Ephesiology [n. ih·fē·zē·äləʒē]: The Study of a Movement

On this episode of The Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael talk with Dr. Danny Hays, Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Ouachita Baptist University and expert in Old Testament and archaeology. They explore the fascinating world of early Christian graffiti, focusing particularly on the Ichthus Christogram—an eight-spoked symbol etched into ancient marble as a bold declaration of … Continue reading "Episode 197: Christograms and Christian Graffiti with Dr. Daniel Hays"

On this episode of The Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael talk with Dr. Mark Fairchild, retired professor of Bible and Religion at Huntington University and renowned biblical archaeologist. They explore one of the most fascinating discoveries in early Christian history: the underwater basilica of Nicaea. Together, they unpack the rich spiritual and historical significance of ancient … Continue reading "Episode 196: The Underwater Bascilica with Dr. Mark Fairchild"

On this episode of The Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael sit down Dr. Emanuel Prinz—researcher, author, practitioner, professor, and soon-to-be PhD in International Theological Education. With stories of rebel leaders laying down their weapons and whole villages turning to Christ, Emanuel invites us into a world where communal conversion, catalytic leadership, and the slow work of … Continue reading "Episode 195: What Actually Starts Movements with Emanuel Prinz"

On this episode of The Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael dive into the soil, stones, and stories of Asia Minor to uncover how the early church lived out its faith amid empire, beauty, and persecution. Join us as we welcome guests Michelle Wegner, Dave Brunelle, and Wade Mantlo—fellow travelers who recently returned from a transformative archaeological … Continue reading "Episode 194: Researching Missiology and Archaeology"

On this episode of The Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael sit down with church planter and missional leader Chris Synesael to discuss what it means to plant churches in one of the most secular cities in Canada—Victoria, British Columbia. Chris shares his journey from planting a Soma church in the suburbs to moving into an urban … Continue reading "Episode 192: Planting Churches in Post-Christian Canada with Chris Synesael"

On this episode of The Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael are joined by Kathy Richards Bhatia, Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa at She Is Safe. Kathy shares her extraordinary journey—growing up in the Middle East, witnessing war firsthand, and carrying on her family's legacy of peace and presence among the world's most marginalized. … Continue reading "Episode 193: Good News for the Vulnerable with Kathy Richards Bhatia"

On this episode of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael are joined again by Pastor Caleb Campbell, author of Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbor as they discuss what it means to be the Church in a moment of extreme political and cultural division? Together, they wrestle with the pastoral challenges of shepherding congregations split … Continue reading "Episode 191: Caleb Campbell is Back"

As The Ephesiology Podcast kicks off its 2025 season, we find ourselves reflecting on an unexpected journey—190 episodes deep into conversations about theology, culture, and the mission of God. What started as a simple idea to explore the themes of Ephesiology has evolved into a global dialogue, connecting like-minded thinkers, pastors, and missiologists who long to see the church … Continue reading "Episode 190: Season 2025 Begins!"

Merry Christmas and Happy Advent! In this final Ephesiology Podcast episode of 2024, Andrew and Michael reflect on the joy and meaning of the Christmas season, share highlights from the year—including the Make Disciples series, the success of the PhD Scholarship Drive, and exciting updates like a forthcoming Spanish translation of Ephesiology—and offer a glimpse into 2025 plans, including new … Continue reading "Episode 189: Christmas 2024"

On this episode of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael are stepping into something truly transformative: an opportunity to empower global theological education. Michael returns from an exciting research trip to Asia Minor, sharing insights about the early church while introducing an unprecedented initiative—providing scholarships for PhD students in the Majority World to equip and raise … Continue reading "Episode 188: Empowering Global Leaders"

On this episode of The 10-Minute Ephesiologist, Dr. Michael T. Cooper unpacks the challenges missionaries face when theological education feels too academic or even pride-inducing, leaving them unprepared for real-world ministry. Dr. Cooper proposes a new, balanced approach to training—one that blends intellectual depth with practical skills and a humble heart for service. Could this model … Continue reading "Episode 187: The 10-Minute Ephesiologist"

In this episode of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael conclude a multi-part series entitled This Political Moment with author and pastor Caleb Campbell. His recent book, Disarming Leviathan, discusses the complexities of Christian nationalism. Caleb shares the journey behind his book, opening up about his struggle with cultural polarization within his church and the relational … Continue reading "Episode 186: Caleb Campbell's Disarming Leviathan"

In this episode of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue a multi-part series entitled This Political Moment by exploring the kingdom of God and its political implications. We are joined once more by retired missionary Dr. Ron Hesselgrave and missionary Jim Baker for the final discussion in the series . Together, they explore Patrick … Continue reading "Episode 185: The Way of the Lion and the Lamb"

In this episode of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue a multi-part series This Political Moment by exploring of the kingdom of God and its political implications. Joined again by Dr. Ron Hesselgrave and Jim Baker, the discussion takes a deep dive into Patrick Schreiner's Political Gospel: Public Witness in a Politically Crazy World. … Continue reading "Episode 184: Reimagining Politics with the Early Church"

In this episode of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue a multi-part series This Political Moment by exploring of the kingdom of God and its political implications. Kicking off with a discussion on “Reimagining Politics with Jesus” they are joined by guests Dr. Ron Hesselgrave and Jim Baker, veteran missionaries and scholars. Their conversation … Continue reading "Episode 183: Reimagining Politics with Jesus"

On this episode of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael are joined by special guest Steve Besner, senior pastor of Houston Northwest Church. Steve's insights on how the church can navigate today's divisive political landscape are both timely and profound. He shares his motivation behind his recent book Your Jesus is Too American, exploring how … Continue reading "Episode 182: Your Jesus is too American"

On this episode of the Ephesiology Podcast, we dive into the complexity of engaging with politics while keeping our focus on Jesus and His mission. Join Andrew and Michael as they introduce a new series focusing on why, despite the overwhelming political climate, the church must resist being swayed by culture. Expect thought-provoking discussions on … Continue reading "Episode 181: This [Un?]political Moment"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael wrap up our 12-week series Innovative Disruption: Recalibrating Our Mission to the Movement of God. This final episode explores the culmination of our journey—redefining how we think about mission by starting with God's mission on moving to people. We'll unpack the importance of remaining curious about what God is doing … Continue reading "Episode 180: The Practical"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael conclude the discussion on the concept of adaptive ecclesiology by exploring how the early church adapted to various cultural contexts while preserving its core meaning. Join us as we examine the crucial distinction between form and meaning, and how adapting the church to different cultures can help it … Continue reading "Episode 179: Adaptive Ecclesiology"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael dive more deeply into adaptive ecclesiology, discussing how the Church can mirror Christ in every culture. We'll explore how the early Church adapted to its cultural contexts—and what that means for us today. Stay with us as we unpack how churches can move from captive methodologies to adaptive, … Continue reading "Episode 178: More Ecclesiology"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael begin to explore the concept of adaptive ecclesiology, challenging the traditional view of the church as a static institution. They dive into how the early church, rooted in the teachings of Jesus, adapted to different cultural contexts, showing that the true essence of the ekklesia is the gathering … Continue reading "Episode 177: Ecclesiology – Introduction"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michae lcontinue our journey through the series Innovative Disruption: Recalibrating Our Mission to the Movement of God. In this eighth episode, Michael and Andrew delve into the final part of missiological theology.They discuss the evolving nature of theology, shaped by cultural contexts and the need for curiosity, wonder, and discovery … Continue reading "Episode 176: Missiological Theology, Part 3"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael delve deeper into missiological theology, which integrates Biblical, systematic, and historical theologies to understand how scriptural principles apply in today's cultural context. This approach isn't about creating a new theology but viewing historic concepts through a missiological lens to ensure they resonate with contemporary culture in meaningful language. … Continue reading "Episode 175: Missiological Theology, Part 2"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael explore the concept of missiological theology, emphasizing its distinction from biblical, systematic, and historical theologies. They discuss how missiological theology applies a mission-focused lens to scripture, theology, and church practice, and how it adapts to different cultural contexts. The conversation highlights the early church's role in developing theology … Continue reading "Episode 174: Missiological Theology, Part 1"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael delve into the foundational importance of Christology within the context of innovative disruption. Emphasizing a return to understanding who Jesus is and how He defines Himself, they explore the implications of Christological clarity for mission and ecclesiology. Drawing from biblical texts and theological reflection, they discuss how a … Continue reading "Episode 173: The Christology of our Mission"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue emphasizing how important it is for us to understand Jesus primarily from who He describes Himself to be. Unpacking the paradigm of Christiology-Missiology-Ecclesiology, our podcasters discuss how our view of Jesus informs the manner in which we engage the world and what His people look like as … Continue reading "Episode 172: Jesus, Mission, Church"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue to discuss what a reorientation to Jesus looks like. While John the apostle describes Jesus in awesome language in Revelation 1, Jesus uses the same language to introduce Himself to the seven churches. So, not only does Jesus encourage John with the words, “Fear not, I am … Continue reading "Episode 171: Reorient to Jesus, Part II"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael discuss what a reorientation to Jesus looks like. Of primary importance is seeing Jesus for who He is right at this moment. They look at the penchant of the first disciples for creating Jesus in their image. Then, by focusing on the only book in the Bible that … Continue reading "Episode 170: Reorient to Jesus"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael introduce a 10 week series focused on innovative disruption. In this introduction to the series, our podcasters discuss what exactly they mean by disruption as they begin to lead us to think innovatively about what we learn from the early Christ-followers. Meaningful innovation begins with reorienting to Jesus. … Continue reading "Episode 169: Innovative Disruption"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael catch up after recent travels to South Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Among other topics, Michael shares about the significance of archaeology for the study of the New Testament movement and invites listeners to join him on an upcoming research trip to Asia Minor. Learn more about … Continue reading "Episode 168: The Church Then & Now"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael are joined by Jeff Christopherson, again. Jeff updates us on the reception of his book, Once You See: Seven Temptations of the Western Church. He gives us more of the context and birth of the book which came out of his interactions with 1600 churches during COVID. To … Continue reading "Episode 167: Jeff Christopherson, Again"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael are joined by Will Plitt to discuss the work of Christ Together in the United States. Join us for this fascinating conversation about the state of Christianity in America and the ways in which churches are working together to make Christ known. Will shares about the missiological and … Continue reading "Episode 166: Christ Together with Will Plitt"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael are joined by Dr. Todd M. Johnson to discuss World Christianity in 2024. Join us for this fascinating conversation about the state of Christian unity, the growth of religion globally, and the increase in the numbers of missionaries around the world along with many other things. If you … Continue reading "Episode 165: Global Christianity with Todd Johnson"

On this Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael are joined by Brian Sanders to talk about some early findings from his research on church networking in central Florida. Brian is a social entrepreneur who has helped start hundreds of missional enterprises. He is the founder and former executive director of Tampa Underground. Join us for a … Continue reading "Episode 164: The Church on Mission with Brian Sanders"

On this special edition of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue the series called Make Disciples. On this episode, they ask the question (and try to answer it in part), “are there more than 11 characteristics of a disciple?” Be sure to follow along with us in Michael's recent book, Make Disciples: Discover the … Continue reading "Episode 163: Does this go past 11?"

On this special edition of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue a the series called Make Disciples. On this episode, they are joined by Jeff Vanderstelt to talk about how disciples make more disciples. Be sure to follow along with us in Michael's recent book, Make Disciples: Discover the Spiritual Journey of a Christ-Follower … Continue reading "Episode 162: Make Disciples with Jeff Vanderstelt"

On this special edition of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue a the series called Make Disciples. On this episode, they are joined by Michelle and Rob Wegner to talk about how disciples multiply. Be sure to follow along with us in Michael's recent book, Make Disciples: Discover the Spiritual Journey of a Christ-Follower … Continue reading "Episode 161: Multiply with Michelle and Rob Wegner"

On this special edition of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue a the series called Make Disciples. On this episode, they are joined by Emmanuel Tsoutsas to talk about how disciples suffer. Be sure to follow along with us in Michael's recent book, Make Disciples: Discover the Spiritual Journey of a Christ-Follower and watch … Continue reading "Episode 160: Suffer with Emmanuel Tsoutsas"

On this special edition of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue a the series called Make Disciples. On this episode, they are joined by Liz Rios to talk about how disciples learn. Be sure to follow along with us in Michael's recent book, Make Disciples: Discover the Spiritual Journey of a Christ-Follower and watch … Continue reading "Episode 159: Learn with Liz Rios"

On this special edition of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue a new series called Make Disciples. On this episode, they are joined by Miguel Castillo to talk about how disciples are respectful. Be sure to follow along with us in Michael's recent book, Make Disciples: Discover the Spiritual Journey of a Christ-Follower and … Continue reading "Episode 158: Respectful with Miguel Castillo"

On this special edition of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue a new series called Make Disciples. On this episode, they are joined by Danielle Strickland to talk about how disciples pray. Be sure to follow along with us in Michael's recent book, Make Disciples: Discover the Spiritual Journey of a Christ-Follower and watch … Continue reading "Episode 157: Pray with Danielle Strickland"

On this special edition of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue a new series called Make Disciples. On this episode, they are joined by Bev Murrill to talk about how disciples are godly. Be sure to follow along with us in Michael's recent book, Make Disciples: Discover the Spiritual Journey of a Christ-Follower and … Continue reading "Episode 156: Godly with Bev Murrill"

On this special edition of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue a new series called Make Disciples. On this episode, they are joined by Tim Catchim to talk about how disciples witness. Be sure to follow along with us in Michael's recent book, Make Disciples: Discover the Spiritual Journey of a Christ-Follower and watch … Continue reading "Episode 155: Witness with Tim Catchim"

On this special edition of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue a new series called Make Disciples. On this episode, they are joined by Rob Kelly to talk about how disciples unite on mission. Be sure to follow along with us in Michael's recent book, Make Disciples: Discover the Spiritual Journey of a Christ-Follower … Continue reading "Episode 154: Unite with Rob Kelly"

On this special edition of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue a new series called Make Disciples. On this episode, they are joined by Bree Mills to talk about how disciples prepare. Be sure to follow along with us in Michael's recent book, Make Disciples: Discover the Spiritual Journey of a Christ-Follower and watch … Continue reading "Episode 153: Prepare with Bree Mills"

On this special edition of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael continue a new series called Make Disciples. On this episode, they are joined by Mike Frost to talk about how disciples encounter people. Be sure to follow along with us in Michael's recent book, Make Disciples: Discover the Spiritual Journey of a Christ-Follower and … Continue reading "Episode 152: Encounter People with Michael Frost"

On this special edition of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael begin a new series called Make Disciples. On this episode, they are joined by Lucas Pulley and Bill Couchenour to talk about God's will. Be sure to follow along with us in Michael's recent book, Make Disciples: Discover the Spiritual Journey of a Christ-Follower … Continue reading "Episode 151: God's Will with Lucas Pulley and Bill Couchenour"

On this special edition of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael begin a new series called Make Disciples. On this episode, they are joined by Alan Hirsch to talk about the definition of “disciple.” Be sure to follow along with us in Michael's recent book, Make Disciples: Discover the Spiritual Journey of a Christ-Follower and … Continue reading "Episode 150: What is a Disciple with Alan Hirsch"

On this episode of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael are joined by Dr. Andrew Whitehead to discuss his recent book, American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gosepl and Threatens the Church. Dr. Whitehead discusses his journey as he wrestled with his own faith background and how it intersected with Christian nationalism. In his … Continue reading "Episode 149: Christian Nationalism with Andrew Whitehead"

On this episode of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael ae joined by Dr. Karen Swallow Prior about her recent book, The Evangelical Imagination: How Stories, Images, and Metaphors Created a Culture in Crisis. Dr. Prior discusses, among other things, how 18th century evangelicalism during the Victorian Age impacts us today. The influences of the … Continue reading "Episode 148: The Evangelical Imagination with Karen Swallow Prior"

On this episode of the Ephesiology Podcast, Andrew and Michael are joined by David Leigh and Matt Till to continue the dialogue on headship. Among other things, the four call for compassion when engaging on the issue as Christ calls us to unity. This is a conversation that is potentially divisive so our guests help … Continue reading "Episode 147: The Meaning of Headship, Part II"