It’s another installment of the regular Mailbag feature. This week, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson answer listener-submitted questions and topics, including: topical vs. book sermon series, closing a church well, women officiating weddings, use of AI in pastoral work, how “baptism saves,” and Shepherds for Sale. Plus, Jared and Ross attempt to “convert” a Mennonite listener to Baptist (at his request).

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

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

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

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

Are you a late to church arriver? Are you a sleep in service attender? Are you a size everybody up fellowshiper? On this episode of the FTC Pod, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss the practical, dispositional, and spiritual considerations we should all make in preparing for church — everything from the logistics to getting there on time to the attitude of graciousness towards those worshiping alongside us.

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

In this installment of the Mailbag, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson answer questions all submitted via email, including: recommended books for training lay elders, succession plans for senior pastorate, how to know if you’re “gospel-centered” enough, how churches should handle sex offenders who want to be members, the process of disciplining church leaders, and what compromises are appropriate in looking for a church.

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