In conversation with Chris Fletcher, lead pastor of Manna Church, Fayetteville Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Manna Church is right next to the largest military base in the world, offering around 15 services a weekend and has an ambitious vision to plant Manna churches in every U.S. military base across the globe.

We are in conversation with Gavin Calver, CEO of the Evangelical Alliance in the UK.

The Evangelical Alliance seeks to represent evangelical Christians in the UK, to bring Christians together and help them listen to, and be heard by, the government, media and society.

Gavin's infectious energy, vision and passion for Jesus and life is inspirational.

We talk about how men can be less passive and take more of an activist role in their faith. Football fans just start a song, which is not passive at all - whereas church can sometimes be a bit polished, and men feel they have to 'receive'.

As a practical outworking of this, Gavin encourages men to take a more activist stance in pointing our kids to Jesus, for example. We need to set the pace as men.

Gavin talks about his passion for AFC Wimbledon, how he used to play with Scott Parker and Sean Wright-Philips, but injury put paid to his hopes of playing football at a national level.

Gavin ran 1000 miles in 2019, and so we discuss the connection between fitness and faith. Gavin uses a lot of his time running talking to Jesus and listening to Him.

We are in conversation with Darren Passmore, who is pursuing a part-time degree in Applied Theology at Regent’s Theological College. We discuss Darren’s decision to study theology as a mature student, what led to his decision and what God has been revealing to him through his study, particularly around trust in God, identity and confidence.

Darren opens up about how he was really challenged while he was growing up as a result of the divorce of his parents; and of finding out about his adoption as a young teenager. He describes how God has been building healing, strength and wholeness back into him as he has journeyed in his faith.

Darren’s key ‘takeaways’ are to keep on trusting to do things God’s way; to keep on taking risks; to keep on saying ‘yes’ to challenges; to keep on harnessing the power of prayer; and to keep on accessing the strength available in partnering with God as Father.

On this episode, MPOWER are in conversation with James Chipwete about the book of Jonah. James is a doctor, and he is one the elders at Birmingham City Church.

They talk about why Jonah runs away, and why blokes in general can sometimes run away from responsibility or equally from fear of failure. James suggests that Jonah may not have received the best role modelling and that this could be why he disappears off towards Tarshish to begin with.

Role modelling is such a help for men when it is available, and equally destructive when absent. We also explore what the captain says to Jonah when he is asleep – to wake up and call on his God.

Jesus could sleep despite a storm because He was within the centre of God’s will, whereas Jonah was perhaps asleep in a rebellious place and the cause of a storm.

Jonah seems to represent those men who have to get to the very end of themselves before turning to God, where all other options have been taken off the table. This inturn leads to a turnaround moment for Jonah – and listening and acting more quickly in response to God next time around.

We look at how receptive the Ninevites are to Jonah’s rather terse outreach message because God has been doing work on them in the background – and deeper than this that Jonah’s outreach work perhaps lays the foundation for the later exile of Judah to Babylon.

If blokes have blown it with things, the message of Jonah is that we worship a God of second chances.

They unpack whether blokes sulk, like Jonah, and our tendency not to share our feelings, and how narrow Jonah’s perspectives really are, and its lack compared with the other people in his world. The Ninevites also seem to be so much quicker in their spiritual turnaround than Jonah is in his geographical about-face.

We round up with this thought: that God sees us as men where we are, and if we need someone to walk alongside us, God can do this; and James closes by praying for everyone listening.

MPOWER: On this episode, Nick Whittier is in conversation with Robson Alencar from Birmingham City Church. We discuss Robson's journey to faith, how he navigated a recent tough time with some extreme pain and learning how to pray.

MPOWER: On this episode, Nick Whittier is in conversation with Robson Alencar from Birmingham City Church. We discuss Robson's journey to faith, how he navigated a recent tough time with some extreme pain and learning how to pray.

In this podcast episode, Stuart Blount and Dave Newton reflect on the message that Dan Lian shared at the Elim Leaders Summit 2019: Spirt-led. Servant-minded. Shepherd-hearted.

Join Stuart and Dave as they discuss our responsibility in leadership. Then share your thoughts, questions and related stories by leaving a voice message at anchor.fm/elimleaders/message

MPOWER: In this MPOWER podcast episode, we are in conversation with Liam Husband, the lead pastor at Hope Community Church in Bournemouth, about:

Liam’s family and the perils of keeping ducks!

Recent church missions to Kenya and Estonia

The local ‘coffee and bacon rolls’ ministry to the homeless of Bournemouth

Advice for a bloke thinking about going on mission, and how we draw on skills we already have once we are in the mission field

Progress for the Hope Community Church team through the Church Leadership Academy being offered out of Birmingham City Church

The issue of fatherlessness

Communication weaknesses among men, and how to overcome these, including modelling vulnerability

The impact of hope and God’s plans from Jeremiah 29:11

Liam’s love of playing and watching rugby, the parallels between rugby and church and what spiritual victory looks like in church

MPOWER: In this MPOWER podcast episode, we are in conversation with Liam Husband, the lead pastor at Hope Community Church in Bournemouth, about:

Liam’s family and the perils of keeping ducks!

Recent church missions to Kenya and Estonia

The local ‘coffee and bacon rolls’ ministry to the homeless of Bournemouth

Advice for a bloke thinking about going on mission, and how we draw on skills we already have once we are in the mission field

Progress for the Hope Community Church team through the Church Leadership Academy being offered out of Birmingham City Church

The issue of fatherlessness

Communication weaknesses among men, and how to overcome these, including modelling vulnerability

The impact of hope and God’s plans from Jeremiah 29:11

Liam’s love of playing and watching rugby, the parallels between rugby and church and what spiritual victory looks like in church

MPOWER: in this first episode of the MPOWER podcast, Nick Whittome (Birmingham City Church) interviews Mark Lyndon-Jones who leads MPower - Elim's national men's ministry.

How do you start a men's group?

Struggles with isolation

Blokes being very busy - and countering that with prioritising and planning

Helpful resources, including the weekly MPower devotional email