Biblical Higher Ed Talk

Season 6 - Episode 91

Graduate education is fiercely competitive, rapidly evolving, and increasingly flexible. In this episode, Blanton Feaster of Dallas Baptist University shares how he and his team are growing enrollment by adapting delivery methods and creating mission-fit programs that stay true to the ethos of Christian higher ed.

Blanton also unpacks DBU’s strategy for integrating faith into curriculum, building microcredential partnerships with churches, and mentoring faculty through changes in technology and teaching methods. If you’re exploring the future of graduate education, this conversation is packed with wisdom and practical direction.

🎧 Tune In to Discover

✅How graduate education is shifting demographically and technologically

✅Why DBU built a master’s in AI focused on ethics

✅Flexible modalities and how they impact faculty and students

✅Building residency-to-certificate pipelines in ministry

✅Strategies for curriculum agility and market relevance

🎙️ Inside the Episode

08:00 – What’s Driving Graduate Education Growth

09:45 – Launching a Master's in AI, with a Christian Ethos

12:00 – A New Generation of Graduate Students

14:00 – Modality Flexibility and Faculty Adaptation

22:00 – Creating Real Church Partnerships through Microcredentials

26:00 – Empowering Faculty through Mentoring and Workshop Culture

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for Biblical Higher Ed Talk in your favorite podcast player.

The Biblical Higher Ed Talk podcast is proud to be a part of The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast Network. 

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Season 5 - Episode 3

How can ministries authentically connect younger generations to God in an era shaped by social media, technology, and shifting cultural values? In this episode, Daniel Day, Senior Director of Reclaim Today and New Audience Engagement at Our Daily Bread Ministries, shares how his team is creating fresh approaches to discipleship that meet Gen Z and millennials where they are.

From digital-first devotionals to printed resources making a comeback, Daniel explains how Reclaim Today is helping young adults build meaningful faith practices and discover belonging in Christ-centered communities. Whether you’re a campus leader, educator, or parent of a digital native, this conversation will challenge how you think about technology, mentorship, and hope for the next generation.

🎧 Tune In to Discover

✅ How Our Daily Bread’s legacy led to Reclaim Today’s Gen Z ministry

✅ The tension between digital platforms and spiritual formation

✅ Why belonging and friendship are critical for younger generations

✅ Practical discipleship in an age of AI and social media

🎙️ Inside the Episode

02:30 – The Origins of Reclaim Today at Our Daily Bread

06:45 – Why Social Media Became a Starting Point for Outreach

11:00 – Should We Use Every Platform? 

15:30 – Gen Z Realities: Belonging, Mental Health, and Hope

20:00 – When Digital Natives Want Print Resources Again

24:00 – The Four C’s of Spiritual Formation: Content, Context, Conduct, Community

28:00 – Daniel’s Concerns & Hopes for Gen Z and Millennials

Resources & Links from this Episode

Explore Reclaim Today: reclaimtoday.org

Learn more about Our Daily Bread Ministries: ourdailybread.org

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for Biblical Higher Ed Talk in your favorite podcast player.

The Biblical Higher Ed Talk podcast is brought to you by The Association of Biblical Higher Education and is proud to be part of The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast Network.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

How do we shift our view of wellness from diet plans and discipline to discipleship and spiritual alignment? In this episode, April Jones, Founder and CEO of Storehouse Wellness, shares her powerful journey from pharmacy and healthcare leadership into Christ-centered wellness entrepreneurship.

Through faith, experience, and innovation, April is helping individuals and institutions approach health as a whole-person pursuit (mind, body, and spirit). Whether you're a student, campus leader, or someone navigating burnout, this conversation will challenge how you think about self-care, responsibility, and healing.

🎧 Tune In to Discover

✅ Wellness as a spiritual and practical calling.

✅ Starting a mission-driven business with faith at the center

✅ Why students need support for mind, body and spirit

✅ How shame and identity affect health choices.

 ✅Practical tools for campus-wide wellness implementation

🎙️ Inside the Episode

02:00 – From Pharmacy to Faith-Based Wellness

06:00 – The Realities of Starting a Mission-Driven Business

10:00 – Changing the Why Behind Wellness

14:30 – Inner Healing as the First Step

20:00 – Wellness for Gen Z on Campus

25:00 – Introducing Storehouse’s Campus Ministry of Wellness

Resources & Links from this episode:

Learn more about Storehouse Wellness at storehousewellness.com (http://storehousewellness.com/)

Reach out to April directly at [email protected]([email protected])

Explore the Faith-Food-Fitness-Focus-Fun framework (contact April to request the visual.)

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for Biblical Higher Ed Talk in your favorite podcast player.

The Biblical Higher Ed Talk podcast is brought to you by The Association of Biblical Higher Edand is proud to be a part of The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast Network. 

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

How can the church and higher education take children seriously in discipleship? Esther Zimmerman, Program Chair of Undergraduate Ministry Studies at Lancaster Bible College and global advocate for children, joins us to share her journey in children’s ministry and her conviction that investing in kids is one of the most strategic ways to advance the kingdom of God. 

We explore why children are often overlooked, how broken systems leave them vulnerable, and what faithful discipleship looks like for the next generation. From sobering global statistics to hopeful grassroots stories, this episode calls the church to put children at the center of ministry, not the margins.

🎧 Tune In to Discover
✅ Why children’s ministry is the most strategic investment for the future of the church
✅ How cultural perceptions have reduced ministry to babysitting rather than discipleship
✅ What global realities reveal about children’s vulnerability and the church’s response
✅ How higher education can shape leaders to take children seriously in theology and practice

🎙️ Inside the Episode
02:18 Esther’s journey into children’s ministry and why she stayed
05:34 Misconceptions of children’s ministry in the West vs. globally
09:15 Why broken systems place the heaviest weight on children
12:01 Troubling trends and hopeful signs in global children’s ministry
18:37 Three practical ways to disciple and advocate for children
24:10 How seminaries and Bible colleges can integrate children into their curriculum

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Global Children’s Forum

• Bible Centered Ministries International

• World Evangelical Alliance Children’s Network

• Lausanne Children's Forum

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for Biblical Higher Ed Talk in your favorite podcast player.

The Biblical Higher Ed Talk podcast is proud to be a part of The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast Network.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

"THANK YOU," from the entire team at Biblical Higher Ed Talk.

A special message from Phillip Dearborn.

• A sneak peek into Season 5

• Speakers for ABHE 79th ANNUAL MEETING: A Time to Lead -- February 11-13, 2026.

• We are approaching 10,000 downloads

Biblical Higher Ed Talk is to be a part of The Higher Ed Marketer Podcast Network.

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for Biblical Higher Ed Talk in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Leading With Purpose Summer Series

Join Philip Dearborn, President of ABHE, for a special summer series designed to strengthen your leadership and renew your sense of mission. Every other week, you’ll hear one of the most-listened-to conversations from past seasons. Each episode offering practical encouragement and a fresh reminder of why Christ-centered higher education matters.

This episode originally aired FEB 2025

Stephen Nichols, President of Reformation Bible College, talks about how his journey from classroom professor to institutional leader shaped his educational philosophy.

He discusses the intentional design of RBC’s curriculum, blending theology and the liberal arts, and how their unique house system fosters community and discipleship. Stephen offers insights into balancing growth with mission fidelity and the importance of being faithful in both education and leadership.

This episode is packed with inspiration for leaders navigating the complexities of biblical higher education curriculums.

Join us as we discuss:

• [8:35] The transition from classroom professor to college president

• [16:14] How a hyper-focused curriculum impacts student life

• [20:34] Why capping enrollment builds community and accountability

  
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Logos Bible Software

• Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Wellbeing by Laura Mae Martin

• Ligonier Ministries

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for Biblical Higher Ed Talk in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Leading With Purpose Summer Series

Join Philip Dearborn, President of ABHE, for a special summer series designed to strengthen your leadership and renew your sense of mission. Every other week, you’ll hear one of the most-listened-to conversations from past seasons. Each episode offering practical encouragement and a fresh reminder of why Christ-centered higher education matters.

This episode originally aired Oct 2024

Michael Lindsay, President of Taylor University, joins the show to share how the principles of grace and truth guide his leadership, especially in the turbulent times facing Christian higher education.

Michael tells us why he believes the pandemic elevated expectations for the value proposition of biblical higher ed and how Christian leaders can turn these challenges into opportunities. He also provides insights into a successful fundraising campaign for some of Taylor's exciting projects, including community outreach and campus expansions.

Tune in to hear how Taylor University is helping to shape the next generation of Christian leaders through discipleship initiatives.

Join us as we discuss:

• [5:17] Finding the motivation in a college president’s work

• [13:16] How Taylor University is giving back to their community 

• [18:59] Discipleship and seeking counsel from your predecessors

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• ABHE 78th Annual Meeting

• Hinge Moments: Making the Most of Life’s Transitions by Michael Lindsay

• Presidential Fellows Program - Taylor University

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for Biblical Higher Ed Talk in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Leading With Purpose Summer Series

Join Philip Dearborn, President of ABHE, for a special summer series designed to strengthen your leadership and renew your sense of mission. Every other week, you’ll hear one of the most-listened-to conversations from past seasons. Each episode offering practical encouragement and a fresh reminder of why Christ-centered higher education matters.

This episode originally aired April 2024

Jeremiah 17:7 says, “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him.”

Today we are having a conversation with Roger Parrott, the President of Belhaven University. With over 20 years of presidential experience, Roger wasn’t afraid to kick long-range planning out the door and he wants to help others do the same. Planning is good, but only when we continue to leave room for God to speak.

In this episode, we dive into the keys to a successful university presidency.

Join us as we discuss:

• [4:32] The current state of higher ed turbulence

• [16:00] Why you should abandon long-range strategic planning

• [21:39] Taking the critic’s perspective

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• The Longview by Roger Parrott

• Opportunity Leadership by Roger Parrott

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for Biblical Higher Ed Talk in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Leading With Purpose Summer Series

Join Philip Dearborn, President of ABHE, for a special summer series designed to strengthen your leadership and renew your sense of mission. Every other week, you’ll hear one of the most-listened-to conversations from past seasons. Each episode offering practical encouragement and a fresh reminder of why Christ-centered higher education matters.

This episode originally aired Jan 2024

What does courageous leadership in higher education look like?

It’s about utilizing situational styles.

It’s about relying on faith to drive out fear.

It’s time to get real about what it means to be courageous in biblical higher education.

That’s why I’m joined by Todd Williams, President and CEO at Cairn University, a courageous leader who didn’t always envision himself at the forefront of a higher ed institution.

In this episode, we delve into what it means to be a courageous leader.

Join us as we discuss: 

- Different styles of courageous leadership, from positional to situational (5:39)

- The “romance” of leadership and why it can quickly burn out (9:36)

- A historical example of situational leadership in the face of fear (16:41)

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for Biblical Higher Ed Talk in your favorite podcast player. 

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Leading With Purpose Summer Series

Join Philip Dearborn, President of ABHE, for a special summer series designed to strengthen your leadership and renew your sense of mission. Every other week, you’ll hear one of the most-listened-to conversations from past seasons. Each episode offering practical encouragement and a fresh reminder of why Christ-centered higher education matters.

Originally aired Jan 2024

Bridging the gap between local churches and Bible Colleges is essential to see success for both sides.

It’s time to invest in the community around our students and come together towards a common goal – serving God.

That’s why we’re talking to Mark Jobe, President of Moody Bible Institute. As a bi-vocational pastor, Mark offers a unique perspective from both sides of the pulpit.

In this episode, we talk about the importance of getting your students and staff involved in the local community.

Join us as we discuss: 

- Tension between the academy and the church (8:00)

- How we can best serve the local church (13:54)

- Ways to connect your institution to surrounding churches (20:49)

To hear this interview and many more like it, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website, or search for Biblical Higher Ed Talk in your favorite podcast player. 

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.