In this episode, Loren Richmond Jr. talks with Raymond Chang—pastor, writer, and Executive Director of the TENx10 Collaboration at Fuller Seminary. As co-author of Future Focused Church, Raymond shares a hopeful, grounded vision for how churches can embrace change, cultivate culture, and lead the next generation with clarity and purpose. Drawing fr…

061525_darnell_lewis_eph_5_15-21.mp3File Size: 34028 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

Ezekiel 36:26–27, Acts 1:4–8, John 14:15–17, 25–27 The Spirit didn’t arrive unexpectedly — He was promised by Jesus and foretold by the prophets.The Holy Spirit is the living fulfillment of God’s plan to dwell within His people, continuing Jesus' presence and power in the world. Ezekiel 36:26–27 (ESV) And I will give you a new heart, and a new spir…

How can the church learn from the newsroom? In this episode, Loren welcomes veteran journalist and media executive Suzanne Nadell to explore what faith leaders can gain from the world of communications. Drawing from her decades of experience in newsrooms across the country, Suzanne reflects on her own faith journey as a preacher’s kid, the challeng…

060825_sermon_brian_dye_eph_5_7-14.mp3File Size: 44676 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

On Pentecost, the Spirit is poured out with power, transforming the fearful into the bold. The Spirit is not just a gentle helper — but the fire and breath of God that equips the Church for its mission. Acts 2:1–13 ESV When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty r…

What if Christian colleges—and churches—stopped being driven by fear? In this episode of the Future Christian Podcast, Loren sits down (literally, in person) with sociologist and Substack writer John Hawthorne to talk about his new book The Fearless Christian University. Drawing on nearly four decades in Christian higher education, John outlines wh…

060125_kensen_lam_luke_servants_heart_20_24-34.mp3File Size: 66752 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

When Jesus finished his Sermon on the Mount, the people were astonished with what they had just heard. What if Jesus’ words were meant to do more than shock us? What if Jesus’ words are actually meant to be taken seriously and applied to our daily lives? What would your life look like if you took Jesus’ words seriously? Jeremiah 17:7-8 (ESV) “Bless…

052525_alfredo_delgadillo_imitator_of_jesus_eph_5_1-6.mp3File Size: 74354 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

Can your church pay the bills and follow God’s call with integrity? In this episode, Loren talks with stewardship educator and sustainability strategist Grace Duddy Pomroy about how churches can embrace bold, faithful financial models without compromising their mission. Grace offers insights drawn from her national research and latest book on reima…

What if your church property wasn’t a burden—but a blessing to your neighbors? In this episode, Loren talks with John Cleghorn about the growing movement of churches reimagining their buildings and land to address the affordable housing crisis. Drawing from firsthand experience and national trends, John explores how faith communities can embrace a …

Jesus said, “When you pray.” This means Jesus assumed that his followers would be people shaped by prayer. Many Christians see prayer as only asking God to do things for them. But what if Jesus invited his disciples to pray, not so much for other people's sake, but so that we may be transformed by being in an intimate relationship with him? What if…

051825_sermon_b.mp3File Size: 75478 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

051125_sermon_ismael_dominguez_2_tim_1_3-7_b__1_.mp3File Size: 88288 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

“You have heard it said” is a phrase Jesus uses throughout his Sermon on the Mount. With those five words, Jesus was challenging his hearers' entire worldview. And he is doing the same thing for us today. We live in a divided world, inside and outside the church. What if Jesus was serious about his command for his followers to love their enemies? W…

What if burnout isn’t the end of your calling—but an invitation to reimagine it? In this episode, Loren talks with Dr. Arianna Molloy, author of Healthy Calling: From Toxic Burnout to Sustainable Work, about how our deepest exhaustion can reveal what matters most. Drawing from her own journey and years of research, Arianna offers insight for leader…

Anger. Lust. Divorce. Religious people tend to be pretty good at making it look like they don’t struggle with these things to a watching world, and Jesus knows that. But Jesus cares much more than only about our behavior. According to Jesus righteousness includes outward behavior and the motivation behind our outward behavior. What if Jesus was mor…

050425_kensen_lam_eph_4_25-28.mp3File Size: 45506 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

What happens when your most meaningful ministry happens through a smartphone screen? In this episode, Loren Richmond Jr. welcomes Rev. Bethany Peerbolte—a self-described “TikTok Pastor” and the founding leader of Our Tapestry, a fully digital church community. With over 280,000 followers online, Bethany creates content that helps people declutter h…

Most Christians think God cannot use them. That they are not good enough or know enough… surely God wants to use someone else to do his work in the world. But what if Jesus has chosen you, YES YOU, to partner with him in his kingdom work? What if Jesus was serious about his desire to use you, no matter how ordinary or unimpressive you think your li…

Is progressive Christianity losing its soul by abandoning church, worship, and leadership? In this episode, Loren talks with Pastor Clint Schneckloth to explore why faith communities, worship, and theological grounding still matter in progressive spaces. Clint pushes back against the tendency to dismiss church as irrelevant or harmful, offering a v…

042725_alive_in_christ_alfredo_delgadilio_ehp_4.mp3File Size: 63957 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

Author Sky Jethani writes, “The beginning of the Sermon on the Mount is not a to-do list; it is a good news list. Jesus is describing who has the most to gain by the arrival of His Kingdom. He is not prescribing what you must do to enter it.” What if Jesus was serious about transforming us into the kind of people who desire to receive his Upside-Do…

In this episode of the Future Christian podcast, hosts Martha and Loren engage in a personal check-in, discussing Loren's vocational transitions and the challenges of navigating ministry outside traditional roles. They then delve into the current state of Canada-US relations, exploring the emotional and economic implications of a perceived trade wa…

042025_easter_sermon_ismael_dominguez_ep_4_7-16.mp3File Size: 55327 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

Promises are powerful but only when they are kept. On that first Easter Sunday Jesus' tomb was empty, proving that his promise to deal with evil once and for all was not an empty promise. Join us on Easter Sunday as we celebrate the victory of our God as we experience the promise of the resurrection. Luke 24:1-12 (ESV) But on the first day of the w…

041325_sermon_brian_dye_eph_4_1-6.mp3File Size: 41759 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

What does it mean to be the church in anxious, divided times? Recorded in connection with the 2025 Remind & Renew Conference at Phillips Seminary, Loren Richmond Jr. sits down with Rev. Dr. Susan Diamond to explore how local congregations can become spaces of healing, clarity, and radical welcome. Drawing from her work with moral injury, healing ci…

Our Lenten journey has been an in medias res, or Latin for in the middle of things. We started in the middle of the story with the Passover and ended last week with Jesus’ crucifixion. And today we are going back to the beginning, Palm Sunday, where everything was set in motion for Jesus to go to the cross. What was the meaning of this lowly rabbi …

What if the church was never meant to be a waiting room for heaven—but a community that builds paradise now? Recorded live at Phillips Seminary during the 2025 Remind & Renew Conference, Loren Richmond Jr. sits down with Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock to reflect on the decline of religious institutions, the collapse of reliable media, and how early Chris…

040625_omar_jackson_eph_3_14-21.mp3File Size: 37222 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

Our reading this week is Luke’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion. You may be thinking, “But wait, it isn’t Good Friday yet!” This is true. But the cross of Christ is central to the life of the Christian and is at the heart of our preparation for Easter Sunday. Before we take a time warp and go back to where all this was set in motion, on Palm Sunday, …

What if bivocational ministry isn’t a compromise—but a key to the church’s future? Kris Bentley joins Loren Richmond Jr. to explore the evolving landscape of bivocational ministry in today’s church. Drawing on insights from her book Bivocational Ministry: Field Notes for Congregations and Ministers, Kris shares stories from over a decade of researc…

033025_alfredo_delgadillo_mystery_revealed_in_christ_jesus_eph3_1-13.mp3File Size: 70964 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

We live in a complicated world; that may be an understatement. Following Jesus in this world is getting more complicated as time marches on. We have had many opportunities this Lenten season to be honest about how as we participate with the evil one we are adding to the confusion in this world. Yet, many of us find ourselves asking God why he isn’t…

In this powerful and deeply personal conversation, Martha Tatarnic talks with Kyle Norman about his latest book, Alive, Loved, and Free, which explores what it means to hold on to faith in the face of spiritual discouragement, suffering, and doubt. Drawing from his own experience as a priest and caregiver during his wife’s cancer treatment, Kyle sh…

032325_darnell_lewis_one_bonded_family_in_christ_ep_2_11-22.mp3File Size: 33835 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

With one voice the religious leaders spoke evil against the Son of God. It is easy to read the accounts recorded in Luke 22 and 23 and think I would never respond to Jesus like those people did! That is a dangerous place to find oneself in. As we prepare for Easter morning we are invited to be honest about how we often join in with one voice to spe…

In this episode, Martha Tatarnic talks with Rev. Ben Crosby to explore the state of the mainline church, the challenges of evangelism, and the role of discipleship in church renewal. Ben shares his reflections on church growth, social justice, and spiritual formation. Their conversation delves into the decline of the Anglican Church of Canada, the …

031625_alive_in_christ_ismael_domingquez_eph_2_1-10.mp3File Size: 55705 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

Lent is a season for us to be honest about our participation in the evil that has infected this world like cancer. As we prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter morning, we must pause and face the reality that our good-willed intentions to faithfully follow Jesus in life and death often go awry; sadly, very quickly. Why is that so? Is our f…

Do churches need to be more exclusive? For years, both Evangelical and Progressive churches have lowered expectations to get people in the door. In this episode, Loren Richmond Jr. talks with Dr. Tricia Lyons, a leader in evangelism at Virginia Theological Seminary, about why churches should raise the bar to reclaim a compelling, transformative vis…

030925_sermon_brian_dye_eph_1_15-23.mp3File Size: 49267 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

We begin the Lenten season by joining Jesus in the upper room where Jesus and his disciples celebrate the Passover meal together. Jesus begins to prepare his disciples with a warning; Things are about to get difficult. Evil is coming for you. And you are going to end up participating in evil. As we begin our Lenten journey with Jesus we hear the sa…

We live in a culture that is obsessed with moving up and to the right. As the season of Lent begins we pause to remember that from the dust we have come and to the dust we shall return. There is no escaping death. The smearing of ashes on our foreheads reminds us of this sobering reality. At the same time, the sign of the ash cross that marks our f…

What is the church, and what is it for? In this episode, Loren Richmond Jr. talks with Rev. Dr. David Emerton to explore the purpose of the church, how different theological traditions define its role, and why these definitions matter for shaping the church’s future. David shares insights on why many churches are caught in cycles of inertia or pani…

030225_always_pray_kensen_lam_luke_18_1-8_2.mp3File Size: 60840 kbFile Type: mp3Download FileBy Bethany - McKinley Park, Chicago

Healing, forgiveness, and restoration are all blessings from God. As James wraps up his letter to the church he shows us how God blesses his church with these gifts through other people, showing us that when it is all said and done we need each other to experience the fullness of God’s love. James 5:13-20 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray…

What does it mean to move beyond awareness and into action? In this episode, Loren Richmond Jr. sits down with Michelle Ferrigno Warren, author, activist, and faith-rooted organizer, to discuss what it takes to engage in meaningful justice work. Michelle shares her journey from growing up in a fundamentalist Christian environment to becoming a publ…