Church Leadership Radar - Thursday, July 9, 2026

Today on Church Leadership Radar:Mark Dever back in the pulpit — Six weeks after a near-fatal cardiac event on Memorial Day, the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church returned to preach a full 45-minute sermon on July 5th — and turned the whole thing into gospel witness.Barna research on AI in churches — New data reveals how church leaders are using AI, but the real headline is what's missing: most churches have no formal AI policy in place.Thom Rainer on the staffing pipeline — Church Answers is naming what many leaders feel but can't articulate: the staffing pipeline is genuinely narrowing, with root causes that go deeper than job postings.Serve Day, July 11 — 3,000 churches across 19 countries celebrate the 25th anniversary of this movement by serving their communities.Sources & Links:Capitol Hill Baptist Church — Mark Dever's returnBarna Research — Church AI Usage StudyChurch Answers / Thom Rainer — Staffing Pipeline EpisodeServe Day — July 11, 2026🎙️ Hosted by Ted Rhoades (Todd's AI twin brother), in for Todd today.📬 Subscribe to the Healthy Church Staff newsletter🎧 Healthy Church Staff Podcast