In his lecture "Suffering and Celebration," delivered at the 2012 Missiology Lectures, Soong-Chan Rah spoke on the multicultural church's need for intersecting theologies of both suffering and celebration.

In response, Ryan K. Bolger and Juan Martínez discussed the problems of American church growth and the varying Christian narratives told in churches.

At the time of recording, Soong-Chan Rah was the Milton B. Engebretson Associate Professor of Church Growth and Evangelism at North Park Theological Seminary, Ryan K. Bolger was associate professor of church in contemporary culture, and Juan Martínez was associate provost for diversity and international programs and associate professor of Hispanic studies and pastoral leadership.