What does it mean to live as sons and daughters of God? Leif Hetland, author of Healing the Orphan Spirit and Called to Reign believes that one of the biggest problems in the Church today is the tendency for believers to live as orphans. In this episode of Church InTension, The King's University President, Dr. Jon Chasteen, speaks with Leif Hetland about identifying the orphan spirit and how to leave it behind.

Leif Hetland is the founder and president of Global Mission Awareness. He is a champion of global missions, and he and his wife, Jennifer, live in Atlanta, Georgia.

Several years ago, when Syrian refugees risked their lives to flee to Europe, thousands of muslim families made their way north to Sweden because of its liberal immigration laws. Pastor Joakim Lundqvist of Livets Ord Church in Sweden seized an opportunity to reach these families and saw God do amazing things. Now, as the United States welcomes Afghan refugees, we have an opportunity of our own.

In this episode of the Church InTension podcast, TKU President Dr. Jon Chasteen talks to Pastor Joakim about the refugee crisis, operating a church in a socialist environment, and the outreach opportunities it brings.

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The mission field has shifted so drastically over the last few decades, that many of the places that were once unreached are now a major missionary force. And now that we are living in a post-COVID world, the Church must rethink the way we do missions.

In this episode of Church InTension, TKU President, Dr. Jon Chasteen, talks with Charley Elliott, the executive pastor of Gateway Global. After spending a decade of ministry in Africa and Latin America, Charley joined the staff of Gateway Church, where he has his finger on the pulse of the ever changing mission field.

"I never wanted to work for a church," says Pastor Jelani Lewis, who has now worked at Gateway Church for more than a decade. Now Jelani is a regional campus pastor and he oversees multiple campuses at Gateway, where he started as a children's pastor.

In this episode of Church InTension, The King's University President, Dr. Jon Chasteen, talks with Jelani about his career and the difference between having selfish ambition and godly desire.

Finances are a taboo subject when it comes to the Church. How much should a pastor make? How should a church's finances be handled? How much is too much talk about giving?

In this episode of Church InTension, Dr. Jon Chasteen talks to Leo Sabo and David Thompson from the Getting Money Right podcast. These two pastors have decades of church finance and stewardship experience and offer direct answers to some of the tough questions many pastors ask regarding finances and the Church. 

When things don't occur properly at the leadership table, the organization struggles. In this episode of Church InTension, Dr. Jon Chasteen talks with leadership expert Hrishi Baskaran about the importance of vulnerability and the pitfalls of transparency and false modesty. 

Hrishi Baskaran is a principle consultant for Patrick Lencioni’s Table Group and the founder of Hrishi Baskaran Company. He’s a consultant who helps executive leaders and pastors with organizational health, teamwork, and leadership. His clients include Coca-Cola, Morgan Stanley, Lockheed-Martin, and many more.

Pastor Brady Boyd took over New Life Church, whose previous pastor experienced a highly publicized moral failure. Bringing the church back to health would be an uphill battle. That's when disaster struck. A shooter entered the church and killed two members after services. "It was the darkest day of my life," says Brady Boyd.

In this episode of the Church InTension podcast, Dr. Jon Chasteen talks to Brady Boyd about how the church survived and is now thriving. Recorded in early 2020, this podcast talks about creating a culture of health in a polarized political climate.

The Church is growing rapidly in its understand of its Jewish roots. One big leap took place in Gateway Center for Israel Director Nic Lesmeister's life when he discovered unknown antisemitism in his theology. Find out more in this episode of the Church InTension podcast, in which Dr. Jon Chasteen discusses the topic of antisemitism and Jewish Christianity with Nic Lesmeister.

One in every four pregnancies ends in abortion. Even more shocking? That statistic is the same inside the Church as it is outside. How can the Church help these young women with unplanned pregnancies?

In this episode of Church InTension, Dr. Jon Chasteen talks with Embrace Grace founder, Amy Ford, about how churches can bring this once taboo subject out in the open and reach an unseen group within their communities. 

Theological training is becoming less relevant to the Church, and that's a problem. In much of today's church culture, strong leadership traits and skills have replaced education and sound theology. The truth is, there's a balance that must be achieved, and the answer might be found higher education.

In this week's episode of Church InTension, Dr. Jon Chasteen talks with Dr. Dan Call about the disconnect between the Church and higher education.

To help us understand what issues are relevant and need focus in the church today—for our future leaders, please complete our two minute ministry questionnaire. Your input will help us determine future areas of focus and study.

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