tiny handful of AI mega-companies are literally changing everything right now, and the ethicists, philosophers, and theologians are behind. We’re building things that, by admission, even the developers don’t fully understand.
So, where’s the Christian ecosystem on AI? Axios (a mainstream publication) recently profiled Gloo, a Boulder-based company developing AI for good (an ethical and Christian framework). Gloo also recently developed a Christian framework on what makes AI “ethical” and “Christian.” You can see that here.
Other start-ups are also developing and filtering AI, which is great to see. By the way, last year, Gloo became the parent company of my company, and we’re thrilled with the partnership. It has expanded the capacity of my small but amazing team and me. On that note, I’ll be doing a lot more around AI this year. By 2027-2028, my guess is that AI will be so disruptive it will dominate all our conversations and strategies, and we’ll be here to help.
Your Sermons Have Answers. Help Your People Find Them.
Haystack uses AI to help your congregation find the right sermon at the right time.
You pour hours into every sermon. By Monday, it's buried in a playlist. Here's the thing: you've already preached on anxiety. On marriage. On doubt. But when someone in your church needs those words on a Tuesday night, they have no way to find them.
Haystack puts AI-powered search right on your church's website and app, so your congregation can search your sermons by real questions, real struggles, real life. I've seen Haystack in action, and I love what they're doing. Mention my name, and they'll import your sermon archive for free so you can see it with your own content.
Speaking of investing in leadership development, I once invested heavily in having Les McKeown personally coach me in my leadership. He has helped me with so much.
But for the price of a book, you can get so much wisdom for a minuscule fraction of the price of coaching. Les’s book The Synergist, will give you fresh eyes for who the Visionaries, Operators, Processors and (ideally) Synergists are on your team.
“What story about yourself would you have to retire in order to grow into the life you want?” - James Clear
Cheering for you,
Weekend Watching
The Red Flags Driving Women Out of Church (and How to Fix Them) with Kadi Cole
Recent data shows that while young men are coming to church in record numbers, women are leaving. Why? Kadi Cole shares the #1 reason women are leaving church (lack of trust) and outlines numerous other red flags that are alienating women. Plus, she discusses how to address them and how to create an engaging environment for women, whether you lead a complementarian or egalitarian church.
Leadership Is Better Shared. Invite Your Friends!
Know someone who would benefit from The Art of Leadership Academy? Invite them to join by visiting your Invitation Hub.
Carey Nieuwhof Communications, PO Box 160, Oro Medonte, Ontario L0L 2X0
Carey Nieuwhof
Where 100,000+ leaders get top insights to thrive in life and leadership.
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.
