On this episode of The Intentional Churches Podcast, Doug talks with Chris Steele about the incredible transformation happening at North Terrace Church in Zanesville, Ohio.

Chris shares the honest story of how their team realized they were making church attenders instead of disciples, and how that single insight pushed them to rebuild unity, clarify their mission, and align everything around the Great Commission.

You’ll hear how that alignment sparked a movement of everyday people leading their friends to Jesus, resulting in 34 baptisms in 2023, 125 in 2024, and already 138 baptisms this year. Chris explains how prayer, simple tools, and personal ownership of “the one” have reshaped their entire culture.

If you’re a church leader looking to rebuild momentum, re-ignite evangelism, or move your people toward mission, this conversation will encourage you and give you practical next steps.

New to Intentional Churches? Start here:
intentionalchurches.com

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome + Why This Story Matters
01:25 Chris Steele’s Ministry Background
03:02 Early Faith Influences
05:01 Ministry Journey & Leadership Wounds
07:19 Zanesville Culture & Ministry Context
11:17 Opportunities and Challenges in Appalachia
13:35 Rebuilding Generosity and Discipleship
18:15 Early Culture Shifts at North Terrace
23:10 COVID Collapse & Losing Half the Church
24:07 Realizing They Weren’t Making Disciples
26:44 Building a New Discipleship Pathway
28:55 A Turning Point: Staff & Elder Unity
30:42 Discovering IC’s Tools and Language
31:46 The “One More” Mission
34:11 The Baptism Explosion
36:26 Everyday People Leading Their One
37:37 Young Families Searching for Purpose
41:36 Preparing for Future Growth
43:36 How to Join the IC Learning Community

Links

Website: intentionalchurches.com
The Radical Alignment Book
Blog: intentionalchurches.com/blog
YouTube: @IntentionalChurches
Facebook: Intentional Churches
Instagram: @IntentionalChurches
X/Twitter: @IntentChurches

On this episode of The Intentional Churches Podcast, Doug and Bart unpack the heart behind Radical Alignment: The Surprising Journey of Becoming an Intentional Church—the brand-new book that takes church leaders inside the “why” behind the IC toolbox.

Together, they share the behind-the-scenes story of how the book came to life—from early church interviews and the conference book challenge to the powerful stories that emerged along the way. You’ll hear about ice-bath baptisms in Florida, a thousand-person Tennessee church mobilizing 597 members to reach their “One,” and the connection between personal Great Commission ownership and lasting church alignment.

Doug and Bart also explore how urgency, clarity, and obedience are reshaping churches across the IC network, why Radical Alignment serves as a prequel to the original Intentional Church book, and how every leader can reframe their calling through the lens of the Great Commission.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make evangelism personal again—or how to help your church rediscover its core mission—this conversation will encourage, challenge, and reorient you to what matters most.

New to Intentional Churches? Start here:
intentionalchurches.com

00:00 The Gathering Church and a 70-Year-Old’s Ice Bath Baptism
02:04 Doug and Bart Catch Up on Life, Travel, and Nicknames
05:12 Florida Church Plant Stories: Courage and Obedience
09:51 When Baptism Becomes a Movement
13:06 Planting, Watering, and Trusting God for the Growth
15:23 Inside the “One Life” Project and Culture Change in Churches
18:50 Writing Radical Alignment: The Story Behind the Book
20:53 The “Why” Behind the IC Toolbox
23:08 How IC’s Learning Community Shaped the Book
26:07 Why Radical Alignment Is a Team Study, Not a Solo Read
27:30 The 25 Foundational Beliefs and IC’s Secret Sauce
29:27 Church Stories that Prove Great Commission Alignment Works
31:21 The Hope for Church Leaders Who Read Radical Alignment
34:17 Doug’s Challenge: “Relational Evangelism Is the Football”
35:26 From the Road: Nashville’s Airport Gridlock Story
38:33 Travel Chaos, Grace, and Gratitude
39:30 Closing Thoughts and Book Details

Website: intentionalchurches.com
Get The Book: Radical Alignment
Blog: intentionalchurches.com/blog
YouTube: @IntentionalChurches
Facebook: Intentional Churches
LinkedIn: Intentional Churches LinkedIn
Instagram: @IntentionalChurches
X/Twitter: @IntentChurches

Join the conversation and tell us how you’re leading your church toward Great Commission alignment.

On this episode of The Intentional Churches Podcast, Doug and Erin sit down with Pastor Riley Halliday, a former U.S. Air Force special operations leader who’s now leading Manna Church in Newport News, Virginia.

Riley shares how his church embraces the constant movement of military life as a disciple-making opportunity. With families rotating every two years, his team trains every believer to live on mission, ready to reach their “One” wherever God sends them next.

We unpack how urgency can fuel alignment, what it takes to build a training and sending culture, and why clarity beats complexity every time.

If your church is in a transient community or you need fresh inspiration to fight for alignment around the Great Commission, this conversation will stir you up.

New to Intentional Churches? Start here:
https://intentionalchurches.com/radical-alignment

00:00 Training and Sending with Urgency in a Military Church
00:33 Doug and Erin Welcome Riley Halliday to the Podcast
02:04 Meet Riley: From Air Force Special Operations to Church Planting
05:06 The Birth of Manna Church and a Vision for Military Families
07:26 Launching During COVID and Finding God’s Provision Through a Merger
09:51 How a 100-Year-Old Church Became Manna’s New Home
10:39 Leading Near Military Bases: Nellis, Creech, and Beyond
12:54 The Two-Year Window: Training and Sending Before Families Move
14:13 Micro-Sites, Military Moves, and Multiplying Disciples
15:05 How Military Life Fuels Disciple-Making and Multiplication
16:19 Doug on “Radical Alignment” and Reuniting Evangelism and Discipleship
18:33 Fighting for Clarity and Simplicity in a Growing Church
19:59 How Canyon Ridge Fought for Vision and Alignment
22:08 Creating a Culture That Repeats the Mission
23:36 Practical Tools: Circle-Ups, Vision Rhythms, and For the One Bracelets
27:28 Keeping Alignment Simple, Transferable, and Repeatable
29:00 Fighting Misalignment with Elders, Staff, and New Ideas
31:30 Saying “No” to Good Things to Protect the Mission
33:42 When Church Members Want a Bookstore (and Other Distractions)
34:40 How the IC Toolbox and ChurchOS Keep Teams on Track
37:01 Every New Initiative Is an Opportunity for Alignment—or Drift
38:05 Riley’s Lesson: You Reproduce Who You Are, Not What You Say
39:59 Doug’s Closing Thoughts: Returning to the Root of the Great Commission
40:53 The Radical Alignment Book and Upcoming Assessment

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches
Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches
X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches

Join the conversation and let us know how you are leading your church toward the Great Commission!