Podcasts about ftc podcast

Lots of singles in the church. Fewer and fewer marriages. What gives? In this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about their own observations and experienes in the "dating world" of the local church. Why are young men and women finding it difficult to find potential spouses? Why do they find it difficult sometimes to even talk to each other? What are the relational landmines in seeing the church as a dating pool? And what can singles actually do to enhance their potential for Christian marriage?

Is there a particularly Christian way to approach sports? Does the Bible say anything about it? Beyond the typical warnings about idolatry and obsession, what good can Christians derive from athetlics and athletic competitions? In this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the importance and influence of sports, including the question about whether Christians should participate in sports like boxing and MMA.

Capitol Hill Baptist Church, located just blocks away from the center of American power, has a rich 150-year history. Its members have participated in significant world events, advocated for religious freedoms, and spoken out against the moral failings of the times. There's no doubt this church has had a unique impact on evangelicalism from a significant location. But these lively characters and their unique experiences only tell part of this engaging narrative. On today's episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson visits with Caleb Morell, author of A Light on the Hill, which tells the history and personal stories behind the influence Capitol Hill Baptist Church enjoys today.

Here's a first for the FTC Podcast! Jared and Ross recorded this Mailbag episode live at the Federated Fellowship Bible Conference in Pella, Iowa on March 8, 2025 as the first part of two total live episodes. The questions submitted by listeners include: when should pastors speak out about politics, why evangelism feels "transactional," the impact of conferences and podcasts on our understanding of pastors, and how uniform church members should be on doctrinal matters.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson visits with Cedarville University's Dr. Jason Alligood about his new book Raised in Splendor and about the hope of glorification in our secular age.

Sometimes small church folks are overly critical of big churches. Sometimes big church folks are uncharitable towards smaller churches. We're here to settle the scores! Well, kind of. In this ep of the FTC Podcast, Jared and Ross discuss the pros and cons of big churches versus smaller churches and discuss ways we can encourage and think the best of each other.

How is contentment a superpower? And how do you get it? In this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared and Ross discuss the strangeness of contentment in a discontented world.

Have you been discipled? Do you disciple others? In this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about the importance of personal discipleship and share some applicational practice for more fruitful disciple-making.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared talks with author Emily Jensen about her new book with Laura Wifler, *Gospel Mom,* and about the ins and outs of gospel-centered motherhood.

Every year the Christmas holiday seems to creep up and then speed past. How can we make the most out of the Christmas holiday season? In this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the importance of Advent and how our participation in this anticipation can help us enjoy Christmas more than we'd expected.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared visits with Dr. Scotty Smith, one of the spiritual fathers of gospel-centrality, to talk about his early influences and ministry, pastoring early CCM artists, and how to stay focused on grace through decades of shifting cultural distractions.

Jesus said, "The one who perseveres to the end will be saved." Obviously perseverance is a necessary component of the Christian life! On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about the doctrine of the "perseverance of the saints," how perseverance is treated in Scripture, and how Christians might cultivate it in their lives.

It's a perennial question among many evangelicals. How should Christians think about Halloween? Avoid it? Embrace it? Reform it? On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the spotty history of Halloween and survey the contemporary perspectives, challenges, and opportunities related to the Christian's consideration of the "holiday."

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson is joined by Dr. Ronnie Martin to talk about the "wisdom practices" pastors should adopt as regular rhythms in their life in the pursuite of spiritual maturity, emotional stability, and ministerial endurance. Jared and Ronnie's Midwestern Seminary podcast The Heart of Pastoring is now back in its 2nd season and available wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts. https://ftc.co/resource-library/heart-of-pastoring-podcast/

This week on the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson conclude their three-week mini-series, drawing out the usual podcast banter to specific subjects. No agenda; no plan. Just a free-form conversation -- this week, on serving the church. Why do 5% of church members do 95% of the work? Who can serve in a church? How do you keep zealous members from burning themselves out? How can we motivate non-servers to join the efforts? What do you do when a congregation demands a ministry that none of them want to actually contribute to? All that and more in this final episode of "mixing it up."

This week on the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson continue their three-week mini-series, drawing out the usual podcast banter to specific subjects. No agenda; no plan. Just a free-form conversation -- this week, on worship music. What is it for? Who is it for? What are some strange things they've encountered in worship services? Why do some worship services seem stuck in time? All that and more in this episode of "mixing it up."

This week on the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson a three-week mini-series, drawing out the usual podcast banter to specific subjects. No agenda; no plan. Just a free-form conversation -- this week, on preaching. What is it? What should sermons do? What were the guys' first sermons like? How have they grown over the years? What are some things beginning preachers should keep in mind? All that and more in this episode of "mixing it up."

One of the most frequent questions we get relates to how to go about leading change in a church. In this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the potential for negative change in a church -- how it happens and how to prevent it -- and the process for leading positive change in a church.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk all things communion! What does it mean? Who is it for? How should we practice it? And how not to spill the cup on someone's cream-colored pants.

You want your church to be reaching out with the gospel. Your sermons often include a call to evangelize. You've held evangelism training events. So . . . where are the conversions? Is your church actually reaching the lost? How do you become a genuinely soul-winning church? On today's episode of the FTC Podcast, authors and ministers J.A. Medders and Doug Logan join Jared Wilson to talk about their new book The Soul-Winning Church and its six keys to fostering a genuine evangelistic culture in your church.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson celebrate some of the unsung heroes of congregations around the world. They don't often get the fanfare or the spotlight, but these faithful member "types" help churches grow and flourish, and they are huge encouragements to their pastors.

We know pastors love books and talking about books, so on this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared and Ross share a few books they recommend for the pastor's shelf.

Revelation shouldn't leave us fearful or confused, but its imagery and concepts often confound our modern ears. If all Scripture is God-breathed and profitable, though, we should assume Revelation is as accessible and helpful as any other book of the Bible. Teacher and author Jen Wilkin has written a new Bible study guiding readers through Revelation verse-by-verse to discover how the last book of the Bible is accessible, helpful, and speaks a steadying word of assurance and endurance to the church in every age. Wilkin joins Jared Wilson on this episode of the FTC Podcast to discuss. https://www.lifeway.com/en/product-family/revelation-bible-study

On this installment of the regular Mailbag feature of the FTC Podcast, Jared and Ross discuss the alleged pastor deficit, benevolence ministry, dealing with disqualified leaders in inter-church events, young adult Bible studies, should pastors attend Sunday School?, and more!

Let's check the mailbag! In the latest installment of the FTC Podcast's most popular feature, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss your submitted question and topics, including: positives and negatives of VBS, avoiding pragmatism, church mergers, disagreeing with a senior pastor's ministry philosophy, can pastors have close friends in the church?, picking songs for Sunday worship, and . . . church potlucks? Yes, even a question on church potlucks. (Jared and Ross have strong opinions.) Listen in and submit your own questions/topics for the next mailbag ep via mailbag@ftc.co

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about the place of humor in preaching. Should it ever be used? If so, how? What are some things to do and *not* do?

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about the books that changed their minds about things big and little.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about the importance of "story" as it pertains to our testimonies and to preaching and teaching, as well as the biblical and theological significance of the concept of story, before discussing Jared's new book The Storied Life: Christian Writing as Art and Worship. The Storied Life, designed for writers and artists of all kinds, is published by Zondervan and is available to order/purchase wherever you buy Christian books. Order before May 7 and you can get access to Jared's FREE teaching videos either for writers or preachers. More details at: www.zondervan.com/p/the-storied-life/

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss how mature Christians might learn to consider, process, and adjust when their churches change in a variety of ways, as well as how leaders might initiate change in a way that best positions a church for health and stability.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about the ways some churches celebrate Easter that seem to have little to do with the resurrection of Jesus, how to re-embrace the power of the full message of the gospel, and why we sometimes drift into resurrection amnesia.

Some estimates put the adult church dropout rate for kids raised going to church within evangelicalism at 70%! How do we help our kids love the church? On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson have a conversation about influencing our kids to grow up into adults who are committed to the family of God.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the art of listening. How can we make sure the people in our lives and churches feel heard? And why is that important? Included are some practical tips for becoming better listeners.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson visits with returning guest Ronnie Martin about the inner life of our pastors.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about the problem with narcissists in the life and leadership of the church. How do we spot narcissism? What is the cause? Is there any remedy? And how would I know if I am one?

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the ins and outs of ministry brokenness. AW Tozer once said, "Before God blesses a man greatly, he must hurt him deeply." Is that true? How does such thinking play out in terms of leading with transparency, honesty, and confession? What does it look like for ministers to lead with, from, and even *to* brokenness?

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about a "hermeneutic of suspicion" in our relationships and the impact of viewing others this way upon our lives and local churches. Why should we "believe all things" about others? And how can we do that?

Is the gospel-centered movement dead? Are the young Reformed these days restless? What happened to gospel-centrality and why does it matter? Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss these questions and more on this week's episode of the FTC Podcast.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson visits with Jonathan Carswell, CEO of 10 of Those, to talk about the unique ministry of effectively resourcing the church, the state of Christian readership, the importance of physical media, what one thing to look for in a Christian book, and how Christian leaders can better equip their own churches for quality reading.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the problems we run into when we make New Year's resolutions -- or resolutions of any kind -- and how to best handle new commitments and new habits in the Christian life.

Different size churches experience different cultural and communal dynamics. Different size churches need different kinds of leadership, as well. On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about how church size affects church experience and church ministry.

We are currently experiencing the largest and fastest religious shift in US history. It is greater than the First and Second Great Awakening and every revival in our country combined...but in the opposite direction. On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson chats with Jim Davis and Michael Graham, co-authors of the new book The Great Dechurching: Who's Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?, about the eye-opening and challenging findings of the first-ever large-scale sociological research study of the American de-churching phenomenon. Maybe your assumptions about why people are leaving the church in massive numbers will be subverted, as well. Davis and Graham provide key insights to the challenge and applicational takeaways for evangelicals and church leaders in rising to the challenge. Find out more info at dechurching.com

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the peculiar tragedy of those who evidently "fall away." Are there warning signs before apostasy? What should we look out for and how can we address the red flags in biblical and gracious ways?

What's the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation? Why is it so hard to forgive? Do we have to forgive everybody? On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared and Ross tackle these difficult questions and discuss why we have such trouble with forgiveness, repentance, and reconciliation.

In this Mailbag installment of the FTC Podcast, Jared and Ross answer your questions. This week's episode features discussions of devotional resources, whether pastors' parsonages are a good idea, reasonable vacational policies for pastors, the influence of global evangelicalism, ministering to older saints, unique cautions for churches pursuing gospel-centrality, and more.

Find it difficult to pray? Struggle with sluggishness or a wandering mind in your quiet times? You're not alone. On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared and Ross talk about ways to reinvigorate our approach to prayer.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared and Ross discuss the biblical portrait of spiritual warfare and what it means for the everyday Christian life. Plus: a BIG announcement!

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the authors who have most influenced them and edified them in their Christian walk.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson return to the popular "pet peeves" series and turn the tables! Instead of focusing on peeves about leaders, we look at some annoying habits in congregations, with warmth and affection, of course, and an eye toward how to better love our churches and their leaders.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson return to the popular "pet peeves" series and turn the tables! Instead of focusing on peeves about leaders, we look at some annoying habits in congregations, with warmth and affection, of course, and an eye toward how to better love our churches and their leaders.

On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the vital ministry of the church's care for the poor and marginalized. Why is it important? What does the Bible say about it? And how can our churches better facilitate this ministry corporately and individually?