Scott brings a grant-writing perspective into the conversation. In his world, funders want data. They want research. And most churches do not have that.

He speaks candidly as a former pastor: pastors often do not have time to create data systems. Even basic numbers, like how many people attended on a Sunday morning, may vary depending on who is answering.

That matters because grant funding is competitive.

When churches pursue funding, people can poke holes in vague claims. A church cannot simply say, “We had 500 people there,” and expect that to be enough. Funders want concrete data.

This does not mean churches are ineffective. It means churches need to learn how to document what they are already doing.

There is a major difference between:

• “We are helping people”

• “Here is what we are doing, who we are serving, how we measure it, and how we will manage the funding responsibly”

That second statement is what grant environments require.

Even though many churches lack data, the transcript makes another point clearly: financially, churches can be very efficient.

Why?

Because churches are used to operating without government money.

They have to be efficient to survive. They know how to stretch resources. They know how to rely on volunteers. They know how to do a lot with a little.

Scott says churches are going to bring volunteers and are going to be more efficient on a cost-per-unit basis.

This is one of the strongest arguments in the episode: churches may not always have the data infrastructure funders expect, but they often have a culture of stewardship and resourcefulness that makes them powerful community partners.

They are not waiting around for perfect conditions.

They are already serving.

The conversation also turns to the unique effectiveness of faith groups in areas that require real change.

Scott shares that the person who trained him in grant writing was Jewish and was happy to work with churches because he knew faith groups brought something different to certain services. While he did not relate it to Jesus the way Scott would, he recognized that faith groups had something meaningful when it came to change.

The transcript specifically mentions areas such as:

• Recovery

• Human trafficking

• Violence prevention

These are not small issues. These are serious, complex, life-altering challenges. Scott points out that this area is under-researched, but also says that based on practical experience, faith groups are more efficient and effective in these kinds of change-oriented contexts.

The reason is not presented as a partisan argument. In fact, the transcript explicitly says this is not a right or left issue. It is not a Republican or Democrat issue.

It is described as a life-or-death issue.

That is important. The point is not that churches should replace every public system. The point is that people who genuinely want real solutions should not reject help from the church or any organization willing to serve.

Some problems require all hands on deck.

Steve describes the work being discussed as a kind of public-private partnership. The bridge being built is between churches that have calling and community connection, and the types of resources they may not be able to access on their own.

No individual church may have the expertise or resources to pursue certain grants alone.

That creates a gap.

The church has the mission and relationships.
The funding world has requirements and processes.
Organizations like CityServe and NTN help bridge that gap.

Steve also shares from his own experience with a church plant in 2006 called Bridge Bible Church. The church wanted to build bridges into the community and even set up a community development corporation from day one. Part of their missions budget went to local service organizations.

They had the idea.

But they did not have access to the resources.

That is the tension many churches face: vision without infrastructure.

Dave explains that CityServe transitioned from the FTF program into a gift-in-kind program.

The model includes agreements with major stores, including Home Depot and Walmart. CityServe created technology that allows local churches to participate in a hub-and-pod structure.

In this setup:

• The hub holds items such as furniture and other housing-related assets

• The pod is the local church

• The church communicates needs to the hub

• The church picks up items

• The church brings those items back into the community

• The church gives them away

The transcript notes that CityServe does not really deal with food in this part of the model. It is more focused on housing asset-type items, such as mattresses and furniture.

A memorable example from the conversation: in February, they may end up with Christmas trees, ornaments, or dog food. Churches then become self-reliant in distributing those resources.

This is practical, local, and tangible.

It gives churches a way to serve their communities with real items that meet real needs.

Scott says that NTNGC.org is a good place to start.

But he is also careful to explain that working with NTN is a process. They do not write every grant that every organization wants them to write. They are selective.

Why?

Because much of winning is based on being grant ready.

Scott uses a simple analogy: you do not go straight from Pop Warner football to the NFL. You have to train. You have to get ready.

That is a helpful framing for churches. Grant funding is not simply about filling out paperwork. It is about becoming the kind of organization that can responsibly compete for and manage significant funding.

The transcript gives several concrete pieces of what readiness can include.

A church or organization may need:

• Infrastructure

• SAM.gov registration

• Internal fiscal controls

• Experience managing significant money

• Partners in the community

• Strategic planning

• Grant selection guidance

• Compliance with grant requirements

• Readiness for audits

The transcript mentions funders wanting to know an organization can manage half a million dollars or a million dollars. That does not mean every church should pursue that level of funding. It means that if an organization wants to compete for large dollars, it must be able to show it can manage large responsibility.

That includes more than vision.

It includes systems.

Scott says that funders like to see collaboration with other partners in the community.

That is a key point.

If an organization wants to do everything by itself and keep everything in-house, it may not be a good fit for certain grants. Grants often fund bigger efforts that require partnerships.

That can be a mindset shift for churches.

Sometimes churches think about ministry as something they do alone. But in the grant environment described in the transcript, collaboration is often part of the work.

The question becomes:

Who else in the community is already serving?
Where does the church have strength?
Where does another partner have strength?
How can the church participate without trying to own everything?

That kind of humility can make a church more effective and more fundable.

Dave adds that a particular church has strengths and weaknesses. Churches need to look at what they are good at and play into that.

That is practical wisdom.

Not every church should chase every opportunity. Not every grant is a fit. Not every need is the right lane.

Scott says they may do a quick assessment and let an organization know whether it appears to be a fit or not. He is careful not to take money if he does not think he can help somebody.

That is refreshing.

Grant readiness is not about telling every church, “Yes, go after everything.” It is about discernment.

The better question is:

What has God already equipped this church to do well?

The transcript also gives practical boundaries.

Scott explains that the government is looking for partnerships in certain areas, but there are some things it generally will not do.

Examples mentioned include:

• Building a warehouse for a church

• Buying a new church building

• Buying three vans to build out a youth group

The point is that government grants usually deal with some kind of issue in society. Any benefit to the church would typically be a byproduct of addressing that societal issue.

That matters because it keeps expectations realistic.

A church pursuing grants needs to understand that funding is not simply for internal expansion. It is connected to public concerns and community needs.

Scott also notes that funding varies based on the administration and the issues being emphasized at the time.

He mentions human trafficking and also jokes that if he wrote for defense contractors, he would be pretty good that year because the money had shifted.

The takeaway is simple: grant writers look for where the opportunities are.

This requires awareness, strategy, and timing. It is another reason churches may need experienced guidance rather than trying to figure out the funding world alone.

Near the end of the grant discussion, Dave adds that NTN is its own 501(c)(3) and CPA-reviewed organization. CityServe has its own money and its own firewall. The funds are not mixed.

That is presented as important for managing money correctly and distributing money for large donors, foundations, and others.

This part of the conversation reinforces the seriousness of financial stewardship. If churches and ministry partners want to work with larger dollars, they need structures that protect integrity.

Passion matters.

But so does accountability.

The conversation closes with encouragement for people running businesses and trying to engage their faith through their work.

Dave says that starting, running, and succeeding in business is lonely.

Why?

Because many families rely on the business owner not only for a paycheck, but also for guidance in their lives.

That is a heavy responsibility.

Dave also says that once a business owner has established a business, they may find they need to be around like-minded individuals who are giving back and building community. A person who can meet payroll often has skills that can advance beyond that.

Some business owners become bored after establishing their business and begin asking, “What do you do after that?”

His encouragement is to connect with organizations like CityServe and other local organizations. It may still be lonely out there, but there are people who can support, guide, and help leaders advance.

Scott closes with a pastoral encouragement.

He says leadership can be lonely, including for pastors. He reflects on learning, as a young man serving a pastor, that the secret to serving was to keep his eyes on Jesus.

He references serving “unto the Lord, not unto the man.”

Later, after years of pastoring, he realized the same lesson applied not only to serving a leader, but also to serving the people in the church. The reminder was that he was not serving them because they would never betray him, disappoint him, or hurt him. He needed to serve them as though serving the Lord.

Steve notes that the same principle applies in business with customers.

That may be one of the strongest leadership takeaways in the whole episode.

If you serve people only based on how they treat you, disappointment can harden your heart. But if you serve the Lord through your service to others, your heart stays rightly ordered.

For pastors, business owners, and community leaders, that is a timely reminder.

This episode is not just about grants.

It is about readiness.

The local church can be relational, efficient, volunteer-powered, and deeply effective in meeting community needs. But when the opportunity involves larger funding, public-private partnerships, or major community initiatives, churches need more than passion.

They need:

• Data

• Research

• Fiscal controls

• Compliance

• Partnerships

• Grant readiness

• Strategic focus

• Humility about their strengths and weaknesses

The local church has something powerful to offer. But preparation allows that offering to go further.

And for business owners and pastors, the call is not just to do more. It is to serve with the right heart.

Keep your eyes on the Lord.
Serve people faithfully.
Build with integrity.
And when the church is equipped, let it deliver real solutions in the communities it already knows and loves.

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