Brady Shearer/Pro Church Tools shares “Church Volunteers Are Disappearing — Here’s Why” (9-minute watch), presenting the "Ownership Pyramid" as a framework to solve the volunteer retention crisis. Shearer argues that "agency" is the most valuable gift a leader can offer, breaking down a four-step progression—Emotional Steadiness, Task, Project, and Team—that transforms volunteers from passive helpers into empowered owners. The episode is a vital resource for ministry leaders wanting to build a sustainable culture by developing people rather than just filling slots.

ChurchLeaders shares “The Biggest Tech Mistakes Churches Make with Volunteers” (7-minute read), citing seven reasons for a poor volunteer experience and offering suggestions for improvement. The article points to issues such as treating roles as a job rather than ministry to expecting volunteers to “just figure it out,” and suggests remedies such as simple one-page instructions for each role. The article underscores the axiom that “tech problems” are often really “people problems”.

Mennonite Church USA shares "The top 5 AI and automation tools I recommend for churches" (6-minute read), exploring five practical tools that can help churches reduce burnout, improve communication, and support daily ministry. The author grounds her recommendations in real-world use cases, such as using ChatGPT as a "sanity checker" for newcomer communications and using Otter.ai to ensure meeting decisions are captured for those who couldn't attend. Ultimately, the goal is to remove technical and administrative friction so leaders can focus on faith, formation, and community.

Times News Online shares "Scam Email Goes Out to Church Congregation" (3-minute read), reporting how over 250 members of St. Peter's Church in West Penn Township, Pennsylvania received fraudulent emails impersonating their pastor requesting gift card purchases. The scam originated when the new pastor unknowingly responded to a spoofed email requesting the membership directory. Fortunately, no one fell victim—parishioners called the church to verify. The FTC advises: never trust email sender names alone, and real church leaders won't ask you to buy gift cards.

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