Church Collaboration and Killing Consumerism in a Post-Christian Context, with Dan Nichols (ep 79)

A boots-on-the-ground conversation about meeting the challenges of ministry in a very post-Christian region.

June 20, 2024

by Dan Nichols

Pastoring in a post-Christian context is different. The more counter-cultural our faith becomes, the more important it is to understand that Christian consumerism is deadly and church cooperation is essential.

I talked with Dan Nichols about a variety of subjects in this field, including:

Negotiating a cultural shift in a longstanding church
Partnering with other churches
Bridging the big/small church divide
And more

Dan Nichols is the pastor of Grace Christian Fellowship in Cortland NY, and the founder of Northeast Collaborative.

This is our first episode after the De-sizing the Church series. We’re on our regular schedule of every two weeks, so the Lightning Round and Bonus Content are back!

Links from this Episode

Bonus Content

Each week, we have a bonus chat with our guests. This content is available to all newsletter subscribers and financial supporters. Just click either button to get started, and access this week’s and all previous Bonus Content on our YouTube Channel.

Become a Financial Supporter

Become a Newsletter Subscriber

In this week’s Bonus Content, Dan Nichols and I talk about Creating a Spirit of Generosity in a Local Church. Dan’s church takes an offering every year that they give away in its entirety to ministries outside their church. This year it will go to nine other local churches that they work alongside.

Karl and Dan talk about how that kind of generosity happens, and what a pastor can do to start moving a church away from fear and toward being outrageously generous.

Support This Work

Click here to support this work on a one-time or ongoing basis. This will help us continue to put these resources into the hands of the ministries that need them the most.

Want More?

Listen and subscribe to the podcast on all major platforms including

New episodes are available every two weeks.

If you click here to subscribe to our free weekly newsletter you’ll get all the breaking podcast news early!

Also, if you have any other ideas or guests that might fit this podcast, let me know in the comment section below.

Credits

Producer
Veronica Beaver | [email protected]

Editor
Phil Vaters | [email protected]

Music
Composed and performed by Jack Wilkins | JackWilkinsMusic.com

Logo
by Solomon Joy

Correspondence
Shelley Vaters | Shelley@KarlVaters.com

Authors

Dan Nichols

Dan Nichols is the pastor of Grace Christian Fellowship in Cortland NY, and the founder and president of Northeast Collaborative.
Dan is married to his best friend Joy, and they have two sons named Landon and Declan. He is a certified coach with Gateway Leadership and served as an adjunct professor at Clarks Summit University where he received his D.Min. degree.
You can follow Dan on Facebook and X.

View all posts

Karl Vaters

Karl Vaters produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.
He's the author of five books on church leadership, including his newest, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next. His other books include The Grasshopper Myth and Small Church Essentials.
Karl also hosts a bi-weekly podcast, The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry, featuring in-depth interviews about topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context. He has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience.
You can follow Karl on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn, or Contact Karl to inquire about speaking, writing, and consultation.

View all posts

Got questions or comments? Do you have any ideas for future podcast guests or topics?

Use the comment section below.

Follow, connect or get more info.