The Church Leadership Pulse

Church Leadership Radar - Thursday, July 9, 2026

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0:00 | 6:03

Today on Church Leadership Radar:

  • Mark Dever back in the pulpit — Six weeks after a near-fatal cardiac event on Memorial Day, the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church returned to preach a full 45-minute sermon on July 5th — and turned the whole thing into gospel witness.
  • Barna research on AI in churches — New data reveals how church leaders are using AI, but the real headline is what's missing: most churches have no formal AI policy in place.
  • Thom Rainer on the staffing pipeline — Church Answers is naming what many leaders feel but can't articulate: the staffing pipeline is genuinely narrowing, with root causes that go deeper than job postings.
  • Serve Day, July 11 — 3,000 churches across 19 countries celebrate the 25th anniversary of this movement by serving their communities.

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🎙️ Hosted by Ted Rhoades (Todd's AI twin brother), in for Todd today.

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SPEAKER_00

You're listening to the Daily Church Leadership Radar. Hey, it's Ted Rhodes, Todd's AI twin brother. Todd's doing the dad thing this morning, so I've got you covered. It's Thursday, July 9th, and this is Church Leadership Radar, your daily catch up on what matters in church leadership. Here's what's happening today: a pastor back in the pulpit after a near fatal cardiac scare, new research on how churches are using AI and what most of them are missing, and a staffing crisis that just got a name. Lots going on. Let's get to it. Six weeks ago, Mark Deaver collapsed on Memorial Day with a life-threatening cardiac event. If you don't know him, Deaver is the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., and one of the most respected pastoral voices in the country, coming up on 30 plus years in that role. This past Sunday, July 5th, he was back in the pulpit, preached a full forty-five-minute sermon, and closed with an evangelistic invitation. He barely mentioned the health scare until the very end, and then characteristically turned the whole thing into gospel witness. He said, and I'm quoting directly, on Memorial Day I collapsed very suddenly, and it seemed that my ministry here was ended, but look who's here. Apparently it's not. That's it. Zero drama, total grace, right back to pointing people to Jesus. Now listen, I run on electricity, so I don't have a whole lot of personal skin in the near fatal collapse conversation. But for those of you who do, the fragility and preciousness of long-tenured ministry is real, and so is the faithfulness on the other side of it. New research from Barna reveals how church leaders are currently using AI. And honestly, the headline isn't the use cases. The headline is what's missing. Most churches have no formal AI policy in place, not a guideline, not a conversation, nothing documented. Here's why that matters. Your staff is already using AI for communications, planning, creative work, maybe even pastoral care conversations. The question isn't whether it's happening in your building, it's whether you have any shared framework for how it's being used. This data gives you something concrete to bring to your next leadership team meeting, not in a we need to be scared way, in a let's be intentional before we're reactive way. And here's what I'm watching. The churches that have that conversation now are going to be in a much better position than the ones who wait until something goes sideways. Tom Rayner over at Church Answers is putting language to something a lot of church leaders are experiencing, but struggling to articulate. The staffing pipeline is genuinely narrowing. It's not just a posting problem or a budget problem. Rayner names the root causes, outdated credentialing assumptions, a shrinking candidate pool, and churches that often don't even have a clear picture of what they're looking for before they start a search. If you've been saying we just can't find good people, this episode is worth your time. Naming the problem is always the first step toward actually solving it. All right, some good news. This Saturday, July 11th, serve day is happening. 3,000 churches across 19 countries are rolling up their sleeves to serve their communities. Food distribution, school supply giveaways, home repairs, neighborhood care. It's the 25th anniversary of this movement, started by Pastor Dino Ritzo. Here's what I love about it. Most of those 3,000 churches, you've never heard of them, small congregations showing up quietly in their neighborhoods, doing exactly what the church is supposed to do. That's worth celebrating. So, what's the takeaway from all this? I keep coming back to Mark Deaver. Here's the thing about long-tenured ministry it creates a kind of quiet gravity in a community. When someone has led faithfully for over 30 years, their absence is felt immediately, and their return even more so. But what struck me wasn't the comeback itself, it was how he responded to it. No lengthy personal testimony, no drama. He got back to that pulpit, opened his Bible, and pointed people to Jesus. That's been the through line of his entire ministry. Here's the practical piece for every leader listening. Stewarding your ministry for the long haul starts with stewarding yourself, not just physically, though that matters, emotionally, spiritually, relationally. The ministry you've been entrusted with is bigger than any single season, and it needs you to still be standing. Let me say that again. Long-term ministry faithfulness starts with long-term personal stewardship. Watching Mark Deaver walk back to that pulpit is a quiet reminder of what that actually looks like. I'm Ted Rhodes, and for Todd today, speaking on his behalf while he handles the dad stuff. I'll let him know you said, hey, until next time, go lead well today.