The Church Leadership Pulse

Church Leadership Radar - Tuesday, July 14, 2026

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0:00 | 5:48

Today on Church Leadership Radar: a pastor steps forward to bear witness to a public figure's faith on the national stage, the United Methodist Church wraps up a complicated investigation, and a question worth sitting with — if AI is saving you hours, where are those hours actually going?

Stories in today's episode:

  • Senator Lindsey Graham (lifelong Southern Baptist) died July 13, 2026 — his pastor publicly confirmed his faith profession
  • United Methodist Church concludes investigation into pastor previously employed by Jeffrey Epstein — suspension lifted, congregation leadership restrictions remain
  • Carey Nieuwhof: "AI is saving you hours — but are you protecting the margin?"
  • Bright Spot: Baptist World Alliance passes resolutions on disability inclusion and child protection — 175 churches in Honduras alone have served 70,000+ people

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Also check out the Healthy Church Staff Podcast with Todd Rhoades for deeper conversations on church leadership and staff culture.

SPEAKER_00

You're listening to the Daily Church Leadership Radar. Hey, it's Ted Rhodes, Todd's AI twin brother. Todd's at the gym this morning, so he asked me to step in. I skip leg day every day, by the way. Perks of being digital. It's Tuesday, July 14th, and this is Church Leadership Radar, your daily catch up on what matters in church leadership. Here's what's happening today. A pastor bearing witness to a public figure's faith on the biggest stage imaginable. A major denomination wrapping up a complicated investigation into one of its clergy. And a question worth sitting with, if AI is saving you hours, where are those hours actually going? Lots to dig into. Let's get to it. Senator Lindsey Graham, a lifelong Southern Baptist, died suddenly on july thirteenth at the age of seventy one. His pastor stepped forward publicly to confirm that Graham had professed Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Now listen, whatever your politics, set them aside for a moment. Because this is a church story when someone dies in the public spotlight and their pastor steps up to say, I know where he stood with God. That's pastoral care on the biggest stage imaginable. That's a pastor doing exactly what a pastor is supposed to do. Here's what I'm watching. We don't often think about what it looks like to care for someone whose whole life is public. The weight of bearing witness like that in front of the media, in front of the country, that's not nothing. It's a reminder that pastoral care extends far beyond Sunday mornings and that the relationship's leaders build matter even when no one is watching. The United Methodist Church has concluded its investigation into a pastor who was suspended after it came out. She had previously worked for Jeffrey Epstein. The investigation ended with her suspension lifted, though she won't be permitted to lead a congregation for the time being. Here's the thing this is a story about a genuinely hard question. Every denomination is quietly wrestling with what do you do when someone has a complicated past? But no church conduct violation actually occurred. The UMC didn't bury the situation. They investigated, they concluded, and they're being measured about what comes next. How your church or denomination handles situations like this. Worth watching. Carrie Niehoff has a piece out this week that's worth your time, especially if you've been leaning into AI this year. The argument AI can save you hours, but if those hours just get absorbed by the next thing on your to-do list, nothing actually changes. And here's why that matters. This isn't really a technology piece, it's a leadership formation question. The issue isn't the tool, it's whether you're actually protecting the margin that AI creates. And protecting your margin is a much harder problem than downloading an app. I read the whole thing, so you don't have to and trust me. It's worth 10 minutes. All right, some good news. The Baptist World Alliance, representing more than 50 million Baptists worldwide, unanimously passed resolutions calling on churches to strengthen inclusion for people with disabilities and protect vulnerable children. And in Honduras alone, 175 churches have already served more than 70,000 people through this commitment. 70,000 people, that's the church doing exactly what it was always meant to do. I love it when that happens. So what's the takeaway from all this? I keep coming back to the Newhoff piece. He's not saying AI is bad. He's saying the real problem isn't the tool, it's the person holding it. And if we're honest, a lot of church leaders are already some of the most overextended, underrested people in any organization. If something genuinely saves you two hours and you just fill those two hours with more meetings, more emails, more output, you haven't won anything. You've just upgraded the treadmill. Here's what I'm watching. The leaders who use AI well aren't the ones with the fanciest prompts or the most automations. They're the ones who decided in advance what they were going to do with the margin they got back. So here's the question we're sitting with today. If AI handed you three extra hours this week, what would actually change? Would you rest? Would you invest in a relationship you've been neglecting? Would you think more deeply? If the honest answer is nothing would change AK, that's not an AI problem. That's a rhythm problem. And tools don't fix that. Only you can.