Preachers' College Podcast

Hello Tribe! It's been too long and I wanted to give you the update that many of you have asked for. 

Tribe! It's been a fun year and a half. This project has been life giving and energizing to say the least. I've had the opportunity to build many new relationships and cultivate new friendships and I'm grateful to God for that. I love all that God has done with The Preachers' College Podcast and the churches God has given us the capacity to serve. It's an honor. But it's time for me to transition. This is the final episode of Season 1 of The Preachers' College Podcast. The website will remain live so anyone can dig into the resources but new content won't be uploaded regularly any longer. Season 2 will roll out at some point in the future. I have no clue when. Pray for me. I've got two amazing sons and a gorgeous wife and it's an honor of a life time to serve them and walk with them. My career is taking off and I need The Lord to continue helping me and to continue giving me wisdom. Hearing the stories week after week from The Tribe and getting to learn from the greatest preachers on Earth has been so much fun. I'm a preaching nut so I have to admit this has been a very life giving experience. But it's a season of transition for us at this time. The Calling on my life has never change. The path towards His purpose has looked much different than I ever dreamed. If you ever need me or want anything you know how to get a hold of me. Thank you for your support and prayer.

In this week's episode I share the story of my brother, a portion of his suicide note, and my admonition to those of you preaching God's Word in light of the mental health epidemic. 

In today's episode we have Pastor Jonathan Pokluda on the podcast as our guest. Pastor Jonathan led one of the largest young adults ministries on planet earth for many years in Dallas, Texas. Now he's the Lead Pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church. In today's episode we spend a ton of time discussing what it's like to lead young adults, minister to young adults, and preach to young adults. It's a hot topic because Millennials are leaving the urban context and flooding the suburbs. Careers and families will do that to you. If you have any intention of preaching The Gospel and leading a church over the course of the next two decades you have to pay attention to the emerging generation. They are flooding our churches as they age. We also spend time talking about what it's like to sit under seasoned leadership and learn. It's a great episode to take a ton of notes and I can't encourage you enough to pick up Pastor Jonathan's new book as well. 

Starting this week I'm going to start rolling out mini episodes every other week to discuss practical application to our sermon prep process and preaching. Over the last year I've spent a ton of time listening to Pastors and Leaders that I love freely share insights on sermon prep. I want to start taking little nuggets from the episodes, create laser like focus on pieces of the content, and bring practical application for us. This week I'm focusing on how to weave in values that we want to see rise within the Church through our sermons. The big idea is that as you develop your sermon content consider placing content strategically in your sermon. You will choose to word your points a particular way. You will choose to leverage specific illustrations. You will play with certain forms of application in relation to the points that you're preaching from The Text. As you do so, consider being extremely intentional in the types of illustrations and application that you're using in order to foster specific cultural values and norms you want to see God develop within your people. Lace your sermons with content that explains the Text clearly and also simultaneously pushes forth the culture and values you want to see disseminated within your ministry.

Jen Wilkin is an author and Bible Teacher from Dallas, Texas. She has organized and led studies for women in home, church, and parachurch contexts. She is on staff as the Classes and Curriculum Director. Jen Wilkin has served The Body of Christ by providing Biblical Teaching and faithful lenses by which we can expound upon The Text from. In this episode Jen gives us an inside look into her preparation process. This is an episode I've been extremely excited about personally because I believe she is one of the most helpful Bible Teachers. Her ability to direct a Text and expose the value, richness, and meaning is worth imitating and learning from. If you haven't heard a Jen Wilkin Study I encourage you to take the time and dig in. If you're a Bible Teacher I encourage your to study how she delivers the content as well. Jen does an incredible job of helping her audience dig into The Text and we have much to learn so get your notes ready!

Thank you. I just wanted to say thank you. That's all folks.

Kelly Needham is a wife, mother, leader, speaker, and author. Kelly provides the perspective of Bible Teaching as a lay leader within the church. I'm really excited about this episode because we have an honest discussion about what it means to be a normal person who loves Jesus, loves the family, and is using the gift of teaching for the glory of God in the local church. It's so easy to get caught up in what I call the preaching grind. The preaching grind is all about increasing the platform and making sure that it all sounds good. That's a problem. But in this episode we talk about what it means to be a normal human who loves Jesus and we talk about what it means to serve God's people faithfully through The Word.

Jimmy Needham is a singer/songwriter and serves as a Pastor on staff at Stonegate Church in Midlothian, Texas. Most of you might know Pastor Jimmy because of his work as a singer/songwriter but don't sleep on the fact that Pastor Jimmy is obsessed with Jesus and loves His Word Preached and proclaimed. In this episode we discuss the dynamics of The Word ministered through sermon and song. Too many pastors fail to harmonize and synchronize the Word Preached and The Word sung. In today's episode we discuss the value of God's Word and the application of God's Word within the context of The Church gathered during the weekly meeting. 

J. R. Vassarserves as the lead pastor of Church at the Crossin Grapevine, Texas. From 2005 to 2013, he served as the founding and lead pastor of Apostles Church in New York City. He is a graduate of Dallas Seminary, is married to Ginger, has three children, and is the author of Glory Hunger: God, the Gospel and Our Quest for More. In today's episode we discuss the more important aspects of preaching. There are a myriad of things we can focus on in sermon prep and sermon delivery but we decided to drill down on the main things in this episode. What I love about Pastor J.R. is that he brings an elevated value on the Word of God in sermon perp. Pastor JR and I spend a lot of time to talking about how to faithfully preach The Word in a way where we remove distractions. Which should be the motivation underneath quality preaching. We talk about how to preach to the specific context that God has placed before us in preaching. This was a helpful episode for me personally and I can't wait to hear about how God impacted your preaching through it. 

In today's episode we have Jared Wilson giving us a spectacular episode on Gospel Centrality within our preaching. Jared is the Director of Content Strategy for Midwestern Seminary, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry at Spurgeon College, Director of the Pastoral Training Center at Liberty Baptist Church, and author of numerous books, including Gospel Wakefulness, The Pastor’s Justification, The Prodigal Church, The Imperfect Disciple, Supernatural Power for Everyday People, and The Gospel-Driven Church. A frequent preacher and speaker at churches and conferences, you can visit him online at jaredcwilson.com I'm not going to lie to you. I knew I wanted Jared on the podcast because behind Dr. Timothy Keller he is, in my mind, the greatest Gospel Centered thinker and writer I see in our day and age. This brother is absolutely obsessed with the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I can pay no greater compliment. He has had a profound influence on me and I can't thank God enough for what helping the Body of Christ grow in Gospel Centrality. I knew I had to get him on the podcast because the greatest deficit I continually see in too many preachers' is the lack of The Gospel in the sermon. Folks forget Jesus and what He's done in The Cross and Resurrection and that's a problem. This is a light hearted but helpful sermon on preaching with The Gospel as the center of your sermon. 

In today's episodes we have one of my favorite Pastors and Leaders, Dr. Matt Carter. Dr. Matt serves as Pastor of Preaching and Vision at Austin Stone Community Church, which has grown from a core team of 15 to over 7000 attending each Sunday. His desire for Austin Stone to be a church not just in the city, but for the city, led to the creation of the For the City Network, an organization that pursues the redemption and renewal of Austin by developing communities and connecting people. In addition to pastoring at The Austin Stone, Matt is a cancer survivor, co-author of four books and speaker for camps and conferences nationwide. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Southwestern Seminary.

In today's episode we have Pastor Tony Merida on the podcast.  Tony Merida is the founding pastor of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh, N.C. He also serves as Associate Professor of Preaching at Southeastern Baptist Seminary in Wake Forest, NC. He's the sultan of sermons and it's hard to express how excited I am to share our interview with him today. Pastor Tony Merida has been training, developing, and coaching preachers for many years in both the collegiate context and in the local church. Pastor Tony is a leader of leaders who is one of the foremost go-to leaders on sermon mechanics. He has written extensively on faithful preaching and it's such an honor to have him on the podcast. His books include: Faithful Preaching Orphanology Ordinary: How to Turn the World Upside Down Proclaiming Jesus Eight volumes in the new Christ-Centered Expositioncommentary series (B&H), of which he also serves as a general editor, along with Danny Akin and David Platt.  

If the title of this week's episode is any indication you know good and well this episode is going to be spectacular. In today's episode we have Pastor Vance Pitman, Lead Pastor of Hope Church in Las Vegas, Nevada discussing a wide range of topics that many pastors deal with. This is certainly one of my favorite episodes because Pastor Vance wasn't fake and talked straight about real issues that real pastors deal with on a regular basis. We discuss the difference between church planting and pulpit planting. We discuss the hardship of financial crisis and how that affects preaching. We discuss the challenges of trying to be a diverse church. We discuss a wide range of topics that is helpful for both church planters and pastors of established churches. This is one of my favorite episodes and I can't encourage you enough to take plenty of notes and listen to this episode multiple times. It isn't always easy to hear what we need to hear but we will certainly profit from what Pastor Vance has to offer today. 

Dean Inserra is the founding and lead pastor of City Church, where he leads the vision and preaching. Dean was called to start a church in his hometown of Tallahassee when he was the Student Body President at Leon High School. He is passionate about reaching the city of Tallahassee with the Gospel, to see a worldwide impact made for Jesus. Dean is an advisory member of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission'sLeadership Council with the Southern Baptist Convention. He is also a member of Baptist 21. Dean graduated from Liberty University and attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. He holds a MA in Theological Studies from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is pursuing a D.Min from Southern Seminary. In today's episode we discuss mistakes young leaders tend to make in the early days of preaching. Pastor Dean shares about the church planting journey and how church planting is connected to reaching cities with The Gospel. We also spend time talking about mistakes that older leaders make. Get your notes ready!

Dr. Jim Shaddix is the Professor for Preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. I call him a sultan of sermons because he's legendary. He occupies the W. A. Criswell Chair of Expository Preaching. He also serves as Director of the Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership, which exists to resource pastors in local churches. Jim has pastored churches in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and Colorado and Alabama, and he also served as Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Preaching at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary in New Orleans, LA. He is the author of The Passion Driven Sermon(Broadman & Holman, 2003), Decisional Preaching(Rainer, 2018), and co-author with Jerry Vines of Power in the Pulpit(Moody, 1999, 2017) and Progress in the Pulpit(Moody, 2017). Dr. Jim Shaddix has trained some of the greatest preachers and communicators of our day. He has written some of the best books on preaching in our modern era. He is a faithful helpful teacher as it relates to preaching and you won't be disappointed. We spend time in this episode discussing the mechanics of preaching. I wanted to maximize the time I had with Dr. Shaddix with the intent that we get the best sermon preparation tools from Dr. Shaddix. Get your notes ready. You won't be disappointed. 

Danny Akin is the president of South Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Danny Akin has been a preaching professor for decades. He has an immense amount of experience and offers us a wealth of knowledge on preaching. He has trained thousands of preachers and he shares his experiences with us. Dr. Akin gives us perspective on why our preaching should be consistent and faithful with The Text. He also shares the joy of being a faithful preacher over the long haul. We discuss Spurgeon and how to properly prepare a sermon through adequate prep time. I personally love learning from men who have gone before us and have decades of experience. Men like Dr. Danny Akin are a gift because we don't have to bleed to learn the same things they already know. We just need the humility to listen and learn. Get your notes ready because this episode will challenge and stretch you. 

Pastor Robby Gallaty is the Lead Pastor of Long Hollow Baptist Church. God radically saved him from drug addiction and used Dr. David Platt to disciple Pastor Robby for two years thereafter. This began a lifelong passion for discipleship. Pastor Robby is the President of Replicate Ministries a discipleship oriented ministry. Pastor Robby is a champion of helping Christians and local churches pursue discipleship. In today's episode we discuss the relationship between preaching and disciple making. We discuss how the Pastor can leverage the pulpit to help his people make disciples. I find that in today's world it's far easier and sexier to grow churches in numerical attendance than to actually create processes for disciple making. I believe this is the greatest challenge in the North American Church in light of the consumeristic cultures that Pastors and church attenders participate in and contribute to. This is certainly a challenging episode but you won't be disappointed!

I'm excited to announce that Art Rainer will join us on the podcast today. Art Rainer is is the Vice President for Institutional Advancement at SEBTS and author of The Money Challenge: 30 Days of Discovering God’s Design for You and Your Money. He's what I call... the money guy. Some of you might be asking why do we have a guy who isn't primarily a preacher on the podcast. Because he's the money guy and you are required to preach about money. Jesus taught on money more than he taught on Heaven. Jesus talked about money over 25% of the time in The Gospels. Money is a big deal to God and it should make up a substantive part of your preaching if you're preaching The Word. The problem is that most of us are either too scared to talk about it or don't know how to go about it in a way that doesn't push people away from God. This is where Sam comes in. He helps us think through how we can preach about money in a faithful way and he doesn't disappoint. Get your notes ready!

Phillip Nation is the Director of Advancement and Global Impact Churches with The Baptist World Alliance. He is an author, a speaker, and leader of leaders. Phillip has become a friend of The Preachers' College. He understands the grind of preaching week in and week out. He is faithful and it's such an honor to host him on the podcast. In this episode we discuss   the value of learning from older preachers and dead preachers. We never want to outgrow our desire to learn from the people God has put ahead of us. We also spend time talking about the value of Context when preaching a sermon. Phillip gives us tools we can use to help bring and pull our people into the depths of The Text we find ourselves preaching in for the week and this alone will prove to be invaluable information for your preaching. Dig in!

Pastor Sam Rainer is the Lead Pastor of West Bradenton Baptist Church, an author, podcast host (of the EST podcast), and a leader of leaders. In today's episodes he gets into the stuff that no one wants to talk about. In Episode 8 of The Preachers' College Podcast Pastor Sam spoke about racism and revitalization as it relates to preaching. In this episode we drill into the nuances of addressing cultural controversies in the pulpit and we talk about how to tackle the tough topics of day as a preacher.

Pastor Blake Chilton served on staff at The Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas for over 9 years under Pastor Matt Chandler. In 2012, he began to feel the Spirit lead him to plant a church in his hometown in Bryan-College Station, Texas. In this episode we discuss what he learned about preaching and ministry during his time under Pastor Matt. We discuss the value of using the God given personality within your own context and how that can be leveraged appropriately. We also discuss how critical application is when it comes to the value of your sermon outside of the Sunday morning time slot. Lastly, Pastor Blake gives us great insight into how he develops his sermon illustrations. I believe Blake Chilton is one of the greatest sermon illustrators that I've had the honor of listening to and not enough people know about it. You should listen to his sermons and take notes. But if you won't listen to his sermon get your notes ready and at least take notes during this podcast!

Pastor Derwin L. Gray is the founding and lead Pastor of Transformation Church (TC), a multiethnic, multigenerational, mission-shaped community in Indian Land, South Carolina, located just south of Charlotte, North Carolina. TC also has two campuses in South Carolina Correctional Institutions, Kershaw and Lee. For three out of the last five years, TC has been recognized by Outreach magazine as one of the top 100 fastest-growing churches in America. In today's episode we discuss how to build a preaching ministry that fosters multi-ethnic ministry. We also discuss reaching different generations. Pastor Derwin has been an influence on my life personally and I'm excited to share our conversation today. Get your notes ready and get ready for the heat!

I'm excited to share that Pastor Bryan Loritts joins the Preachers' College Podcast today. Pastor Bryan is the Lead Pastor of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Mountainview, California. He is an author, speaker, Pastor, and leader with a broad and national following. God has elevated him to a position from which he speaks constantly on Biblical Justice, social injustice, and how The Church and her members can faithfully engage in these spaces. Pastor Bryan also shares his experience and how he got started in ministry. He gives us wisdom on how to train and develop up and coming preachers. Pastor Bryan has written on many of the topics we discuss today and we would like to encourage everyone to read a book of his and listen to some of his talks. Pastor Bryan continues to speak into the Body of Christ and we have much to learn from him.

Pastor Darryl Williamson graciously joins us on the podcast today. He's the Lead Pastor of Living Faith Bible Fellowship in Tamp, Florida (glory to God for the scenery) and is also a council member of The Gospel Coalition. In today's episode I interview Pastor Darryl and discuss the story of how he led his church into a multi ethnic congregation instead of remaining homogenous. He shares the challenges and the how-to behind preaching to multiple cultures at the exact same time in the exact same sermon. He shares with us how to preach in such a way that our sermons stick with our people especially when they find themselves in difficult and precarious positions. We spend time talking about how to bring our sermons to bear on peoples lives in a way that is relational and actionable.

Pastor Léonce Crump Jr., is an author, international speaker, and the founder and lead pastor of Renovation Church in Atlanta. In 2006, Crump answered God’s call to relocate from Tennessee to Atlanta and begin the process of planting Renovation Church. He details the obstacles he and his family faced and the revelations he uncovered during this process in Renovate: Changing Who You Are by Loving Where You Are (Multnomah Books, Feb. 16, 2016). A champion for the Church’s participation in focused and intentional cultural renewal, diversity, and Biblical Preaching. He has been a hero and a long distance mentor that I've learned from afar. It is such an honor to have him on this podcast. We talk about the struggles of preaching in the early days of planting, how the pulpit shapes the culture of the church, and how to grow your preaching muscles over a long period of time. 

Pastor Doug Logan is the founding pastor of Epiphany Fellowship, the Director of Diversity for Acts 29 and the co director of Church in Hard Places for Acts 29. In today's episode we talk about what it's like to preach to the urban community. We discuss how knowing the neighborhood and serving the streets affects preaching. We talk about the challenges of preaching to a diverse congregation.

Jerome Gay Jr. is the Founding and Teaching Pastor of Vision Church. In today's episode he shares with us the importance and value of preaching points that come straight from The Scriptures. He also spends time helping us think through diversity and how to preach on Biblical Justice in a culture and a world that would prefer to brush these issues under the rug. Pastor Jerome is also a Church Planter and shares his perspective on preaching in the early days of a church plant and the effects of quality preaching in a church plant context. Pastor Jerome has become a friend of the podcast and is someone I personally have looked up to over the years. His experiences and perspective are extremely valuable and I encourage everyone to grab the notes section of their phone and take many notes.

Today I'm so excited to welcome Pastor Nebiye Kelile onto the podcast to discuss a wide range of topics. He's the Lead Pastor of Pathway Church East Dallas. He serves a diverse, young, 2nd generation immigrant population and was gracious enough to come on the podcast and share insights and perspective. This episode is important because America will continue to look more and more diverse. With 2nd generation immigrants being raised up in this country I believe Pastor Nebiye is a canary in the coal mine and is someone we should pay attention to in light of our future realities. He shares the challenges of how to pastor and preach to Millennials. He talks about the beauty of pursuing diversity and gives us a ton of preaching insight on how to communicate the Bible faithfully to our congregations. Get your notes ready and check it out now!

Pastor John Onwuchekwa is a Pastor, Author, and Gospel Coalition Council Member. He faithfully serves as the Lead Pastor of Cornerstone Church in Urban Atlanta. He holds an M.A. from Dallas Theological Seminary. He's also the author of Prayer: How Prayer Shapes The Church (you need to go buy it now). Pastor John helps us by sharing the challenges and unique opportunities of leading a church in an urban core. Pastor John shares how we can use culture (music, entertainment, sports, etc.) as a bridge into the lives and hearts of our people. He shares how we can preach in a way that fosters diversity within our congregations. Pastor John also shares how to ensure that the substance of your sermon content is rooted and grounded in The Word of God.

Pastor Mike Dsane is a friend of the Podcast and a dear friend. He was the guest on episode 1 and if you haven't listened to that episode you should go back and listen. If you have heard it already... you should listen again. In today's episode we talk about preaching in a way that is helpful, Biblical, and lively. We also spend time talking about how to leverage the pulpit in aiming the direction and vision of the Church towards God's Biblical standards. 

Dale Sutherland is the Lead Pastor of McLean Bible Church, a multi-site church in Virginia, Maine, and Maryland. He comes from a law enforcement background and a bi-vocational pastor background. He shares the value of sharing the pulpit based on his experience with on boarding David Platt into his church. He shares about the problem with the social media, self-aggrandizing, narcissistic culture we find ourselves in and how that affects the pulpit. Lastly Pastor Dale shares lessons that he's learned after 40 years of preaching and pastoral ministry. 

Pete Briscoe is the Senior Pastor of Bent Tree Bible Church, a multi-site church in the DFW metroplex. He is an author, speaker, and the leader of a multi-media ministry called Telling the Truth. In this episode Pastor Pete opens up about past mistakes on neglecting to preach on issues of racism, the value of animated preaching, and the beauty of Bible saturated preaching. In today's world so many preachers spend too much time thinking about what they're going to say but so little time thinking about how what they say will land on others. In this episode Pastor Pete shares wisdom and experiences based on decades of experience

In today's episode we have Pastor Paul McDill one of the lead pastors of Community Life Church (C Life) with multiple campuses in the Dallas-Fortworth Metroplex. He shares the unique story of how God planted their church and all that God has accomplished in the years they've spent launching campuses and watching Jesus change lives. We approach the subject of team teaching and communicating and we talk about how they share the pulpit. We talk about the value of different voices, the struggles of sharing the preaching load, and the benefits of having a team carry the weight of preaching God's Word. 

I have often found and noticed that with so many churches and pastors the notion of talking or preaching about systemic injustice or structural racism is a topic that most are afraid to touch or talk about. This stems from a lack of understanding and blatant disregard for the daily reality of minorities in America. This has a particular effect on minorities sitting in these types of congregations. So we brought Jemar on the podcast to give us help. Most Pastors don't know where to begin on these issues and Jemar helps us by showing us Scripturally how and why we ought to engage at a deeper level. Jemar Tisby is a Historian, Author, and Speaker and has served many pastors by giving voice to these issues. He has graciously given us his time and he and The Witness have been a massive resource to The Body of Christ on these issues. Don't miss out!

Today is MLK day which is our nation's way of remembering one of the greatest figures in African American history. We tackle the tough topic of Biblical Justice with Tyler Burns who hosts the Pass the Mic Podcast, leads The Witness (A Black Christian Collective), and serves the local church as a pastor. We spend time talking about Biblical Justice and how to preach about these issues in today's tumultuous and racially divided times. 

In this week's episode I simply want to say thank you. That's it. If you're reading this I want to thank you for taking the time to participate, learn, contribute, and grow with us. The Preachers' College was an idea in early 2018 and I had no clue all that God would accomplish and do through this simple idea. I pray it's been a blessing to you. I want to thank Jesus for unparalleled grace and the ability to lead this thing. I want to honor and thank my wife for the patience and capacity to let me do this on the side. She's sacrificed time so I can lead The Preachers' College and I'm beyond grateful for that Godly woman. I want to thank the dozens of men and women who have become friends of the College and served us by coming on as guests. I want to thank The Tribe for faithfully listening and participating every single week. It's an honor of a lifetime to serve you guys and partner with you in your sermon prep. We've got a lot coming in 2019. Peace!

Merry Christmas to all of you! In today's episode we have me, Daniel Weldegebriel, sharing some insights that I picked up on from Rich Birch and Chris Hodges about how the specific Seasons and Sunday's that we find ourselves in affect how we preach. It's not rocket science but it's amazing how many Pastors fail to recognize, capitalize, or value the specificity of seasons as a leverage point for sermon creation and series development. It's a shorter episode but you won't walk away hungry. Let's go!

In today's episode we welcome Pastor Jedidiah Coppenger to the podcast. He's the Lead Pastor of Redemption City Church in Franklin, TN. We talk about some of the lessons he learned early in his preaching ministry, the value of helping our people take actionable Next Steps in their relationship with Jesus, and the palpable power of prayer. 

In today's episode we have my friend Kevin Garcia giving us the business on Biblical Justice. This is may not be the easiest conversation but it's a conversation we need to have in light of so many silent Evangelical Pulpits. We won't shy away from it here at The Preachers' College Podcast. We talk about preaching in a way that fosters ethnic diversity and some of the challenges and beauties of urban ministry. 

In today's podcast we have Pastor Adam Wyatt Lead Pastor for First Baptist Leakesville straight outta Mississippi. He's also a National Replant Strategist with the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. We discuss some of the nuances of preaching in a rural context and we spend time talking about what it takes to lead a church in the need of revitalization. 

Today's episode is with our friend Pastor Adam Tarnow. He was a referral to me by Pastor Todd Wagner, Lead Pastor of Watermark Church here in Dallas. Adam was a gift to us today because he helped those of us who are not in the Lead Pastor position but are looking to develop and grow in our preaching. He shared some nuggets from his experience behind closed doors at Watermark Church and we have so much for you in this episode. 

Today's episode is unique because we have my friend Justin Beller who is not a preacher joining us to help other preachers. Justin is a member of the local church and does not preach. He's a licensed commercial loan officer and offers a unique perspective as someone who gathers with the local church and walks with Jesus in the everyday patterns of life. He is someone that I was eager to have on the podcast because to me he embodies the call to Biblical Justice that so many find themselves talking about. He is someone who doesn't simply talk about Biblical Justice but practices it. He offers the why behind the what of Biblical Justice. He gives pastors encouragement around how to engage these issues in a helpful way.

Today we have none other than Father Wesley Walker a Pastor in an Anglican Church in Lynchburg, Virginia. He shares with us his unique perspective of what it's like being a bi-vocational pastor in an Anglican Church. We in the modern Evangelical church have much to learn from various tribes and denominations which is why I'm so excited to have Wesley on the podcast today. He shares with us the unique aspects of brevity in preaching. He shares the value of leveraging an intentional liturgy as a part of Sunday morning services. He spends much time talking about how to faithfully proclaim the Gospel within the context of a shorter service.

For today's podcast episode we have Pastor Ernest Smith Lead Pastor of Front Range Church in Colorado. We discuss how to preach on different tough topics in biblically winsome and faithful ways. We also discuss how to engage people who are not used to coming to church or not used to hearing clear Bible Teaching.

James Brown is the Executive Pastor of Anchor Church in McKinney. He oversees a variety of ministries and he's one of my pastors. In today's episode we discuss the relationship between preaching and passion. We also talk about how the preaching of God's Word connects to the singing portion of our worship services. 

In this week's episode we have none other than Pastor Thomas McKenzie, the Lead Pastor of Church of the Redeemer serving us today with wisdom and insight on preaching. The beauty about this episode is that we get a unique perspective from one of the largest denominations in Christianity: The Anglicans. This is certainly a special episode.

This is a unique episode because I'm not interviewing anyone but I am sharing the stuff I've learned over the years and especially since I began interviewing some of the greatest preachers in our country. My goal in this episode is simple: I want to share the ideas of a sermon creation system and some of the content creation pieces that great preachers like Jesus, Spurgeon, and others have used. I'm not saying it's THE WAY to sermon prep but I am saying it could help you as you develop your own sermon prep process. If you have your own sermon content creation process I'd love to hear about it and learn from you as well. My hope is that we'd be a collaborative community sharing best practices as revealed by The Lord during our journey in ministry for His glory. Love you guys and grateful that you're a part of this. 

Lacey Stevenson was on staff at The Village Church and helped develop sermons for different Preachers and Teachers behind the scenes. Mike Dsane (who was the guest on episode 1 by the way) referred her to us and let us know Stacey is one of the best kept secrets of The Village Church during her time there when it comes to sermon prep so we had to make sure to bring her on the podcast. She helps us not only with the sermon prep process but also with how to consider the role of women serving in ministry within the local church. 

Josh Mauney is the Senior Pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in America. They had over 1,300 people in attendance at Easter 13 weeks after the church launched and God has done a profound work every day since then. He pastors in one of the most unchurched counties in America and he spends time sharing his struggles and what he's seen God do over the years. Pastor Josh shares the things he's learned in church planting for the second time around. He talks a lot about the self-centered aspects of ministry and how to combat those idols by running to Jesus. He shares the behind the scenes aspect of preaching that we need to be aware of as well. Pastor Josh served under Pastor Chris Hodges during his time at Church of the Highlands and the ARC Church Planting network. He has spent years serving and helping church planters and he was gracious with his time for this particular interview. 

It's increasingly becoming rare to find pastors who have been faithfully plowing and preaching God's Word faithfully for decade after decade. This ought to be our goal and this ought to be our aim. In today's episode Pastor Louis Love (Pastor of New Life Fellowship) shares with us how we ought to preach and shares how we can stay in the ministry for decade after decade regardless of cultural changes.