We think there’s more to following Jesus than checking off a spiritual to-do list. So we set out to find out answers. But what we found instead were stories—stories that reminded us God is at work in the ordinary parts of our lives where we sometimes forget to look. And that’s what inspired the launch of the latest Life.Church podcast—You’ve Heard It Said.

We don’t have a shortage of content. What most of us are missing is a deep sense of connection.

We created this podcast for your LifeGroup because we believe transformation happens in the context of trusted relationships. We don’t think we have a shortage of content. What most of us are missing is a deep sense of connection. So we designed this podcast to be something that sparks conversations—not to be a one-sided conversation. Our hope is that you’d listen to the podcast and then talk about it with others (i.e. your LifeGroup). And we also hope you won’t allow it to just be more information you hear, but that it would become next steps you take.

So … we launched a new LifeGroups podcast. Exciting stuff, right? We’re sure you have a lot of questions, so we’ll offer up a few answers, knowing that we designed this tool for you to be creative and to use however you think it might benefit your LifeGroup.

Q: Why a podcast?

A: We realized a lot of LifeGroups spend precious moments together watching video content. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, we wondered if LifeGroups could benefit from having more time together—not to watch a screen but to engage in conversation. We called this concept “flipping the classroom.” Think about it this way: What if people in your LifeGroup could listen to the content before they arrived at LifeGroup so that when everyone gathers, you could focus on doing things together that you can only do together—eating, praying, reading Scripture, discussing what you’ve heard, catching up, etc. Thus, the concept of a podcast was born. We figured that it’s a more flexible way for your LifeGroup to consume content as they drive their commute, do their household chores, exercise, etc. Audio content has also been gaining a lot of momentum in the past couple of years, so we wanted to leverage that momentum.

Q: How can I use it in my LifeGroup?

A: We’ll help you turn the podcast into a conversation with your LifeGroup by providing a conversation guide to go along with each episode. In that guide, you’ll find key takeaways, resources and next steps, and questions to help guide your conversation.

Q: Where can I find it?

A: You can find it anywhere you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Spotify, iTunes, Castbox, Podbean, Stitcher, Android Browser, TuneIn, Overcast, and more! You can also find each season on YouTube on the Life.Church Leader channel or at www.life.church/groups. The conversation guide will be linked in the descriptions in all of those places as well.

Q: How often will it release?

A: The podcast will release in seasons starting on Monday, June 1. We’ll release the first two episodes together on June 1, and then the other episodes will release one per week until June 29, for a total of six episodes. After that, we’ll have a break before the next season releases.

Q: What can I do when I finish the podcast?

A: You can continue to use resources from Pastor Craig’s weekend messages, like the Talk It Over. You can browse our content library of video studies here. You could supplement with other podcasts for your LifeGroup, like the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast, the LC Parents Podcast, or The Messy Table Podcast. You could talk about articles on finds.life.church about similar topics. You could also spend two weeks talking about each episode, or have one week where you talk about the podcast and the next week where you evaluate how you took a next step from listening. Ultimately, we know you are the best person to decide how your LifeGroup uses this content, so use it however makes the most sense for you and your LifeGroup. (P.S. Looking for more ways to use content in your LifeGroup? Check out this article for some more tips.)

Q: What can I expect on the podcast?

A: Each season will offer an overall theme for your LifeGroup to talk about, and every episode will feature stories of people living out what we talk about. We’ll also offer a next step that you can use as a challenge for your whole LifeGroup to take together. Every episode will be right around 30 minutes so that your LifeGroup can consume it in short chunks of time before meeting together.

Q: Anything else I should know?

A: Yes! We want this podcast to be a resource for as many people as possible, and you and your LifeGroup can play a vital role. Here are some ways you can help:

1. Share about the podcast with others. You can recommend it to your LifeGroup. You can also post some shareable social media graphics to get the word out. Here’s how:
Step One: Visit this link.

Step Two: Click on each episode to find the graphics. On your desktop, you can click on the image you’d like to download and select the “download” button in the bottom right corner. On your mobile device, you can tap the photo, and a download icon will appear. Click the icon, and then download the image.

Step Three: Share on your social media channels! We’ve created lots of different assets to share. Here’s a quick breakdown:

Square Social Media Graphics for your main Instagram or Facebook pages

IG Story Graphics for your Instagram or Facebook Stories

Square Social Media Carousels: You can download all the images in a series and post them in order on your main accounts like this post from Pastor Craig here. It’s a great way to spread hope to people right where they are!

Instagram Story Series: You can post these in order on your Story to create a series of inspiring, encouraging posts for people to swipe through.

2. Rate and review the podcast wherever you regularly listen to podcasts. We know every podcast asks you to do that, but the reason is very important. The more people who rate a podcast, the easier it becomes for others to find it. So your review could very well be the reason someone else gets to listen to a hope-filled conversation that encourages them to grow spiritually. Seriously, take a few minutes as a LifeGroup and leave a review together. It’s one way you can be a digital hope-spreader!

This podcast can be another great tool for you and your LifeGroup by relieving the pressure for you to develop content and instead allowing you to focus on facilitating great conversations and building relationships within your group. We’re so excited for this new resource, and we’d love to hear any feedback you have. Reach out to your campus LGLM team with any thoughts you have, and happy listening!