Sermonsmith

A long overdue farewell…and a brief introduction to my new podcast: Consortio Dei. Consorto Dei is a podcast about healthy rhythms for those who do sacred work. In many ways, it is a close cousin of Sermonsmith, but rather than focusing on rhythms for sermon preparation, it's about rhythms for caring for one's soul. The post Benediction appeared first on Sermonsmith.

A native to California, Tim’s first ten years of church-planting ministry started as the Lead Pastor of Reality LA in 2006, a thriving church in the heart of Hollywood, CA before moving to the UK in 2016. These churches are a part of the Reality family of churches, a movement committed to relational church planting and serving the broader body of... Read more » The post 97 – Tim Chaddick appeared first on Sermonsmith.

JR Forasteros is an author, pastor and podcaster in Dallas, TX. He serves as Catalyst Church’s teaching pastor and wants to be the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl when he grows up. His wife Amanda skates as Mother Terrorista for Assassination City Roller Derby. His book, /Empathy for the Devil/, is available from InterVarsity Press, and you can find his writing at... Read more » The post 96 – JR Forasteros appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Stephanie is one of the founding lead pastors of Mill City Church in urban Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is also the Preaching and Ministry Communication professor at Bethel University and Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. Stephanie has opportunities to coach leaders around the country through speaking, coaching and her weekly podcast  Lead Stories with her friend Jo Saxton. She is passionate about communities... Read more » The post 95 – Stephanie Williams O’Brien appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Dr. A. J. Swoboda is a professor, author, and pastor of Theophilus in urban Portland, Oregon. He is the lead mentor of a Doctor of Ministry program on the Holy Spirit and Leadership at Fuller Seminary, and teaches theology, biblical studies, and Christian history at a number of other universities and Bible colleges. He is the director of Blessed Earth Northwest, an organization focused on creation... Read more » The post 94 – AJ Swoboda Returns appeared first on Sermonsmith.

John Mark Comer lives, works, and writes in the urban core of Portland, Oregon, with his wife, Tammy, and their three children, Jude, Moses, and Sunday. He is the pastor for teaching and vision at Bridgetown Church. Prior to planting Bridgetown, John Mark was the lead pastor of a suburban megachurch. Before that, he played in a band. John Mark... Read more » The post 93 – John Mark Comer appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Jim Shemaria is the pastor of Celebration Bible Church in Grandville, Michigan (a suburb of Grand Rapids). He grew up in Seattle, moved to Michigan for school in 2003 and began working at Celebration in 2008. Jim loves the intimacy and community of small church ministry and divides most of his time between preaching and congregational care. He has also... Read more » The post 92 – Jim Shemaria appeared first on Sermonsmith.

The Reverend Donnell Wyche currently serves as Senior Pastor and Head of Staff at the Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor where he has served for 18 years. The Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor is a growing multi-ethnic, multi-generational church in the progressive left-leaning city of Ann Arbor, MI. Passionate about the intersections of race, faith, politics, and technology, Pastor Donnell... Read more » The post 91 – Donnell Wyche appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Rich Villodas is the Lead Pastor at New Life Fellowship Church. On October 6th, 2013, Rich succeeded Pete Scazzero as Lead Pastor. Rich was born and raised in the East New York section of Brooklyn. He graduated from Nyack College and then went on to obtain a Masters of Divinity degree at Alliance Theological Seminary. When Rich is not reading,... Read more » The post 90 – Rich Villodas appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Nick Parsons serves as the lead pastor of Redemption Church in central San Francisco. Nick was born and raised in Phoenix, AZ. He attended Ozark Christian College where he received a BA in Biblical Literature and more importantly, met his wife Rachel. Nick and Rachel have been involved in starting new churches in major cities around the world. The Parsons... Read more » The post 89: Chris Davis & Nick Parsons appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Ken Shigematsu is senior pastor of Tenth Church in Vancouver, BC, one of the largest and most diverse city-center churches in Canada. Before entering pastoral ministry, he worked for the Sony Corporation in Tokyo. He is a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal awarded to Canadians in recognition for their outstanding contribution to the country. Ken is the... Read more » The post 88 – Ken Shigematsu appeared first on Sermonsmith.

David is husband to Inga-Lill and the pastor of Calvary Chapel of Santa Barbara. He has been in Christian service for more than 30 years, including two church plants and more than seven years as a missionary in Germany, as director and teacher for an international Bible College. Many people all over the world find his online and print commentary... Read more » The post 87 – David Guzik appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Jorge Acevedo loves Jesus Christ and his Church. Touched by the grace of God at seventeen, he was never the same. Rescued from a life of addictions, his greatest delight is connecting people to Jesus and the Church. Born in Puerto Rico, Jorge at the age of four months, moved with his family to the United States where he was... Read more » The post 86 – Jorge Acevedo appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Josh Crain is the senior pastor of The Meeting House, a multisite church in Pennsylvania. Josh and his wife, Emily, have been married since 2003 and have two young children: Jack (4 years old) and William (1 year old). They also have a small dog named Ella who’s family status has decreased significantly since the birth of their sons. At... Read more » The post 85 – Josh Crain appeared first on Sermonsmith.

The Rev. Dr. Luke A. Powery is the Dean of Duke University Chapel and Associate Professor of Homiletics at Duke Divinity School. Prior to his appointment at Duke, he served as the Perry and Georgia Engle Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Princeton Theological Seminary. He received his B.A. in music with a concentration in vocal performance from Stanford University, his... Read more » The post 84 – Luke Powery appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Jeff Keady and Jonny Craig are pastors at Dover Church in Orange City, Iowa. They met in a seminary class in June of 2010 and have been friends since. Jeff has been in ministry for more than 27 years in churches ranging from 25 to 700. Jonny joined Jeff in ministry in 2012. Jeff grew up in New York, and... Read more » The post 83 – Jeff Keady and Jonny Craig appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Kevin Sweeney is pastor of Imagine—an urban church in Honolulu that is truly welcoming of all people, sees imagination as the key to the future, chooses authenticity over performance, substance over hype, and quality over quantity. He is also a co-creator of The [un]Commons. a creative community in Kaka’ako. After receiving Masters Degrees in Theology and Intercultural Studies, Kevin is... Read more » The post 82 – Kevin Sweeney appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Pastor Bryan Loritts is the privileged husband of Korie, and the graced father of three sons- Quentin, Myles and Jaden. He serves the Abundant Life Christian Fellowship of Silicon Valley, California, as the Lead Pastor. An award winning author of five books (God on Paper; A Cross Shaped Gospel; Letters to a Birmingham Jail; Right Color/Wrong Culture and Saving the... Read more » The post 81 – Pastor Bryan Loritts appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Tara Beth Leach is the Senior Pastor at First Church of the Nazarene of Pasadena (“PazNaz”) in Southern California. She is a graduate of Olivet Nazarene University (B.A. Youth Ministry) and Northern Theological Seminary (M.Div.). She is a regular writer for Missio Alliance and has contributed to other publications such as Christianity Today, Christian Week, The Jesus Creed, The Table... Read more » The post 80 – Tara Beth Leach revisited appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Kurt Willems (M.Div., Fresno Pacific) is the founding pastor of Pangea. He is also a graduate student at the University of Washington focusing on early Christianity, Greco-Roman Religions, and Classical Languages. Kurt writes for various print and online publications including his site The Pangea Blog and is also on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. His latest project is The Paulcast: A... Read more » The post 79 – Kurt Willems appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Jason Lantz is passionate about helping leaders launch new initiatives that make disciples of Jesus. He and his wife Suzi have been practitioners of discipleship systems within a large church at RiverTree Christian Church, through planting LoveCanton using missional communities in 2008, and now Jason is back at RiverTree as Vision Leader, leading 7 campuses all focused on discipling movements... Read more » The post 78: Jason Lantz appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Jeff Isaacs returned to the church of his youth in January, 2008 to serve as the Preacher at Riverlawn Christian Church in Wichita, Kansas. Prior to that he was in youth ministry for 13 years across town. He has been married to Jennifer for 21 years and together they have four boys: Caleb, Joshua, Elijah and Ezekiel (adopted from Taiwan... Read more » The post 77: Jeff Isaacs appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Mark Sayers is the Senior Leader of Red Church in Melbourne, Australia. He provides visionary leadership and teaching for Red Church and is gifted in prophetically speaking into the intersection of faith and culture. Mark is married to Trudi, and they have a daughter, Grace, and twin boys Billy and Hudson. Mark has written a number of books that speak... Read more » The post 76: Mark Sayers appeared first on Sermonsmith.

T. Scott Daniels is senior pastor at Nampa College Church of the Nazarene. Scott has also pastored in Pasadena, California and Richardson, Texas and until recently served as the dean of School of Theology at Azusa Pacific University. He is a frequent guest speaker and lecturer at churches, camp meetings, and college campuses. He received his BA from Northwest Nazarene... Read more » The post 75: Scott Daniels appeared first on Sermonsmith.

J.R. Briggs becomes our first repeat guest in a different kind of sermon prep conversation. J.R. shares how he is learning and being challenged by Spurgeon’s words on sermon prep in his book: Lectures to my Students. J.R. Briggs is the founding pastor and cultural cultivator of The Renew Community, a Jesus community for the hungry and the hurting on... Read more » The post 74: C.H. Spurgeon via J.R. Briggs appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Jeremy Ashworth is a pastor, a spiritual and organizational leader who lives to help people grow in the way of Jesus. He has experience in pastoral ministry and church revitalization in the Midwest, Northwest, and Southwest United States. He is the coauthor of “Outrageous and Courageous,” a book about relational evangelism. He likes all the normal stuff: good food, great... Read more » The post 73: Jeremy Ashworth appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Tim Conder is the founding pastor of Emmaus Way in Durham, NC. He is also a PhD Candidate in Cultural Studies at the University of North Carolina. He is an active community organizer with Durham CAN (Congregations, Associations, & Neighborhoods) which is part of the Industrial Areas Foundation. He is also deeply active in the NAACP’s “Forward Together Moral Movement”... Read more » The post 72: Tim Conder appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Kevin Doi is a church planter and founding pastor of Epic Church in Fullerton, California. He is also co-founder of JOYA Scholars, a non-profit organization inspiring and preparing students from the Garnet Neighborhood in Fullerton toward higher education. In 2012, Kevin was recipient of the Ambassador of Peace Award, a congressional honor for his work with JOYA Scholars. He has... Read more » The post 71: Kevin Doi appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Rev. Laura Sumner Truax is the senior pastor at LaSalle Street Church, a non-denominational church in downtown Chicago with a long tradition of uniting individual faith in Christ with God’s call for justice and compassion lived out in the world. Laura is the author of Undone:When coming apart puts you back together, published by InterVarsity Press August 2013. Rev. Truax... Read more » The post 70: Laura Truax appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Adam is a graduate of Portland Bible College and Trinity College of the Bible. In August of 2008, Adam and his family packed up their belongings, along with his 12 years of pastoral staff experience, and moved to Vermont to plant a church, Mosaic Burlington. In the summer of 2012, Mosaic merged with St. Andrews Christian Church and became Church... Read more » The post 69: Adam Avery appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Isaac Anderson is a teaching pastor at Jacob’s Well Church in Kansas City, Missouri, where he also oversees the church’s justice initiatives. Isaac holds an MFA in creative writing from Ohio State, and has been a writer-in-residence at Lenoir-Rhyne University, Western Theological Seminary, and the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts. His writing has appeared in Economy of Love... Read more » The post 68: Isaac Anderson appeared first on Sermonsmith.

RD McClenagan is the Pastor for Training and a Teaching Pastor at Door Creek Church (a multi-site church) in Madison, WI. RD is a graduate of Furman University and Dallas Theological Seminary. He is married to Emily and they have twin 2 year old daughters, Maisie and Camille. RD is particularly passionate about communicating the Bible to non-Christians, the skeptical,... Read more » The post 67: RD McClenagan appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Andy is the lead pastor of Renew Communities – a missional church he helped plant in 2011. Andy, his wife Meri and their children Kenzie, Eva and Archer, have lived in the Cleveland area since 2005. With a deep rooted passion to see this city renewed and over a decade of ministry experience Andy focuses primarily on vision, discipleship, teaching... Read more » The post 66: Andy Sikora appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Sean Palmer is a speaker and writer serving generous-hearted Christians as we re-imagine the church as a beloved community of hospitality and reconciliation, so that all people experience God’s embrace. He is the Lead Minister at The Vine Church in Temple, TX. As Lead Minister, he oversee the teaching and preaching ministries, lead the ministerial staff and coordinate the vision... Read more » The post 65: Sean Palmer appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Darren is the Lead Pastor of the Garden Church, a church planted in 2009 in downtown Long Beach, California. Darren is passionate about awakening this generation to the reality of Jesus and the Kingdom. He has the privilege of leading a growing urban church along side his wife Alex and both enjoy spending as much time as possible with their... Read more » The post 64: Darren Rouanzoin appeared first on Sermonsmith.

David has been the Lead Pastor of Markey Church since 2014. He is passionate about connecting the Christian faith with ordinary and everyday life. David is married to Wendy, the love of his life, for nearly twelve years. Together they make their home in Roscommon County along with their two young sons, exploring the backwoods and waterways that lush Northern... Read more » The post 63: David Rice appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Felipe was born in Brazil but was raised between his native country and The United States. He has earned a Th.B from Seminário Presbiteriano do Norte and an M.Div from Reformed Theological Seminary. Felipe has previously founded and pastored two other churches in Recife — Brazil and in 2008 he moved to Miami at the invitation of Redeemer City to... Read more » The post 62: Felipe Assis appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Matt Woodley is the Editor of PreachingToday.com and the Mission Pastor at Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, Illinois. He is also the author of The Gospel of Matthew: God With Us and Billy Graham: Leading with Love. But his biggest ministry passion is training, coaching, and equipping preachers. Links Mentioned: BibleGateway Support Sermonsmith: Become a Sermonsmith patron at Patreon... Read more » The post 61: Matt Woodley appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Tim Suttle is the senior pastor of Redemption Church in Kansas City. He is the author of several books including Shrink: Faithful Ministry in a Church-Growth Culture (2014 Zondervan), An Evangelical Social Gospel? (2011 Cascade Books), and Public Jesus (2012 The House). His blog is called Paperback Theology, which can be found at Patheos.com. Tim often writes for The Huffington... Read more » The post 60: Tim Suttle appeared first on Sermonsmith.

David Eiffert is the youth and young adult pastor of Believers Center of Albuquerque, a church in Albuquerque, NM. He leads 3 weekly youth services, a weekly young adult service, and a weekly inmate bible study. He currently lives in Albuquerque, NM with his wife Jordan. Links mentioned: IFTTT Pinboard Rob Bell: Poets, Prophets & Preachers David’s Devonthink web clipping... Read more » The post 59: David Eiffert appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Abram Kielsmeier-Jones is the pastor of Union Congregational Church in Magnolia, MA, a youth ministry consultant, a husband and father, and a follower of Jesus. He spent more than a decade in youth ministry, working at small, mid-sized, and large churches  in Illinois, Virginia, and Massachusetts.  He has also led in other church ministry capacities, including leading worship music, preaching, and consulting.... Read more » The post 58: Abram Kielsmeier-Jones appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Meredith is the Teaching Pastor at The Meeting House in Carlisle, PA. Along with preaching on Sunday mornings, she also oversees the discipleship team [children’s ministry, youth ministry, community life, and congregational care], as well heading up leadership development and spiritual formation efforts. Previously, she served at Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI as the Director for Adult... Read more » The post 57: Meredith Dancause appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Leroy Barber has dedicated more than 25 years to eradicating poverty, confronting homelessness, restoring local neighborhoods, healing racism, and living what Dr. King called “the beloved community.” Leroy starts projects that shape society; in 1989, burdened by the plight of Philadelphia’s homeless, he and his wife Donna founded Restoration Ministries, to serve homeless families and children living on the streets.... Read more » The post 56: Leroy Barber appeared first on Sermonsmith.

John Ray is a Youth With A Mission missionary as well as Lead Teaching Elder at Grace Church of Northwest Arkansas. He has almost thirty years of ministry experience in over thirty countries and context as well as a newly minted Masters of Divinity from George Fox Evangelical Seminary. John and his wife Jane have four daughters, Hope, Hannah, Naomi... Read more » The post 55: John Ray appeared first on Sermonsmith.

John Jay Alvaro is the pastor of Spring Creek Baptist Church. He has a background in art and architecture, and trained for ministry at Duke Divinity School. He is married to Corrie, who is an artist and teacher. Together they are raising their kiddos, Judah and Ruthie. He is on Instagram and Twitter as @johnjayalvaro. His sermons and visual scripts... Read more » The post John Jay Alvaro appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Justin is the Campus Pastor of Church on Morgan, a multi-site community of Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh, NC and holds a M.Div from Duke Divinity School and a M.S.W. from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He and his wife Nicole have two children, Levi and Stella. Resources and Links Mentioned: This American Life Podcast... Read more » The post Justin Morgan appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Dan White Jr. co-planted Axiom Church when a core of families moved into the city of Syracuse, NY for a compelling dream; to submerge faith-communities deep into under-resourced neighborhoods. Dan Jr. is also a church planting strategist with the V3 Movement. Weekly, he coaches cohorts from around the country through an 18-month missional training system. Dan is also co-founder of... Read more » The post Dan White appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Luke is the founding pastor of the Venture Community, an inter-denominational church in the Dallas suburb of Corinth, TX. Luke hosts the Newsworthy with Norsworthy Podcast a weekly podcast discussing Spirituality, Christianity, and anything else that seems news worthy. Resources and Links Mentioned: Venture Community Best Commentaries Luke’s personal site Newsworthy with Norwsorthy (iTunes) Support Sermonsmith: Become a Sermonsmith patron... Read more » The post Luke Norsworthy appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Ian DiOrio became a Christian in his twenties after spending his younger life in the underground music scene in Los Angeles as a DJ. DiOrio has served as a teaching pastor at RockHarbor Church & Eastside Christian Church and currently writes and speaks from Southern California where is the Lead Pastor of Yucaipa Christian Church. He was recently featured by... Read more » The post Ian Diorio appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Jason became a Christian aged 17 and soon after graduated with a degree in Theology from the London School of theology in 1991. He is currently a governor and trustee of the London School of Theology. He then went on to qualify as a high teacher in Religious Education, but moved quickly into financial services. He had a 10-year career... Read more » The post Jason Clark appeared first on Sermonsmith.

Jennifer Morrow and Tim Ross are about 680 miles away from each other when they preach, but they collaborate on their sermons every week. That’s what this conversation is all about. Resources and Links Mentioned: Partners in Preaching, Leadership Journal Textweek.com Working Preacher About Jennifer Jennifer Morrow has been serving as the pastor of the Rowayton United Methodist Church, in... Read more » The post Jennifer Morrow and Tim Ross appeared first on Sermonsmith.