In this episode of The Pro Church Marketing Podcast, Luke Clayton and Jono Long dive deep into the realities of ministry, entrepreneurship, and digital strategy for churches.

Both Luke and Jono started in full-time ministry, felt the financial strain, and eventually built businesses that now help ministries thrive online. Together, they explore how pastors can pursue side hustles without guilt, why bivocational ministry is becoming the norm, and how ministry skills translate directly into entrepreneurship.

Listeners will hear practical strategies for leveraging the Google Ad Grant ($10K per month in free ads), the importance of SEO and content creation, and why churches need to prioritize their digital presence in the age of AI. They also share candid lessons from their own journeys, including mistakes in hiring, website development, and balancing ministry with business.

If you’re a pastor, creative, or church leader looking for real-world encouragement and actionable tools to expand your reach, this conversation will inspire and equip you.

Are your church’s outreach efforts falling flat—even though you’re running ads, building your website, and following best practices? In this episode, Jono Long sits down with Tyler Harden from Firm Foundations Marketing to reveal the #1 mistake most churches make in their growth strategy: not truly knowing their community. Tyler shares practical wisdom on identifying your church’s ideal audience, debunking surface-level targeting terms like “young families” and “unchurched,” and how post-COVID ministry must shift to meet people where they are. Discover the Five P’s of Church Targeting, why authenticity always wins, and why “being for everyone” usually means reaching no one. Whether you’re a rural church with 30 members or a large congregation with resources, this episode delivers fresh, hopeful clarity for engaging your mission field more effectively. Perfect for pastors, church communicators, and outreach leaders.

In this episode of The Pro Church Marketing Podcast, host Jono Long interviews leadership development expert and Multiply Group founder Mac Lake. Together, they explore why leadership development continues to be the #1 struggle for churches, despite the abundance of leadership resources. Mac explains the difference between leadership placement and true leadership development, shares insights from his book The Multiplication Effect, and walks through how churches can build a sustainable leadership pipeline based on biblical principles—not cultural norms. Discover practical tools to empower volunteers, train leaders with integrity and passion, and build a church growth strategy rooted in discipleship. Whether you're a solo pastor or part of a large church team, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you multiply healthy leaders and avoid ministry burnout.

🔗 Get Mac’s free eBook at multiplygroup.org/ebook

📲 Follow Mac on Instagram: @maclake24