Best Luke & Angie Podcasts (2026)

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Ep 118: Why the Body of Christ Still Matters, with Brad Edwards 1:08:13

7d ago1:08:13

1:08:13

Karl Vaters talks with Brad Edwards about the shift that’s happened over the last decade or so in how people perceive institutions, especially the institutional church. In this conversation they talk about how the rise of radical individualism has replaced once-trusted institutions, why a distrust in institutions is problematic, and why institution…

1
Ep 117: The Growing Problem of Gambling Addiction in the Church, with Dr. Donald Lichi 50:59

21d ago50:59

50:59

Do you know how to spot if someone in your congregation has a gambling problem? Once it’s been spotted or confessed, do you know what to do? Karl Vaters talks with Dr. Don Lichi about one of the fastest-growing addictions in the world, including: How is gambling defined? Why does it have such a strong grip on some people? Who is most likely to be a…

1
Ep 116: How Your Church Can Help People Recover from Grief, with Jeff Forrey 45:51

1M ago45:51

45:51

Karl Vaters talks with Dr. Jeff Forrey about grief, recovery, and how your church can help people, both inside and outside the congregation, deal with grief in healthy ways. Grief has no rules, but there are healthy ways through it. And churches—small churches especially—are uniquely suited to provide real comfort for people in these difficult seas…

1
Ep 115: Church, Parachurch, and Missio Dei, with Dr. Angie Ward 46:57

2M ago46:57

46:57

In recent decades, parachurch organizations have carved out an important space in church life and ministry. Karl Vaters talks with Dr. Angie Ward about why it’s important for ministers to take a closer look at what the church is, what parachurch organizations bring to the mix, and how we can move forward more missionally, even as the emphasis on in…

1
Ep 114: The Art of Writing and Living a Sermon, with Austin Carty 1:06:21

2M ago1:06:21

1:06:21

If you’re a preaching pastor, you know what it means to feel the burden and the joy of preparing and preaching a sermon every Sunday. No matter how many years we’ve done it, we can always use a little more help to do it better. Karl Vaters talks with Austin Carty about the craft of writing and delivering a weekly sermon, based on Austin’s latest bo…

1
Ep 113: What I Found on the Other Side of Church Growth, with Paul Dazet 42:11

3M ago42:11

42:11

What happens when all the church growth principles that were working in your church, suddenly stop working when you need them the most? Karl Vaters interviews Paul Dazet about what happened to him, as the pastor of a fast-growing church shortly after he was diagnosed with cancer. Over 100 members left, saying things like “I just can’t handle being …

1
Ep 112: Making Room for Loss and Grief In Life and Ministry, with Leanne Friesen 50:57

3M ago50:57

50:57

Karl Vaters interviews Leanne Friesen about grief. Specifically, how pastors, family members, and other caring people can help give people the room to process their grief when they go through a profound loss. Karl and Leanne also talk about how to process those feelings ourselves. Leanne is a former pastor and is the author of Grieving Room: Making…

1
Ep 111: Using AI To Find Great Sermon Illustrations, with Darrell Stetler 48:39

4M ago48:39

48:39

Karl Vaters talks with Darrell Stetler about a new AI program Darrell has created, called Sermon Illustrator. After a short introduction to what AI is, and some of the advantages and dangers of using it, they narrow in on this tool that helps pastors with a very specific task – finding illustrations (stories, metaphors, historical events, and so on…

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Ep 110: Healthy Goal-setting and Helping The Big Church Feel Small, with Luke Simmons 47:25

4M ago47:25

47:25

Karl Vaters talks with Luke Simmons, the pastor of Ironwood Church in Mesa, AZ. Recently, Luke and his church elders decided to pursue a very ambitious goal with the aim of helping their large, growing congregation feel smaller and more connected. As a big-church pastor, Luke is not a typical Church Lobby guest, but he and Karl follow each other on…

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Ep 109: The Future is Bivocational, with Andrew Hamilton 1:02:43

5M ago1:02:43

1:02:43

Over the last few months, several of our podcasts have been about bivo/covocationality, side hustles for pastors, and so on. And more are on the way. Why? Because the future of the church is bivocational. In this episode, Karl Vaters talks to Andrew Hamilton about the content from his book, The Future is Bivocational: Shaping Christian Leaders for …

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Getting 5-Star Customer Reviews: The New Way 10:59

5M ago10:59

10:59

By Luke & Angie

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Ep 108: Creating an Environment for Discipleship to Thrive and Multiply, with Bryan Sims 1:07:14

5M ago1:07:14

1:07:14

*ATTENTION NEEDED* Help us get to Malaysia by going to KarlVaters.com/support Anything you can give will be appreciated. Karl Vaters interviews Bryan Sims about creating an environment for discipleship to thrive, from his book, Creating Space: Cultivating Environments for Disciples of Jesus to Thrive and Multiply (co-written with Craig Robertson). …

1
147. Breakfast Network: Seven Sundays + Willa's Oat Milk 1:08:05

5M ago1:08:05

1:08:05

What goes better together than cereal and milk? Christina Dorr Drake is the co-founder and CEO of Willa’s Oat Milk, a brand that is carving out space of its own in the increasingly crowded plant based milk case at select Target locations and grocery stores. Hannah Barnstable is the founder and CEO of Seven Sundays, a natural cereal brand now sold i…

1
Ep 107: Optimizing Your Church Website for Three Key Types of Visitors, with Derek Maxson 46:26

6M ago46:26

46:26

Karl Vaters interviews Derek Maxson about some simple ways to make sure your church website is reaching the three kinds of people who are most likely to use it. Derek runs Spiffy.Church, an online ministry that specializes in helping smaller churches get the most from their websites, using limited time and resources. Derek and Karl talk about how t…

1
146. Designing a Sports Management Platform: Carson Kipfer + Huck Sorock 53:47

6M ago53:47

53:47

Huck Sorock was a hockey player who worked as a referee during high school to make some money. But it didn’t take long for the entrepreneurial juices to get get going when he saw the inefficiencies of the system hockey leagues used to assign referees to games—no way to swap games online; a lot of the organizing done on paper—and this was just a few…

1
Ep 106: Segregation, Affinity Spaces, and How the Gospel Defeats Racism, with Mika Edmondson 1:05:01

6M ago1:05:01

1:05:01

Karl Vaters interviews Mike Edmondson about the hot-button topics of racial segregation in the American church, why affinity spaces matter, and how the gospel defeats racism – even the racism that has sometimes been promoted within the institutional church. Mika speaks with experience, wisdom, directness, and grace, generating more light than heat.…

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Ep 105: Recovering from Sexually Related Trauma, with Rachel Bren 46:53

6M ago46:53

46:53

Rachel Bren is a survivor of sexually related trauma, and now she serves with SRTServices.org, which helps people recover from their trauma, and can help you and your church. She’s also the co-host of the Grace & Grenades podcast. Karl Vaters interviews Rachel about what sexual related trauma is, how the church can help those dealing with it, some …

1
145 Automating an Exit: Janet Johanson + xBlock's Dena Neek 1:01:05

7M ago1:01:05

1:01:05

Think about the loss in productivity that happens when a valued employee leaves the company. The loss of institutional knowledge. Or the complete knowledge transfer required when a company changes hands. xBlock is a software tool that uses AI to capture and organize a company’s data—without any extra effort on the employees' part. Co-founder Dena N…

1
Ep 104: What Is the Minimum for a Church to be Viable? with Sam Peters 54:36

7M ago54:36

54:36

Karl Vaters interviews Sam Peters about the microchurch model, and more specifically, what are the minimum aspects that need to be in place for a church to be a church? If you’re serving a small church that’s considering if you have a viable path forward, the microchurch model is worth considering, and Sam offers some help for thinking about it in …

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144. An App to Improve Mental Health: Charlie Kratsch + Cadre's Luke Wendlandt: 57:53

7M ago57:53

57:53

Social media for good. That’s how Luke Wendlandt describes Cadre, an app that’s being marketed primarily to businesses as a stigma-free community for employees to address mental health concerns. More than 140 vetted professionals and peer experts hvae created content on Cadre, on any number of issues from anxiety to grief. Currently the app has abo…

1
Ep 103: Helping Small Churches Win Guests, with Desmond Barrett 1:01:36

8M ago1:01:36

1:01:36

Karl Vaters interviews Desmond Barrett about how small churches can do a better job at reaching, welcoming, and keeping guests. Desmond is the author of Helping Small Churches Win Guests: Preparing to Increase Attendance, which is a short, but very practical book that pastors will find great benefit in. Karl and Desmond talk about: How to reimagine…

1
143. Promoting Play for Kids: Maia Haag + DeLonn Crosby 47:36

8M ago47:36

47:36

DeLonn Crosby is using technology to get kids off screens. His startup, SayKid, is a voice technology company that has developed a screenless, play-based learning platform in the form of a plush robot called the ToyBot. Equipped with Amazon Alexa voice technology, the ToyBot can play games, do magic tricks, and promote active learning by getting ki…

1
Ep 102: Five Trends In Technology and the Church, with Brad Hill 50:45

8M ago50:45

50:45

Karl Vaters interviews Brad Hill about some of the latest findings concerning the church and technology. Brad is the Chief Solutions Officer at Gloo, an organization that came out of nowhere a few years ago, and now seems to be everywhere. After clarifying Karl’s curiosity about who/what Gloo actually is, they talk about some of the important findi…

1
142. Building a Beauty Brand: Sue Remes + Terrain Brazilian Botanicals 55:44

8M ago55:44

55:44

Bruna Valente was a corporate marketer working in industrial manufacturing when a health scare sent her on a personal wellness journey, which led her to the rainforests of her native Brazil. There, she discovered natural botanicals that inspired her to create her own skincare products—face oils and lotion bars. She quickly realized they were good e…

1
Ep 101: Ministry Sustainability without Money Stress, with Eric Hoke 48:25

8M ago48:25

48:25

Eric Hoke is known as the “I Help Pastors Get Jobs” Guy. Karl Vaters talks with Eric about how to build long-term sustainable ministry, reduce financial stress, and create value in the marketplace by becoming an intentionally covocational pastor. Eric’s new book, Market Street Pastor: Ministry Sustainability without Money Stress, addresses many of …

1
141. Growing a Food Brand: Angie and Dan Bastian + Yoga Pops 1:03:12

9M ago1:03:12

1:03:12

Angie’s Boomchickapop–one of the most legendary homegrown Minnesota brands in recent history and the benchmark for just about every new packaged food startup hoping to make it big. As the story goes: Angie Bastian was a nurse; her husband Dan Bastian a teacher. They bought a kettle corn machine off the internet in 2002, and started selling at festi…

1
Ep 100: The Pastor, the Bible, and Growing Up In a Pastor’s Home (with Albert Vaters) 47:24

9M ago47:24

47:24

For Episode 100, Karl Vaters has a very special conversation with his father, Albert Vaters, about the pastor’s relationship with God’s Word, the Bible. In addition to each of them spending 40 years as pastors (over 80 years of combined pastoral ministry!), they were also both raised as preacher’s kids, so they can speak from multiple perspectives …

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140. Scaling a Franchise: Chuck Runyon + Melanie Richards 48:21

9M ago48:21

48:21

In our first Mentor Series pairing, Chuck Runyon, co-founder of Anytime Fitness, the world's largest fitness franchise chain, and its parent company Purpose Brands (formerly Self Esteem Brands), which includes Orangetheory Fitness, Waxing the City, and several other franchise businesses in beauty and fitness talks about transitioning out the CEO ro…

1
Ep 099: Russ Taff, on Childhood Trauma, Church Hurt, Alcoholism, Fame, Redemption, and His New Album 2:05:25

9M ago2:05:25

2:05:25

Karl Vaters talks with Russ Taff. One of the great voices of Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) in the 1970s-90s, Russ won five Grammys, 13 Dove Awards, and was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame three times (with the Imperials, the Gaither Vocal Band, and as a solo artist). He also spent decades struggling with alcoholism, church hurt, an…

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Pastor Ben Marsh on Christian Nationalism and Spiritual Warfare on the Evangelical Right 53:19

9M ago53:19

53:19

Ben Marsh is a pastor at First Alliance Church Winston-Salem. He's an advocate for the maligned, lonely, afraid, and harmed. Deeply suspect of the rising linkage of Christianity and partisanship, he aims to disentangle awful social and theological ties that have created *where we are now.* He has particular interests in the areas of Christian Natio…

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Ep 098: Ten Things They Didn't Tell Me About Leadership, with Alberto Bello 50:28

10M ago50:28

50:28

Alberto Bello is a church planter in Bakersfield CA, and he’s written one of those books everyone says they could write, Ten Things They Didn't Tell Me About Leadership. Karl Vaters talks with Alberto about that book, the experiences that led to it, and the lessons to be learned from it. Including: Knowing who you are in Jesus The Comparison Trap H…

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EP 097: Getting Your Church on the Road to Greater Health, with Mike Rubino 53:16

10M ago53:16

53:16

Mike Rubino is a pastor in the unique ministry environment of Long Island NY. He’s also the founder and director of Church Revitalize, which helps churches that need to revitalize their ministry, through cohorts, coaching, and more. Karl Vaters talks with Mike about church revitalization, with a focus on Mike’s new workbook, The Revitalize Roadmap:…

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Ep 096: Disability Inclusion In the Church, with Barb Stanley 41:12

11M ago41:12

41:12

Every church should be open to everyone who wants to attend. So, we need to be more purposeful about making sure we're not unintentionally denying access without realizing it. Barbara Stanley oversees Wonderful Works Ministry, which equips churches to serve families affected by disability. They have a large and growing set of resources to help chur…

1
Benjamin Carter Hett Reminds Us The End of Democracy Is Never Inevitable 55:49

11M ago55:49

55:49

Benjamin Carter Hett is Professor of History at Hunter College and the Graduate Center at City University of New York. He specializes in German history, and his books include The Death of Democracy: Hitler’s Rise to Power and the Downfall of the Weimar Republic; The Nazi Menace: Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, and the Road to War; and more. H…

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Ep 95: The Clergy Sabbatical Toolkit, with Sean Nemecek 49:51

11M ago49:51

49:51

A clergy sabbatical is not a luxury for the few, it’s an essential element in recalibrating your ministry and reestablishing healthy habits for ministry longevity. Sabbaticals are having a moment right now. With the accelerated pace of life and ministry, we’re recognizing their value in a fresh, new way. Sean Nemecek and the team at Pastor In Resid…

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Ep 94: Using Storytelling Techniques to Make Your Message Stick, with Payton Minzenmayer 49:53

12M ago49:53

49:53

Have you ever noticed that people don’t pay attention to sermons the way they used to? It may not be the fault of shorter attention spans (not exclusively, anyway). There’s a lot more happening — and we, as pastors and communicators can do something about it. Karl Vaters talks with Payton Minzenmayer. He's a pastor, and the founder of ChristianStor…

1
Ep 93: Cultivating a Multiethnic Kingdom Culture, with Jamaal Williams and Timothy Paul Jones 1:00:54

1y ago1:00:54

1:00:54

According to John’s vision in Revelation 7:9, heaven will be filled with people who are still recognized by their ethnicity (every nation, tribe, people, and language). So, if we want the church here and now to reflect that, Sunday mornings must stop being the most segregated time of the week. That’s the premise of Karl Vaters’ conversation with Ja…

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Ep 92: How Christianity Became The Air We All Breathe, with Glen Scrivener 45:33

1y ago45:33

45:33

The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus changed everything. Not just for eternity, but for the world here and now. According to Glen Scrivener, the author of The Air We Breathe, How We All Came to Believe In Freedom, Kindness, Progress, and Equality, most of what we now consider to be self-evident human values were not so evident or common before…

1
Ep 91: The Prophetic Voice of Deconstruction, with Scot McKnight 44:26

1y ago44:26

44:26

Karl Vaters talks with Scot McKnight about what we can learn from those who are deconstructing their faith. This conversation is based on the content of Scot’s new book (co-written with Tommy Preson Phillips), Invisible Jesus: A Book about Leaving the Church and Looking for Christ. This is a challenging book and a challenging conversation, especial…

1
Ep 90: How Bible Reading Can Jumpstart Your Church’s Discipleship, with Matt Lucas 51:34

1y ago51:34

51:34

Karl Vaters interviews Matt Lucas about starting your congregation on the road to spiritual maturity through increasing their Bible reading. Specifically, how reading the Bible at least four times a week is so powerful, it's been called "The Power of Four." Matt is the CEO of Our Daily Bread (known for their quarterly devotionals) and The Center fo…

1
Ep 89: Vibrant Ministry After Retirement Age, with Lisa Northway 50:00

1y ago50:00

50:00

Retirement isn’t what it used to be. In the U.S. military, retirement is mandatory at 62 years of age, but U.S. Army Garrison Chaplain (MAJ) Lisa A. Northway is an exception to that. Lisa, who’s currently stationed in Fort Sill, OK, has been called the “Grandma Moses” of the Army Chaplaincy. She recently received permission to extend her chaplaincy…

1
Ep 088: The Gift of Small: Embracing Your Church’s Vocation, with Allen T. Stanton 46:51

1y ago46:51

46:51

Small churches aren’t a problem to fix, they’re a unique part of the body of Christ that has gifts we need to embrace. Karl Vaters talks with Allen T. Stanton about the importance of embracing what’s right about small churches, not in spite of being small, but because they’re small, in a conversation based on the content of Allen's book, The Gift o…

1
Ep 087: Covocational Pastoring: What It Is, And Why You Should Consider It (with Jon Sanders) 46:28

1y ago46:28

46:28

Working a side hustle is no longer the exception for pastors, it’s the norm. Embracing it might answer a lot of your (and your church’s) needs. Karl Vaters talks with Jon Sanders about the rise in covocational pastoring and why it’s something more pastors, especially small-church pastors, should take seriously. Jon is the co-host of the EntrePastor…

1
Franziska Wagner on Positive Authoritarianism and How The Far Right Makes Extremism Sound Good 50:33

1+ y ago50:33

50:33

Franziska Wagner studied comparative political sciences at the University of Mannheim and at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, Sciences Po. Her research interests lie in party politics, far-right politics, social media, and computational approaches to social sciences. Currently, she is pursuing a Ph.D in Political Sciences at the Central Eu…

1
Ep 086: Vibrant Ministry From A Traditional Building In A Difficult City, with Tim Walker 1:00:13

1+ y ago1:00:13

1:00:13

Why would a young church planter choose to do ministry in the poorest neighborhood of a city in crisis? Many churches are fleeing the inner cities. Grand old church buildings with deep histories sit empty. But Tim Walker and Restored Church are facing these realities head-on in Wilkes-Barre PA. Karl Vaters talks with Tim about subjects like: Their …

1
Ep 085: The Necessity of Being Offended by Jesus, with Chase Replogle 45:19

1+ y ago45:19

45:19

Karl Vaters talks with Chase Replogle about one of the most controversial, but unavoidable topics today—living with offense without being offended. This material comes from his just-released book, A Sharp Compassion: 7 Hard Words to Heal Our Insecurities and Free Us from Offense. Karl and Chase talk about why offense is a necessary part of life, ho…

1
Ep 084: How To Do A Great Trunk-or-Treat At Your Church, with Darrell Stetler 47:02

1+ y ago47:02

47:02

In September and October over 1.2 million people will search online for “Trunk-or-Treat near me.” Here’s how to be one of the churches they find. Karl Vaters talks with Darrell Stetler about practical steps to help churches of any size put on a high-quality, gospel-centered Trunk-or-Treat event. Darrell is a small-church pastor in Oklahoma City and…

1
Ep 083: Flyover Church: Jesus' Ministry in Rural Places, with Brad Roth 45:42

1+ y ago45:42

45:42

Karl Vaters talks with Brad Roth about the content from his new book, Flyover Church: How Jesus’ Ministry in Rural Places Is Good News Everywhere, for which Karl wrote the foreword. Topics include: How the rural church is different from the city and suburban church, not just in scale, but in type How metrics are very different in the rural church T…

1
Ep 082: Pastoring Difficult People, with Craig T. Owens 55:38

1+ y ago55:38

55:38

Sometimes pastors are our own worst enemy, so we need to recognize that God chose us for this work. There’s probably not a single pastor (at least not a long-term pastor) who can’t relate to the title of Craig T Owens’ latest book, When Sheep Bite: Help for Shepherd Leaders Who May Have Felt the Painful Bites. In this conversation, Karl Vaters talk…

1
139. Community Development Innovator Anthony Taylor 54:38

1+ y ago54:38

54:38

A chemical engineer turned community development organizer, Anthony Taylor shares the career journey that led him to founding Melanin in Motion, a Community Wellness Center program that connects children of color—and their families – with active pursuits like skiing, cycling, kayaking. Melanin in Motion was a Twin Cities Business 2024 Community Imp…

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