For the Church Podcast

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

It's another installment of the regular Mailbag feature. This week, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson answer listener-submitted questions and topics, including: how unified pastors should be on "third-tier" issues, ministry calling, finding good Sunday School teachers, the youth pastor drought, and whether avoiding danger should be a missional priority.

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.

It's another installment in the Grab Bag feature, where Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson ask each other two surprise questions for off-the-cuff responses. Tune in and find out what we caught each other off guard about this week.

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.

It's another installment of the Grab Bag feature here at the FTC Pod. Jared and Ross each come with unique questions for the other. Tune in and find out what surprise topics they discussed!

Evangelicals love conferences. Well, most of them do anyway. Is the church's interest in conferences changing? On this week's episode of the podcast, Jared and Ross discuss the recent phenomenon of the mega-conference, what they like and don't like about conferences, whether evangelicals' love affair with conferences has changed, the advantages of smaller conferences, and even some thoughts on speaking at and hosting/organizing conferences.

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

It's an "everything baptism" episode today! Jared and Ross talk about the biblical meaning and mode of baptism, the phenomenon of "spontaneous baptisms," the connection between baptism and membership and discipleship, what age is the right age to baptize, and even their funny baptism stories.

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

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

In honor of Father's Day coming up, the guys are bringing their short lists of the best dads in the Bible. We've got some curve balls for you on this one!

A new installment in the Grab Bag feature, where Jared and Ross each bring two surprise questions for the other to answer.

We all swim in a sea of negativity every day, but how should Christians process and respond to specific criticism that comes their way? Whether pastors receiving criticism from their congregations or everyday believers receiving critical words from others, what's the biblical response to hearing criticism?

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]

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

In an episode in anticipation of Mother's Day, Jared and Ross talk about their favorite biblical moms.

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

A new mailbag installment of the FTC Pod is upon us! In this episode, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson answer your submitted questions and topics, including: when should pastors refer members to professional Christian counselors?, are church dress codes for those "on stage" reasonable?, preparing a small town church ready for city growth, when does a church plant become a "real" church?, is the age of accountability in the Bible?, what's the best thing about the American Church?, best resources for training church leaders in gospel-centrality, and opinions about the streaming show The Chosen. You can submit a question or topic for the Mailbag any time via social media or via email at [email protected]

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

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

The latest installment in our new Grab Bag! feature comes with a twist. This grab bag is a movie swap! Jared and Ross assigned movies to one another. Jared has to watch Ross's "Christian movie" recommendation. Ross has to watch Jared's "is it a Christian movie?" recommendation. Then they discuss. Will they like their assignments? Will they hate them? Listen in and find out.

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

Now available on the Midwestern Seminary podcast platform: The Heart of Pastoring, featuring hosts Jared Wilson and Ronnie Martin. Listen in week by week as Jared and Ronnie reflect on the biblical qualifications for ministry with spiritual insights, pastoral reflections, and personal stories. Season 1 is is releasing now wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

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

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

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

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

On this latest Mailbag installment of the For the Church Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson answer your submitted questions and topics. This episode features discussion of: pastoral priorities, church first impressions, thoughts on church "vision," planting vs. revitalization, tailoring worship songs for generational attraction, how to know if you're called to ministry, and what "threat" Christian nationalism might pose to the church.

It turns out the Grab Bag concept was a hit! Y'all liked the first episode with this concept so much, we're going to make it a regular feature on the program. In the Grab Bag episodes, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson each bring 2 surprise topics or questions for the other to answer.

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

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

A new mailbag installment is here! A couple good questions on preaching, whether it's ever permissible to "sprinke" rather than immerse, what to do with an unqualified elder team, how important is it to know the biblical languages?, moving a church away from a senior pastor model, and more.

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

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

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

We start a new feature this week we're calling the FTC Grab Bag. Unlike the FTC Mailbag, where we answer your submitted questions and topics, on Grab Bag episodes Jared and Ross will each bring "surprise" topics or questions they want to discuss with each other. Will it be interesting? Will it go terribly? Tune in and find out.

Why do the more traditional Christmas songs feel the most timeless? Mr. Christmas himself -- pastor and author Dr. Ronnie Martin -- is back for our annual Christmas episode. This time he and host Jared Wilson discuss their favorite Christmas music. And we have a BIG announcement to share at the end of the episode!

It's a Mailbag episode! On this week's For the Church Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson answer your questions and discuss your submitted topics, including how to handle burnout and ministry discouragement, advice for pastors who have unmarried couples who are cohabitating, developing a culture of Bible readers in the church, the place of apologetics or academic discussions in preaching, identifying potential elders, and even our favorite dad jokes.

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

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

On this special Thanksgiving week episode of the For The Church Podcast, Jared Wilson and Ross Ferguson talk about cultivating a spirit of thanksgiving in the Christian life year-round.

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

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

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

How can church members foster a greater sense of community with each other? What does it mean to "do life together," and is it even possible in our Western culture? Jared and Ross talk about the possibilities and the pitfalls of experiencing community with other believers.