Intentional Churches Podcast

About Intentional Churches Podcast

Church Leader, shift your focus from mere institutional insights to individual transformation. Be intentional. Join hosts Doug Parks (CEO and Co-Founder of Intentional Churches) and Erin Johnston (Co-Executive Pastor of Canyon Ridge Christian Church) as they share weekly thought-provoking discussions and actionable takeaways that will resource you to help your people encounter Jesus. Take the step toward authentic discipleship of your congregation so you can mobilize the ninety-nine to reach the one.

Publisher

Doug Parks & Erin Johnston

Category

business · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

26 Oct 2020

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

92 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Make the Mission Personal, with Cedric Payne

   How do you move a congregation from attending church to owning the mission? Doug sits down with Cedric Payne, senior minister of Alondra Boulevard Church of Christ in Compton, California, to talk about exactly that. Cedric started preaching at 14, went on to Pepperdine and UCLA Law, and worked as a public defender for almost 32 years while serving at Alondra. When his senior minister and close friend died suddenly in 2013, Cedric found himself leading the church. Praying in the empty sanctuary, he heard the Holy Spirit point him back to the Great Commission. That moment changed his preaching and his approach to discipleship. In this episode: The story of Alondra, the shifting demographics of Compton, and why commuters from 40 miles away still call it home. A quick history of the Churches of Christ, the Restoration Movement, and the a cappella worship tradition. How African American Churches of Christ planted 30+ congregations across LA. Why evangelism and discipleship should never have been separated Cynthia's story: one member, one apartment building, four baptisms, and a new Bible study. The challenge of moving longtime members past an institutional mindset, and reaching a younger, post-COVID generation who see church as optional. Why relational ownership of the mission beats model chasing Cedric's practical tip: be "one-centric" in everything, and trim the events that don't serve your ones Doug also shares the One More initiative and a 30-day devotional, and an 180-year-old Florida church that is on fire after adopting it. Timeline Time Topic 00:00 Cold open: Cedric on the mission to partner with God in transforming the world 00:13 Doug's welcome and IC updates: the new Executive Pastor podcast, this show's new direction, Activator small groups 01:28 Cedric's story: Los Angeles roots, preaching at 14, Pepperdine, UCLA Law, 32 years as a public defender 03:30 Joining Alondra 33 years ago, then the sudden death of his senior minister in 2013 05:44 Compton's demographic shift and the Monday feeding program 07:02 What is the Church of Christ? Restoration Movement, congregational autonomy, a cappella worship 10:24 How Black Churches of Christ planted 30+ churches across LA 12:14 A commuter congregation and the "church worth driving to" model; Compton as the Hub City 18:05 Doug on his own shift from institutional leading to personal ownership 19:20 Crying out in the sanctuary, the Great Commission, and discovering IC 23:33 Why evangelism and discipleship got separated, and what ownership does to the believer 24:23 Stories: Cynthia's apartment building and other members inviting friends 28:37 The greatest team sport; what Cedric is learning: "it's hard work" 30:31 Breaking the institutional mindset in older members; reaching younger generations 32:24 Doug's answer: relational ownership over model chasing; the One More initiative 35:12 The 180-year-old Florida church that flipped the switch 35:55 Practical tip: be "one-centric" and trim events to focus on your ones 38:17 Wrap-up and thanks 39:04 Outro: executivepastor.io

2. 

   12 Aug 2026

   The State of AI in the Church, with Drew Dickens

   Season 11 opens with returning guest Drew Dickens for a state-of-the-union on AI and the church. Four months since the IC Conference ("forty years in AI time"), Drew catches Doug up on the summer of new models, the scramble around AI policy, and why survey numbers on pastor AI usage range from 10% to 78% (hint: we haven't defined what "using AI" even means). From there, the conversation moves to what matters most for church leaders: the shift from generative to agentic AI, the sobering reality that counseling and spiritual formation remain the #1 use of AI worldwide, and what it means that congregants are taking their 3 a.m. existential crises to a chatbot. Drew shares practical steps (survey your people, talk about it from the pulpit, build an AI policy for your church and your families) alongside a real caution about "frictionless faith": when AI removes the friction, it may also remove the very thing that forms us. In this episode: Drew's takeaways from the IC Conference: efficiency excitement from XPs, quiet fear from senior pastors The summer of new models: Claude Fable 5, ChatGPT 5.6, Opus V, Gemini 3.6, DeepSeek 4 Why fewer than 10% of churches have an AI policy (and how to start one) Which conversations belong to AI, and which belong at the kitchen table Counseling, companionship, and spiritual formation: still 70-75% of AI use How pastors should preach when AI is discipling their people Agentic AI explained: your team of 20 admins that never calls in sick "Frictionless faith" and the spiritual risks of taking humanity out of the loop Why Anthropic is hiring philosophers and inviting spiritual leaders to Silicon Valley Timestamps: (00:00) Welcome back: Season 11 kickoff (00:25) IC 3.0 and the Radical Alignment Assessment (01:16) Drew's takeaways from the IC Conference (03:24) The summer of new models (05:45) AI policy, rogue models, and data centers (07:17) Beyond admin: how churches are using AI (09:59) Less than 10% of churches have an AI policy (11:02) Kitchen table vs. AI conversations (11:42) The #1 use of AI: counseling and spiritual formation (13:35) The 3 a.m. crisis: how pastors should respond (15:30) Will AI change the ecclesiology of the church? (16:45) Talk about it: surveys, forums, and sermon series (17:48) What is agentic AI? (19:43) Predictions on agentic adoption (21:50) Frictionless faith and spiritual risk (24:26) Philosophy, AI labs, and what's left for humans (26:54) Leading without fear + closing call to action Resources: Take the Radical Alignment Assessment: https://alignmychurch.com Drew Dickens' AI & Spirituality podcast (weekly, on Substack): https://drewdickens.com (https://drewdickens.com)

3. 

   23 Jun 2026

   IC Conference Main Session 4, with Robbie O'Brien

   What would happen if every ministry, every leader, and every church became radically aligned around the mission of reaching the one? In this closing main session from IC Conference 2026, Robbie O'Brien, Lead Pastor of Salty Church and founder of the Surf Church Collective, challenges church leaders to embrace the radical nature of Jesus and the radical alignment required to fulfill His mission. Drawing from Luke 15, Luke 19, Matthew 28, Acts 1:8, and his own journey from surfer culture to church planting, Robbie reminds leaders that a busy ministry is not always an obedient ministry. Through powerful stories, practical challenges, and compelling illustrations, he calls churches to move beyond managing religious consumers and instead mobilize disciples who are empowered by the Holy Spirit to become witnesses to the ends of the earth. This message is a passionate reminder that radical alignment isn't simply a strategy—it's a commitment to the heart of Jesus and His mission to seek and save the lost. Episode Timeline 00:00 – The Story of “The One” 03:09 – Why Radical Alignment Matters 04:29 – The Meaning of Radical 05:20 – Surf Culture and Following Jesus 07:12 – Jesus Was Radical 08:12 – Luke 15 and the Heart of God 09:05 – The Mission of Jesus 10:45 – The “No Socks” Story 12:25 – Deny Yourself and Follow Jesus 13:45 – Busy Doesn’t Mean Obedient 15:15 – Acts 1:8 and the Power of the Holy Spirit 17:20 – Witnesses, Not Consumers 19:25 – What It Means to Be a Witness 20:00 – The Beach as the Ends of the Earth 21:10 – Planting Salty Church 22:05 – Surf Church Collective 25:10 – Rochelle and Stefan’s Story 28:20 – Recognizing a Prodigal on the Way Home 29:00 – “I’ll Go” 30:00 – Isaiah’s Response 31:00 – Your Ends of the Earth 32:30 – Closing Prayer and Commissioning

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

18 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

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