Welcome to the Influence Podcast! I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

I began vocational ministry the summer of 1990 and have served in various capacities ever since. As ministers, we often focus on what happens on Sunday morning as the people of God gather to worship.

But for Sunday morning worship to go well, you need a worship community that is up for the task. How do you build such a community? What do you choose to sing in a multigenerational church? And how do you handle criticisms from church members?

Those are the questions I discuss with Josh Shaffer in this episode of the Influence Podcast. Shaffer is worship pastor at Central Assembly of God in Springfield, Missouri, where I am a member and Sunday school teacher.

What really strikes me about Shaffer’s ministry is both the growth of the worship community — i.e., singers, band, choir, orchestra — and the revitalization of the worshipping community, i.e., the congregation. 

Sponsor Ad

This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by Gospel Publishing House, distributors of Multiplication Mindset.

In Multiplication Mindset, Gerad Strong brings together decades of real-life ministry experience—revitalizing churches, multiplying campuses, and equipping leaders—to help leaders move beyond addition thinking and into sustainable, mission-driven impact.

Multiplication isn’t a strategy for a few high-capacity churches. It’s God’s design for every church.

For more information about Multiplication Mindset visit GospelPublishingHouse.com.