The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast

Six months into 2026, four church trends deserve a closer look. Algorithms are discipling your congregation 49 hours a week. AI's biggest threat isn't prompts—it's disruption on a scale the church isn't ready for. Women are still leaving, and now we know why. And a new kind of megachurch pastor is quietly emerging.
Here's what's changing and what to do about it.
🔗   Show Notes
🤖 AI and the Future Church - NEW BOOK!
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy
🎥 Watch on YouTube
Follow @careynieuwhof
❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life. 
Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes
 
SERMON PREP CHALLENGE
July 7th through 9th, my team and I are running a free three-day challenge to help you get two weeks ahead on your sermon prep. There's a one-hour call each day, and if you stick with it, by Thursday you'll have a two-week buffer built in. It's free.
Sign up at careynieuwhof.com/sermonprep.
MINISTRY BRANDS
Get the 2026 Annual Church Giving Report from Ministry Brands.
This free report breaks down the latest trends in church generosity, digital giving, donor behavior, and financial engagement — all designed to help church leaders make smarter decisions in a changing ministry landscape.
ministrybrands.com/carey
LIFESTONE MINISTRIES
Adult Bible Teacher gives you a verse-by-verse exposition of every week's lesson, built-in discussion questions, practical points, research helps, and lesson preparation notes. Everything you need to walk into your classroom with confidence every quarter.
http://lifestoneministries.org/carey

Most leaders don't think of themselves as creative. Al Gordon says that's the lie keeping you stuck. Al, founder of Renaissance, lead pastor of SAINT in East London, talks about why creativity is the church's lost superpower, how stress and algorithms are quietly killing your imagination, and what it actually takes to unlock creativity in yourself, your team, and your church.
🔗   Show Notes
🤖 AI and the Future Church - NEW BOOK!
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy
🎥 Watch on YouTube
Follow @careynieuwhof
❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life. 
Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes
 
SERMON PREP CHALLENGE
July 7th through 9th, my team and I are running a free three-day challenge to help you get two weeks ahead on your sermon prep. There's a one-hour call each day, and if you stick with it, by Thursday you'll have a two-week buffer built in. It's free.
Sign up at careynieuwhof.com/sermonprep.
MINISTRY BRANDS
Get the 2026 Annual Church Giving Report from Ministry Brands.
This free report breaks down the latest trends in church generosity, digital giving, donor behavior, and financial engagement — all designed to help church leaders make smarter decisions in a changing ministry landscape.
ministrybrands.com/carey
GLOBAL CHRISTIAN RELIEF
Global Christian Relief serves persecuted Christians in places like Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, India, and Iran. They bring Scripture where it's restricted, provide emergency relief when crisis hits, and give long-term support so local churches can remain and grow.
When you give to GCR, you're standing with family.
http://gcrelief.org/

New York Times bestselling author David Epstein talks about why Malcolm Gladwell's 10000-hour rule isn't accurate, how he and Malcolm became friends, how creativity actually works (what you can learn from Dr. Seuss), and why constraints and limits set you free.
🔗   Show Notes
🤖 AI and the Future Church - NEW BOOK!
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy
🎥 Watch on YouTube
Follow @careynieuwhof
❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life. 
Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes
 
 AI AND THE FUTURE CHURCH
A world growing more artificial by the day is going to produce people starving for what's real. And the church has been answering that hunger for two thousand years. 
Carey's book, AI and the Future Church, walks you through three shifts every church needs to make now to be prepared for whatever change AI brings. 
Pre-order is open now. You can find it at careynieuwhof.com/ai or search for AI and the Future Church on Amazon.
LIFESTONE MINISTRIES
Adult Bible Teacher from Lifestone Ministries gives you a verse-by-verse exposition of every week's lesson, built-in discussion questions, practical points, research helps, and lesson preparation notes. Everything you need to walk into your classroom with confidence every quarter.
lifestoneministries.org/carey
MINISTRY BRANDS
Get the 2026 Annual Church Giving Report from Ministry Brands.
This free report breaks down the latest trends in church generosity, digital giving, donor behavior, and financial engagement — all designed to help church leaders make smarter decisions in a changing ministry landscape.
ministrybrands.com/carey

Former pastor, minimalist, and New York Times bestselling author Joshua Becker returns to the podcast. He discusses why he left ministry to pursue a fresh calling, how minimalism can usher in an end to anxiety, when enough is enough, and how decluttering can be good for your soul. 
🔗   Show Notes
🤖 AI and the Future Church - NEW BOOK!
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy
🎥 Watch on YouTube
Follow @careynieuwhof
❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life. 
Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes
 
 AI AND THE FUTURE CHURCH
A world growing more artificial by the day is going to produce people starving for what's real. And the church has been answering that hunger for two thousand years. 
Carey's book, AI and the Future Church, walks you through three shifts every church needs to make now to be prepared for whatever change AI brings. 
Pre-order is open now. You can find it at careynieuwhof.com/ai or search for AI and the Future Church on Amazon.
VICTORY BEYOND THE CUP
The World Cup is underway and billions of people across every culture and background are gathering together.
Victory Beyond the Cup has two free kits you can access. One, for pastors to help you cast vision and equip your church, and another that your people can use to host watch parties that feel natural, not forced.
Visit victorybeyondthecup.com to access these free tools.
ALPHA USA
If your church is ready to open a door for the people in your community who are searching, Alpha has a free 3-Step Launch Plan that shows you exactly how to get your first gathering off the ground. 
Download it at alphausa.org/carey.

New York Times bestselling author Eric Ries applies his startup philosophy to churches. Carey and Eric cover how to know when to take a risk, how to get past broke thinking in your church, and why the harder path is often easier.
🔗   Show Notes
🤖 AI and the Future Church - NEW BOOK!
🗣️ Preaching Cheat Sheet
🧠 The Art of Leadership Academy
🎥 Watch on YouTube
Follow @careynieuwhof
❗️Connect with other podcast listeners about each episode of my podcast, including me. You'll get exclusive insights by asking questions, sharing insights, and learning how others are applying the content in real life. 
Join for free: https://careynieuwhof.com/shownotes
 
 AI AND THE FUTURE CHURCH
A world growing more artificial by the day is going to produce people starving for what's real. And the church has been answering that hunger for two thousand years. 
Carey's book, AI and the Future Church, walks you through three shifts every church needs to make now to be prepared for whatever change AI brings. 
Pre-order is open now. You can find it at careynieuwhof.com/ai or search for AI and the Future Church on Amazon.
JONI & FRIENDS
Joni and Friends exists to bring Gospel hope and dignity to people living with disability—and they do it in a real, hands-on way. 
Over 250,000 wheelchairs delivered internationally, tens of thousands of special needs families served at Family Retreats every year, and Bibles put into the hands of people who've never had access to one. 
If you want to get involved, give, volunteer, or just learn more, head to joniandfriends.org/carey.
 
Brought to you by The Art of Leadership Network