What does it mean to cultivate a “missional mindset”? In this week’s episode of The Intentional Churches podcast, Momentum Christian Church’s Sheryl Riggins sits down with Erin and Doug to share her personal journey of moving from a traditional church background to a mission-driven approach to faith.

During their conversation, Sheryl opens up about her early years as a preacher’s kid, her career at Coca-Cola, and her unexpected path to leadership at Momentum. She also dives into how Momentum is making shifts to prioritize relational evangelism, from practical preaching series to encouraging personal connections in everyday life.

This episode is full of insights for church leaders looking to mobilize their people, as well as for anyone hoping to make their faith more outward-focused. Listen in to hear Sheryl’s inspiring story and learn how you, too, can be more intentional in reaching the ones close to you but far from God.

Don’t forget to reserve your spot for The Intentional Churches Conference in April here: https://www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast.

New to Intentional Churches? Start here:
https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchos

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 Welcome and Introduction
01:29 Sheryl’s Background and Journey to Momentum
04:46 Sheryl’s Musical Career and Time in Divine
08:31 Career at Coca-Cola and Ministry Priorities
15:26 Activator Training and a Shift in Mindset
21:46 The Role of Scripture in Mobilizing Believers
32:47 Living with Intentionality for the Ones
37:20 How Momentum is Raising Awareness for the Great Commission
41:30 Final Thoughts and Closing

How can churches move beyond an internal focus to reach their cities with the Gospel? Mark Ashton—lead minister at Christ Community Church in Omaha, NE—joins Erin and Doug on this week’s episode of The Intentional Churches podcast, sharing how his church—and a network of 60 churches in Omaha—is making relational evangelism a top priority.

During their conversation, Mark introduces the concept of the "fat fringe"—individuals who self-identify as Christians but lack a genuine faith in Jesus. He explains how to train leaders to engage these individuals in relational evangelism. Mark also walks us through how the Within Reach network was formed, bringing churches together to share best practices, plant churches, and support citywide Gospel efforts.

Throughout the episode, Mark offers practical strategies for church leaders, including how to instill a culture of evangelism within staff and congregations, ways to leverage local networks for greater Gospel impact, and how to overcome competition between churches.

With powerful stories of the church working together and innovative outreach methods—like counseling centers that integrate faith and psychology—this conversation will challenge and inspire pastors and church leaders to rethink the way they see evangelism!

Learn more about Mark and Christ Community Church on their website: https://www.cccomaha.org/.

Don’t forget to reserve your spot for The Intentional Churches Conference in April here: https://www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast.

New to Intentional Churches? Start here:
https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchos

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

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introduction & Conference Announcement
01:10 Meet Mark Ashton: His Ministry & Evangelism Journey
04:25 The "Fat Fringe" & Evangelism in Omaha
09:01 The Within Reach Network: A Collaboration for the Gospel
16:15 Success Stories from Church Collaboration
20:37 Mark’s Personal Conviction for Evangelism
25:59 Creating a Culture of Evangelism in Church Staff
31:33 How Within Reach Stirs Evangelism Across Churches
34:50 Practical Evangelism Tactics for Church Leaders
40:08 Lessons from Willow Creek’s Evangelism Model
43:30 The Future of Evangelism & Final Takeaways

We’re back this week with another powerful conversation, this time with pastor and church planter Lou Pizzichillo of Long Island, NY! Lou and his wife planted Community Church in Long Island back in January of 2020 (ideal timing, as any church leader would know!), and he’s sharing with us the many lessons he’s learned in the five years since.

Together Erin and Doug invite Lou to share his unique story of growing up Catholic in Long Island and how he eventually came to plant an evangelical church in his hometown. Along the way Lou learned the power sharing authentic stories can hold, how to navigate being a church for those who don’t go to church, and the challenges (and opportunities!) of having a lot of 1’s without as many 99’s. Towards the end of their conversation, Lou shares his best advice for continuing to disciple those 1’s in a fast-growing church environment, without expecting them to be “perfect” Christians right out of the gate.

Especially if you find yourself in a similar context to Lou where going to church is the norm, but not everyone knows what an authentic relationship with Jesus truly looks like, you’re not going to want to miss this episode!

Don’t forget to reserve your spot for The Intentional Churches Conference in April here: https://www.intentionalchurches.com/podcast.

New to Intentional Churches? Start here:
https://assessment.intentionalchurches.com/churchos

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

CHAPTERS
00:00 Navigating Church Planting Challenges
03:01 Cultural Context of Long Island Ministry
06:09 The Birth of Community Church
09:04 Relational Evangelism and Church Growth
11:57 Building a Culture of Authenticity
14:55 Harnessing Technology for Community Engagement
18:11 The Power of Storytelling in Ministry
21:05 Discipleship Challenges in a Growing Church
23:58 Strategies for Effective Discipleship
26:45 Navigating Growth and Cultural Dynamics
30:07 Embracing the Journey of Faith
33:05 Conclusion and Future Outlook