Background of the Podcast

Background of how this podcast came to be
Today, in episode #1 of Preparing the Church for the Harvest I want to share a little background of how this all got started and what to expect in the show.
I have a few prayer groups that I am involved in and in every one of them we pray for revival. For lost souls to be saved. That the Lord would show us how to use ministry beyond the walls to reach out to them and bring them into the fold.
One day after one of these powerful prayer sessions it occurred to me that churches might not be “ready” for a great harvest of souls. I visualized a flood of people coming into the church building and the leaders were frantic because they weren’t prepared. I began thinking about what local churches might need to get prepared and how I could help them, whether it be one visitor or many new people. What potential issues would need to be addressed, how leaders could be trained and prepared, how growth would affect the administrative side.
It was actually several months later that I felt the Lord leading me to start a podcast. This is something I never saw myself doing. But all of a sudden, I was feeling this unction to learn more about the process and behind the scenes pieces.
Fast forward a couple weeks… and I was feeling more confident about this idea and was actively researching all the how-to’s. I even purchased a course from Esther Littlefield on creating a Podcast in a Weekend. Then I began thinking about a name. I had several ideas from other courses and blogs I had done but was seriously asking God what He wanted me to call it.
The same day I bought the course I went to another prayer meeting with two dear friends. During our prayer time one of these sweet ladies said, “Preparing for the Harvest” in her prayer. I began laughing out loud because there it was! That would be the name of my podcast. I even had that phrase written in my idea notebook about something totally different. Or at least I thought it was for something different. But right there and then the Lord not only confirmed that I was on the right track with starting a podcast, but He gave me the name of it.
After going thru Esther’s course, I decided I should add Preparing the CHURCH for the Harvest to be clear that my audience was for ministries and not farmers!
A little more about me – I am a wife, a mom, and a Gigi. My husband, Rusty and I have been married for over 26 years. We have 3 grown daughters and one grandson who is almost three years old. We currently live in southeast Oklahoma. I enjoy spending time with family, creating craft projects, and a good cup of coffee while reading my Bible in the mornings. I have been in leadership or administration of ministry for over 25 years serving in places of teaching, singing, women’s ministry and multiple administrative positions. I have worked with pastors and leadership teams of many denominations and have a passion to help ministries be more effective in Kingdom work!
My goal is to cover a wide variety of topics and themes on this podcast. From welcoming new visitors and following up with them, to keeping leadership engaged and energized. We will also cover the administrative side and tools and resources that can be helpful as you see church growth. We will have special guests speaking on revival, gifts of the Spirit, intercessory prayer, and creating a hospitality team. Plus much more as the Lord directs!
I hope you have enjoyed hearing the background behind this podcast. I am delighted to go on this journey with you as we PRAY for REVIVAL and strive to BE PREPARED FOR THE HARVEST.
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Thank you so much for listening to PREPARING THE CHURCH FOR THE HARVEST podcast!
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Hi, I’m your host, Jacklin Drake. I am a wife, mom, Gigi, speaker, author, business administrator for a non-profit ministry, and founder of Effective Ministry Solutions LLC where we strive to Equip, Engage, and Energize leaders in Ministry.
I am passionate about helping you strategically prepare for the work the Lord is leading you to do in your ministry. I want you and your church TO BE PREPARED FOR THE HARVEST.