The Peter Bowden Show

Dec 13 2023 25 mins 4

The Peter Bowden Show Podcast artwork

Welcome to the Peter Bowden show! Raised a Unitarian Universalist, I'm an expert in small group spiritual exploration, community building, ministry, media and congregational life. Looking to lead and grow a congregation, program, ministry, justice effort or other community group? Subscribe for practical tips and strategies for leaders from a growing range of faith traditions and industries.

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Holiday Outreach Strategy with Video Example Scripts

Dec 13 2023 17 mins

To inspire participation in congregational life this holiday season and New Year, go beyond announcements! Learn how to use simple video messages and optional ad campaigns to help newcomers and members alike choose connection, meaning and congregational life this season. See episode blog post for the Google Document with example scripts mentioned in this episode.

The AI Meaning Crisis and Congregations

Nov 14 2023 16 mins

An AI driven meaning crisis is looming. This live stream audio replay explores the coming A.I. meaning crisis for community clergy and congregations. With AI evolving at an exponential rate, artificial general intelligence (AGI) is coming fast. What happens when AI can do any job a human with a computer can do? That's not sci-fi, that's what companies are working on today. As these

Tips on Rebuilding Programs in Congregations: Children, Youth, Families, Young Adults, Small Groups

Aug 17 2023 40 mins

Do you need to relaunch, rebuild or start a new program this fall? If so, this is for you! I share tips and strategies for rebuilding programs and ministries in this strategy session. I've worked across areas of congregational life and have started many programs over the years. This session shares successful approaches plus the latest from my hands-on work with congregations. Watc

"First visits" are now Online and On-Demand!

May 18 2023 25 mins

Growing your congregation requires that visitors have successful first visits. Today the "first visit" is the online and on-demand process people use to research, explorel, and discern if they want to connect with your congregation. The path to membership starts with the digital experience. We need to make sure it is a warm, friendly, relational, and helpful process. In this episod

Supercharge your congregation's map and review listings

May 12 2023 21 mins

Get my new free “Building a Digital Path to Membership” training when it is released. Subscribe to my email list for congregational leaders at https://www.peterbowden.live/congregations-subscribe. I'll send you link to access training as soon as it is ready. Thanks! The first place many potential visitors see your congregation is on local MAP and REVIEW listings. If your lis

Budget Deficits? Communication Tips for Congregation

May 05 2023 28 mins

Are you vision-casting or manifesting a congregational death spiral? I’ve been reviewing congregational fundraising communications. Many communicators are so caught up in their challenges, the congregation’s vision has been lost. In this session, how gloom and doom communication can undermine your fundraising capacity especially with newomers and how you might approach it inst

Weekly Worship Video Engagement Strategy

May 05 2023 29 mins

Peter Bowden shares how to use weekly video messages to engage your community and inspire participation in congregation life. This session focused on using video messages to engage people with weekly worship themes, though the strategy may be applied across aspects of congregational life.

Hacks to Optimize Worship for Online Attention Spans

May 05 2023 27 mins

Join Peter Bowden for a strategy briefing with Q&A on ways congregations can optimize live-streamed worship services and posted worship recordings for online audiences. This episode features some vision content. You may watch this content on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/live/OgW2IVav5W0

Welcoming First Time Visitors Online with Video

May 05 2023 26 mins

Join Peter Bowden for a strategy session with Q&A on using VIDEO to help first-time visitors connect with your congregation. We’ll talk specifically about first-time visitor landing pages. When people visit your congregation onsite, you welcome them with human beings. Video lets us do the same online on-demand 24/7. Session duration: 30 minutes with Q&A.

"Meet the Minister" videos and the digital path to membership

Apr 13 2023 26 mins

Learn how "meet the minister" videos on congregational websites support the visitor research process and membership development. Have you ever heard someone say they chose to visit the congregation after meeting the minister somewhere? This happens all the time. After getting to know the minister at a wedding, funeral, protest, or elsewhere in the community, people feel comforta