Breaking Through the Noise!
Mark Wilson & ChurchCMO
What drives people to do more, excel, or even overcome? Hear conversations with people breaking through barriers in their lives: spiritually, physically, vocationally, or athletically.
- 26 minutes 42 secondsEpisode 77 - Ashes and Prayers
This episode was recorded the day before Ash Wednesday, 2026 or as it is listed on the church calendar, Shrove Tuesday (Fat Tuesday if you are in New Orleans, LOL!). Mark and Charla talk about Ash Wednesday and their preparations for the Lenten Season. The discussion centers around the importance of intentional and consistent prayer during Lent as we see God working in our lives.
Mark talks about his adoption during this season of Centering Prayer, a practice of silent prayer and solitude to hear God and rest in his presence. This is a great episode to share with friends and family that are seeking to find meaning and discipline in their lives as we enter the 40 days of Lent.
Resources mentioned in the Episode:
Mark Wilson: [email protected]
Follow Mark and ChurchCMO on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook
18 February 2026, 7:00 am - 33 minutes 50 secondsEpisode 76 - Does Your Church Have a Hub?
Today’s show builds on the conversation from Episode 75 as Charla poses the question to Mark: what does a digital strategy look like for a normal church and how do they put it together? Mark answers with a streamlined strategy for the church website as a digital hub for sharing the Gospel and making disciples. They also discuss other digital platforms and the necessity for investing in our online tools to be the church in a digital culture.
Resources mentioned in the Episode:
Mark Wilson: [email protected]
Follow Mark and ChurchCMO on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook
3 February 2026, 9:00 am - 34 minutes 9 secondsEpisode 75 - The Small Church Superpower
Today’s episode addresses a dilemma many churches face in today’s culture of pristinely curated media. “YouTube Envy” is a real thing for many pastors of small (or as we will now call them normal-sized) churches with fewer resources and capabilities to present quality video content.
However, Mark and Charla discuss the superpower that these small and medium-sized churches possess and how they can use it. Our goal as the church is to build relationships to connect people with the saving grace of Jesus Christ. No matter what size church you are, you have the tools to make those connections and build those relationships. Hear some teaching ideas from Mark and Charla and apply them to your ministry.
Resources mentioned in the Episode:
Mark Wilson: [email protected]
Follow Mark and ChurchCMO on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook
Blog Post: The Comparison Trap for Churches: Finding Your Church’s Superpower20 January 2026, 9:00 am - 27 minutes 18 secondsEpisode 74 - Conversation with a Busy Disciple!
Who comes to mind when you hear someone describe a person extremely busy in their career and busy in their own discipleship journey? I think of my friend, Matthew Ralston.
Matthew is a committed disciple of Jesus and an active disciple maker, particularly mentoring the faith journeys of young people. Matthew talks about how his career and discipleship pathways are intertwined and focused on the purpose of spreading the Gospel. Oh and he has his own podcast too… Meet my friend Matthew Ralston.
Resources mentioned in the Episode:
Mark Wilson: [email protected]
Follow Mark and ChurchCMO on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook
CreatedVerse Podcast: https://www.createdverse.online/
Mark’s Interview on CreatedVerse: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2PslNmlWuQ1Idx16w2I2C1?si=ZpCAfQPfS-Geqy5o1Dryeg
Desa Digit: https://www.desadigit.tech/
Email: [email protected]9 December 2025, 9:00 am - 29 minutes 40 secondsEpisode 73 - Conversation with Rev. Andrew Lay
In today’s episode, I have a great conversation with Rev. Andrew Lay, Pastor of Discipleship at Cokesbury UMC in Knoxville, TN. Andrew shares some great insights not only for pastors but also for lay people that are called to serve. He talks about his calling to ministry and the personal commitment he made to that calling. And he gives us insight into how we can be more engaged disciples and better disciple makers.
Resources mentioned in the Episode:
Mark Wilson: [email protected]
Follow Mark and ChurchCMO on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook
Andrew’s Podcast on Spotify, The Methodical Methodist: https://open.spotify.com/show/48DqxAAs9ikBGric3i7hyQ?si=2ed866c55f0c41fe
25 November 2025, 9:00 am - 44 minutes 31 secondsEpisode 72 - Concord's Dynamic Duo!
Today’s episode features a conversation with the “Dynamic Discipleship Duo” of Concord United Methodist Church. Rev. Brooke Hartman and Nicole Morris talk about how they partnered first as Pastor and Lay Person to champion the cultural shift to a Proactive Disciple Making church.
They discuss how they worked together and how Nicole’s role transitioned into a staff position. It’s a great conversation about how lay leaders can help drive the disciple making process while taking their own next steps.
Resources mentioned in the Episode:
Mark Wilson: [email protected]
Follow Mark and ChurchCMO on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook
11 November 2025, 9:00 am - 32 minutes 15 secondsEpisode 71 - What Does Digital Discipleship Look Like?
In today’s episode we continue our discussion of Digital Discipleship in today’s church. Charla is asking more questions around this topic like how do we use social media for more than just marketing and how do we get started implementing a digital discipleship strategy. Mark shares several examples of how to use tools to connect and some simple, specific ideas to get started.
We hope this discussion sparks some ideas and interest to explore some new strategies. In today’s culture, if we are going to meet people where they are, then we have to be equipped to connect and engage with them online. Please share your questions or how we can help in developing your own digital strategy.
Resources mentioned in the Episode:
Mark Wilson: [email protected]
Follow Mark and ChurchCMO on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook
Digital Discipleship with Ann Bosarge: https://freshexpressions.com/2025/04/14/digital-discipleship-with-anne-bosarge
Latter Day Saints Central CA Case Study: https://www.dmissionary.com/post/case-study-analysis-of-the-central-california-conference-s-digital-evangelism-approach
28 October 2025, 8:00 am - 33 minutes 32 secondsEpisode 70: What is Digital Discipleship Anyway?
Does the phrase “Digital Discipleship” give you pause, heart burn, or even flat out fear?
New technology, like Artificial Intelligence, is grabbing the headlines every day. But we as the church got forced into this fray five and a half years ago when the COVID Pandemic shut down our world. How does all this fit in the church, or even yet, should we allow these technologies into the church?
In today’s episode, we discussed what is digital discipleship in the church in the first of two episodes on this topic. Mark turns to reigns over to Charla to interview him about her questions regarding Digital Discipleship. In this first part of the conversation, Mark and Charla identify what is digital discipleship in definition and in practice. They also explore what digital discipleship looks like in real life and the tools of the trade.
Resources mentioned in the Episode:
Mark Wilson: [email protected]
Follow Mark and ChurchCMO on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook
SOURCES:
Barna Research: https://www.barna.com/research/christians-discipleship-community/
Lifeway Research: https://research.lifeway.com/2024/09/12/small-groups-remain-key-aspect-of-churches-discipleship-ministry/
14 October 2025, 8:00 am - 35 minutes 7 secondsEpisode 69 - We are back and it wasn't easy!
We are BACK! After a Spring and Summer sabbatical, Charla and I are returning to the podcast to bring you more insight and ideas for proactive disciple making in today’s church.
In today’s episode, we discussed the challenges we faced in returning to the podcast after an absence and compared it to the issues our people face in returning to worship. Shockingly, they were quite similar as were the emotions involved. The point is that we need to make sure we are welcoming and hospitable not only to visitors but also our own people that have sporadic attendance patterns.
How do we ensure our people are being kind and welcoming to their peers? We have to teach, train, and remind them! Listen to Charla and Mark as they discuss these roadblocks and issues we face in attending church.
Resources mentioned in the Episode:
- Mark Wilson: [email protected]
- Churchcmo.com
- Book a Call with Mark
- Follow Mark and ChurchCMO on Linkedin, Instagram, and Facebook
- “In the Sandbox: podcast on Spotify, Apple, Soundcloud, Audacy
30 September 2025, 8:00 am - 41 minutes 51 secondsPodcast Episode 68 - Discipling Student AthletesHave you ever wondered about an athlete’s motivation to kneel in the end zone after scoring a touchdown? Or giving “glory to God” in the post game interview? In today’s episode we talk with someone who has a definite influence on these behaviors. Teg Tegelar is the Athletes in Action Sports Chaplain for the University of Tennessee. Teg and his team has discipled student athletes from all sports at UT for the past 28 years. Teg talks with us about the challenges he faces with student athletes, their approach to discipling them, and some of the fruits they have seen in their efforts. ChurchCMO Website: https://churchcmo.com/ Email Mark: [email protected] If you would like to support Teg’s Ministry at UT, reach out to him: Teg’s Email: [email protected] If you would like to learn more about Athletes in Action at a campus near you: Athletes in Action: https://athletesinaction.org/17 March 2025, 12:00 am
- 35 minutes 27 secondsEpisode 67 - A View from the PewIn today's episode we have the first of hopefully many future conversations with church folks that are proactive in their own discipleship and disciple making. Mark and Charla talk with David Childress, Lay Leader of Middlebrook Pike UMC in Knoxville, TN. David shares the source of his passion and drive for following Jesus and walking alongside others on their journey. The point that David makes clearly and demonstrates often is that the key to discipleship is being in community with other followers. And along with that idea, he shares that the key to disciple making is building relationships. In both instances, we must be transparent and somewhat vulnerable to the people that we hold and hold us accountable in love. ChurchCMO Website: https://churchcmo.com/ Email Mark: [email protected] Middlebrook Pike UMC: https://www.middlebrookpike.com/11 March 2025, 12:00 am
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