The start of a new year is a time for reflection, prayer, and planning. For church leaders, January provides the perfect opportunity to reset after the busyness of the Christmas season and refocus on your ministry’s goals for the year ahead.
To help you grow and lead with confidence, we’ve curated a list of free, one-hour webinars led by trusted ministry experts. Whether you want to overcome apathy in your congregation, equip your church for evangelism, strengthen marriages, or enhance specific areas of your ministry, there’s a webinar here for you.
These sessions are packed with practical tools and encouragement to help you make a lasting impact in 2025.
Creating a Culture of Evangelism: Practical Steps for Effective Outreach with Willie Robertson
In this one-hour webinar, Willie Robertson shares practical strategies for expanding your outreach efforts and embedding evangelism into the heart of your church’s mission. A culture of evangelism in your ministry is possible!
3 Ways to Equip Women & Leverage Their Influence in the Church with Tasha Calvert
In this webinar with Tasha Calvert, women’s minister at Prestonwood Church in Texas, you’ll learn actionable ways to include and empower women to exercise godly influence in their homes, schools, communities, and churches—and in your own ministry.
Ministry in the Age of AI in partnership with Barna, Carey Nieuwhof, and Gloo
In this webinar hosted by David Kinnaman and Carey Nieuwhof, gain invaluable insights from guest experts and thought leaders Ed Stetzer, Nona Jones, and Kenny Jahng. Hear how they collectively envision the future of ministry in a technologically driven world.
When People Don’t Care: A Discussion About Apathy in the Church with Ben Stuart
In this webinar, pastor and author Ben Stuart fields questions from viewers to help ministry leaders address apathy in the church. Learn how to increase engagement and build community in the next generation and beyond.
4 Secrets to an Intimate Marriage—for You & Your Ministry with Shaunti Feldhahn and Dr. Michael Sytsma
Based on years of research on everything from communication to money to sex, the simple, eye-opening steps presented in this webinar are things every church leader should have in their back pockets to encourage and equip their people—and to have a great marriage themselves.
As you step into the new year, take a moment to reflect, pray, and seek God’s guidance for the road ahead. Leadership comes with challenges and opportunities, and investing in your growth—spiritually and practically—can help you navigate them with wisdom and grace. You’re making a difference, and we’re cheering you on.
When you read Jesus’s genealogy in the first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, what names stand out to you? Is it Abraham, the father of our faith? Or maybe David, the revered king of Israel? Maybe it’s Jesus’s mother, Mary. Jesus’s lineage includes a fascinating mishmash of characters, some of whom are well-known and others who are more obscure. One name that’s often overshadowed is Jesus’s father: Joseph.
Is there anything we can glean from this seemingly unremarkable figure?
While it’s true that Joseph is often overlooked and there’s relatively little written about him in the New Testament, he’s an important person to ponder during Christmastime. Although he is “barely mentioned in Scripture [and] forgotten mostly in church history,” as Dan Darling writes in The Characters of Christmas[1], there is much that we can learn from him today.
After the opening genealogy in chapter 1, Matthew’s Gospel transitions immediately to the “birth of Jesus Christ” (v. 18, ESV) and introduces readers to Jesus’s parents, Mary and Joseph. Matthew describes Joseph as “a just man” (v. 19). In light of the scandalous nature of Mary’s pregnancy (Joseph was not the biological father, and they were not married), Matthew details Joseph’s unwillingness to shame Mary, his betrothed. Joseph “resolved to divorce her quietly” (v. 19), which was no small decision.
It’s clear from the next verse that Joseph spent time mulling over what he should do—the Greek word used here is enthumeomai, which means “to revolve thoroughly in the mind” or “consider carefully.” What do you think Joseph was feeling? What do you think his prayers were like?
As Joseph “considered” (enthumeomai, v. 20) what to do, he fell asleep. Have you ever prayed and wrestled with God long into the night, begging to hear from him and pleading for help? I imagine this is where Joseph found himself, out of options and out of energy, drifting into a restless sleep. But while he slept, God sent him a message. Through an angel, God spoke to Joseph. And Joseph heard him.
When was the last time you heard from God? Maybe it’s been so long that you aren’t even sure what his voice sounds like anymore. Keep wrestling. Keep praying. Keep pleading with God. And keep your ears tuned—he may just send you a word when you least expect it.
In every recorded instance when the Lord’s angel visited Joseph and spoke to him (Matthew 1:20–24; 2:13–15; 2:19–22), Joseph responded with obedience. Three times the angel of the Lord “appeared” to him in a dream and three times he “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” Every time, Joseph obeyed immediately.
In Matthew 2:13–15, for instance, God sent his angel to Joseph to deliver hard news: “Herod is on the hunt for this child (Jesus), and wants to kill him” (v. 13, The Message®). God instructed Joseph to gather his family and their things “and flee to Egypt.” As you might imagine, moving was much more disruptive in the first century than it is for us. But the Bible says that “Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight” (v. 14, The Message®, emphasis added). That isn’t just obedience; it’s obedience without delay, no matter the cost.
What about you? How difficult is it for you to obey God’s Word immediately like Joseph did? For most of us, the answer is obvious—immediate obedience is immensely difficult, especially when it’s costly. But take heart: by God’s grace, we can obey God like Joseph did.
In the book of James, the author instructs his readers to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (1:22, ESV). If we’re ever unsure what hearing and doing the Word looks like—what it requires of us—Joseph gives us an example. Joseph was not a “hearer who forg[ot] but a doer who act[ed]” (v. 25).
And so it should be with us. When we read Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount, or the warnings in Paul’s epistles, or the exhortations in the book of Hebrews, or the commands in Peter’s letters, or the sweet encouragements in 1 John, we should recognize that we are hearing from God much like Joseph did—not news delivered by angels but by the very breath of the Almighty. And like Joseph, we should “[a]ct on what [we] hear” (James 1:22, The Message®).
Daniel Darling,[1] The Characters of Christmas: The Unlikely People Caught Up in the Story of Jesus (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 2019).
Zach Zehnder has a straightforward answer: define your discipleship targets.
In a recent webinar for church leaders, Zach Zehnder, pastor and founder of Red Letter Living, shared a practical framework for measuring and achieving success in churchwide discipleship. He rooted his approach in a deep understanding of the challenges facing modern Christian communities and a passion to help churches follow Jesus's call more effectively. Here’s a brief overview of Zach’s “discipleship target” framework.
Zach began the webinar by highlighting a striking disconnect: while many Americans self-identify as Christians, only a small segment of self-proclaimed Christians are practicing Christians. This gap reveals a crucial insight: despite abundant information about discipleship, there’s widespread confusion about how to follow Jesus practically. As Zach put it, “American churches have created many believers but very few followers.”
The church's discipleship problem is not due to a lack of information, but a lack of clear direction. Churches are excellent at introducing people to the concept of faith, but sometimes they struggle to guide them into an intentional journey of discipleship.
What’s often missing in church discipleship strategies? According to Zach, it’s clear, measurable targets. As he said, “You measure what’s important in life.”
These targets provide a comprehensive blueprint for spiritual growth that goes beyond simple church attendance or theological knowledge.
While Zach said he uses the targets of being, forgiving, serving, giving, and going in his ministry, he also mentioned he empowers church leaders to tailor discipleship targets to their needs. Whatever your targets, he recommended that they adhere to three critical criteria:
Zach suggested maintaining approximately five targets—enough to be comprehensive, but not so many that they become overwhelming. To ensure these targets are effective, they should be paired with measurable metrics that are tracked consistently over time. Finally, regularly repeating these targets within the church community helps embed them in the hearts and minds of members.
The webinar concluded with a powerful reminder: God deserves more than an unidentified, unintentional, and confused representation of discipleship. Success comes from commitment to truly following Jesus, supported by clear targets and intentional measurement. With discipleship targets that follow a few basic principles, ministry leaders can be on their way to measuring and achieving discipleship success.
Want to dive deeper into these concepts? Watch the full webinar for detailed examples, additional resource recommendations, and an exclusive Q&A with Zach. Click here to access the webinar recording.
Disclaimer: This blog was created with the assistance of artificial intelligence. It may contain inaccuracies and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional advice. If you find content that is inaccurate or otherwise needs to be reviewed, please email webinars@rightnowmedia.org.
Ministry leaders want their ministries to develop mature disciples, but how do we know if our methods are working? During RightNow Conference 2023, we asked Lisa Harper, Matt Chandler, and David Platt their thoughts on measuring the effectiveness of a church’s discipleship efforts. All three agree that measuring spiritual maturity is a difficult but important factor to keep track of in your church.
Boy, you've got to watch me on this one, because I hate analytics. Because if you’re not careful, it becomes perfunctory. It becomes performative. It becomes transactional. I think the best way to measure [is], “Is your personal relationship and authenticity with one another actually driving you further into the embrace of Jesus Christ?” That’s hard to measure on a graph; it’s much easier to measure in the context of relationship. Do you want to keep meeting together? Has the realness of that relationship become such an anchor in your life that you wish it was more than once a week because it’s actually become an extension of your family or the family you wish you had?
If you’re talking about normal numerics, I think it’s really hard for a local church to do that. I think that what I’m looking for at The Village Church—which is the church that I pastor—if you stumble and fall and get up and repent and run to Jesus, I think we’ve done a really good job of “gospeling.” This is a person who really has grown and matured in their faith; they’re able to endure with joy and gladness. What I was taught when I was a younger pastor is: “Are they giving?”, “Are they attending?”, “Are they in your programs?” But I think they can be in programs and not mature. Is what we are doing working in regard to their understanding of who God is and the ability the believer has to be in his presence, to be comforted by him and shaped by him regardless of life’s circumstances?
There are so many potential pitfalls there, because if we don’t have the right measurements in place, we’ll end up doing a whole lot of things Jesus hasn’t told us to do. I think of Galatians 4:19 when I think of measuring discipleship: “I labor to see Christ formed in you.” Are the people that I’m pouring my life into looking more like Jesus? And not just those people, but other people, as a result of those people’s lives, are they looking more like Jesus? I want to labor toward that end. So, I would just encourage you, more than numbers—more than a lot of different things we would think of when it comes to measuring success—look for Christlikeness in the people of the church and in people being reached through the church who are becoming more like Jesus.
Maybe your schedule loosens with the close of the school year, or you find yourself stressing out for what should be fun vacations. Whether summer brings deeper rest or unrest, the change in season invites us to consider engaging—or re-engaging—in spiritual practices.
Spiritual practices—also known as spiritual disciplines—mark the lives of followers of Jesus and sustain our relationship with God. Just as regular phone calls or eating dinner with loved ones build our relationship with them, spiritual disciplines strengthen our relationship with God.
Regardless of where you find yourself—stressed or relaxed—here are four spiritual practices to aid your relationship with God this summer:
Writing on prayer in Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster said, “Of all the spiritual disciplines, prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communion with the Father.” Prayer is how we talk with God. We see Jesus model prayer for us in the gospels (Luke 11:1–4) and are directed to continually pray by the apostle Paul (1 Thess. 5:17). Without prayer—much like without consistent communication with a friend or loved one—our relationship with God is distant and apathetic.
Prayer encompasses many postures: praise—expressing joy to God; thanksgiving—showing gratitude for God’s gifts and provision; confession—acknowledging our sin before God; lament—bringing our grief to God; and petition/intercession—asking God for forgiveness or to act on someone else’s behalf.
Exercise: Fixed Hour Prayer
Early Christians prayed at specific times of day to establish a rhythm of talking to God. Set a time to pray each day through the rest of the summer.
For more on prayer, visit The Prayer Practice by Practicing the Way in the RightNow Media library.
Keeping the sabbath might be the most disruptive spiritual practice in our modern age. In the Old Testament, the sabbath was the day set aside for all people to stop working and worship God. To be part of the people of God back then meant you practiced sabbath. Now, followers of Jesus are not obligated to keep the sabbath (Col. 2:16), but the principle of following God’s model of rest in Genesis 2:1–3 is woven into the very fabric of creation. Regularly practicing worshipful rest can be good for you even if it’s not required of you.
Because we live in a fast-paced, achievement-oriented culture, purposefully withdrawing from all work—not just our employment—for a set time to stop, rest, delight, and worship may be exactly what your soul longs for this summer.
Exercise: Mini-Sabbath
Setting aside an entire day to rest and enjoy God may be intimidating. Start with a small amount of time—a weekday afternoon or a Saturday morning—where you remove distractions and engage in activities that deepen your joy in God and relationships with others.
For more on the sabbath, visit The Sabbath Practice by Practicing the Way in the RightNow Media library.
In Matthew 6, Jesus assumes his followers will fast when he warns us about practicing our “righteousness in front of others” (v. 1) when we give to the poor (vv. 2–4), when we pray (vv. 5–15), and when we fast (vv. 16–18).
At its core, fasting is choosing to go without something you want or need to make room for something you want or need even more. Perhaps you choose to go without food to make room in your heart to hear God or to give the money or food you would have used to sustain your own body to sustain someone else.
Exercise: Fast with a Friend
Fasting has the potential for good, but also misuse. Because of the dangers of treating fasting like dieting or taking your heart to an unhealthy place with food, ask someone you trust if fasting is a good spiritual discipline for you to try. If they agree, invite them to walk with you as you start this practice. Consider skipping lunch once a week and spending the time you would have been eating to pray with your friend.
For more on fasting, watch The Fasting Practice by Practicing the Way in the RightNow Media library.
Solitude can be refreshing for some and a struggle for others. But Jesus demonstrated the need to spend time alone throughout his life—withdrawing to the desert to start his ministry (Matt. 4:1), retreating after a busy day of ministering (Mark 1:35), and before making monumental decisions (Luke 6:12–16). Just as Jesus needed space to hear from the Father, we need solitude to turn down the noise of our busy lives and focus on God. It may sound counter-intuitive, but the goal of solitude is not to be alone—rather solitude frees us from noise to be with God.
Exercise: Find Your Place
While we can make space to be alone with God anywhere, it can be helpful to have a designated space to retreat and sit with God. It doesn’t have to be anywhere fancy—maybe it’s your back porch, your kitchen table, or at a local park. The goal is to go to this place consistently and avoid distractions to focus your attention on God. Determine where that place is and use it for holy solitude this summer.
For more on the practice of solitude, check out The Solitude Practice by Practicing the Way in the RightNow Media library.
Instead of scampering around, chauffeuring kids to and from school, practice, and other activities, life tends to slow down a bit this time of year. We trade filled (or overfilled) schedules for more downtime—more time off, more trips, and more time together. For that reason alone, summertime is a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of normal life.
But if we’re not careful, summer can slip away just as stealthily as it snuck up on us, leaving all our plans and good intentions in the dust. So, for families with a little more time on their hands this summer, or fewer schedules to keep, what can we do to make the best use of the extra time we have with our kids?
There are hundreds of meaningful things we can do as a family during the summer months. Vacations. Trips to the pool. Time at a waterpark. Camping in the backyard. Movie nights. Or simply sitting on the porch together, talking about things that matter to us. The possibilities are endless.
Since this time of year generally gives families more time together, parents can make it a point to prioritize evangelism and discipleship with their kids. And contrary to popular belief, that doesn’t mean we have to run them through a rigid program. But it does give us more opportunity to think intentionally about what it can look like for us to pass the faith down to our children—and then act on it.
Evangelism is an impossible task. Think about it, if the goal of evangelism is to “awaken” those who are “dead in [their] trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1–3), then that means, in some mysterious way, a resurrection must take place. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have the power to bring someone back to life, whether physically or spiritually. We need God’s help.
If we hope to pass the faith down to our children, our evangelism must be saturated in prayer. Pray for yourself. Pray for opportunities to talk with your kids. Pray for a clear and natural delivery of the good news. And pray for your child or children, that they will have a receptive heart to Jesus’s gospel and receive it with joy.
Engaging your children evangelistically doesn’t require a rigid program—you don’t have to build out a years-long scope and sequence to teach that the claims of Christ are true. Nevertheless, you can still think ahead and consider what methods are most appropriate for you, your child, and your schedule as you aim to pass down the faith. Consider asking the following questions to determine a method that fits your family:
There are plenty of other questions to ask and considerations to make. The point is to make intentional plans to have gospel conversations with your kids—over and over again.
Sharing the gospel isn’t a one-time event. It’s something we ought to do with our children every chance we get. While we can make plans to teach them about Jesus, we should also be prepared to take advantage of all the unplanned opportunities we have to expose them to the gospel.
It was the apostle Peter who told us to be “ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks [us] for a reason for the hope that is in [us]” (1 Peter 3:15)—and that applies to the conversations we have with our kids too. Inevitably, during a normal car ride, after a breakup, or in response to an injustice they’ve observed, our kids will ask, “Why?” and “How?” and “Why me?” And when they do, make sure you’re ready to engage them truthfully and compassionately, pushing them—graciously and by the Spirit—to Jesus and his gospel, which can make sense of all they’re experiencing spiritually and emotionally.
Conventional wisdom tells us, “It takes a village to raise a child.” That can be true with evangelism as well. Raising and rearing children, and passing the faith on to them, is a task that benefits from an all-hands-on-deck approach. So, what could you do to invite grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, friends, teachers, and fellow church members into the process of discussing faith with your kids? You don’t have to go it alone. Sometimes the good news might even be better received when it’s delivered to your child by someone else. If you want your children to say yes to Jesus, as we all do, consider making evangelism a community project.
As parents, many of us approach evangelizing our kids with a sense of urgency. And there’s nothing wrong with that—it’s good that we want them to follow Jesus as soon as possible. But often, the pressure of “getting them saved” can quickly morph into a frantic and anxious approach to evangelism that’s driven by fear. But we can temper the urgency we feel with patience. Why? Because God is trustworthy; he “wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
God wants your child to be saved—even more than you do. And because that’s true, we can prayerfully engage our children with the truth. We can show them the beauty of that gospel and make plans to do so in myriad ways—through movies and music and food and friends and books and trips and long conversations. We can take advantage of the everyday opportunities that arise to model and discuss the good news with our kids, and we can do it in a community of believers who will help us. And finally, we can take a deep breath and take our time, trusting that God will impart saving faith in our children in due time.
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