Church Disrupted

In this episode of the Church Disrupted Podcast, Jeff Cochran interviews Chris Ayoub and Nathan Apffel, the creators of the documentary 'The Religion Business.' They discuss the purpose of the documentary, which explores the business side of religion, particularly Christianity. The conversation delves into the financial numbers of nonprofits, including the staggering $890 billion that comes into the Christian Church annually. They also highlight the misalignment and growth of nonprofits, as well as the challenges of transparency and accountability. The episode concludes with a discussion on the 6% of funds that actually leave churches to make an impact in the world. This conversation discusses the lack of accountability and transparency in churches, the use of non-profits to avoid financial reporting, and the issue of ecclesiastical theft.

We get A LOT of flack from Christians and church leaders for talking about spiritual abuse. People would often rather us talk about good things going on in the church. They want us to stick to the gospel. Why?

It seems we hear of another millenial or Gen Z pastor leaving the mega church or leaving ministry in general every day. But WHY are they walking away? Often, it's because they have become disenfranchised and disillusioned after being in the system and seeing how the sausage gets made. Simply put, a lot of Christians are looking for something more, something better, something different than what the modern mega-church system offers. They know something is wrong, but they aren't sure what right looks like. And it leaves people loving Jesus, yet feeling a bit lost.

Did you know that churches can be narcissistic?! Narcissistic churches are a foreign concept to most people, but sadly, they have become all too common. In this episode of the Church Disrupted Podcast, Jeff Cochran, Abby, and Buck talk about narcissistic churches, the systems that cause narcissism in churches, and how to recognize narcissism in churches.

Deconstruction is a buzzword these days and is a hot topic of conversation with everyone from evangelicals to exvangelicals. Some swear by it, others villainize it. In this episode of the Church Disrupted Podcast, Caleb Nelson joins the conversation to talk about escaping a cult, deconstructing Christianity, the pain of his journey, and how to re-engage with faith.

The He Gets Us Ad that aired during the 2024 Super Bowl has caused an uproar and has a lot of people angry, especially Christians. But why?! What did the ad get right, and what did it get wrong? Should we be angry about it? If so, what parts should bother us? What should bother Christians even MORE than this commercial by the He Gets Us campaign? In this episode of the Church Disrupted Podcast, Shawn and Corey join Jeff Cochran to break down this controversial super bowl ad and to answer these questions and more. Buckle up because this episode is a doozy!

In February 2023, a revival broke out at Asbury University and took the world by storm. But just a few weeks later, the revival ended just as abruptly as it began. Why? What happened? Why did the Asbury Revival stop so suddenly? The answer may surprise you.

People throw the term "cult" around a lot these days, but what does that really mean? What is a cult or high-control environment? What are the markers to look out for? What is the difference between churches and cults? And how do you know if a church is starting to act like a cult? In today's episode of the Church Disrupted Podcast, Jeff Cochran is joined by Jacob and Sarai to discuss high-control environments, their dangers, and how to spot the red flags of a cult-like organization.

Modern Christians get a lot about tithing wrong. We believe what we've been taught about tithing by church leaders, but very few people know what the Bible actually says about it. In this two-part series of the church disrupted podcast, Jeff, Buck, and Vicki tackle tough questions like: should new testament Christians tithe, is it okay to give outside of your church, what is the tithe for, and in what ways do we misunderstand tithing today?