Build the Church

101 Simple Outreach Ideas for Churches (Many Are Free!) with Dave Thomas

People can doubt your faith and disagree with your theology, but they can't deny it when you're serving them. In this episode, Josh Roberie sits down with Dave Thomas, pastor of Courageous Church in Charleston, SC, to share 101 simple outreach ideas your church can start using today—many of them completely free. You'll hear how one school breakfast transformed an entire church-community relationship, why a single bottle of water led to a changed life, and the best practices every church should follow before serving (including how NOT to get chased by the police). Want the full list plus 101 BONUS ideas? Email josh@build.church [josh@build.church] or DM Josh the word "outreach." Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1976889/support]

Why Your Church Should Be on TikTok with Pastor Chris Moore

"Grandma is on TikTok." And according to Pastor Chris Moore, she might just be the cheapest person your church can reach online. Most churches are completely ignoring TikTok, and according to Pastor Chris Moore, that's exactly why it's one of the cheapest and most fruitful places to reach new people right now. In this episode of the Build the Church Podcast, host Josh Roberie sits down with Chris Moore, ARC church planter, lead pastor of Valley Church in Phoenix, Arizona, and founder of Good and Faithful Studio. Chris pulls back the curtain on the TikTok ad strategies he's used to help churches reach their communities for a fraction of what they're spending on Facebook and Instagram, plus a few "gatekeeping secrets" he's never shared publicly before. If you're a pastor or ministry leader who feels behind on social media, this conversation will give you practical, doable next steps to get the word out about your church. In this episode, you'll learn: Why the cheapest audience to reach on TikTok is actually 50+ (yes, grandma is on TikTok) How Chris's TikTok ads performed 3x better than Meta, with "plan your visit" costs as low as $7 to $11 What makes a scroll-stopping church ad (and why over-producing it can hurt you) The simple daily ad budget sweet spot for the best return on investment Whether your church needs its own TikTok account or can just run ads Why a pastor's personal account often out-performs the church's account The Facebook group strategy Chris used to build an audience of 25,000+ people in his city Chris's wild journey from youth pastor, to selling bulldogs online, to digital marketing About our guest: Pastor Chris Moore is the lead pastor of Valley Church in Phoenix, AZ, and the founder of Good and Faithful Studio, a creative agency providing done-for-you social media, photo, and video for churches. He's also the creator of Blessed Babysitting, a new app helping churches and families book faith-aligned childcare. Good and Faithful Studio: https://goodandfaithful.studio [https://goodandfaithful.studio/] Resources mentioned in this episode: This episode is brought to you by Your Team Church, an online assessment that helps you place every volunteer where they thrive. Create your own branded assessment URL in seconds and give each person a one-of-one personality portrait. Take the test for free at https://yourteam.church/disc [https://yourteam.church/disc] Prefer to watch? Catch the full video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/rHwmKJevnxY [https://youtu.be/rHwmKJevnxY] If this episode encouraged you, subscribe and share it with a pastor who needs it. Let's believe again for what God can do through your church. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1976889/support]

Faith-Based AI from Gloo

In this episode of the Build the Church podcast, host Josh Roberie speaks with Brian Ayers from Gloo about the transformative role of artificial intelligence in ministry. They explore the intersection of AI and human flourishing, discussing research on AI's impact on spiritual growth and the development of tools like Church.tech and Glue AI Chat, designed to empower pastors and enhance their outreach efforts. The conversation emphasizes the importance of aligning AI with Christian values and the potential for technology to support meaningful connections within the church. https://church.tech/ [https://church.tech/] https://chat.gloo.com/api/auth/authorize-anonymous-user?redirect=/ [https://chat.gloo.com/api/auth/authorize-anonymous-user?redirect=/] https://gloo.com/resources/blog/introducing-the-flourishing-ai-benchmark [https://gloo.com/resources/blog/introducing-the-flourishing-ai-benchmark] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1976889/support]

From Prison to Purpose: Your Story's Not Over with Donnell Mann

In this episode of the Build the Church podcast, host Josh Roberie speaks with Pastor Donnell Mann, who shares his incredible journey from a life of addiction and incarceration to becoming the lead pastor of Your Story Church in Houston. Donnell emphasizes the importance of personal stories, the transformative power of faith, and the role of community in recovery. He discusses the challenges he faced, including serious legal charges and the impact of his past on his family relationships. Through his experiences, Donnell highlights that God is always writing our stories and that hope can be found even in the darkest times. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1976889/support]

Creating AI-Powered Ministry Content

In this episode of The Build the Church Podcast, host Josh Roberie unpacks how pastors can use AI to stretch their sermons, strengthen their messages, and create engaging ministry content all week long. Building on the first two episodes—Is AI Hijacking Modern Ministry? and Mastering AI Prompts for Ministry—Josh shares practical ways to harness AI as a thought partner, not a replacement. Learn how to use AI to write social media posts, blogs, text messages, email drafts, small group lessons, and more—without losing your authentic voice or calling. Whether you’re a church planter, pastor, or creative leader, this episode will help you turn Sunday’s message into a week’s worth of ministry impact using the power of AI. Listen to discover: * How to transform your sermon into social media content and reels * The best ways to use AI for blog writing and SEO growth * How to make your communication (texts, emails, and announcements) more personal and effective * How to build small group lessons and meeting agendas in minutes * Why AI should sharpen your work—not replace it Links & Resources: Visit buildthe.church for more tools and resources to help you gain momentum, grow your church, and go the distance in ministry. Follow on Instagram @buildthe.church [https://instagram.com/buildthe.church] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1976889/support]