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: Pastors Are Emotionally Better, Or Are They?
Published 4 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, fresh Barna data tells a complex (but encouraging) story of how pastors are doing. Plus, we’ll look at 49 things you can do for fun, a history of the church growth movement, and a robot who can (skilfully) cook your eggs.
Pastors Are Feeling Called But Not Satisfied
New Barna data shows a complex picture
Well, there’s good news and there’s other news when it comes to pastoral health and satisfaction.
In some complex findings, Barna has found that emotional strain among pastors has reached its lowest point in a decade and inadequacy, exhaustion, and energy have all improved.
Pastor’s confidence in their calling is up too, which is great.
And now for the other news.
Yet vocational satisfaction tells a different story: the share of pastors who are “very satisfied” with their vocation has fallen from 72 percent in 2015 to 52 percent in 2026.
Barna suggests the issue is structure rather than exhaustion—roles that don't match strengths. Responsibilities that should have been delegated years ago or job descriptions that no longer work.
In other words, pastors believe in the work. They're just not sure the work, as currently designed, still works.
It’s a mixed bag for sure.Check out the article to see how you’re feeling about your ministry lines up with where others are at.
Are You Asking the Right Questions About AI?
It’s both, “How do we use it?” AND “What is it about to do to the people we lead?”
Most of the AI conversation in church world right now is about tools.
“Do you use ChatGPT or Claude?” “How can I save a few hours a week?”
That's a reasonable place to start, but it's not a safe place to stop.
Because underneath the practical questions, something bigger is building.
Work is changing fast, mental health is declining, and truth itself seems to be up for grabs for too many people.
Big shifts are bubbling. And your church needs to be ready for when they pop.
That's what my new book, AI and the Future Church, is about. Not the tools, but the shifts every church needs to make now to be ready for what AI is doing to the people in your community.
Too many leaders I know don’t actually have any hobbies or do much for fun. That’s not true of the best leaders I know, but it’s true of many.
If you’re out of ideas on how to spend your time off, this article provides 49 things to try, many of which won’t cost you a penny. They’re not all gems, but they will spark you into creative options you may not have thought of.
Spiritual curiosity is rising — especially among young adults.
The data is striking right now.
People who walked away from faith are asking questions again. But here’s the tension most church leaders feel: the curiosity is real, and your church isn’t quite sure how to meet it.
Alpha was built for exactly this moment. It's a free guide to lead a series of conversations so people can unpack the basics of Christian faith together — no pressure, just honest conversation over a good meal. Any church, any size, fully supported. Nothing to build from scratch.
If your church is ready to open a door for the people in your community who are searching, Alpha has a free 3-Step Launch Plan that shows you exactly how to get your first gathering off the ground.
If you’ve been a fan of the church growth moment or its biggest critic, you’ll love Todd Wilsons How Did We Get Here? It’s a history of the church growth movement. I read it with fascination as suddenly all the random stories and people I knew (and many I didn’t) were put together into a coherent 70 year arc. Knowing how we got here is essential for any leaders who cares about reaching people and wants to get better at it.
Your social feed probably has its share of robot fail videos. But humanoid robotics is progressing at a breakneck speed. Genesis AI has released GENE-26.5 — the first AI brain to give robots human-level physical manipulationcapabilities.
On one hand, while it’s not quite humanlike in all motions, on the other hand it’s a little too good.
Cheering for you,
P.S. Weekend Watching
Eric Ries
Get Past Broke Thinking In Your Church: The Lean Startup's Eric Reis on When To Take A Risk and Why Harder is Easier
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.
