The Country Chapel: Lessons in Rural Ministry podcast has been launched!

It is a show dedicated to bringing lessons in rural ministry to the broader CGN network. Within this show, I will be interviewing pastors, church planters, ministry leaders, and various rural network directors. Each of them have answered the call to minister in small and often overlooked places. The aim is to gain wisdom, guidance, and vision and to help encourage and equip those already engaged in rural ministry—and to hopefully make the need for rural ministry more apparent.

The Needs of Rural America

On September 27, 2022, CGN published my article “Rural America Matters Too.” My purpose was to highlight the overlooked needs of rural Americans by the broader church. Certainly there are many churches scattered across rural America. However, much of the attention given by seminaries, Bible colleges, and conferences are to the more urban and suburban contexts, while communities of 10,000 or less that are not near any sort of urban core are often overlooked.

There is a divide within our country, and it is present in our churches as well. As much as we want to say we are all united in the Gospel, culturally we may as well be living on different continents. How you view agriculture, governmental regulations, nutritional science, hunting, fishing, and environmental stewardship shows a lot about who you are. While we all like to claim objectivity in our views, the fact is our immediate culture has a lot to do with how we view the world near and far.

As an example, if you were to ask an urbanite to describe a farm, their answer would likely be drastically different than what someone who lives in farm country would say. In Glenn Daman’s book The Forgotten Church: Why Rural Ministry Matters for Every Church in America, he describes such an interaction, one he had with a local barista in the small town he serves:

“She moved from an urban area into our small community so that she could have a garden and a couple goats. Her goal was to have a self-sustaining farm on a few acres in her pursuit to get back to nature. She further complained that all the farms were now becoming corporate farms operated by large companies that were destroying our food supply by genetically modified organisms in their pursuit of profits. But the reality is that 96.4% of all farms are still family owned.”^[1]

Why do I bring up this example? Because it matters. It might not seem like it should, but it does. This demonstrates one of the many differences that shoves a wedge between urban and rural cultures. If you were to show up as a minister in a farming community, such a mindset would quickly alienate you from the very people you are trying to reach. Your definition of a farm would appear quaint and more along the lines of something from a storybook than reality.
 

Now, there is nothing wrong with having a garden, a few goats and perhaps some chickens mixed in there. Heck, add a couple of emus and you would be describing the home of my youth, but I would never have called it a farm. My wife grew up on a multi-generational family farm of a few hundred acres where they raised cattle, corn, wheat, and soybeans. That is a farm. Did I mention the crops were GMO? (gasp).

The Hard Realities of Ministering in Rural America

Now, there is room for people to disagree over proper land stewardship, GMO or organic, and free-range vs warehouse raised chickens. Yet for the minister of the Gospel, they need to be aware of the culture they are walking into. What things desperately need to be challenged and what needs to be recognized as just being a part of the people. Those who care about seeing lost souls saved, who plant themselves in rural America, will need to come to grips with the culture of the people they hope to reach.

Rural America is becoming a ghetto in many places. As Osha Gray Davidson puts it:

“The word ‘ghetto’ speaks of the rising poverty rates, the chronic unemployment, and the recent spread of low-wage, dead-end jobs. It speaks of the relentless deterioration of health-care systems, schools, roads, buildings, and of the emergence of homelessness, hunger, and poverty. It speaks, too, of the inevitable outmigration of the best and the brightest youths. Above all, the word ‘ghetto’ speaks of the bitter stew of resentment, anger, and despair that simmers silently in the those left behind. The hard and ugly truth is not only that we have failed to solve the problems of our urban ghettos, but that we have replicated them in miniature a thousand times across the American countryside.”^[2]

Worse even than the social, mental, and economic plight of rural America is the spiritual plight. Like many places, active Christian faith and church attendance is on the decline, while people who claim to be Christians because of cultural conservatism is on the rise. Meaning there are a lot of lost people thinking they are saved who do not even realize they are lost. They may claim a religious affiliation but their heart has yet to be regenerated by the gospel message of Jesus Christ. They need to be unconverted in order to actually then be converted.

Addressing the Needs of Both

The Country Chapel: Lessons in Rural Ministry podcast hopes to address these issues and more. Ministry in the forgotten places can seem lonely, painstakingly slow, and frustrating, but it is a work worth doing. There are people in need of Christ for the salvation of their souls and hope for this life. It is the goal of this podcast to remind us of the goodness of Christ toward those in rural places and encourage those who have entered this work to stay the course—and hopefully inspire some to this unique mission field. This is a work that desperately needs doing. “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Gal. 6:9).

Subscribe to the Country Chapel Podcast at CGN Media!

References:

^[1] Glenn Daman, The Forgotten Church: Why Rural Ministry Matters for Every Church in America (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2018).
^[2] Osha Gray Davidson, Broken Heartland: The Rise of America’s Rural Ghetto (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1996).

Tragedy has struck our global family. Ferocious wildfires have ravaged Maui, Hawaii, resulting in the loss of 99 lives (as of early morning August 15th), with many more feared. As the search for survivors continues, our hearts are deeply saddened, and we’re moved to reach out in prayer for those effected by this devastating disaster.

How Can We Help?

Pray:
Pray for comfort for those grieving, strength for the rescuers, wisdom for the authorities, and protection for all affected.

Raise Awareness:
Share this post with your networks, ensuring that the situation in Maui remains at the forefront of global consciousness.

Support:
Consider donating to relief efforts. Any help will make a difference.

Donate to Calvary Chapel Central Maui’s Relief Fund Here

CGN is more than a network: We’re a family. And in times of sorrow, we stand together, united in prayer and purpose.

Let’s raise our voices, reaching out to our Heavenly Father on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Maui!

We know that in times of great darkness, the light of the church shines brightest.

CGN Media Welcome a new Podcast!

EELeaders is a ministry led by Daniel Williams, lead pastor at Redemption Church Delray Beach.

The heart and vision is to ENCOURAGE & EQUIP Church leaders. The EEleaders website serves primarily as an online resource providing audio and video interviews and ministry advice from various pastors and Christian leaders throughout the world.

EEleaders also features a blog providing weekly posts on scripture, leadership, and recommended books and resources. We pray that these resources are a blessing to you.

A Word from Daniel, The Host:

“My heart to encourage and equip church leaders has come through my own personal journey as a follower of Jesus. I grew up the son of a Calvary Chapel pastor in Tacoma, Washington, met and married my wife, Laura, just out of high school, and we have been serving in ministry together for the past 20 years. I have served as a youth pastor, worship leader, church planter, lead pastor, dad, husband…you name it! And what I have learned is that I always have a lot to learn.

My desire is to learn from other men and women who have walked the road I am walking and have grown in their own experience and wisdom in leadership. Serving as a leader is a unique and important role, and we can ALL benefit from the wisdom of experience from other faithful followers of Jesus.

The Leadership Lessons Podcast is a resource where I have collected, compiled, and created content for other church leaders to have readily available for their own growth and encouragement in their ministries. There is so much content out there, and it is helpful to provide a place where it is organized and made accessible for people to watch, listen, and apply.

The EELeaders website (EELeaders.com) is a free resource for anyone and everyone!

It includes all sorts of resources including the Leadership Lessons Podcast where I interview leaders from all areas of ministry and we discuss the things they have learned and want to pass on to others. I also just allow church leaders to share openly about the things God has taught them through different video segments.

I started the Leadership Lessons Podcast initially because I found myself connected with many experienced leaders in the church who had learned from their own experience and had wisdom to pass along to other leaders.

I found myself wanting to see what I could learn myself, and this led to the creation of the Leadership Lessons Podcast where other leaders can learn as well.

I love asking what advice and lessons people have for others serving in ministry. And I have seen God use this podcast to encourage and equip church leaders that I know personally and many who I have never met. This is a huge answer to my prayers.

EELeaders also now offers a Patreon membership where patrons can receive additional content, coaching, and be a part of a community of other Christian leaders.

My heart remains to help others grow in their leadership and to faithfully live out the calling God has on their lives.

If EELeaders and the Leadership Lessons Podcast can help you with that, I will be deeply grateful.”

On June 6, 2023, a section of the Kakhovka Dam in southern Ukraine collapsed, causing massive flooding, extensive property damage and loss of life, and a humanitarian and ecological disaster. bridgeUA is responding to this crisis. You can help! Pray and donate.

The following is a transcript of the video:

Hello, everybody. I’m sure you’ve already heard about what happened yesterday in Ukraine with Kakhovka Dam. At night. Yesterday, Russians destroyed the waterpower station that was in Kakhovka, and it opened up the dam and water started flowing. It was a major stop. It stopped the Dnieper River, and it would hold a water for 16 meters high. And all of that water started to go in the cities and villages that are in that area.

So, today about 80 villages and cities are being flooded. Fortunately, many people were able to be evacuated even before then. There was some information out there, and a lot of people were evacuated. But about 16,000 people were injured by this water flood that took place.

As Calvary Chapels in Ukraine and as part of bridgeUA, everything that we are doing together to be a support and the love of Christ to all of those people. We are looking into the ways of how we can serve people who were hurt through this. So, one of our churches immediately relocated there and made their place available for refugees to come. And we’re also looking into adding more churches to again open our houses, open our church buildings, for refugees.

But from what we know at this point, not many people are willing to leave the closest nearest by area, so they’re living in the tents, and they’re waiting for water to go down. That’s one hand. On another hand there was a lot of people about 10% of that population, they stayed there. And a lot of them, they moved to the roof of their buildings so not to be caught by the water. But today we just found out from one of our sources people that are living there in that area are older people who could not climb onto the roof of their buildings were killed by water, were killed by this disaster. And a lot of dead bodies are floating and things like that, and animals and all that. It’s just the devastation of what took place there.

We want to be a response. And we want to invite you to participate, to join to support financially. On the website of bridgeUA, you can find all information on how you can donate, how you can support right now. We’re looking into more of a long-term support, long-term goals, so we’re looking into medications, antibiotics. We’re looking into fever reducers. We’re looking into buying necessary medications to help, and in the long run, because people are going to be suffering from sicknesses that can come along because of the water damage.

Also, we’re looking into pumps that will be pumping out the water from the buildings. Boats: that’s another one that just came in, information that there are some churches that are gathering resources to buy boats and motor boats, smaller boats that can run and evacuate people from the buildings, people that are still waiting on the on the rooftops.

So, this is just some ways: generators, heating furnaces and things like that. That’s the area that we want to help, and we want to participate. So, friends, we invite you to join us, first of all in prayer for people who got hurt but also in a way how we can serve together as a community of churches that would be united in the force to serve those who have this need.

And also, if you are willing to support, please, in the description, you’ll you’ll find information about how you can do it. So please follow that link and support with whatever you can. Thank you! God bless you, and we’ll keep you updated as we go.

We at CGN are excited to share with you details about our ongoing strategic partnership with Western Seminary and how it is making a difference in the lives of our pastors and leaders. Should you desire to deepen your knowledge base, broaden your perspective, and become a more effective servant in your local church context, this graduate-level cohort program may be the opportunity you have been looking for.

Our belief at Calvary Chapel has always been that God does not necessarily call the equipped. Instead, He equips the called. CGN’s partnership with Western Seminary has seen God’s hand in action, equipping many of our pastors and leaders, enabling them to serve Jesus more effectively in their local contexts through a formal seminary education.

This partnership with Western Seminary aligns perfectly with the vision of CGN to equip and resource local churches in our network to fulfill the great commission. Through this partnership, we have created a path for you to gain a graduate-level education from a prestigious institution at a significantly discounted rate, better preparing you to serve the Lord in your local context.

Participants of the program have found themselves growing deeper not only in maturity, knowledge, and wisdom, but also in spiritual transformation—an integral aspect of leadership. The cohort is not about basics; it is about value addition.

One of the strengths of the cohort program is its ability to bring deep theological truths to life through the experiences of seasoned ministry veterans. The challenge is not to simply reinforce existing beliefs, but to stretch one’s thinking, to challenge participants to understand perspectives that differ from their own. The intent is not to dictate what to think but to guide on how to think fairly through the text.

This collaboration with Western Seminary affords those with at least a half decade of full-time ministry the opportunity to complete a graduate degree program as a member of a cohort, specifically a leadership cohort.

If you are interested in expanding your horizon with like-minded individuals in this cohort program at Western Seminary, we here at CGN encourage you to visit our website. There you will find all the information you need about the application process as well as details on the discount.

We are excited to announce the upcoming 2023 CGN International Conference, June 25-28, 2023, at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa. The theme of the conference is “The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me,” based on the scriptures in Isaiah 61. If you are looking to deepen your faith, and connect with fellow believers, we hope you will come and be encouraged as we anticipate the Spirit of the Lord coming upon us.We would like to personally invite you, your ministry team, your friends in ministry, and anyone else you think needs encouragement to attend and be strengthened along with us.

Our three full days together will be filled with teaching from leaders around the world, engaging panel discussions, and practical workshops. Not only will you, and your team and friends, receive valuable insights from experienced leaders in the field, but each of you will also have the opportunity to make new connections and rekindle old friendships.Each day will be packed with opportunities to pray, worship, learn, fellowship, and share meals together, creating the perfect environment for reflection and growth.

Whether you are a pastor, elder, usher, worship or youth leader, or involved in administration or children’s ministry, this conference is designed to equip and inspire you.Again, our theme for this year’s conference is “The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me.” As such, we believe that as we spend quality time in God’s presence, we will be empowered to fulfill our calling and impact our communities for His glory. Do not miss out on this incredible opportunity to grow in your faith and ministry. Register now!

Introducing CGN Media!

We’re excited to announce an exciting change: CGN’s “GoodLion Podcast Network” is being re-branded as CGN Media, the new home for podcasts, videos, music (coming soon), and other great content from Calvary Global Network.

Our mission is to produce excellent and inspiring content that encourages and equips our audience to proclaim the Gospel, make disciples, and plant churches. We’ve partnered with pastors and leaders throughout our network of churches to create a wide variety of high-quality shows that center on Christ and His Kingdom.

We firmly believe that the best content is not “content for the sake of content,” but rather, quality work created with the intention of enriching the lives of our listeners and providing a platform to share the love and Way of Jesus with the world.

 

Podcasts

We’ve got tons of great podcasts for you to listen to! Check out the “latest episodes” feed on the home page!

Our Theology and Culture category features in-depth discussions on theological concepts and the intersection of faith and culture. We believe that understanding culture and its relationship to faith is critical in helping Christians navigate the complex and ever-changing world we live in, learn how to be cultural missionaries, and grow deeper in their understanding of the Kingdom of God.

Our Ministry and Leadership category is designed to help pastors and church leaders hone their skills and become better equipped to lead their congregations. This category includes shows that focus on practical skill sets like preaching and church planting, as well as shows that provide practical advice and strategies around the vital topics of church leadershipand women in ministry. We even have shows that dive into specific concerns like mental health in ministry.

Our Christian Living category is designed to encourage and empower our audience to live their lives in a way that reflects their faith, and our Education and Questions category is perfect for those seeking answers to the deep questions of theology and apologetics. These shows provide biblical perspectives on current events and address common misconceptions about Christianity. Additionally, they equip believers with the knowledge they need to defend their faith.

 

A Little History

Pre-CGN, the CalvaryChapel.Com team worked together with Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa to produce a variety of video and podcast series, including the Things That Matter podcast. A few years after the formation of CGN, the GoodLion podcast network was built to cultivate more great shows within the network.

CGN Podcast & Content Director, Aaron Salvato, reflects on how it all happened. “The podcast network actually began in 2019 under the name GoodLion. It was a small indie network that I started with Brian Higgins, Mike Neglia, and a few others. Then CGN approached us about teaming up, and it’s been an incredible journey! Since joining CGN and working together, we’ve grown to over 40 shows! It’s been humbling and inspiring to see the fruit of our labor and hear how our shows are making a difference around the world.”

With the move to CGN Media, you can expect nearly all of the same great shows that ran on GoodLion, with room to grow and expand. CGN is proud to collaborate with pastors and leaders throughout our network of churches to create content that inspires and encourages people on the path of discipleship. Our podcast network provides a platform for these leaders to share their wisdom and expertise with a broader audience, making a more significant impact for the Kingdom of God.

A New Platform for a New Season

We’ve decided to lean into our CGN identity and re-brand our podcast and media efforts. As the vast majority of our shows are from CGN leaders who are invested in the vision and mission of the network, it only makes sense to better emphasize the CGN brand.

Our new platform, CGN Media, will continue to feature shows produced by the CGN Ops Team and Executive Team, as well as other pastors and leaders throughout our network of churches. We believe that by streamlining our efforts under the CGN banner, we can create even more focused and impactful content that truly resonates with our audience.

At CGN, we’re dedicated to creating high-quality shows that inspire and encourage spiritual growth, and we hope to build even more outstanding programs that touch people’s hearts and inspire meaningful connections with God.

We believe that this shift will allow us to better serve our audience and community, and we’re excited to see where this new chapter takes us.

What’s Happening with GoodLion?

We’re not discontinuing the GoodLion brand; rather, we’re supporting Aaron and his team in their efforts to refocus it as less of a podcast network and more of a ministry within the CGN family.

“When we first started GoodLion, the goal was to create something that focused on pointing young Christians to the God who is not safe, but good, as C.S. Lewis describes Aslan in the classic Narnia quote,” Aaron says. “The idea was to focus on helping people navigate complex and ‘un-safe’ topics like doubt/deconstruction and help them center on Jesus.

Over time, we saw that vision evolve from a podcast network to a full-blown ministry effort … it became more than just podcasts. It became a way for us to reach young people around the world, help churches through classes and workshops, and even included our most recent effort of establishing a small school of discipleship in Oklahoma to help local churches. We’re incredibly grateful to CGN for all their encouragement and support throughout the history of the podcast network, and we’re excited to see what this next chapter holds.”

 

We’re Excited about the Future

We’re incredibly excited about the future of CGN Media and the impact it’ll have on people’s lives. We believe that our shows provide a unique perspective on Christianity and the world around us, and we’re thrilled to share this perspective with our audience.

Our new website is designed to make it easy for you to find and access our shows. We’ve organized our content into categories to make it easier for you to find the shows that are most relevant to you. We’re also excited to be branching out into video content, and we’re partnering with YouTubers across CGN to produce Christ-centered content for our audience.

If you’re a YouTuber who creates Christ-centered content and want to work with us, please get in touch. We’re always looking for new partners to collaborate with and create exciting new content for our audience.

Helpful Links and More

• The front page of CGN Media is always kept fresh with the latest episodes of our podcasts.
• Browse our podcast shows and categories.
• Our video page contains video content from several video creators within CGN.
• Learn about our content creators and browse their work.
• If you would like to subscribe to all the podcast episodes from CGN Media, you can do so with this RSS feed: https://cgnmedia.org/feed/all

Thank you for your support and encouragement as we seek to make a difference in the world. We believe that the content we produce has the power to inspire and encourage people in their faith journey, and we’re excited to see how it’ll impact the lives of our audience.

Check out our new website, and listen to some of our shows – we think you’ll be glad you did!

Are you eager to explore how our faith intersects with the world of ideas and beliefs that shape our lives? Then you won’t want to miss “Isms That Cause Schisms,” the brand-new podcast series from CGN. Hosted by the dynamic duo of Pastor Jeff Gipe and Professor Brian Nixon, this podcast promises to take you on a thought-provoking journey into the heart of some of the most divisive and contentious topics of our time through the lens of the Kingdom of God.

From politics to religion, from culture to philosophy, “Isms That Cause Schisms” will delve into the many ways in which our beliefs and ideologies can both unite and divide us, all while exploring how these issues intersect with the Christian faith. With insightful commentary, personal anecdotes, and a good dose of humor, Pastor Jeff and Professor Brian will challenge your assumptions, expand your understanding of the faith, and help you see the world in a new way that aligns with God’s Kingdom vision.

Listen to episode one here!

 

A word from Jeff:

“Why are people so divided today? Why is there so much anger and disdain? These are the type of questions that have been ricocheting around in my head for the past few years. In one sense, I understand why the world is divided, but why the church? Why is there so much anger and distain in the church? The concept of unity was in the heart of the apostles and the church fathers. In fact, John Chrysostom (c. 347-407), Archbishop of Constantinople, wrote ‘The name of the Church is not one of separation but of unity and harmony.’ ¹

“Having a desire to overcome division for Kingdom unity, I set out on a quest to answer questions like these. I found myself diving into the book of Ecclesiastes. This wonderful book deals with questions that have puzzled philosophers for thousands of years. Unlike philosophers of today, the book of Ecclesiastes gives us answers to questions, not from a philosopher but from a Sovereign Creator. The answers found in Ecclesiastes are certain to restore unity, harmony, and joy in the church.

“In this podcast we will look at eight isms found in the book of Ecclesiastes and how these isms have caused schisms in the church today. What are those isms? Scientism, intellectualism, hedonism, materialism, existentialism, capitalism, religionism, and humanism.

“Considering my background, I knew I could define and discuss such isms as hedonism, materialism, capitalism, and religionism but didn’t feel qualified to speak on the other isms.

“Then one day I was reading a book written by a long-time friend, artist, musician, educator, minister, and a Fellow at Oxford Graduate School (DPhil), Brian C. Nixon, titled Tilt: Finding Christ in Culture where he defines the theological principle of common grace: “Common grace refers to the gifts given by God for all of humanity to use and enjoy. These gifts include creation (the natural world and science) and culture (the humanities, arts, and civilization).” ²

“It was at that very moment I knew I had to have him join me on the podcast. When I shared with Brian my idea for the podcast and how my background and his background together would make one whole Solomon, he immediately said yes.

“In this podcast series we try and accomplish three very important things: direct you to scripture text found in Ecclesiastes, define our terms, and discuss the isms at hand.”

Listeners can expect a lively discussion that will challenge their views and invite them to think deeply about the isms that shape our world. Tune in to “Isms That Cause Schisms” to gain a better understanding of the roots of the divisions in our society and church.

New episode every Friday!

 

References

¹ Thomas P. Halton, The Church: Message of the Fathers, Vol. 4 (Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, Inc., 1985), 56.

² Brian C. Nixon, Tilt: Finding Christ in Culture (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2020), xvii/Introduction.