On this episode of The Intentional Churches Podcast, Doug and Erin sit down with Pastor Riley Halliday, a former U.S. Air Force special operations leader who’s now leading Manna Church in Newport News, Virginia.

Riley shares how his church embraces the constant movement of military life as a disciple-making opportunity. With families rotating every two years, his team trains every believer to live on mission, ready to reach their “One” wherever God sends them next.

We unpack how urgency can fuel alignment, what it takes to build a training and sending culture, and why clarity beats complexity every time.

If your church is in a transient community or you need fresh inspiration to fight for alignment around the Great Commission, this conversation will stir you up.

New to Intentional Churches? Start here:
https://intentionalchurches.com/radical-alignment

00:00 Training and Sending with Urgency in a Military Church
00:33 Doug and Erin Welcome Riley Halliday to the Podcast
02:04 Meet Riley: From Air Force Special Operations to Church Planting
05:06 The Birth of Manna Church and a Vision for Military Families
07:26 Launching During COVID and Finding God’s Provision Through a Merger
09:51 How a 100-Year-Old Church Became Manna’s New Home
10:39 Leading Near Military Bases: Nellis, Creech, and Beyond
12:54 The Two-Year Window: Training and Sending Before Families Move
14:13 Micro-Sites, Military Moves, and Multiplying Disciples
15:05 How Military Life Fuels Disciple-Making and Multiplication
16:19 Doug on “Radical Alignment” and Reuniting Evangelism and Discipleship
18:33 Fighting for Clarity and Simplicity in a Growing Church
19:59 How Canyon Ridge Fought for Vision and Alignment
22:08 Creating a Culture That Repeats the Mission
23:36 Practical Tools: Circle-Ups, Vision Rhythms, and For the One Bracelets
27:28 Keeping Alignment Simple, Transferable, and Repeatable
29:00 Fighting Misalignment with Elders, Staff, and New Ideas
31:30 Saying “No” to Good Things to Protect the Mission
33:42 When Church Members Want a Bookstore (and Other Distractions)
34:40 How the IC Toolbox and ChurchOS Keep Teams on Track
37:01 Every New Initiative Is an Opportunity for Alignment—or Drift
38:05 Riley’s Lesson: You Reproduce Who You Are, Not What You Say
39:59 Doug’s Closing Thoughts: Returning to the Root of the Great Commission
40:53 The Radical Alignment Book and Upcoming Assessment

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches
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Join the conversation and let us know how you are leading your church toward the Great Commission!

Doug and co-host Daniel Goulding sit down with Andy Cook, Executive Director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, to unpack why relational evangelism belongs at the center of discipleship. Together they explore sobering stats (60% of U.S. churches are stagnant or declining), Gen Z’s surprising openness to spiritual conversations, and the practical rhythms leaders can model—from Alpha tables to breakfast-booth friendships.

Daniel shares church-plant lessons around decisions and baptisms, while Andy unpacks BGC research, revitalization cohorts, and the vision behind the Amplify Conference. Along the way, they wrestle with transfer growth vs. true conversion, the seeker-sensitive debate, preaching clearly into cultural issues, and how “radical alignment” mobilizes everyday believers. The conversation is actionable, hopeful, and data-informed.

New to Intentional Churches? Start here:
https://intentionalchurches.com/radical-alignment

CHAPTERS:
00:00 The Sobering Statistic: 60% of Churches in Decline or Stagnant
01:03 Meet Co-Host Daniel Goulding and His Church Plant Story
01:21 Andy Cook’s Journey: From Willow Creek to Wheaton College
03:28 Daniel’s Radical Conversion: From Fraternity Life to Faith
06:43 Early Lessons in Relational Evangelism
08:03 Inviting Friends, Broken Hearts, and the “Lonely Bench” at Willow
10:33 Why Evangelism Must Begin with Leaders
13:32 Everyday Evangelism: Breakfast Tables and Baptism Stories
15:02 Making Evangelism a Regular Appointment on the Calendar
16:56 Why Andy Leads Alpha and Steps Outside the Christian Bubble
17:13 Inside the Billy Graham Center and Its Institutes
20:30 State of Evangelism in America Today
23:15 Transfer Growth vs. True Kingdom Growth
24:48 Why Evangelism Feels Scary—and Why It’s Still Biblical
26:20 Bad Evangelism vs. Good Evangelism: Learning Like Toddlers
28:56 Discipleship and Evangelism: Two Sides of the Same Coin
30:40 Can You Have Deep Discipleship Without Evangelism?

32:23 Gen Z’s Spiritual Openness and New Research Insights
34:46 Preaching Boldly into Cultural Issues
36:58 Calling Men to Biblical Masculinity
37:50 Convening Evangelism Leaders at the Billy Graham Center
39:18 Digital Spaces, AI, and the Future of Evangelism
40:18 The Amplify Conference: Keeping Evangelism Central
40:56 The Radical Alignment Assessment and New Data

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches
Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches
X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches

Join the conversation and let us know how you are leading your church toward the Great Commission!

David Ashcraft joins Doug and co-host Daniel Goulding on this episode of the Intentional Churches Podcast, sharing lessons from decades of leadership at LCBC in Pennsylvania.

From painful early years where elders walked out, to the explosive growth that brought thousands of people across multiple campuses, David unpacks how radical alignment and a relentless focus on “best vs. good” shaped a disciple-making movement.

During their conversation, you’ll hear why alignment matters more than keeping everyone happy, how LCBC codified its culture without losing passion, and what the 90–10 rule teaches us about the need for some people to be upset if you’re truly moving forward. David also unpacks how to discern between “good” opportunities and the “best” mission, and he shares honestly about the personal cost leaders pay to remain faithful through seasons of growth.

New to Intentional Churches? Start here:
https://intentionalchurches.com/radical-alignment

CHAPTERS:
00:00 When Elders Walk Out: The Pain of Early Leadership
01:10 Meet Co-Host Daniel Goulding and His Church Plant Story
02:44 David Ashcraft’s Journey: From Texas to Pennsylvania
04:48 Facing Opposition: Letters from Abe and the Worship Wars
07:11 LCBC’s Growth: From 150 to 25,000 Across 25 Campuses
08:23 The Core Issue: Alignment vs. Misalignment in the Church
09:40 Good vs. Best: The Principle that Guides Every Decision
11:19 Lessons from Rapid Growth and Staff Alignment Challenges
14:00 Codifying Culture: From Intuition to Intentionality
16:33 Multi-Site Expansion and Why Limitations Became Opportunities
18:52 Stewardship, Buildings, and Keeping the Mission Central
22:12 Guarding Staff Culture While Scaling Fast
25:56 The 90–10 Rule: Leading with Clarity, Not Popularity
29:20 Picking Battles Carefully Without Losing Alignment
33:52 Codifying the “Gut”: Axioms and Culture Statements
39:02 Encouragement for Leaders in Shrinking or Struggling Churches
43:25 The Real Cost of Growth and Leadership Pain
45:25 Why David Stepped Into The Advantage and Global Leadership Network
47:17 Final Wisdom: Lead, Don’t Chase Popularity

Website: https://intentionalchurches.com
The Book: https://a.co/d/hFlz17C
The Blog: https://intentionalchurches.com/blog/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@IntentionalChurches
Facebook: https://facebook.com/intentionalchurches
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intentional-churches/mycompany/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/IntentionalChurches
X/Twitter: https://x.com/intentchurches

Join the conversation and let us know how you are leading your church toward the Great Commission!