Connected Church

Hosted by Natchi Lazarus

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Episodes

288

Latest episode

Dec 2025

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About the show

As a Church, the Body of Christ, we are all called to fulfill the Great Commission given to us by Jesus in this digital era. In order to do that effectively in today's social-media-dominated world, it is important for us to equip ourselves with the knowledge, skill, and understanding of how this online ecosystem works. In The Connected Church Podcast, along with his expert guests, Natchi Lazarus covers practical and strategic topics that will equip the Church for this digital and social media age. Natchi has more than two decades of experience working with nonprofits, churches, ministries, Christian faith-based businesses, and entrepreneurs. In this podcast, he not only uses his experience and expertise from his work to derive solutions to complex digital media challenges that ministries face but as an experienced educator, he also breaks down complex technical topics to simple, doable actionable tasks. Discover why top global nonprofits, churches, and faith-based ventures seek Natchi's help to implement social media ministry strategies for their online and digital media programs.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

December 15, 20255 min

[News: 272] Week 2, Dec 2025: OpenAI, Gemini 3, Gemma AI, WhatsApp, Instagram

This week, we have news about: OpenAI, Gemini 3, Gemma AI, WhatsApp, Instagram Week 2, Dec 2025: 🗞️ News 1: OpenAI releases its new, most-capable GPT-5.2 model 🗞️ News 2: Meta brings big changes to Facebook with UI & UX upgrade 🗞️ News 3: Google's Gemma AI put to good use; Stitch app gets Gemini-3 🗞️ News 4: Instagram triggers a Social Media shift with Algorithm-controls 🗞️ News 5: WhatsApp releases 'Missed Call Messages' & Meta AI features For detailed notes, source links, resources mentioned in the show, and the text summary, visit: https://natchi.net/news Like what you are hearing? Subscribe on iTunes (https://natchi.net/apple) or Spotify (https://natchi.net/spotify) Share this episode with other leaders of nonprofits, churches, and ministries. Want to learn about social media & AI? Check out Connected Church Academy: https://cca.live If you have any comments or questions, write to podcast@natchilazarus.com

December 9, 20255 min

[News: 271] Week 1, Dec 2025: Mistral AI, TikTok, Gemini 3, Meta, YouTube

This week, we have news about: Mistral AI, TikTok, Gemini 3, Meta, YouTube Week 1, Dec 2025: 🗞️ News 1: Mistral-3 AI Models released - Open, Multimodal & Multilingual 🗞️ News 2: Google rolls out Gemini 3 'Deep Think' AI Mode to Ultra User 🗞️ News 3: TikTok releases 'Nearby' feed for Local Content & Discovery 🗞️ News 4: Meta adds AI-powered 'Account Support' for Facebook, Instagram 🗞️ News 5: YouTube's 2025 Recap + New A/B Testing for Title, Thumbnails For detailed notes, source links, resources mentioned in the show, and the text summary, visit: https://natchi.net/news Like what you are hearing? Subscribe on iTunes (https://natchi.net/apple) or Spotify (https://natchi.net/spotify) Share this episode with other leaders of nonprofits, churches, and ministries. Want to learn about social media & AI? Check out Connected Church Academy: https://cca.live If you have any comments or questions, write to podcast@natchilazarus.com

December 1, 20255 min

[News: 270] Week 4, Nov 2025: Nano Banana, ChatGPT, Claude AI, YouTube, Meta VR

This week, we have news about: Nano Banana, ChatGPT, Claude AI, YouTube, Meta VR Week 4, Nov 2025: 🗞️ News 1: Claude Opus 4.5 is Now Available on API, Apps, Platforms 🗞️ News 2: Google Releases Pro Tips & Details About Nano Banana Pro 🗞️ News 3: OpenAI Strategically Adds 'Shopping Research' in ChatGPT 🗞️ News 4: Meta Brings 'Hyperscape' into Quest 3 VR & Quest 3S 🗞️ News 5: YouTube Adds Key Features into Communities & Gen AI Tools For detailed notes, source links, resources mentioned in the show, and the text summary, visit: https://natchi.net/news Like what you are hearing? Subscribe on iTunes (https://natchi.net/apple) or Spotify (https://natchi.net/spotify) Share this episode with other leaders of nonprofits, churches, and ministries. Want to learn about social media & AI? Check out Connected Church Academy: https://cca.live If you have any comments or questions, write to podcast@natchilazarus.com

November 23, 20255 min

[News: 269] Week 3, Nov 2025: Gemini-3, ChatGPT, Reddit, NotebookLM, LinkedIn

This week, we have news about: Gemini-3, ChatGPT, Reddit, NotebookLM, LinkedIn Week 3, Nov 2025: 🗞️ News 1: OpenAI Starts Testing 'Group Chats' in ChatGPT 🗞️ News 2: Google Gemini-3 Comes to AI-Mode in Search 🗞️ News 3: LinkedIn Search Gets An AI-Powered Upgrade 🗞️ News 4: NotebookLM Gets AI Deep-Reseach & New Modes 🗞️ News 5: Reddit Ads Now Have WooCommerce Integration For detailed notes, source links, resources mentioned in the show, and the text summary, visit: https://natchi.net/news Like what you are hearing? Subscribe on iTunes (https://natchi.net/apple) or Spotify (https://natchi.net/spotify) Share this episode with other leaders of nonprofits, churches, and ministries. Want to learn about social media & AI? Check out Connected Church Academy: https://cca.live If you have any comments or questions, write to podcast@natchilazarus.com

October 22, 20255 min

[News: 268] Week 3, Oct 2025: Nano Banana, Meta AI, Facebook, X, YouTube

This week, we have news about: Nano Banana, Meta AI, Facebook, X, YouTube Week 3, Oct 2025: 🗞️ News 1: YouTube's New Player Design & Threaded Comments 🗞️ News 2: Facebook Adds 'Job Listing' to Pages & Marketplace 🗞️ News 3: X Adds 'Profile Details' & 'Sync Drafts' Features 🗞️ News 4: Google Brings 'Nano Banana' into Search, NotebookLM 🗞️ News 5: Instagram Reels get Meta AI Translation, Dub, Lip Sync For detailed notes, source links, resources mentioned in the show, and the text summary, visit: https://natchi.net/news Like what you are hearing? Subscribe on iTunes (https://natchi.net/apple) or Spotify (https://natchi.net/spotify) Share this episode with other leaders of nonprofits, churches, and ministries. Want to learn about social media & AI? Check out Connected Church Academy: https://cca.live If you have any comments or questions, write to podcast@natchilazarus.com

October 12, 20255 min

[News: 267] Week 2, Oct 2025: Gemini AI, ChatGPT, Threads, Meta, WhatsApp

This week, we have news about: Gemini AI, ChatGPT, Threads, Meta, WhatsApp Week 2, Oct 2025: 🗞️ News 1: OpenAI Brings Apps & Agentic Workflows Into ChatGPT 🗞️ News 2: Meta offers 'Business AI' a Free Chatbot for Websites 🗞️ News 3: Google Brings Gemini AI into Homes & Living Rooms 🗞️ News 4: Threads' Facebook-Groups-Like 'Communities' Feature 🗞️ News 5: WhatsApp's New Features: Some Powered by Meta-AI For detailed notes, source links, resources mentioned in the show, and the text summary, visit: https://natchi.net/news Like what you are hearing? Subscribe on iTunes (https://natchi.net/apple) or Spotify (https://natchi.net/spotify) Share this episode with other leaders of nonprofits, churches, and ministries. Want to learn about social media & AI? Check out Connected Church Academy: https://cca.live If you have any comments or questions, write to podcast@natchilazarus.com

October 6, 20255 min

[News: 266] Week 1, Oct 2025: ChatGPT, Meta AI, WhatsApp, X, LinkedIn

This week, we have news about: ChatGPT, Meta AI, WhatsApp, X, LinkedIn Week 1, Oct 2025: 🗞️ News 1: OpenAI 'Shared Projects' Now in ChatGPT Business Plans 🗞️ News 2: Meta Launches 'Vibes', a Feed for AI-Generated Videos 🗞️ News 3: WhatsApp Messages Get Multilingual Translation 🗞️ News 4: LinkedIn Launches 'Company Intelligence' API for Ads 🗞️ News 5: X Reveals Plans For 'Custom AI-Powered' Algorithm For detailed notes, source links, resources mentioned in the show, and the text summary, visit: https://natchi.net/news Like what you are hearing? Subscribe on iTunes (https://natchi.net/apple) or Spotify (https://natchi.net/spotify) Share this episode with other leaders of nonprofits, churches, and ministries. Want to learn about social media & AI? Check out Connected Church Academy: https://cca.live If you have any comments or questions, write to podcast@natchilazarus.com

September 3, 20255 min

[News: 265] Week 4, Aug 2025: Anthropic, Genspark AI, Microsoft, Meta, Google

This week, we have news about: Anthropic, Genspark AI, Microsoft, Meta, Google Week 4, Aug 2025: 🗞️ News 1: Google Search's AI-Mode gets Agentic Capabilities 🗞️ News 2: Anthropic's New AI Fluency Course & Higher-Ed Advisory Board 🗞️ News 3: Microsoft's New Copilot Function in Excel is an AI Case Study 🗞️ News 4: Genspark AI's Notetaker on Apple Watch Points to a New Trend 🗞️ News 5: Meta Partners with Midjourney to Enhance Visual Experience For detailed notes, source links, resources mentioned in the show, and the text summary, visit: https://natchi.net/news Like what you are hearing? Subscribe on iTunes (https://natchi.net/apple) or Spotify (https://natchi.net/spotify) Share this episode with other leaders of nonprofits, churches, and ministries. Want to learn about social media & AI? Check out Connected Church Academy: https://cca.live If you have any comments or questions, write to podcast@natchilazarus.com

August 27, 20255 min

[News: 264] Week 3, Aug 2025: Apple, Google Pixel, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram

This week, we have news about: Apple, Google Pixel, WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram Week 3, Aug 2025: 🗞️ News 1: Instagram Lets You 'Link' Your Reel Video to Another Reel 🗞️ News 2: YouTube Music Gets More 'Social' as a 10-Year-Old App 🗞️ News 3: AI Dominates 'Made By Google 2025' Event & New Products 🗞️ News 4: Apple is Reportedly Discussing 'AI' with Google & OpenAI 🗞️ News 5: WhatsApp Takes on Zoom with 'Group Calls' Scheduling For detailed notes, source links, resources mentioned in the show, and the text summary, visit: https://natchi.net/news Like what you are hearing? Subscribe on iTunes (https://natchi.net/apple) or Spotify (https://natchi.net/spotify) Share this episode with other leaders of nonprofits, churches, and ministries. Want to learn about social media & AI? Check out Connected Church Academy: https://cca.live If you have any comments or questions, write to podcast@natchilazarus.com

August 20, 20254 min

[News: 263] Week 2, Aug 2025: TikTok, NotebookLM AI, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat

This week, we have news about: TikTok, NotebookLM AI, YouTube, Pinterest, Snapchat Week 2, Aug 2025: 🗞️ News 1: Snapchat Releases an Insightful Report on Gen-Z 🗞️ News 2: YouTube Starts Testing a Collab Feature Similar to Instagram 🗞️ News 3: Pinterest Releases a List of Best Practices for Bigger Impact 🗞️ News 4: TikTok's New Tool could Track Audience without a Pixel 🗞️ News 5: Google Releases 'NotebookLM' for Younger Audience For detailed notes, source links, resources mentioned in the show, and the text summary, visit: https://natchi.net/news Like what you are hearing? Subscribe on iTunes (https://natchi.net/apple) or Spotify (https://natchi.net/spotify) Share this episode with other leaders of nonprofits, churches, and ministries. Want to learn about social media & AI? Check out Connected Church Academy: https://cca.live If you have any comments or questions, write to podcast@natchilazarus.com