Podcasts about International Mission Board

  S2 Ep. 9: Paul Chitwood on Developments in Missions and the IMB Jared Cornutt and Andrew Hebert sit down with Paul Chitwood for a conversation about the the cooperative program, recruiting and sending missionaries, IMB's fundraising, and some new and exciting developments in global missions.   Paul Chitwood serves as President of the International Mission Board.   The Baptist Review exists for Southern Baptists to engage in good faith discussion about the issues, current events, and questions that matter in our Convention. To follow the conversation, read The Baptist Review online at www.thebaptistreview.com Thanks to our podcast sponsor: Communio Learn more about how Communio can train and equips your church to evangelize through the renewal of healthy relationships, marriages, and the family. ----more---- Follow us on X Follow us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram

Is it possible to 'do missions' without ever sharing the Gospel? Not according to Scott Hildreth. In fact he's written a book called A Short Guide to Missions and Evangelism (https://a.co/d/8cCsKWv) that contains a warning to the western Church that she's dangerously close to walking away from the mandate to carry the Gospel to those who need it most. Listen in as Ted Esler and Matthew Ellison talk with Scott about his book (available May 6) and this current challenge in the western Church.Dr. Hildreth is an associate professor of missiology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS). He is married to Lesley and has two adult children and two grandchildren. Before coming to SEBTS, he and his family served with the International Mission Board in Europe and Central Asia. Dr. Hildreth serves as an elder at The Summit Church and also serves as interim pastor or guest speaker when possible. He has written on evangelism and missions. His research interests are on contextualization, missiology, and theology of mission.The Mission Matters Podcast is a place to talk about the importance of our Mission as Christians. The Mission Matters is a partnership of Missio Nexus and Sixteen:Fifteen, who have a shared passion to mobilize God's people to be a part of His mission.

We had a great start to our Neighbors and Nations Campaign this past Sunday!We are engaged in this campaign because we believe that God is on a mission to rescue people from sin so that they can know Him. Amazingly, God invites His people to join Him in His mission. This means you have a place in God's mission in the world.Last Sunday, we heard about the incredible ways God is at work around the globe through the International Mission Board. This Sunday, we'll explore how we can join God on His mission in our everyday lives. God has a plan for all of His people, and that includes you!

A 4th generation African, Nathan Lino founded Northeast Houston Baptist Church in 2002 and served as their Senior Pastor until June 1, 2022 when he began his tenure as First Baptist Church Forney's Senior Pastor. His ministry opportunities have taken him to more than 25 countries around the world. Nathan has served as President of the Southern Baptist of Texas Convention 2015-2017, First Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention and on the board of the International Mission Board. Nathan became a Christian while attending Pinetown Baptist Church, in Pinetown, South Africa, and was baptized and ordained at Forest Cove Baptist Church in Kingwood, TX. He graduated from Texas A&M University, and graduate school at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC (M.Div.).

A message from our guest speaker Jason Bishop from The International Mission Board 

Victor Hou was born and spent part of his childhood in Asia before coming to the US with his family. Events in High School and college led him to faith in Christ and began to shape his vision for reaching the world with the Gospel. He spent a number of years in the business world before eventually moving overseas and using his gifts to reach people. Now, he serves as the Associate Vice President for Global Advance at the International Mission Board guiding urban strategies, refugee networks, global health and orality strategies. Learn more on this episode of Missions Today!For more information about International Mission Board

Discover the dynamic world of missionary work with Alex Kocman, the Director of Communications at ABWE, as we uncover impactful strategies for church planting and spreading the gospel. Alex shares invaluable insights into ABWE's unique funding model for missionaries, encouraging accountability and financial resilience, while also highlighting the distinctions and cooperative efforts between ABWE and the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board. This episode is your gateway to understanding the intricate balance between emotional revivalist traditions and the necessity for properly trained and qualified missionaries.

In this final episode of the season, AI Alan and Annie are no longer with us. I thought it would be more appropriate to bring in a living and breathing creature. Dr. Don Barger is my guest. Don is the director of innovation and artificial intelligence with the International Mission Board. He is the co-author […]

Reverend Jay Hardwick, senior pastor of Forest Hills Baptist Church and president of the Tennessee Baptist Convention, returns for Part 2 of our discussion on the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). We discuss how Southern Baptists work together through church planting, missionary efforts, and theological education. The cooperative generosity of SBC churches has fueled missions across North America and around the world, supporting thousands of church planters, seminary students, and global missionaries.If you missed Part 1 of our conversation, be sure to go back and listen to episode 228.Here's What We Discussed00:00 The North American Mission Board (NAMB)SBC has long been dedicated to evangelizing the world, supporting missions both locally and globally. Pastor Jeff and Pastor Jay discuss the role of NAMB in supporting church planting, evangelism, and strengthening churches across North America. The SEND Network has helped Southern Baptists focus on major cities, training new church planters and ensuring they have the support they need to succeed.03:26 The Cooperative Program – Fueling MissionsThe Cooperative Program is the financial backbone of SBC missions. Rather than requiring churches to contribute a fixed percentage, churches voluntarily participate, pooling resources to fund seminaries, missionaries, and outreach efforts.07:12 The International Mission Board (IMB)The SBC is home to the world's largest missionary-sending agency, the International Mission Board. With over 3,700 missionaries actively serving and more than 1,200 in training, the IMB ensures that Southern Baptists continue their global outreach, reaching unreached people groups and supporting international church planting.10:35 The Role of Special OfferingsTwo major annual offerings—Lottie Moon (Christmas) and Annie Armstrong (Easter)—provide additional direct-to-field support for missionaries and church planters. Pastor Jay highlights how these offerings have reached record-breaking contributions in recent years.12:52 Southern Baptist Seminaries and Theological EducationWith six world-class seminaries, the SBC provides theological education at a significantly reduced cost for students from SBC churches. Pastor Jay shares how this investment in education is raising up the next generation of pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders.16:15 Stewarding the Future of the SBCFrom growing up in a Southern Baptist church to serving as a pastor and convention leader, Pastor Jay has had a long history with SBC continuing the mission while also recognizing the SBC's challenges and opportunities for growth.Connect with Reverend Jay HardwickTwitter:https://x.com/jayhardwickInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayhardwick/Forest Hills Baptist Church -  https://www.fhbc.orgJoin the ConversationWe love your feedback! If you enjoyed this episode, leave us a review. If you have any questions or comments on today's episode, email me at pastorjeff@lowcountrycc.orgVisit my website https://www.jeffcranston.com and subscribe to my newsletter. Join me on Sunday mornings at LowCountry Community Church. Check-in with us on Facebook or Instagram @pastorjeffcranstonRemember, the real power of theology is not only knowing it but applying it. Thanks for listening!

Matthew's Gospel is more than just a historical account—it's a masterpiece of theology, fulfillment, and discipleship. In this episode, I sit down with New Testament professor Charles Quarles to explore the depth, structure, and significance of The Gospel According to Matthew, and to talk about his new Matthew commentary in the Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary series. Charles Quarles is an experienced pastor, missionary, and theological educator. He served as Senior Pastor of three churches in North Mississippi and East Tennessee for over ten years. He served as a missionary of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention in Bucharest Romania from 1999 to 2002. He has served as a professor of New Testament and Greek at Clear Creek Baptist Bible College, the Bucharest Baptist Theological Seminary, the University of Bucharest, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and Louisiana College (now Louisiana Christian University). Turkey, and Cuba. He is the editor or author of a dozen books including The Sermon on the Mount: Restoring Christ's Message to the Modern Church; The Illustrated Life of Paul; A Theology of Matthew; Matthew in the Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament series; and Matthew in the Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary series. https://www.ryleyheppner.com https://www.instagram.com/ryleyheppner/ For all collaboration requests (speaking, advertising, etc.) go to: https://www.ryleyheppner.com/collaboration

​International Mission Board president, Dr. Paul Chitwood, shares the World's greatest problem. In Romans 3:9–18, Paul explains that lostness is the World's biggest problem, because all have sinned against God. Lostness is an eternal problem and a universal one. The only solution to lostness is the gospel of Jesus Christ. From the beginning of time, each person is marked by the sting of the serpent, the sting of death. Jesus Christ reverses the sting of death when he was lifted up on the cross. All who place their trust in him by repenting of their sins will have eternal life. ________________________________________ Links to Sermon Notes & Answers: ➤Sermon Notes (Blank): https://www.sheridanhills.org/_files/ugd/30fec2_e380e85ebc354367bc68f81108b6ca03.pdf ➤Sermon Notes (Answers): https://www.sheridanhills.org/_files/ugd/30fec2_3007f55024be4a34a6c13b4d8a380481.pdf ________________________________________ In this video: Review of previous sermons in series Main Points Application ________________________________________ Subscribe to this channel to catch weekly expositional sermons from the Bible. ________________________________________ Explore more sermons and information: https://www.sheridanhills.org/watch-new ________________________________________ Follow us: ➤Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sheridanhills/ ➤Twitter: https://twitter.com/sheridanhills01 ➤Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sheridanhills/

Part of the mission of the ERLC is to assist churches by helping fellow Baptists understand the moral demands of the gospel. We also apply Christian principles to moral and social problems and questions of public policy. One of the ways we fulfill this mission is by partnering with like-minded individuals, churches, and institutions across the Southern Baptist Convention to produce work that is accessible and applicable to both the layperson and the scholar. Today, we'll highlight two instances of cooperation in the area of gender and sexuality issues. The first involves our resource, “God's Good Design: A Practical Guide for Answering Gender Confusion.” The second involves our public policy advocacy with the Baptist Convention of Iowa. Together, we signed onto an amicus brief in defense of parental rights.We'll talk to Dane Hays, family pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Decatur, AL, about the “Gender Guide.” Dane has served in counseling and discipleship for over 20 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Psychology from UAB and a Masters of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he studied biblical counseling and theology.You'll also hear from Tim Lubinus, the executive director of the Baptist Convention of Iowa, about the amicus brief. Prior to his current role, Tim was a missions pastor and served overseas on the mission field with the International Mission Board. He received a Masters of Divinity from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has a Doctor of Ministry from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.  

Travis Sent: Fall 2024 | Preached by Dr. Paul Chitwood, President, International Mission Board, SBC

Guest preacher Cliff Case is a missionary in Chile with the International Mission Board. This sermon was preached Sunday morning 10/6/2024

Go and Tell, 2 Kings 6:27-7:16 by Dr. Jeff Ginn, Vice President of Mobilization, International Mission Board on October 6, 2024, at FBCTLH.

Send us a textPull a seat up at the table and join us in a conversation with Mike Lazenby and D Ray of the International Mission Board about their recent visit to Mississippi. We discuss their upcoming event "Together for the Nations," which is one of only a few locations offered in 2025.  Together for the Nations events are one-day events designed to help Southern Baptist pastors and missions leaders explore how they and their churches can become more involved in solving the world's greatest problem-lostness-through partnership with the IMB.Episode Links:Together for the NationsBecoming a missionary - imb.org/goAround the Corner Events: All Events: mbcb.org/eventsOctober 02: Renewing the Church Summit - BrandonOctober 03-14: State Fair EvangelismOctober 17: Small Church Youth Ministry Workshop - KosciuskoOctober 24: Small Church Youth Ministry Workshop - WigginsOctober 25-27: Conference of the Deaf - Timber Creek CampOctober 28: Mississippi Baptist Pastors' Conference - JacksonOctober 28: Ministry Wives Conference - JacksonOctober 29-30: Mississippi Baptist Convention Annual Meeting - JacksonNovember 4-6: KidMin RetreatNovember 7: Small Church Youth Ministry Workshop - Bay SpringsNovember 11-13: Student Ministers' RetreatNovember 14: Small Church Youth Ministry Workshop - SeminaryContacts: Jon Martin, Chief Strategy Officer - jmartin@mbcb.orgTanner Cade, Communication Services Director - tcade@mbcb.org

John W. “Bill” Price Jr., 72, of Glen Allen, returned home on August 2, 2024. He was preceded in death by his patient wife, Karen; parents, John and Estelle Price; and dogs, Tiger, Ginger and Germany. He is survived by his daughter, Kerry Price; stepchildren, Kelly Crockett and Jason Crockett; grandchildren, Lucas, Lucy, Scotty and Kinley; sister, Ellen Cole (Frank); nephews, James, John and Jesse; many loving friends and family; and his dogs, Zuzu and Stewie. Bill enjoyed several decades as an A/V Engineer with the International Mission Board, followed by several years as an Electronics Engineer with the U.S....Article LinkSupport the Show.

The International Mission Board has been active with outreach activities and strategies at the Olympics in Paris. Also, Oklahoma state exec Todd Fisher is in critical care after a serious automobile accident.

This summer we are highlighting some of your favorite podcasts from the past year! In this episode, we talk to Dr. Tom Elliff, a teaching pastor at First Southern Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Dr. Elliff has served as a pastor, president of the International Mission Board, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and more. Dr. Elliff imparts wisdom and short sayings to challenge and encourage us. He also shares the background of these sayings. We hope this episode is encouraging to you today! Let us know how this episode encouraged you or share any feedback you have by emailing us at pastorscenter@sebts.edu. Resources in this episode: Connect with Dr. Tom Elliff by visiting firstsouthern.tv.

Send us a Text Message.Discover the inner workings of Southern Baptist churches with our esteemed guest, Dr. Michael Cloer, as we explore their unique structure and mission in this enlightening episode of "More Than Medicine." Understand how these churches operate as a voluntary network, emphasizing local autonomy while fostering a strong cooperative spirit to fulfill the Great Commission. Learn about the important roles played by the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board, which collectively support thousands of missionaries around the globe. We also provide an insider's look at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual gathering in Indianapolis, renowned as the world's largest business meeting, where representatives make pivotal decisions to shape their mission and ministry efforts.Our conversation takes a deeper turn as we examine the critical doctrinal beliefs that set Southern Baptists apart, particularly their unwavering commitment to the authority of the Bible. Reflecting on the liberal shifts of the 1960s and 1970s that divided many mainline denominations, we contrast this with the Southern Baptists' firm stance in the early 1980s to uphold biblical authority, which continues to influence their practices today. We also discuss the organizational challenges faced by the United Methodist Church due to its more liberal trajectory, resulting in a mass exodus of members. This episode underscores the Southern Baptists' focus on gospel centrality, doctrinal fidelity, and missional urgency, emphasizing their relentless commitment to spreading the message of Jesus Christ to those who have yet to hear it. Don't miss this compelling discussion with Dr. Michael Cloer for a deeper understanding of the Southern Baptist Convention and its global mission.https://www.jacksonfamilyministry.comhttps://bobslone.com/home/podcast-production/

Paul Chitwood, President of the International Mission Board, preached from Romans about "The World's Greatest Problem" and why we, as Christians, are called to work together to present the solution of Jesus Christ.

Paul Chitwood, President of the International Mission Board, preached from Romans about "The World's Greatest Problem" and why we, as Christians, are called to work together to present the solution of Jesus Christ.

Guest Bios Show Transcript https://youtu.be/XKwF1N--a00For more than two decades, Patrick and Mary DeMuth faithfully served as lay leaders at Lakepointe Church, a megachurch in the Dallas/Fort Worth area pastored by Josh Howerton. But as concerns about Howerton grew, Patrick and Mary found they could no longer stay in good conscience. And now, they're dealing with the anger and grief so many so-called “church refugees” feel. In this edition of The Roys Report (TRR), Mary DeMuth joins host Julie Roys to talk about navigating church bewilderment. This is a condition more and more Christians are experiencing today, as scandal and corruption are increasingly seeping into the church. And if you caught the previous TRR podcast with Amanda Cunningham, you heard about many of the concerning issues at Lakepointe Church. This is the church where Mary and Patrick served for 23 years. How do you deal with righteous anger? How do you navigate the grief? How much is okay to say, and what is gossip? How do you find another church home when you're dealing with feelings of betrayal and lack of trust? How do you avoid getting in the same situation again? These are crucial questions, which Mary—an internationally known author and a repeat speaker at our Restore Conference—admits she is wrestling with. And, as is so characteristic of Mary, she engages these questions with grace, wisdom, and a passion for truth and justice. Sadly, many churches have created a culture where it's not okay to talk about leaving a toxic church. But as Mary explains in this podcast, the church won't get better until we talk about it. Believers must begin to evaluate and process the toxicity in churches—and how we can truly become the Body of Christ. Mary has recently developed a Church Hurt Checklist to help people understand their situation and begin to process and articulate it. Download it free at marydemuth.com/churchhurt Guests Mary DeMuth Mary DeMuth is an international speaker, podcaster, and author of over 40 books, fiction and nonfiction, including The Most Misunderstood Women of the Bible and We Too: How the Church Can Respond Redemptively to the Sexual Abuse Crisis. Mary lives in Texas with her husband of 30+ years and is mom to three adult children. Learn more at MaryDeMuth.com. Show Transcript Julie Roys: For more than two decades, Patrick and Mary DeMuth faithfully served as leaders at a megachurch in the Dallas Fort Worth area. But as concerns about the current pastor grew, they found they could no longer stay in good conscience. And now they’re dealing with the anger and grief so many so-called church refugees feel. Julie Roys: Welcome to The Roy’s Report, a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. I’m Julie Roys. And today, Mary DeMuth joins me to talk about navigating church bewilderment. Sadly, this is an issue many Christians are dealing with, as abuse, scandal, and corruption increasingly seem to be seeping into the church. Julie Roys: And if you caught our last podcast with Amanda Cunningham, you heard about many of the concerning issues at Lake Point Church in the Dallas Fort Worth area, where Josh Howerton is Pastor. This is the church where Mary and Patrick served for 23 years. And if you missed our prior podcast, it was a real eye-opener and I encourage you to go back and listen to that. Julie Roys: Today’s podcast is a sequel to my podcast with Amanda, but rather than exposing the issues at Lake Point today, Mary is going to be discussing the aftermath of leaving. How do you deal with righteous anger? How do you navigate the grief? How do you know how much is okay to say? And what is gossip? And how do you find another church home when you’re dealing with feelings of betrayal and lack of trust? How do you avoid getting in the same situation again? Julie Roys: These are crucial questions and ones that I know many of you are dealing with today. And so I’m so looking forward to diving into this topic with Mary DeMuth. But first I’d like to thank the sponsors of this podcast, Talbot Seminary and Marquardt of Barrington. Julie Roys: Are you passionate about impacting the world so it reflects biblical ideals of justice? The Talbot School of Theology Doctor of Ministry program is launching a new track exploring the theological, social, and practical dimensions of biblical justice today. The program equips students with the knowledge, skills, and spiritual foundation needed to address social issues with wisdom and compassion. Julie Roys: Justice has become a key issue in our culture, but more importantly, it’s an issue that’s close to God’s heart. While it’s clear the Bible calls God’s people to pursue justice, we must be guided by His Word within that pursuit. Talbot has created this track to do just that. As part of this program, you’ll examine issues such as trafficking, race, immigration, and poverty. Julie Roys: And I’ll be teaching a session as well, focusing on the right use of power in our churches so we can protect the vulnerable, rather than harm them. So join me and a community of like-minded scholars committed to social change and ethical leadership. Apply now at TALBOT.EDU/DMIN. Also, if you’re looking for a quality new or used car, I highly recommend my friends at Marquardt of Barrington. Marquardt is a Buick GMC dealership where you can expect honesty, integrity, and quality. That's because the owners there, Dan and Kurt Marquardt, are men of integrity. To check them out just go to BUYACAR123.COM. Julie Roys: Again, joining me is Christian author and podcaster, Mary DeMuth, and many of Mary from her excellent books like We Too: Discussing the Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Church, and also her memoir, Thin Places. Mary also was a guest speaker at our last Restore Conference in 2022, and she’ll be speaking again at our Restore Conference in Phoenix in February in 2025. So we’re super looking forward to that. Julie Roys: But she joins me now to talk about something that’s been a very painful process for both her and Patrick, and that is leaving her church of 23 years, Lake Point Church there in the Dallas Fort Worth area. So Mary, Thank you so much for being willing to talk about what I know has been a really difficult journey. Mary DeMuth: Thanks. I certainly prayed about this conversation and what I’ve noticed in this space is that a lot of people in the middle of it. are not articulating how they’re feeling because there’s this general pressure from churches that you leave that you aren’t supposed to say anything. And I think there’s a difference between, and we’ll talk about this, I’m sure, throughout this episode, but there’s a difference between leaving quietly and running around gossiping about things. Certainly, those are two different things. Mary DeMuth: But I think what we’ve done is we’ve created a culture of silence; you can’t talk about it and literally we won’t get better unless we do talk about it. So that’s one reason why I am having this conversation today, because this is not a completed story. This is a messy story. I’m in the middle of it. Mary DeMuth: I am heartbroken, and I don’t have all the answers. But I wanted to give word to those of you that may be in that same space, that may be hurting and don’t have words to say about it. And maybe I can articulate some of those things for you. Julie Roys: And I so appreciate that. I find that people often are willing to talk about experiences years after the fact, when they’ve worked it all out and they can tie it all up in a neat bow and we can all go, Oh, that’s so nice. And here’s three ways that you can apply this message. But I knew you were going through a really painful thing that it was messy. You’ve been tweeting about it, or I should say posting on X. Julie Roys: You’ve been very open and honest with your pain. And I really appreciate that. And I love the topic. You actually gave me the title for this, about navigating church bewilderment. And I love that word bewilderment because I feel like it really captures the confusion, the real disillusionment, and then the grief and the pain. Julie Roys: All of these things bound up in one. And so we’re going to get to all that and unpack all of that. But I think to understand the depth of it for you and for Patrick, first I have to understand how deeply vested you were in this church. So talk about what this church has meant to you over more than two decades and the roles that you played in it and the community that you had. Mary DeMuth: Yeah, we’ve been there for 23 years, and we immediately started serving the moment we landed there. And we also were the first non-IMB, it was an SBC church at the time, and we were the first non-IMB missionaries to be sent out from Lake Point. Julie Roys: Define IMB for those who . Mary DeMuth: Yes. International mission board. So typically SBC churches send, they don’t really send their own missionaries. They sponsor IMB because all the money comes out of the SBC into this fund for the International Mission Board. We didn’t want to do that. We wanted to be actually supported because we believed that people who paid prayed. And so we were not IMB, but Lake Point sent us out. So we were church planters in the South of France for a couple of years. And honestly the leadership there at our church, even though we weren’t going through our church, they were the ones that helped us through a really untenable situation. And our loyalty to that church was because they put us back together when we got back from the field.. Mary DeMuth: So much pouring in and so much love. And so we have been a life group leader for 20 of the 23 years. The only three years we weren’t was when we were in France, planting a church. And then I have run a couple of conferences, interestingly enough, called the Re-story Conference, which was very similar sounding to the Restore Conference. Mary DeMuth: And I also recorded a Life Way study at Lake Point for an audience. And then my husband was an elder at the church for five years. And so we have led mission teams all over the world for Lake Point. We have definitely been in the upper levels of volunteer leadership all these years and have enjoyed a lot of conviviality and fellowship. Mary DeMuth: And I never never. I always bragged about my church. It never crossed my mind that there would be a day that I wasn’t at that church anymore. And so as of December of 2023, we are away from there and making our way into a new space. Julie Roys: And I’ve talked about this on this podcast, but we’re in a house church with, some of the folks in our house church were at their previous church for over 30 years, and the amount of pain and loss and especially when you’re, when you’re our age, early 40s. Julie Roys: That’s it. It’s early 40s. No, when you’re a little bit older and later in life and to be at this point where you’re starting over is not at all where you expected to be, and it’s pretty tough to be there. You retain some of the friendships, but everything’s changed. And it just makes for a really really difficult road that you never planned to be on. Julie Roys: Your church; and this is a lot of the reason behind you leaving, changed dramatically in the last 5 years. Stephen Stroop was your previous pastor. And in 2019, I believe Josh Howerton came in. Your husband actually was on the elder board that approved him, right? Mary DeMuth: Yes. Yes. And we’ve had to work through that as you can imagine, because that’s painful to think about. And just to expand a little bit about the why is the basic reasons why we left. There’s a lot of things. As an author, as a published author and as a speaker, the plagiarism was just grating on me and I couldn’t stomach it, but that wasn’t the main reason. Mary DeMuth: Although it’s still very problematic to me. What’s more problematic is that they don’t think it’s a big deal and they don’t see it as sin, and I just disagree. But the two things that we, the two main things that caused us to walk away, one was we were told by leadership, by upper-level leadership, that there was no place for us to serve. Mary DeMuth: And that was really, that was about a year ago. And so it took us about a year to make that decision. Like we were still serving in our life group, but there were things that God has put in us as church planters. And as me, as an author and an advocate that we have a lot that we would love to be able to offer, and to have that cut off when we feel like we’re in the prime of service right now. We weren’t asking to be paid. This is all volunteer, but we were told we couldn’t. Mary DeMuth: And then the second thing that was kind of the straw was all of the crude words and the misogynistic statements that started around 2022 almost every sermon. And as an advocate for sexual abuse victims and as an advocate for women, I could no longer be associated with that church because it just didn’t, I just couldn’t be associated with it. Mary DeMuth: I have stood in front of the Southern Baptist Convention, and I have spoken and advocated, and I have been chewed up and spit out for it. And if I’m going to a church that is marginalizing women, it does not make sense. And so no place for us to serve, big, huge problem. And then I just couldn’t be connected with a church that had that kind of reputation. Julie Roys: Those reasons are huge. and make an awful lot of sense. The plagiarism as you said, the crude remarks, the misogynistic remarks. And for a lot of folks, if you’re like, what are they talking about? I do encourage you to go back and listen to our last podcast with Amanda Cunningham, where we went over a lot of these things that Mary’s talking about that have happened in her church. Julie Roys: I’m sure there’s people listening, and they’re like, okay, that sounds really, really awful. But how do you know when you hit that tipping point? Because I remember talking to you a couple of years ago and me going, Hey, is this really your pastor? I’m seeing some stuff. How is this your pastor? And you’re like we’re serving, and we love our life group. I get it. I totally, totally get it. But how did you and Patrick, how did you get to the point where you’re like, this is the tipping point, no more? Mary DeMuth: We decided we went into this together, so we decided that we both had to have the same decision. We weren’t going to have one of us leave and one not leave. We were going to do this together. So that took a year of a lot of conversations. And we saw those red flags when you saw them. So we’ve seen them, but as you mentioned, the model of Lake Point used to be, it seems to be shifting now, but it used to be church within a church. And so your life group was really basically what you’re doing, Julie. It’s a small gathering of people where there is someone who teaches, and there’s someone who’s the missions coordinator. And there’s someone who, it’s that’s how, like your church is that group. And so we felt a deep, strong connection to our group. And we felt like we were the pastors of that church within a church. Mary DeMuth: The model has shifted. And I don’t know, it has never been articulated publicly, but it seems from the exterior looking in that it’s more becoming a franchise model, which is where you create this mother church, and it can be duplicated like MacDonald’s in any context. Therefore they may not have that idea that it is church within a church anymore. It has to be something replicatable on all other campuses. And so we began to see this shifting of, this is no longer church within a church, which is really what kept us there. We had people we were serving. And then honestly, I just couldn’t stomach sermons anymore. I couldn’t walk into that building anymore. Mary DeMuth: And as everything became a spectacle the longer we were there, it was all about Sunday morning and the spectacle that it had become like a circus, and I could not find Jesus there. And I would sit in the audience. We had beautifully. articulated and performed auto-tuned worship. It was beautiful. It sounded amazing. There was a lot of rah-rah-rah. There was a lot of energy and it felt like Ichabod to me, like to me as a Christ follower, a mature Christ follower of many years, I couldn’t feel the presence of the Lord anymore. And for me, that’s what is the point of going to a church, if that has happened to you? Mary DeMuth: I’m not saying that other people aren’t experiencing the Lord there. I’m not saying that other people aren’t becoming Christians there. They are. And that’s probably the most problematic part of this whole thing is that they are easily able to point to numbers that are flowing in through the front door, ignoring all of us that have left out the back door. Mary DeMuth: And because it is successful, therefore they can just call me names and malign me or people like Amanda and others, and they can dismiss us because look what God is doing. Julie Roys: And Amanda talked about that same thing about the church within a church and even how each of the churches had different women’s ministries. Julie Roys: And I think about it, it was so personal because people are different and they all had different campuses, have different makeup, they have different cultures and now, this franchise model where you go in, you order a Big Mac, and you get a Big Mac. That’s what you’re used to, right? Julie Roys: But is it? And probably our conversation today, we probably don’t have enough time to really delve into this, but this is something I have been thinking more and more about, is it even church if you have a place where it, maybe a Christian organization and maybe a Christian organization that blesses a lot of people but is it a church where you say to members of the body, we don’t need you, we don’t need your gift, and you can’t serve here? If we have a pastor who doesn’t even know people’s names, if we don’t have that kind of shepherding, is it even a church anymore? Mary DeMuth: I’ll back up before I answer that in that I’ve, been overseas and, anyone that’s been overseas and gone to a McDonald’s overseas knows they have different categories. So even franchises like McDonald’s in France has McWine, right? Or McVine. McDonald’s even understands contextualizing the hamburger to the person, and to the people. So that’s an odd thing for me that there would be this idea that you can just, this is the model and we’re superimposing it on all sorts of different economic people and people in different cultures, and we’re just gonna superimpose it there, which seems super weird to me. Mary DeMuth:  On the, is this a church? We have to just go back to simplicity, which is, are we celebrating the Lord’s Supper? Are there sacraments there? Is the word of God being delivered and is it? Mary DeMuth: And then deeper than that, are  disciples being made? because there’s a big, huge difference between converts who hear something. And I think about the parable of the soils, they hear it, they receive it with joy, they have no root and then they walk away. We’re not teaching a theology of suffering in most of these bigger churches for sure. Mary DeMuth: But I think we need to remember that a church is supposed to be a place of koinonia, a place of fellowship, a place where we are iron sharpening iron, and a place of discipleship where people are not just converted, but they are just doing the slow work of people pouring into each other’s lives. That’s discipleship. That’s not a top-down model. That’s not pastor to congregation. That’s person to person. And when a church gets so big for its britches these things can fall through the cracks. Mary DeMuth: Now, Lake Point had done a very good job of doing that discipleship piece through their vehicle of a life group. But as things have shifted, we’re seeing a lot less of that. And again, I haven’t been there for six months, so they could be doing it. I don’t know, but just from my perspective today that’s something that’s been difficult to see. Julie Roys: You alluded to this earlier, this idea of leaving well. It’s hard to leave well and even to define what leaving well is. I will say there was one church that my husband and I ended up leaving and it was over a theological disagreement that we just felt we couldn’t bend on. And at the same time, we felt really pulled to another church. They actually had us come up and explain why we were leaving and gathered around us and prayed for us. Julie Roys: That was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen where it was just like, differences and God makes calling you here. We want to bless you as you go. And you’ve met a lot to this church and we mean a lot to each other and let’s just bless each other. It was so beautiful, and I don’t know why this can’t happen more. But usually it’s just a lot of pain and a lot of heartache And when you talk about leaving well, what it usually means to a lot of people, and I’ve heard even Christian leaders talk about this. When you leave well, you just keep your stuff to yourself. Julie Roys: The issues that you had, you suck them under, and you don’t speak about it. And honestly, I think that’s part of our problem in the church is that we don’t talk about our problems. And so we wait till they become a major scandal or crisis. And then they really blow up. And we allow abusive pastors just kind of reign; to continue doing what they’re doing. Julie Roys: So talk about this concept of leaving well. Obviously, you’ve chosen to speak rather boldly about what happened there. I think really from a heart of love and concern for both the church and the people there, not just to vent how you’re feeling. But talk about that and how you’ve come to the decision you have about that. Mary DeMuth: First, I’ll say there’s been kind of  an unholy silence. We were pretty high up and we have not been followed up with, and the very few times we were invited into those spaces, it was difficult. So there is that. I would encourage church leaders to do what your former church did, because I think there’s a lot to be learned. Mary DeMuth: I also need to say that we didn’t leave from a position of canceling and of immaturity. There’s one thing if you’re like a church hopper and you’re like, just running around with a consumeristic mindset like, what do I get in this for me? A lot of people that are leaving churches are being accused of being that. But the ones that I know that have left this church are mature, deep believers in Christ who are seeing so many red flags. Mary DeMuth: And the reason I articulated it was because I was running into people who were brokenhearted and didn’t have words for it. And somehow through the grace of God and through his power and his ability, I was able to say the things that people were feeling so that they would no longer feel alone. I would rather have been silent if the Lord hadn’t put his hand on me. Mary DeMuth: I would rather grieve this alone and quietly, but I have seen a lot of really good conversation and ministry happen because of this. I’m not out to harm the reputation of the church. I will never tell someone to leave a church unless they’re being abused, obviously, that’s their own decision. Mary DeMuth: They have the autonomy to make that decision between them and God. But I do want to be a listening ear and an empath for those who are bewildered at the church they’re going to that no longer looks like the church they used to go to. Julie Roys: So tell me what is gossip because this is what is, this is the word, I’ve gotten called this myriads and myriads of times. But what is gossip? And clearly you don’t believe this falls into that category. Why? Mary DeMuth: It’s not gossip to share your emotions about how you’re reacting to an abuse. That is actually being a lot like Paul. And if you look at the letters throughout the epistles in particular, you see Paul saying things about churches. Mary DeMuth: And so if we’re going to talk about gossip, we’d have to call him a gossip because he was constantly calling out, Hey, listen, those Judaizers, they don’t really have it right. Oh, listen, this Gnosticism isn’t good. And that guy’s having sex with his mother-in-law. These kinds of things are, he’s very clear. Mary DeMuth: These are not untrue things he’s saying. These are actually true statements. And underneath all of that is a desire for the church to be the body of Christ and to be holy. It’s not slander because it’s telling the truth. And it’s always with a desire to see God do good work in the local church. And if she is straying, if you love her, you will say something about it. Mary DeMuth: Now there’s a manner in which you can do that. You can be really caustic. You can speak the truth without love, but we are called to speak the truth with love. And I believe that we have conflagrated speaking the truth in love with gossip, and those are two different things. Gossip intends to harm the reputation of another or of an entity; telling the truth in love tries to help that institution have a mirror and see what’s going on. Julie Roys: The motive is really important, although I always get frustrated when people try to judge other people’s motives because the truth is, you don’t know somebody else’s heart. And that’s something I never do. I’ll talk about actions, but I don’t know someone’s heart. Only God knows the heart. But I know that’s something I constantly check myself about is my desire for repentance? is my desire to see these leaders repent? 100 percent, and I know you well enough to know that you would be absolutely thrilled and would extend grace if the leaders who have hurt you so deeply would repent of their sin and would change their ways. I know that and I’m sure you pray for that, that you and Patrick are praying right now for that. Am I right? Mary DeMuth: Absolutely. That is  underneath all of this, is just a desire to see the local church healthy and to see her lift up the name of Jesus. And we also just want to again put up a mirror of is this representing the kingdom of God or is this representing something else? And that’s what we were coming to find. Patrick and I both were. The kingdom’s upside down. It’s counterintuitive. It’s the least is the most. And the most is the least. It’s not about building platforms. It’s not about being the winner. It’s not about Christian nationalism. It’s none of these. I don’t even like those two words together. Mary DeMuth: It’s not about power. Jesus willingly laid down his power and he considered equality with God, not something to be grasped. He made himself nothing. And when I see a lot of these big churches and not all of them, but a lot of them where it is very male leader centric celebrity driven. And really about, we want to be the coolest people with the biggest numbers. Mary DeMuth: I don’t get it. They’ll point to Acts chapter two. They’ll talk about how many were added to the kingdom on that day. They’ll call that a mega church. It was not a mega church. People were still meeting in homes. So we just have to be careful. I’m not against mega churches. I actually think that there’s a place for them. Mary DeMuth: Over the years, they we have had the benefit of a megachurch that can go into a community and say, oh, you need a church building, here you go. Like they can do some things that a littler church can’t do. So I’m not against the megachurch, but there is something fallible in the model, the consumeristic model, that is causing all of this anguish. Julie Roys: And I’d say the leadership model. Because we have imported a leadership model that’s of the world and done the exact opposite of what Jesus said, don’t be like the Gentiles who lorded over them, but instead, whoever wants to be first should be last, whoever wants to be greatest should be least. Julie Roys: It is the upside-down kingdom, and we’ve forgotten that. We’ve become just like the world, and we count our success the same way as the world. And we’ve seen this going, it’s been going on a very long time, and I think the megachurches get a lot of the criticism because they’ve. been kind of doing it in spades in an awful lot of them and then exporting these values to all the smaller churches who are wannabes, right? Julie Roys: So you even have smaller churches that are trying to do the exact same thing and they think it’s right because it’s successful very much in the American model of success, which is bigger and better. Before we go forward, there is something I do want to ask you, though, and I would be remiss if I didn’t. What was it about what you and Patrick that you were doing that they didn’t want you serving? Mary DeMuth: I don’t know. They just didn’t want us. That’s what’s been hard is, it’s a speculative, I just don’t know. And I’m willing to be talked to about those things, of course. Like if they feel like something that we’re not godly enough or we’re, or I’m too public or whatever it is, I don’t know. Mary DeMuth: But I do know this, I do know this. When we were told this, what we learned was that they had been morphing from a church that had a lot of lay leaders to a higher control situation where only people who are employed by the church could be in charge of ministries. And so, you can control that. If you can control someone's salary, you can control the whole thing. Mary DeMuth: And so we were just told there is no place for you because we’re not on staff. So that’s probably my guess at a reason is that we were not controllable. And the statement made to us is I’ve got 30 other people just like you that are well trained and that have gone, my husband went to seminary, and all that, but will never use them. We will never use them. And basically, you just need to get over it. You will never be used. Julie Roys:  What a waste of resources. Unbelievable. The kingdom is not so well resourced that we don’t need every single person; that God didn’t give gifts every single one of them to be used. Julie Roys: But I will say, I’ve seen this happen before. And the beautiful thing is, people get dispersed, people like yourself and like Patrick, too often churches that are very needy very welcoming. Like Oh, thank God. It’s like Christmas come early, come to Moots, come to our church. And I’m sure you’re experiencing that because I can’t imagine not wanting you and Patrick at my church. It’s just shocking to me. But yeah, that is a benefit of it. It’s the church in Jerusalem getting persecuted. Then they went to the ends of the earth, and we can do that. Julie Roys: One of the things that I’ve seen be a silver lining, if you can call it that, in these sorts of situations is you’re a church refugee, but there’s a lot of other ones out there, too. And there can be a great deal of deep fellowship. And, in many ways, that’s what RESTORE is. It’s a gathering of a lot of not just refugees, a lot of helpers and pastors and people who are allies who just want to know more. But. There’s an awful lot of us there that have been hurt by the church, and there’s just this beautiful, sweet fellowship. Julie Roys: And my understanding is, and Amanda alluded to it in our last podcast, that you guys have served as pastors to these refugees. Would you talk about that sweet group that you were able to love on and pastor through this and just help them? Mary DeMuth: Yeah, we definitely were praying, and we just kept coming upon people. And in particular, people who had been employed but had been harshly fired in very traumatic ways. And we just felt so deeply. I mean for us, it’s sad and we were highly involved and it’s sad, but it wasn’t our job. And so we just had this empathy for those folks. And so we gathered as much as we knew, we put the word out quietly. Mary DeMuth: We gathered people for several weeks and met with them. And these were people that some were still there, and some were not, and some were walking away from Jesus. It was just the whole gamut of a wide variety of people in a lot of pain. And what we wanted to do was just to help them know our first session was called, You are not crazy. We just wanted them to know. that what they had seen and experienced was real and validated by the rest of us. And then we’ve just been walking through Chuck DeGroat's information about narcissism in the church and narcissistic church systems. And then talking about what is a safe person and what is a safe system. And then praying and crying and grieving and giving people the space that they are not allowed to have to get out all this junk that’s inside of us because it’s been so, so painful. Julie Roys: And I want to get to the safe system and the safe person, because I’m sure there’s a lot of people listening who would like that information as well. Julie Roys: But let’s talk about the feelings first, because when this happens, there is. Again, we talked about bewilderment. There’s just this mix of negative emotions that you don’t know what to do with a lot of times. One is anger and anger in the church has been one of these emotions that we just don’t deal with very well. And I’ve said this numerous times, but this is one that we’ll get. We’ll get thrown back in my face and people say, you sound like you’re angry and I’m like, darn I’m angry. Why aren’t you angry? Why wouldn’t we be angry when these awful things are happening in the church? And yet again, as a Christian, we feel guilty when we’re angry. So how have you dealt with your own anger, and helped others who are dealing with similar anger? Mary DeMuth: The first thing that we did was we process outside of the circle of the church because we needed to know if we were going crazy. Is this normal? Are these things that we’re saying? Is it a big deal? Or are we just being babies? We definitely did that. And then it’s been the prayer of let this anger fuel something beautiful, because I do believe that great movements of God happen because there’s injustice and we are angry at the injustice. Mary DeMuth: I often joke that I write a book when I’m angry, so I must be a pretty angry person at book 52. There’s injustice in this world and our God is righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. When we do the work of making note of people who are being hurt and oppressed and harmed, we are doing the Lord’s work. And so that anger can be a fuel to doing positive things Mary DeMuth:. Now, I also just want to say, it’s okay to be angry. I’m angry and I have been angry and I’m processing that with friends and I’m processing it with my husband and with the Lord. Rightfully so, because I see so many people, to use Mark Driscoll’s frustrating phraseology, the people behind the bus. I’m meeting so many people behind the bus that are getting the bus is backing up over the people. Because not only cause when if you say anything, if you dare to say anything, you will get run over again and again, you will be accused of all sorts of things when really your desire is to see people set free and to open the eyes of people that are being harmed so that they no longer have to be in that system anymore. Julie Roys: And what a great deal of fear these leaders must feel. to behave that way that you have to annihilate people who say anything negative. I’ve gotten quite comfortable with people saying negative things. I just want to make sure if there’s truth in it, that I take it to heart. It’s okay, but in the end of the day, you’ve got to be okay with who you are before your Lord. And those closest to you who will tell you the truth when you’re veering off. That desire to control that desire that you have to shut down negative communication. I can’t imagine living in that much fear that you constantly are doing that. And yet that’s what we see. Julie Roys: And that whole thing about feeling like you’re crazy. So much of that’s because you’ve been told you’re crazy. You’ve been told that because that’s the gaslighting that happens when you say there’s a problem. No, there is no problem. You’re the problem. Mary DeMuth: It’s back to the emperor with no clothes. We all see the naked emperor and only a little kid says he’s not wearing any clothes. And we’re like Oh, yeah, but there’s this like kind of delusional thing or czarist Russia, the Potemkin village. If you know what that is, it was a village that was just set up like a movie set so that when the czar went by he could see that this Potemkin’s village was actually a really cool place, but you open the door, you walk through, it’s just mud and dirt on the other side and some horses grazing in a field. Church is not a Potemkin village. It should never be. It should not be a facade that we are trying to hold up by shaming people who say negative things. The church is a living, breathing organization. It is the body of Christ. Mary DeMuth: God does not need to be defended. He can do just fine by himself. And this fear that you talk about is very real because it’s about human empire. Whenever we build our Roman empire on our cult of personality and our particular views about things and not on the word of God and not on studying the word of God, then we will be threatened by anyone who says anything negative because that will eat away at the foundation of our FACO empire. Julie Roys: Very well said. That is very well said. Let’s talk about grief. And I was reminded of the Kubler Ross Stages of grief. And let me see. Those are denial, which is often where we start, right? When things go wrong, anger, the bargaining we can work this out somehow, right? Depression and sink into that deep depression. This is just so sad. And then there’s acceptance, which is that last one. And it’s not like these are completely linear because what I found is you go through, oh, I’ve worked through to acceptance. No, I haven’t. I’m back at anger again. Julie Roys: Something will happen. it'll put you right back there. So it’s not completely linear, but how have you moved toward acceptance? What does acceptance look like? And maybe that’s a long way off but talk about where you’re at in that whole process. Mary DeMuth: I think a lot of people are in this space. There’s a lot of loyal people and that’s where the bargaining comes in. And a lot of the people I’ve talked to are like, yeah, I never go to that church anymore, like to the services, but I’m here because of my small group and they’re my church. There’s this, that we were in that space for a really long time. We can make this work. This is our church, not that other part is not the church, but it’s all together. Mary DeMuth: So once we got to the decision and made the decision, then the depression set in for sure. And I think I’m still there working my way through it of thinking that I was going to be there the rest of my life. As a person who grew up in a really difficult home and met Jesus at 15 years old, the church became my family. My family was not my family. And the church was the one place where I could go to be loved, to be healed, to be worked, just to work through my salvation with fear and trembling. And so, to walk away from something that you’ve been at the most we’ve ever been at a church is 23. This is the longest we’ve ever been somewhere to walk away from. It felt like I lost my limb. I lost my family, my father’s in the faith, my mother’s in the faith, my aunts, and my uncles in the faith. And then to be villainized for just having eyes to see what the heck is going on, has been devastating, devastating. So I’m still in the grief phase and I don’t cry much about it because I’ve sometimes just shoved it way down deep because I did not ever expect that I was going to have to leave a place I loved so much. Julie Roys: There’s a, I think it’s a short story and I should know the name of it, but it’s about someone, a man who goes to a cemetery and he sees a woman just weeping and weeping, and he’s there to visit his partner who had died. I don’t think he had actually married her. But he realizes in that moment that the person who’s grieving, who’s crying and just sobbing is the richer person. Because they had loved deeply and he had never loved that deeply. And I’ve thought about that, I lost my mother over 20 years ago and she was so special and I never like, I hear some people talk about their mothers, and how difficult or what I never felt that way. My mother was just a joy, but it was so hard to lose her, but it was hard because I loved her so much. Julie Roys: And I think, I’m so grateful for you that you did have that church experience where you were loved so deeply, where you loved deeply, and I’ve got to believe that God will provide that family again. It will be different. And I know I just feel so blessed by our church family that we found in this wasteland or out of the wasteland. Julie Roys: But it’s been really, really special because I don’t have to explain anything to these people. They understand the world I work in. They understand. It’s just, it’s really been a gift. And I think it’s been a gift too. And I know you have adult children. I’m glad I had these adult children because they’re a blessing in ways that they couldn’t be and a support in ways that they couldn’t be when they were younger, when we had to be everything to them. Julie Roys: And I’m glad I’m not dealing with, and I know a lot of people are,  is what do we do for our kids now? And then there’s that pressure to find something for your children right away. And that makes it really hard. But as believers, we are taught, Hebrews 10:25, let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but all the more as the day of the Lord approaches, let us encourage each other and all the more as the day approaches. I have found sometimes that can be used as a club against people who are just grieving, and they’re dealing with a great deal of betrayal trauma at this point. Julie Roys: And now we’re going to hit them over the head and say, you better be in church on Sunday. When they walk into a church and it just triggers, it’s a trigger for them. I believe in fellowship. I believe in the church. I love the church, but I am concerned about the process of helping people reengage after they’ve been wounded so profoundly. Julie Roys: So speak to this process of finding a new church home, or even having the freedom for a period of time to say, I don’t know. I don’t know that I can do that right now. Obviously, there is a danger if we’re out of fellowship for too long. But speak to that person who right now is outside of fellowship and really afraid to reengage with it. Mary DeMuth: Yeah. First, you’re super normal. And if you’ve been wounded in a terrible community, the stakes are pretty high, when you walk in, especially if you’re triggered or traumatized by walking into a building. I don’t know that I could walk into a big church right now. Like I just don’t think I could, I think I would have a hard time with that. Mary DeMuth: So for us, how we went about it and everyone’s going to be different, we did want to land somewhere because we just feel like we’re in that stage of, we want to serve the church. And so for our little parameters, and I think it’ll be different for every person. Ours was, it needs to be local. And we’re hoping that there will be people there already that we’re friends with. Mary DeMuth: And since we’re in a little town, right? So there’s, 1 billion churches and little towns in Texas, right? So we had plenty to choose from so many, and we didn’t even get to all of them, but that was our parameter in choosing a home. In fact, we just officially joined a church yesterday. So it did take some time to get to that place. But I just want to let you know that it’s normal to be scared, to be triggered, to be in pain. Mary DeMuth: Don’t let it stay there. You are wounded in a negative community and the Lord is very frustrating and he asks you to be healed in good community. That’s hard. But a relational wound requires a relational cure, and that’s one reason why Patrick and I have been pouring into people who are hurt because we want to be that safer relationship for people to be falling apart or hurting or ask really blunt questions and be really ticked off. Because I believe people are healed in community when they’re wounded in community. Julie Roys: 100%. And I know when I came through just so much grief and pain and church hurt. I know a lot of people go to therapy and I’m not against therapy, but I was like, I don’t need to talk to this about this with a counselor. It’s just not like that. I need to be in a community where there’s love. I need to see beauty in people like again. And even though I’m afraid to be vulnerable on some levels at the same time, I’m compelled to be vulnerable because I know until you do that, you can’t heal. Mary DeMuth: When we met with the person who became our pastor and there’s a multiplicity of pastors in this particular denomination, but we sat across from him and we told him our story and he just listened, and he dignified the story. And then he said this, he said, we just want to love you. And I just immediately just, I was like, what? you don’t want to use me? Cause we’ve been in leadership positions in the church for so long, our whole adult lives we’ve been in those positions and for him to say, we just want to love you. And that was foreign to me, but that was the beginning of that healing journey. Julie Roys: I had a pastor at one of the churches we visited when we were in this search process. And it was at a very large church I would say it’s probably a megachurch, and we sat across from him and he said a very similar thing. It was really wonderful. And he said, “I think you guys have been wounded deeply, and you need a place to heal. And we do just want to love you. What was interesting is when I came back to him with a follow up email, because part of me is like wait, this is a megachurch. Am I insane? Julie Roys: I’m just like looking at it and being like,  I don’t think this is at all what I want. And then I emailed him. I said, we want a pastor. Would you be able to pastor us? And then he basically declined as nicely as he could; like I’d love to be, but I can’t and I’m like I don’t need a small group leader to try and pastor me. I was just kind of like of course, you can’t because you have the corporation to run. And so that is again a fundamental issue that I do have with the mega church. Julie Roys: One thing I found and I see it here, because I don’t know how many people in the Chicago area who have left Willow Creek and ended up at Harvest. They’re like, wow, di I know how to pick them! They’re going from something that’s become familiar. And if you became a believer at Willow, then that big model, that big service, whiz bang entertaining sermon or inspirational talk, whatever you want to call it. Julie Roys: Although I’ll say at Harvest, he preached he discipled people. I know a lot of people from Harvest that were discipled shockingly by a really depraved pastor. But I see them going from what they’re used to. And it’s almost like when I see people who grew up in a dysfunctional home and thank God you didn’t do this, but they often then replicate that in their own home, or they’re attracted to that same kind of dysfunction in the next home. Julie Roys: And I’ve seen it with churches and I’m just like, why are you going to the same model of church that you just left? And I see that there’s this thought in their head that it’s just the one bad apple. That’s all it is. It’s the one bad apple, but basically there’s nothing wrong with the system. Julie Roys: I think there’s something fundamentally wrong with the system. So speak to that. Do you think, I know you’ve got some pretty strong opinions now about celebrity megachurches, even though you said some megachurches we’ve seen work. Do you have some thoughts about the model of church and what makes a safe church? Mary DeMuth: Yes. So many thoughts. I’ll start with a story. In the early two thousand, I went to my first Christian writers conference before I was published and on the airplane on the way there, my story flashed before my eyes and I said, Lord I’ve withstood a lot of trials. Like I’ve gone through a lot of trials. Mary DeMuth: And he said clearly to me, you have withstood many trials, but will you withstand the trial of notoriety? And that has stayed in my mind all these years because fame emaciates, fame makes you think that you’re better than other people and that people exist to serve you rather than you equipping the saints for the work of service. Mary DeMuth: And when the systems are in a place, typically what happens is the ego takes over. There’s something deep within the narcissistic system. And in the narcissistic pastor, they have this wound that they can’t fill except by acclaim. And then it’s like a drug, so they have to keep being acclaimed. They cannot have negative things said about them. Mary DeMuth: Therefore, the next thing they’ll do is they will dismantle the elder board, or they will significantly reduce the influence of the elder board that exists or completely dismantle it altogether. They will gather yes-men around themselves who will only say positive things to them that are not in their context that cannot see them do the bad things And who are other megachurch pastors. So there’s just this like cabal of megachurch pastors that are sitting on each other’s boards saying you can do whatever you want and have fun. Mary DeMuth: That system is ungodly and that will cause the fall of many leaders, which we have already seen over and over and over. It’s like a broken record of sameness. It keeps happening. Why? Because I think we are creating a church structure from a pyramid, which if you look in the Bible, the Israelites left Egypt, but were still looking back at it. One person at the top, one Pharaoh at the top, one supreme ruler, and then everybody has to fit into that system underneath that pyramid. Mary DeMuth: Whereas the kingdom of God is the opposite of that. It’s an inverted pyramid. The kingdom is of people that are last to are not acknowledged. And I think we’re going to be super surprised at where they are standing in line and the new heavens and the new earth, the people with all the acclaim are going to be way at the back. The people that nobody knew about that were silently and quietly serving the Lord are going to be at the front of the line. And we’re going to say, tell me your story, I want to learn from you. Mary DeMuth: But these structures cause the downfall of many men who do not have the character to hold up that structure. They’ve been given leadership responsibility without having maturity, and therefore they are stealing sermons. They are harming people with their words. They are demonizing others. They are all sorts of things you talked about last week. They’re doing those things because they have to keep their empire because their ego needs it so badly. Julie Roys: And the other thing is, and we can’t really even go into this, although I know you see this too, because you run your own literary agency, is that the evangelical industrial complex needs these celebrity pastors to function. So they need the publishing companies need the celebrities so that they can publish them, so that the megachurches need the celebrity to fuel their model of that great attractional speaker that can be everything. Which again, does just feed into the narcissism and it attracts the narcissism. Julie Roys: We like the narcissist. And the whole entire moneymaking empire runs on these narcissists and these celebrity pastors. And so it’s not just even the pastor himself who needs to be a celebrity, but it’s this system that needs celebrities. And at some point, Mary we’ve got to deal with this and evangelicalism, or we’re just going to keep doing this over and over and over again. Mary DeMuth: And I believe the Lord is bringing judgment on those systems. And we’re seeing that in publishing as well. I think it’s a broken system. We make these requirements of how popular you are to be able to be an author. In the nineties and before, it was really about can you write a good book? Is it theologically sound? Do you have a good mind? Do you have a heart to minister to others? And now it’s how many social media followers do you have? Which is you can buy those. Mary DeMuth: So what does that even mean? I hate being a cog in the Christian industrial complex, both as an author and as a literary agent, but as an agent, I feel like I’m championing projects that would otherwise not get sold. That are more global voices people that are marginalized and not often given a voice. So that’s why I have a literary agency. Cause I’m trying to have those voices platformed. Julie Roys: Before you go, I want to ask you also about, we’ve talked a little bit about a safe church, but what makes somebody a safe person as you’re trying to process this? Mary DeMuth: A safe person is someone who doesn’t speak initially, who is an active listener. Who doesn’t jump to conclusions, who doesn’t feel the need to defend the church that you are leaving, who doesn’t say things like Hebrew says don’t forsake your assembling together. Those kinds of like cliche, like super cliche oh, you better do this instead of just meeting you in your grief. Mary DeMuth: A safe person doesn’t try to change your state. They come alongside you into your state and they weep alongside. And that to me is so powerful. People won’t remember what you said, but they will remember that you were there with them in the pain. And we’re just willing to say, yeah, that hurts. And, oh, that must’ve been very painful. Just that empathy piece. Julie Roys: And they won’t shame you for deconstructing. They’ll walk with you; they’ll allow you to process. And I hate that when I see that. I see it on social media all the time, people denigrating people who are deconstructing and I’m like, maybe if you didn’t do that, maybe they wouldn’t be walking away from their faith. But again, deconstructing, I think takes a lot of different forms. I think for a lot of people that have gone through it; they’ve come back to a richer faith that stripped of maybe some of the baggage that they had previously. Julie Roys: Before I let you go, because I know a lot of people listening are in this place of just really, really  struggling and in a lot of hurt. And I know you have names and faces for those people too. Would you be willing to just pray for them and what they’re going through right now? Mary DeMuth: I will. And I’m just going to mention, I have a free resource, MARYDEMUTH.COM/CHURCHHURT. And it’s a hundred statements about things that people feel when they’re going through church hurt so that you can share it with a friend and check off the ones that are you, and then have a good conversation about it. Julie Roys: Wonderful. What a great resource. Thank you. Mary DeMuth: Yeah. Okay. Let me pray. Lord, thank you for loving the least of these. Thank you for leaving the 99 and chasing the one. Thank you for being counterintuitive. Thank you for the Sermon on the Mount. Thank you for your grace being sufficient for us and your power is made perfect in our weakness. Mary DeMuth: Lord, forgive us for these systems where we are worshiping strength, power, and numbers when that’s nothing to do with your kingdom. Reorient our lives and our hearts to what is your kingdom. Help us to hear your voice in the midst of the madness and the muddledness of what this has become. I pray that you would send friends to my friends who are suffering in the aftermath of spiritual abuse and church hurt. Mary DeMuth: I pray for hope Lord in these kinds of situations, it can feel like a death, and it feels very hopeless and sad. I pray for comfort and pray all of this in your beautiful name, Jesus. Amen. Julie Roys: Amen. Mary. Thank you so much. And how beautiful that even in this you are ministering to others through it. So I am just so grateful for you and for Patrick and for what you bring to the kingdom. And thank you so much for being willing to talk so vulnerably and bravely. So thank you. Mary DeMuth: Thank you. Julie Roys: And thanks so much for listening to The Roys Report, a podcast dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. I’m Julie Roys, and I want to invite all of you to our next Restore Conference in Phoenix in February 2025. Julie Roys: This is one of the most healing gatherings I know of, where you won’t just hear from amazing folks like Mary DeMuth and Scott McKnight, author of A Church Called Tove, and Dr. David Pooler, an expert in adult clergy sexual abuse. But you’ll also meet lots of other people who have gone through similar experiences, and I’ve found that just being in that kind of community is so healing. Julie Roys: And so powerful. So please come. I would love to meet you there. To find out more information, just go to RESTORE2025.COM. Also just a quick reminder to subscribe to The Roys Report on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube. That way you won’t miss any of these episodes. And while you’re at it, I’d really appreciate it if you’d help us spread the word about the podcast by leaving a review. Julie Roys: And then please share the podcast on social media so more people can hear about this great content. Again, thanks so much for joining me today. Hope you were blessed and encouraged. 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This summer we are highlighting some of your favorite podcasts from the past year! In this episode, we talk to Dr. Tom Elliff, a teaching pastor at First Southern Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Dr. Elliff has served as a pastor, president of the International Mission Board, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and more. Dr. Elliff reflects on his leadership journey, what he would do differently in ministry, finishing well in ministry, and the discipline of prayer. We hope this episode is encouraging to you today! Let us know how this episode encouraged you or share any feedback you have by emailing us at pastorscenter@sebts.edu.

How do you know that you are ready for the mission field? This week's episode features two return guests, Matt Bennett and Josh Bowman, of Cedarville University, who talk with Alex and Scott about essential wisdom for men looking to get into missions. Together they explore issues of where men find their identity, the typical struggles that men face when they first get on the field, and how men can prepare for the calling that God has on their life. Dr. Matt Bennett is the Associate Professor of Missions and Theology at Cedarville University and has written a number of books on the topic of missology. Dr. Joshua Bowman is the Assistant Professor of Missions and Theology at Cedarville University and has served as a church planter in Zambia with the International Mission Board. Together they co-wrote and edited their new book "Before You Go: Wisdom from Ten Men on Serving Internationally", which released on June 4, 2024. Is God calling you to missions? Do you know where to start? ABWE wants to help give you the tools and opportunities to explore your role in the Great Commission. Start a conversation with us today at abwe.org/SendMe. Believe in our mission? Support the show at missionspodcast.com/support. The Missions Podcast is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org. Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email alex@missionspodcast.com.

As pastors, it is possible to work really hard at doing church really well, yet become increasingly indifferent to the reality that the lost around us face an eternity without Christ in hell. Join Dr. D.J. Horton and guest Dr. Paul Chitwood, president of the International Mission Board, for a conversation on how to avoid the sin of being satisfied in ministry without seeing people saved.   

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Tom Elliff, a teaching pastor at First Southern Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Dr. Elliff has served as a pastor, president of the International Mission Board, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and more. We discuss corporate prayer meetings, leading the church to pray, examining our own hearts to pray, and more. We hope this episode is encouraging to you today! Let us know how this episode encouraged you or share any feedback you have by emailing us at pastorscenter@sebts.edu.

Episode Summary:  Join me with Melissa Heiland as we talk about an important but sensitive topic: what is sexual abuse, and how we can offer hope for sexual abuse survivors.  In the US, 10% of all children experience some form of sexual abuse before they turn 18. These numbers are likely low since sexual abuse is underreported. The victims are most likely to be female (75%), but these numbers are rapidly changing as boys are increasingly the targets of molesters. A whopping 90% of the children who are abused know their abuser which often points to a family member, teacher, scout leader, or coach. With an American sexually assaulted an average of every 68 seconds not enough attention is given to the survivors. Most feel a sense of shame, confusion, and condemnation. They think, how could this have happened to me? But God still has a plan for your life despite the abuse.  While sexual abuse within the Catholic Church has been well publicized, evangelical churches have started to draw up policies and abuse reforms the problem is not the sole dominion of it any single church or institution. Can happen anywhere, in families, in schools, and even in church organizations survivors of abuse hear a lot of messages that condemn, confuse, and wound. This should never happen but often does.  Quotables from the episode: God still has a plan for your life despite the abuse. Your hopelessness in the present does not change God's plan for you to prosper and give you a hope for the future. After experiencing sexual abuse, it's important to separate the lies we've believed from God's truth. Your experience of sexual abuse does not determine who you are. God calls you loved, worthy, and accepted.   Scripture References: Isaiah 61:7 “Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours.” Romans 12:19 “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: ‘it is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord.”   Recommended Resources:  National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 No Shame: A Devotional for Survivors of Sexual Abuse by Melissa Heiland Sacred Scars: Resting in God's Promise That Your Past Is Not Wasted by Dr. Michelle Bengtson  The Hem of His Garment: Reaching Out to God When Pain Overwhelms by Dr. Michelle Bengtson YouVersion 5-Day Devotional Reaching Out To God When Pain Overwhelms   Today is Going to be a Good Day: 90 Promises to Start Your Day Off Right by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the AWSA 2023 Inspirational Gift Book of the Year Award, the Christian Literary Awards Reader's Choice Award in four categories, and the Christian Literary Awards Henri Award for Devotionals YouVersion 7-Day Devotional, Today is Going to be a Good Day YouVersion 7-Day Devotional, Today is Going to be Another Good Day Breaking Anxiety's Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises by Dr. Michelle Bengtson Breaking Anxiety's Grip Free Study Guide Free 7-Day YouVersion Bible Reading Plan for Breaking Anxiety's Grip Hope Prevails: Insights from a Doctor's Personal Journey Through Depression by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader's Choice Award Hope Prevails Bible Study by Dr. Michelle Bengtson, winner of the Christian Literary Award Reader's Choice Award Trusting God Through Cancer 1 Trusting God Through Cancer 2 Revive & Thrive Women's Conference Subdue Stress and Anxiety: Fifteen Experts Offer Comprehensive Tools in Ten Minutes a Day. Use my link plus discount code BENG99 to save $90 on course (course will be $99.) Free Download: How To Fight Fearful/Anxious Thoughts and Win   Social Media Links for Guest and Host: Connect with Melissa Heiland: Website   For more hope, stay connected with Dr. Bengtson at: Order Book Breaking Anxiety's Grip / Order Book Hope Prevails  /  Website  /  Blog  /  Facebook / Twitter (@DrMBengtson)  /  LinkedIn  /  Instagram / Pinterest / YouTube   Guest: Melissa Heiland holds a Master of Education from Central Missouri State University. She has worked in pregnancy care ministry for over 25 years and served as Executive Director and Board Member. She served as a full-time missionary with the International Mission Board and has led volunteer mission teams since 2000. She is the founder of Beautiful Feet International, a mission organization that has planted more than 70 pregnancy centers in over 20 nations. Melissa trains pregnancy center staff and volunteers throughout the U.S.   Hosted By: Dr. Michelle Bengtson Audio Technical Support: Bryce Bengtson

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Tom Elliff, a teaching pastor at First Southern Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Dr. Elliff has served as a pastor, president of the International Mission Board, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and more. We discuss the prayer life of the pastor, persevering in prayer, and more. We hope this episode is encouraging to you today! Let us know how this episode encouraged you or share any feedback you have by emailing us at pastorscenter@sebts.edu.

In this workshop from the 2023 Rooted Conference, CJ Moore gives a theological framework for short-term missions, an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of short-terms missions, and highly practical considerations for planning a trip. C.J. Moore serves as an Associate Pastor at Grace Bible Church in Oxford, MS and as an Adjunct Professor of Missions at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has more than a decade of ministry-related experience, including several years in campus- and church-based student ministry, as well as time as a mid-term missionary in East Asia and then as a stateside mobilizer for the International Mission Board. Join us at the next Rooted Ministry Conference! Find the details at www.rootedministry.com/conference. Follow @therootedministry on Instagram.

62 new missionaries were commissioned last week by the International Mission Board. The celebration took place in Phoenix, Arizona. In a concerning turn of events, the situation for the Catholic community in Nicaragua has deteriorated. This year alone, nineteen priests have been forcibly expelled. And, Lifeway discipleship expert Ken Braddy offers tips on starting new groups in your local church.

Amazon to the Himalayas returns with a new season focusing on different missions sending and resource organizations. When considering long-term missionary service, there are many different options one can choose to partner with, and the hope for this season is to allow those organizations to speak for themselves and allow listeners to make informed decisions. Our first interview is with the International Mission Board, an organization that I have a very close relationship with. I am talking today with Brother John, a member of the board's leadership.

This is the last message in the sermon series, Unreached-No Access, with guest preacher Zane Pratt of the International Mission Board.

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Tom Elliff, a teaching pastor at First Southern Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Dr. Elliff has served as a pastor, president of the International Mission Board, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and more. Dr. Elliff imparts wisdom and short sayings to challenge and encourage us. He also shares the background of those sayings. We hope this episode is encouraging to you today! Let us know how this episode encouraged you or share any feedback you have by emailing us at pastorscenter@sebts.edu.

Leland Franklin Webb, 91, long-time editor of a once-renowned Baptist missions magazine, died January 8, 2024, following a brief illness. He was a resident of Lakewood retirement center since early 2023. A native of McAlester, OK, Webb served for 32 years – 15 of those years as editor – on the staff of the award-winning The Commission magazine, at one time a publication of the Southern Baptist Convention's Foreign (now International) Mission Board. While on the magazine staff, he traveled as reporter and photographer to more than 35 countries. His wife, Geneva, passed away August 30, 2021, three days after...Article LinkSupport the show

In this episode, we talk to Dr. Tom Elliff, a teaching pastor at First Southern Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Dr. Elliff has served as a pastor, president of the International Mission Board, president of the Southern Baptist Convention and more. Dr. Elliff reflects on his leadership journey, what he would do differently in ministry, finishing well in ministry, and the discipline of prayer. We hope this episode is encouraging to you today! Let us know how this episode encouraged you or share any feedback you have by emailing us at pastorscenter@sebts.edu.

Andrew Davis encourages Christians that not only is Bible memorization infinitely valuable, but everyone is wholly capable of doing so. Andrew Davis is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Durham, North Carolina, and the founder of Two Journeys Ministry. He is also a visiting professor of church history at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, a council member of the Gospel Coalition, and a former trustee of the International Mission Board. He is the author of several books, including 'How to Memorize Scripture for Life: From One Verse to Entire Books'. Read the full transcript of this episode. If you enjoyed this episode be sure to leave us a review, which helps us spread the word about the show!

It started with a coffee run. On a trip to the closest city, International Mission Board missionaries Jason and Robin Ebeyer were praying to find a “person of peace” – someone who would welcome them and help in their ministry efforts. And, in an article for Lifeway Research, church health consultant Mark Dance encourages pastors to reconsider how they are related to attendance at their church.

April Brown and her family have spent many years reaching people overseas for the gospel! They spent a lot of time in the Czech Republic before moving to Italy. April and her husband, Steve, have been married for 25 years and have four kids, and they are missionaries with the International Mission Board. A few of their children are attending college in the United States. Imagine being in another country and getting a call that one of them was in a horrible car accident in California. That is what happened to them. They had to really trust that God was in control, no matter what. This story has a happy ending and there were wonderful people who stepped in to help their daughter until they could get there. The way these events took place is truly miraculous; their daughter Chloe was covered in protection. April tells us that God is faithful, always, even in the valleys. Isaiah 64:4 Isaiah 41:10, 13 W3: Women, Worldview, and the Word by Iva G. May #afrayedknotpodcast #missions #caraccident #trustinGod

Today on the podcast we are going to be talking with a couple of missionaries who are serving in South Asia. One of these missionaries, Ray, is a recent graduate from Boyce College, the college here at Southern Seminary, and he is currently serving as a Project 3000 Explorer with the International Mission Board. Project 3000 is a new initiative that the IMB has recently launched, and I am excited for us all to learn more about it. Joining Ray today is his supervisor, Will. Will and his family have been serving in South Asia for almost 12 years. They currently co-lead the Project 3000 team in South Asia and lead the initiatives for leadership development. Will is a graduate of Southern Seminary. For more information on Project 3000, visit imb.org/missionary-explorer/

Rebecca McLaughlin is joined by Christy Thornton to answer questions about the Trinity.Questions Covered in This Episode:Has God always been Triune?Do other aspects of God's identity change between the Old and New Testament?Is “let us make man in our image” written in plurality?If God was triune from the beginning why didn't He make that clear from the beginning?Why is the Trinity not more clearly articulated in the New Testament?How do we know there are just three parts to God?How can all three parts be fully God and yet not all of God's fullness?What differentiates each person of the Trinity?What exactly does it mean for Jesus to be the Son of God? How is it different from us being sons and daughters of God? How is this different from being a demi-god?If Jesus is fully God then He is perfect. If He is fully human then He is sinful, by definition, someone who is sinful can't be perfect. How then can Jesus and God be one and the same?Who is God the Father? Who is God the Son? Who is the Holy Spirit?How do we know we aren't projecting our human understanding and relationships onto God?Guest Bio:Christy Thornton is Assistant Professor of Christian Thought and Associate Director of PhD Studies and Director of ThM Studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. She has served with the International Mission Board in North Africa, and is currently a covenant member at the Summit Church. She has contributed to The Gospel Coalition, Christianity Today, and numerous other publications.Resources Mentioned:Genesis 1-4, John 3:16Sponsors:To learn more about our sponsors please visit our website.Follow Us:Instagram | TwitterOur Sister Shows:Knowing Faith | The Family Discipleship Podcast | Starting Place | Tiny TheologiansConfronting Christianity is a podcast of Training the Church. For ad-free episodes and more content check out our Patreon.

This week, hosts Mike Nawrocki and Sarah Humphrey talk with author Audra Haney about her new picture book He Is There. So daily sing your songs of praise, and pray your daily prayers. Keep looking with your HEART—you'll see! God's working everywhere. He Is There is a creative, poetic, and interactive book that helps kids learn about the invisible but surprising presence of God. We can't see God with our physical eyes, but He Is There uses poetry and flashlight fun to help kids look for the hand of God in creation and in their daily lives. This is also a fun way for parents and kids to calm down, connect, and have spiritual conversations before bedtime, story time, or anytime. This book affirms the biblical truths of God's sometimes seemingly hidden presence, his friendship, and his care in a creative and engaging way. We hope that the fun and novel storytelling format will lead to crossover appeal. For over 15 years, Audra Haney has written and produced quality content for a wide range of audiences across the globe, including the International Mission Board and the Christian Broadcasting Network. However, after welcoming her first child in 2014 and navigating the new (and sometimes choppy) waters of parenting, Audra decided to combine her media-life and mom-life to reach out to her favorite audience yet: expecting and new parents. She does so as the writer, host, and producer of the popular 5 Minute Mom Podcast. Audra and her husband, Cory, live in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he serves as a mission's pastor. They are parents to two daughters, Norah and Lydia. ---------------------------------------------- The BIble for Kids is now a 501c3 non-profit and we'd love to have you join us in our mission of reaching kids with the message of the Bible. Our NEW store now features "Pay What You Can" pricing on many items with more coming soon. Visit TheBibleforKids.com to donate or learn more today! The Bible for Kids Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org

As the war in Ukraine rages on, American churches are going to Poland and other European countries to help refugees fleeing the turmoil. People in these countries are tired, and appreciative of any help they can get. Ed Stetzer talks with Jason Cox of the International Mission Board, Tina Bruner of Global Christian Connexion and Ed Stetzer Live producer, Karen Hendren, who went on a trip to Poland to offer aid and support to the refugees and volunteers in this crisis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The International Mission Board met this week and commissioned a set of new missionaries. Also, there was a big announcement about the 2024 SBC Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, and Jay Adkins stopped by the show to talk with Brandon and Laura about the task force he is leading.

Erica P.  is a graduate of Auburn University where she pursued a degree in electrical engineering. During that time, the Lord gave her a passion for Himself and a burden for the nations. He specifically called her to serve amongst East Asia.  She married her husband David in 2002 and joined the International Mission Board in 2004 with plans to serve an unreached people group in East Asia. David and Erica, along with their three children, served this people group for 16 years before being forced to leave due to security issues in March of 2020. Little did they know that the Lord would use this to prepare Erica for the loss of David suddenly and unexpectedly in October 2020.    Since then, the Lord has also continued to place the call of international missions on Erica's heart and reminded her that though her circumstances had drastically changed, her God and her calling had not. Erica and her children will serve overseas later this year. You will love hearing from Erica. In this episode, she discusses with Missie and Courtney: – How the Lord led her to put down her electrical engineering degree and follow His call to the mission field – Recommendations for discerning your own call and preparation for a life in missions – How she met David, how they navigated challenges as missionaries, and how she has dealt with his sudden death – What married women can do now to prepare if their husbands pass unexpectedly  – How she has found the resilience and faith to now go back to the mission field as a widow with her three children RESOURCES MENTIONED Hudson Taylor: The Classic Autobiography Gladys Aylward: The Little Woman Lottie Moon: Giving Her All for China Perspectives Class Receive Updates from the Mission Field Thank you for listening. If this content is helpful to you as you seek to live out your God-given calling to His glory, please donate today to help us continue to produce more inspiring content!

Pull a seat up to the table and join us in a conversation with Paul Chitwood (IMB President).  Paul discusses how the International Mission Board is currently casting the net all over the world and how Mississippi Baptists continue to partner together in this effort.  Chad McCord, Jon Martin, and Tanner Cade chat with Paul during this episode. IMB Resources: https://www.imb.org/go/Project 3000Around the Corner Events: All Events: mbcb.org/eventsSeptember 23: Young Musicians Honor Choir ConcertSeptember 29-Oct. 1: Conference of the DeafOctober 15: Mississippi Baptist Symphony Orchestra ConcertOctober 19: Small Church Youth Ministry Workshop - SmithvilleOctober 21: Hispanic Baptist Churches Annual ConferenceOctober 24-25: Mississippi Baptist Convention Annual MeetingNovember 6: KidMin Ministers' RetreatNovember 9: Small Church Youth Ministry Workshop - ColumbusJanuary 5-6, 2024: DiscernContacts: Jon Martin, Men's Ministries Director (jmartin@mbcb.org)Tanner Cade, Communication Services Director (tcade@mbcb.org)Chad McCord, Missions Mobilization Director (cmccord@mbcb.org)MBCB Staff Page

Elijah Abraham, Executive Director (www.livingoasis.org) Elijah was born in the Middle East and grew up as a Muslim. He fled the Middle East as a teenager and lived in Europe for several years. Due to persecution in Europe and its spies, Elijah fled to the United States in mid-1980s Subsequently, he obtained a degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Since the Twin Towers and Pentagon terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, he has been educating his audiences in churches and civic groups on Islam and the Islamist threat. Elijah believes that Islam in the U.S. has mutated into a Westernized religion that is aggressively and successfully converting Americans to its beliefs. “ I am compelled by the Lord to expose Islam as a religion/ideology that embraces an antichrist spirit. As Christians, we must look at Islam as an aggressive ideology, but we must also look at the Muslims within Islam as our mission field.” He is helping evangelical congregations participate in God's work around the world by encouraging them to be proactive in missions. Elijah has trained missionaries from the International Mission Board of the SBC and other organizations. His experience has taken him around the world to train and implement missions on five continents. Elijah appeared on national radio (Janet Parshall's America, Today's Issues with AFR Radio, Paul Revere Radio, Live the Word with John Neider on KDKR Dallas, and Stand up for the Truth with Mike LeMay on Q90FM Green Bay). Political party organizations, conservative PACS, Veterans' groups, and American/international businesses are also seeking Elijah's expertise and knowledge of the Islamic threat in the West. He has served two non-profit organizations over a period of seven years. He also served as a mission pastor at a local Baptist church for three years.

This month on MARKED, we're doing a fun new miniseries all about Lifeway Women Academy. Each episode of this series will release on Wednesdays, and Elizabeth Woodson joins Elizabeth Hyndman to talk to a Lifeway Women Academy teacher about her journey into theological education and how studying theology has marked her in her walk with Christ.  This week, we talked with Christy Thornton about why Christians are hesitant to talk about the Trinity and why we should all want to learn theology. We're so glad you've joined us today!  We're on YouTube! Check out our new studio and watch this episode here. RESOURCES: Lifeway Women Academy Lifeway Women Bible Studies Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary What We Believe: Theology 101 MARKED is a podcast from Lifeway Women: https://women.lifeway.com/blog/podcasts/. Hosted by Elizabeth Woodson and Elizabeth Hyndman. RECOMMENDED: Check out our first conversation in this special Lifeway Women Academy miniseries with Jen Wilkin on hermeneutics. About Christy Thornton Christy Thornton desires to help the church mature as Christians grow in clarity of the Gospel and the ability to effectively communicate it to one another and the world. She has served with the International Mission Board in North Africa, and is currently a covenant member at the Summit Church. She has contributed to The Gospel Coalition, Christianity Today, and numerous other publications.

Episode Summary: In this episode of the L3 Leadership Podcast, discover how to build a lasting legacy with family values and intentional influence with Trudy Cathy White, daughter of Chick-fil-A founders, Jeanette and Truett Cathy. Gain massive value from Trudy's insights as she shares her journey with the company and her family's legacy.About Trudy: Trudy is the daughter of Truett and Jeannette Cathy, and like her father, she is a beloved leader, communicator, and entrepreneur. When she was just 19 years old, Trudy began working for the family business. She became an operator of a new Chick-fil-A restaurant in Birmingham, Alabama – making her the youngest Operator at that time. Though she had just finished her freshman year at Samford University, Truett believed in his daughter and handed her the keys. She took a year off from school to run the restaurant and, in that time, hired fellow Samford student, John White, who she married. Throughout their marriage, Trudy and John White have actively sought opportunities to connect with and invest in others' lives. They served for 20 years with the International Mission Board; 10 of those years as missionaries in Brazil where they ultimately started a small church as well as “Lar WinShape,” a home for children in need. The Whites are co-founders of Lifeshape, an organization committed to restoring children at risk, cultivating servant leaders and discipling the nations. They also founded Impact 360 Institute, which offers life-changing experiences that help students live out their faith with confidence. The program includes worldview studies, experiential learning, international travel and leadership training. An attentive wife, mother, grandmother and host, Trudy lives to serve and love others. “There is nothing I enjoy more than spending time with family and friends, and building relationships — both old and new,” she says.3 Key Takeaways: 1.  Learn about the story of the Cathy family and the pivotal moments in the Chick-fil-A journey, including the origin of their famous hamburger buns, pickles, and the role of biblical principles in the company's success.2. Trudy discusses her new book, A Legacy That Lasts, and how to preserve your family's legacy and values. 3. She also discusses how to preserve and transfer family values, the impact of our parents' faith on our own, and finding mentors for your spiritual growth.Quotes From the Episode:“Had it not been for the fire in that second restaurant, he probably never would have invented Chick-Fil-A.”“Success is great, but significance is greater.”“If you help enough other people get what they want in life, you'll eventually get what you want out of life.”“God loves you, trust him.”Resources Mentioned:How Did You Do It, Truett?  by Truett CathyA Quiet Strength  by Trudy Cathy WhiteA Legacy That Lasts  by Trudy Cathy WhiteThe Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer (Author), John Ortberg (Foreword) Spiritual Leadership by Henry BlackabyConnect with Trudy:Website | Facebook | Instagram 

March 5, 2023 | Daren Davis of the International Mission Board speaks at Bellevue during Missions Week 2023. Speaking from Luke 24:45–49, Daren looks at how the whole Bible proclaims the coming of Jesus and how we are to respond by sharing the gospel with others.For more sermons each week, be sure to subscribe so you can stay in the know. If you've liked what you've heard in this message, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts and follow us on Spotify. Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, TN | bellevue.org