Ministry Leaders Anonymous

Ministry Leaders Anonymous hosted by Matt Rice & Chris Bartlett

About the show

Ministry Leaders Anonymous is a podcast produced by Ablaze Ministries hosted by Matt Rice & Chris Bartlett. Matt & Chris have over 40 years experience working & leading in ministry. They want to take the experience & skills they have developed over decades and offer them to ministry leaders everywhere. The work of ministry leaders, whether it is a youth minister, a director of religious education, a volunteer coordinator, or an unpaid retreat director, is a powerful and sometimes lonely mission. Ministry Leaders Anonymous is here to remind you that you are not alone, as well as to provide a moment of sanity during a busy week of ministry.

Matt & Chris have just about seen it all, and they are ready to dive into & bring to light the hurts, hopes, & hungers of all ministry leaders. Ministry Leaders Anonymous will feature topics important to maintaining physical, spiritual, & mental health. They will discuss habits & proven successes for all kinds of ministries, as well as inviting insightful guests who bring important discussions & expertise.

Ultimately, Ministry Leaders Anonymous is a place for all ministry leaders to find laughter, support, & community. Come join us every Thursday at your nearest podcatcher

Episodes

  • Episode 173: We're Taking a Break

    October 26th, 2021  |  17 mins 40 secs

    After 172 episodes over the past few years, it's time to shift our focus. We have really loved doing this show and the community that has gathered around it. Thank you all for listening and for all the feedback you have shared. At this point,

  • Episode 172: Catholic Social Teaching w/Dr. Richard DeClue

    September 2nd, 2021  |  29 mins 30 secs

    Matt and Chris are joined by Dr. Richard DeClue from the Word on Fire Institute as they discuss the “best kept secret” of Catholicism: Catholic Social Teaching. Learn more about what the church teaches on hot topics like Immigration, Fair Wage and more.

  • Episode 171: Get Them on Retreat

    August 26th, 2021  |  24 mins 58 secs

    Chris and Matt discuss the importance of retreats when building your ministry team. Even just a simple one day retreat can help energize and inspire your ministers. Listen to today's episode on how transformative these outpourings can be and get tips o...

  • Episode 170: Leadership Expertise in the Church w/Jonathan Schmitz

    August 19th, 2021  |  34 mins 31 secs

    Chris is joined this week by one of his teens from 20 years ago who has become a quite successful in leadership in the business world. Jonathan Schmitz is a leader in sales and business coaching. He and Chris discuss the key elements of the things that...

  • Episode 169: Imaginative Apologetics w/Holly Ordway

    August 12th, 2021  |  31 mins 16 secs

    Holly Ordway joins the show to share about her love of Tolkien and the importance of the imagination in our faith. She discusses with Matt and Chris how imagination is crucial for evangelization and answering questions about the faith.  

  • Episode 168: How to Share Jesus at Walmart

    August 5th, 2021  |  29 mins 35 secs

    Chris, Mandi and Kris in a padded room! Bartlett is joined by fellow Ablaze Missionary Mandi Whittaker and Kris Frank, the Vice President of Vegabond Missions. Vegabond Missions is a ministry that may be a little different than many of us have experien...

  • Episode 167: Youth & Young Adult Ministry w/Dr. Bob Rice

    July 29th, 2021  |  30 mins 8 secs

    America's favorite youth ministry hero joins the podcast IN PERSON this week! Dr. Bob Rice was in town for the Ablaze training week and joined Matt & Chris to discuss youth and young adult ministry. He has been influential in calling for a new USCCB do...

  • Episode 166: Sports Vs. Church

    July 22nd, 2021  |  29 mins 23 secs

    The age old problem...sports vs. Church functions. Whether is kids missing youth ministry to play sports or dads missing Mass to watch football, it's been an issue forever. But how should we as ministry leaders approach this age old question with fresh...

  • Episode 165: Five Advanced Tips for Volunteer Training

    July 15th, 2021  |  30 mins 35 secs

    Recruiting and training of volunteers can often be lather, rise, repeat from the previous year. Matt and Chris share their flops and their successes in the avenue of training volunteers for the ministry year...

  • Episode 164: Life Cycle Part 2

    July 8th, 2021  |  23 mins

    Matt and Chris continue their conversation from last week about the Life Cycle of a ministry. This week, they focus on the "death" stage of a ministry and what that means as well as the "growth" stage which is where most of us find our ministries.  

  • Episode 163: Life Cycle Part 1

    July 1st, 2021  |  32 mins 57 secs

    This week, Matt & Chris start a two part series on the Life Cycle of a ministry. They share about the stages a ministry should go through and how it often gets stopped short for many reasons. They'll share their insights into how to fix this issue and ...

  • Episode 162: Common Language

    June 24th, 2021  |  32 mins 7 secs

    Oftentimes important messages are miscommunicated because everyone is using different terms for things or have different understandings of terms. This can happen a lot in ministry with our teams, volunteers or with those we are ministering to.

  • Episode 161: Equipt

    June 17th, 2021  |  31 mins 7 secs

    We always hear that we should be constantly growing and improving as ministry leaders, but with the large list of to-dos and demands on our time for ministry, it is often hard to find time for that. This is why Ablaze has created a new project called E...

  • Episode 160: Nostalgia

    June 10th, 2021  |  31 mins 38 secs

    Nostalgia is a powerful thing. From our favorite childhood memories, to our first breakup, these memories are powerful and we can still be brought instantly back to those feelings from long ago. Chris and Matt talk about how these memories affect how w...

  • Episode 159: Proofs & Atheism

    June 3rd, 2021  |  37 mins 3 secs

    Robert Mixa from Word on Fire joins the shows to discussion atheism and how to work with people who have doubts or are combative towards faith. This is one of our "big brain" episode that goes deep into theology and methods for best walking with people...

  • Episode 158: Docility to the Holy Spirit w/Dcn. Ralph Poyo

    May 27th, 2021  |  36 mins 28 secs

    The amazing Deacon Ralph Poyo joins the show the week to share his story of conversion over many years, the importance of docility to the Holy Spirit and how he has stayed in ministry for over 40 years. Come sit at the feet of one of the best ministry ...