Dr. Steve Parr is the Executive Director of the Gwinnett Metro Baptist Network and former Vice President of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. Dr. Parr is a nationally known author: The Coffee Shop that Changed a Church, Why They Stay: Helping Parents and Church Leaders Make Investments That Keep Children and Teens Connected to the Church for a Lifetime, and more. Steve is a leading voice in leadership development, Sunday School, and Groups Ministry. Fun Fact: Steve has been in a Fantasy Football league for 32 years which is older than 99% of the 100 million people who will play Fantasy Football this Fall! Matthew Gibbs is the Adult Discipleship and Evangelism Pastor at Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins and one of our Georgia Baptist Discipleship Consultants. He is one of the most high-capacity leaders in Georgia. Matthew has implemented and maintained a highly effective discipleship strategy at Second Baptist Church. Fun Fact: Matthew is a professional level model airplane builder. In this episode you’ll learn: • Why it is important to surround yourself with people who “know” Learning Communities • Recruiting volunteers is getting more difficult and learn keys to recruit effective volunteers that stay • Giving lay leaders a vision worth giving their life to is critical • Unmet expectations are one of the great barriers to retaining volunteers • Sully shares a key leadership principle: it’s ok to fail but it is NOT ok to be mediocre • Dr. Parr shares why church hopping is at an all-time high • Matthew talks about keys to understanding a consumer mentality in church members and how to shift that mindset • Consider an “exit interview” for church members who leave the church if you genuinely want to know why people leave • Sully shares a Jesus style model that moves people away from consumerism and toward Christ-likeness from a book he recently read • The SPARK Conference is HERE—August! 5 in person locations in Georgia and a nation-wide digital premiere on August 25. www.thesparkconference.com, register today for an in-person event and/or the digital premiere!! • Training is biblical and necessary for growing churches: train in drips, schedule gatherings of leaders 3-4 times a year, train the trainable, and more • We must move people from being recipients of the church’s mission to being responsible for the church’s mission • Current trends or future trends that will greatly impact our Sunday School and Small Group ministries