Episode 306: Conspiracy Theories
JFK. 9/11. QAnon. Lizard people? This week, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss conspiracy theories! Why do they attract? What’s the fascination? Are they all bunk? And how should Christians think about them?
Ep 12: Recreation
The Lord has made us not simply to work, but to play. He has given us talents and taste buds, interests and abilities, wonder and “wirings”—all to help us enjoy his common grace and glorify him in that enjoyment. But how do we devote good time to hobbies and interests without feeling guilty, or letting them overrule our life? In this episode, Jared Wilson and Ronnie Martin have a lively conversation about the surprising wisdom practice of recreation.
Episode 294: FTC Mailbag
It’s another installment in the FTC Mailbag feature, where Jared and Ross answer listener-submitted questions. This week’s topics include evangelizing the comfortable, the difference between preaching and teaching, leaving churches with shallow preaching, divisive church members, chemistry on the elder board, and the structure of pastoral residencies.
Episode 10: Exercise
Paul said bodily exercise matters (though not as much as spiritual formation). But how can we incorporate a healthy practice of physical exercise into our lives in ways that actually affect our spiritual and emotional health? What is the purpose of regular exercise beyond concerns about body image or losing weight? How do we find the right balance? Or find time to exercise at all? In this episode, Jared Wilson and Ronnie Martin talk about our bodies as a stewardship from God and how commitment to regular exercise is a practice of wisdom.
Episode 5: Sabbath
Most pastors fall into a pattern of overwork. Why is that? And how does sabbath set us free from worldly metrics of productivity? In this episode, Jared Wilson and Ronnie Martin explore the wisdom practice of guilt-free rest and “fasting” from being needed.
Episode 277: How to Go to Church
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.
Episode 264: FTC Mailbag
Let’s check the mailbag! In the latest installment of the FTC Podcast’s most popular feature, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson discuss your submitted question and topics, including: positives and negatives of VBS, avoiding pragmatism, church mergers, disagreeing with a senior pastor’s ministry philosophy, can pastors have close friends in the church?, picking songs for Sunday worship, and . . . church potlucks? Yes, even a question on church potlucks. (Jared and Ross have strong opinions.) Listen in and submit your own questions/topics for the next mailbag ep via [email protected]
Episode 10: Not a New Convert
It doesn’t matter how you start; it’s how you finish that makes the difference. In the season finale of The Heart of Pastoring Podcast, Jared and Ronnie discuss the “why” behind the qualification that pastors not be recent converts, what happens when they are recent converts, and the residual effect on ministers and their churches when there is too much rush of untested men into positions of leadership. Our hosts also take a little stock of their own lives and ministries from their mid-life vantage points and explore what it means to pursue a long track record of faithfulness, a reliable pattern of predictability in ministry, and a good ol’ “veteran-ship” in the faith.
Episode 248: Thinking the Best of Each Other
On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about a “hermeneutic of suspicion” in our relationships and the impact of viewing others this way upon our lives and local churches. Why should we “believe all things” about others? And how can we do that?
Episode 240: Church Size Dynamics
Different size churches experience different cultural and communal dynamics. Different size churches need different kinds of leadership, as well. On this episode of the FTC Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about how church size affects church experience and church ministry.