Rural Church Rescue, with Jon Sanders (Podcast Ep 024)

Jon and Karl talk about how Jon used the principles he learned as a firefighter to help churches better understand how to do ministry that matters.

by Karl Vaters

Have you ever considered the parallels between fighting fires and pastoring a church? Of course you have – metaphorically.

But Jon Sanders has literally done both. And the lessons he shares about those parallels are really helpful, especially for rural and smaller congregations.

In this episode I interview Jon, the founder of SmallTownBigChurch.com, co-host of the EntrePastors podcast, and author of Rural Church RESCUE: A Call to Restore Healthy Churches to Rural North America.

We talk about how he uses the principles he learned as a firefighter to help churches better understand how to do ministry that matters. The parallels between the roles of firefighters and pastors are vivid, and the lessons are clear.

Subjects include:

The need for a clear mission and vision
The need to adapt
The necessity of training
Working as a team

and much more.

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Credits

Producer
Veronica Beaver | [email protected]

Editor

Phil Vaters | [email protected]

Music composed and performed by
Jack Wilkins | JackWilkinsMusic.com

Podcast logo created by
Solomon Joy | Joyetic.com

Correspondence
Shelley Vaters | Shelley@KarlVaters.com

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.

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Rural Church Rescue, with Jon Sanders (Podcast Ep 024)

Link from this Episode

Support This Work

Want More?

Credits

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