Spiritual Revival and Retreat with Mark Matlock
In this episode of the Innovative Church Leaders podcast, Dr. Eric Bryant interviews Mark Matlock, the Executive Director of the Urbana Student Missions Conference, the founder of WisdomWorks Ministries, Senior Fellow at Barna, and author of over 20 books.Mark shares about the significance of the Urbana conference, insights on church trends, and the need for spiritual formation and resilience in discipleship.🔥 Top 5 Takeaways:1. Gen Z is experiencing both revival and retreat in their faith.2. Urbana serves as a pivotal moment for young adults to contemplate their faith and mission.3. Church leaders must adapt to the changing imagination of younger generations.4.Resilient disciples prioritize faith at the center of their lives.5. The church has unprecedented opportunities to connect with spiritually open individuals. 📲 Follow Us:Stay connected and never miss an episode!• YouTube: @InnovativeChurchLeaders• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-post-christian-podcast/id1509588357 •Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ZeQIrzr2tCMyq1VdwxGNn • Facebook: / InnovativeChurchLeaders• TikTok: / InnovativeChurchLeaders• Instagram: / InnovativeChurchLeaders 🔔 Subscribe Share:If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with fellow leaders and friends to help pastors experience and bring renewal.Key Moments with Timestamps:00:00 - Emerging Trends in Gen Z Faith Engagement03:26 - The Evolution of Urbana and Its Impact05:58 - Insights from Barna Research on Church Trends08:45 - Understanding Young Adult Faith Dynamics11:25 - The Role of Spiritual Formation in Discipleship14:33 - Opportunities for Church Leaders in Today's ContextHead over to innovativechurchleaders.org for additional resources and subscribe to stay updated on future episodes.#InnovativeChurchLeaders #innovation #KingdomofGod #EricBryant #ChurchLeadership #outreach #Discipleship #Evangelism #ChurchHealth #Pastors #creativity #jesus #christianity #faith #faithinaction #renewal #spiritualawakening #awakening #Urbana #genz #Urbana25 #Urbana2025 #MarkMatlock #YouthSpecialties #Barna
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In this free resource from Dr. Eric Michael Bryant, you’ll discover why innovation isn’t optional - it’s biblical. Learn how God’s own nature reveals a bias for creativity, renewal, and transformation - and how you can lead your church to thrive in our post-Christian world.
Inside, you’ll find:
Practical lessons on how innovation sustains healthy ministry
Insights from churches on the frontlines
A biblical foundation for change rooted in God’s character
Encouragement for weary leaders navigating uncertainty
Join a growing movement of pastors embracing Spirit-led innovation to reach new people (not yet being reached) and making disciples who are making disciples.
Download your free copy today and lead with confidence, courage, and creativity in a time that needs it most.
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Featured Offer
In this free resource from Dr. Eric Michael Bryant, you’ll discover why innovation isn’t optional - it’s biblical. Learn how God’s own nature reveals a bias for creativity, renewal, and transformation - and how you can lead your church to thrive in our post-Christian world.
Inside, you’ll find:
Practical lessons on how innovation sustains healthy ministry
Insights from churches on the frontlines
A biblical foundation for change rooted in God’s character
Encouragement for weary leaders navigating uncertainty
Join a growing movement of pastors embracing Spirit-led innovation to reach new people (not yet being reached) and making disciples who are making disciples.
Download your free copy today and lead with confidence, courage, and creativity in a time that needs it most.
About Innovative Church Leaders Podcast
We exist to help church leaders experience and bring renewal. We help you bring Spirit-led innovation, reach new people, and make disciples who make disciples.
About Dr. Eric Bryant
Eric has been with Gateway Church in Austin since 2011. Currently he serves as the Campus Pastor for Gateway South Austin with Senior Pastor Carlos Ortiz, Jr.. Gateway’s founding pastor is John Burke and is known for their mottos: “no perfect people allowed” and “come as you are.”
From 1998-2010, Eric served as part of the leadership team with Erwin McManus at Mosaic in Los Angeles, a church known for its creativity and diversity. The four years prior to that he helped plant a church in Seattle, WA.
Eric is the author of Not Like Me: Loving, Serving, and Influencing Our Divided World and Fruitful: Becoming Who God Created You To Be. He was a contributing author with Rick Yamamoto for Uprising Experience: A Personal Guide for a Revolution of the Soul by Erwin McManus.
Eric has taught courses at Bethel Seminary and coaches pastors. He is also the founder of Innovative Church Leaders which helps pastors experience and bring renewal.
Eric lives with his wife, Deborah, in South Austin, TX near their young adult children – son Caleb, daughter Trevi, and son-in-law Adrien.
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