A Conversation with Josh Howerton and Chris Kuti of Lakepointe Church cover art

A Conversation with Josh Howerton and Chris Kuti of Lakepointe Church

A Conversation with Josh Howerton and Chris Kuti of Lakepointe Church

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 Apply to Join Churchfront Premium Apply to Join Churchfront Pro Free Worship and Production Toolkit Shop Our Online Courses Join us at the Churchfront Conference Follow Churchfront on Instagram or TikTok: @churchfront Follow on Twitter: @realchurchfront Gear we use to make videos at Churchfront Musicbed SyncID: MB01VWQ69XRQNSN Podcast Show Notes: The Future of Church Leadership with Josh Howerton and Chris Kuti Guests: Josh Howerton (Senior Pastor) and Chris Kuti (Worship Pastor) from LakePoint Church Hosts: Jake Gosselin and Matt Woltjer from Churchfront Key Topics Discussed AI in Ministry (00:02:15) Josh's approach: Uses ChatGPT weekly for sermon prep as a "high-powered research assistant"Prompt strategy: "Give me 20 interesting facts about [passage] that are historical, cultural, theological, archeological, linguistic, or biblical that most Christians wouldn't know"Chris's usage: Meeting organization, content creation, voice conversations during drivesKey principle: Use AI as a tool that serves you, don't serve the toolImportant caveat: Always fact-check AI outputs - they can be wrong up to 17% of the time Church Technology Criticism (00:58:22) The "negative world" concept by Aaron Renn - cultural shift from positive to neutral to negative perception of ChristianityCommon criticisms: "Tax the churches," "Money should go to the poor"Biblical response: Only Judas complained about expensive things being used to honor JesusEconomic reality: Larger churches often spend lower percentages on tech than smaller churches due to economy of scaleTechnology costs: Modern equipment costs significantly less than in the early 2000s Social Media Strategy (00:12:38) Initial resistance: Reformed background's "theologized cynicism" toward self-promotionThe turning point: People spend 16-18 hours/week on social media hearing secular perspectives"Air war vs. Ground war": Ground war = traditional discipleship, Air war = cultural engagementDigital Areopagus: Social media as the modern equivalent of where Paul engaged culture in AthensCurrent following growth: From 20-40k to significantly larger audience through strategic content Worship Pastor Turnover Crisis (01:26:06) Root causes identified: Getting into ministry for wrong reasons (seeking bigger stages/record deals)Senior pastors hiring for talent over pastoral giftingLack of pastoral development and broader leadership responsibilities"Warm up the crowd" mentality rather than true pastoral partnership Solutions proposed: Hire character first, develop competencyGive worship pastors genuine pastoral responsibilitiesFocus on being pastors who happen to use musicCreate long-term development paths Hiring and Leadership Development (00:36:29) Key principle: "Always bet on leadership" over pure talentCharacter evaluation: Look at family life as indicator of leadership capacity"Hire slow, fire fast" - don't ignore red flags in interviewsVision alignment: Ensure worship leaders can come under senior pastor's visionJosh's story: Had to fire a worship leader after 5 weeks for vision misalignment Succession Planning (00:45:13) LakePoint's success factors: Outgoing pastor (Steve Stroop) "left campground clean" - addressed problems before transitionIncoming pastor honored what came before rather than dismissing it70% credit to predecessor, 30% to successor for smooth transition Key advice for incoming leaders: Honor those who built what you inheritedWatch your pace in first year - observe more than you actWin relationships and excel on stageDon't make major changes without building equity first Staying Humble While Growing (00:52:54) Key relationships: Spouse who believes in you but isn't impressed by youHire up: Surround yourself with people more talented than youFind joy in others' wins: Move from taking all the shots to giving others opportunitiesDave Stone's wisdom: "Don't let praise go to your head, don't let criticism go to your heart"Josh's perspective: Staying confident is often harder than staying humble Future Ministry Vision (01:08:27) Chris's focus: Leadership pipeline development - never having to post job openingsJosh's project: "Discipleship at scale" through vertically aligned content deliveryCore principle: "We're in the disciple business, not the events business"Technology integration: Purpose-built app to connect sermon, podcast, reading plans, and groups Quotable Moments "If you find yourself on team Judas, get a different team." - Josh on criticizing church spending "Two visions create division." - Chris on worship pastor alignment "Don't let praise go to your head and don't let criticism go to your heart." - Dave Stone's advice "We're not in the events business, we're in the disciple business." - Josh on ministry focus "The loudest boos come from the cheapest seats." - Josh on handling criticism Action Items for Church Leaders Experiment with AI as a research and content creation tool while maintaining proper oversightEvaluate your hiring process - ...
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