The Intentional Churches Conference is not your typical church leadership event—it's a movement. In this week’s special bonus episode, Erin sits down to interview Doug all about how The Intentional Churches Conference is evolving and what attendees can expect this year.

Doug explains that IC is about more than just content—it's a collaborative network where church leaders learn from one another in real-time. Last year’s conference highlights included a hands-on coffee-making experiment, a panel of non-Christians sharing their perspectives, and interactive networking designed to spark innovation.
This year, IC is introducing new tools, including a conference-exclusive book—Radical Alignment to Personal Ownership of the Great Commission—and a role-based track system to help church leaders implement practical strategies in their ministries.

If you're looking for an event that prioritizes collaboration over consumption, don’t miss this year’s Intentional Churches Conference!

Join us April 29-30! Register now at intentionalchurchesconference.com.

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

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 The Unconference: A New Kind of Church Leadership Gathering
01:35 What is IC Becoming? A Collaborative Movement
04:00 Highlights from Last Year’s Conference
06:24 What Makes This Conference Different?
08:51 Practical Ways This Year’s Conference Will Help Church Leaders
11:31 Final Invitation: Join Us in April!

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
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 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