Every Church Flourishing by the Great Commission Association

Why should pastors talk about controversial Bible passages and difficult Bible origin questions with church members? Old Testament Scholar Dr. Anthony Ferguson answers...

Today, we talk to Dr. Anthony Ferguson, an Old Testament Textual Criticism expert and pastor, about some pretty deep Bible nerd stuff, including how pastors can talk about the background of the Bible without turning the church into a seminary. Some of this short interview is pretty deep, but if you feel lost, never fear, we will process through a little bit of what we discussed at the end of the episode today, right after Cal Baptist Ministry student J.C. and I review Brazil's #1 Coke competitor, Guarana Antarctica.

Like me, Dr. Ferguson was taught in seminary to not use Greek or Hebrew in sermons, and also like me, he pretty routinely ignores this advice, which raises a question that the third part of our interview with Dr. Ferguson brings up: why would we focus a whole episode on some of the more academic points of the Bible, including textual variants, biblical origins, and the Dead Sea Scrolls? At least one of the answers to that question, Dr. Ferguson addressed in our opener - if you don't, somebody else well, and shouldn't a pastor be the one to shepherd the people through those issues, rather than somebody else?

Today we have Pastor and Professor and Everton Blues superfan Anthony Ferguson with us again, and we are talking to him about World Cup evangelism with the Yellow Card Initiative, and a few other things also, including the Great Commission Value of Artificial Intelligence and the importance of preaching about the OLD Testament in church. We've also got Cal Baptist ministry student and Valley Baptist Youth minister JC Thompson with us today to review a soda that USED to be called Armless Palmer. What is it called now? Will it muster enough Spurgeons to be recommended? Well, you'll just have to listen to find out. If you like the show, please tell a friend about it…that's how podcasts like ours grow - by word of mouth. That said, let's jump into our interview now.

To get some yellow cards of your own to equip your church for evangelism! Two ways:

⚽️ visiting the YCI website www.yellowcardinitiative.com

⚽️ emailing us at [email protected]

⚽️Then, get trained via YouTube training videos @yellowcardinitiative on YouTube.

Seeking GCA's next Executive Director of Missions

GCA's current Executive Director of Missions, Dr. Mike Stewart, has faithfully led our association for nearly three decades. As he prepares to step into retirement in the coming year, we are prayerfully seeking the next Executive Director of Missions to build on this legacy and help lead GCA into a fruitful future of ministry.

Learn more about the role and consider how God might be calling you or someone you know to join the mission in California. Initial review of candidates begins May 21.

https://www.vanderbloemen.com/job/executive-director-of-missions-edm-great-commission-association-of-southern-baptist-churches/

Fun show today. We are going to talk about human evangelism - human messengers and heavenly messengers/angels. Our guest is Dr. Anthony Ferguson of 11th Street Baptist Church in Upland, California, which is a city of about 80,000 that borders Los Angeles. Dr. Ferguson is one of the founders of the Yellow Card initiative, bringing the Good News to World Cup attendees this Summer. We will also talk about guardian angels, and whether or not the Bible teaches that each church is assigned its very OWN angel.

Today's episode is SPANISH ONLY and features a discussion with California Hispanic Pastor Humberto Hernandez and Dr. Chris Smith of the Great Commission Association. Pastor Humberto and Dr. Smith talk about keys to church health in the Hispanic church in America. PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU WANT MORE SPANISH ONLY EPISODES!

El episodio de hoy es solo en español y presenta una conversación con el pastor hispano de California, Humberto Hernández, y el Dr. Chris Smith, de la Great Commission Association.El pastor Humberto y el Dr. Smith hablan sobre algunas claves para la salud de la iglesia hispana en los Estados Unidos.

¡POR FAVOR, DÉJENOS SABER SI QUIEREN MÁS EPISODIOS SOLO EN ESPAÑOL!

Another action-packed episode of the ECF podcast today. Gateway Seminary VP Dr. Kristen Ferguson joins us, and our co-hosts are school superintendent Lanette Lozano and Women's ministry expert Dr. Cathie Smith. Today, we talk about how women in the church are a fundamental key to church flourishing that no wise leader should ever overlook. We will also talk to Dr. Ferguson about AI - can AI take the place of counseling, pastors, sermon prep? How much should Christians lean on AI? We've got Cal Baptist BAT student JC back with us for a review of the South's favorite cherry beverage - Cheerwine - does it actually contain wine? And, finally, we are going to talk about prayer and pleading the blood of Jesus. Is that a thing? Is it biblical? Is there power in pleading the blood of Jesus? Maybe not…but we will discuss one key to faithful, power-packed prayer that is indeed biblical and is also often overlooked.

Don't give women the light stuff…we all need meat…we all need the Word of God.

Soda Review - Cheerwine, thank you to Virginia listener Jesse W.

After Hours ministry - share the gospel with women who are in sex trafficking.

A good leader says, I don't really care about how I look, I care about the mission.

I cannot commune with God through AI - AI is not the replacement for a living active relationship with the Living God.

Idols from the Old Testament did not talk, but AI actually talks.

No one is saying that people are worshiping AI, but functionally, we can be going to AI and depending on it for so much of what we do day to day that we could be replacing God with it.

A hidden danger of AI is that people will rely on it for deep spiritual conversations that they should be having instead in the Body of Christ…it might make our relationships shallower if we scratch our itch for deep dialog with a machine rather than an Image Bearer.

AI can't love

Today we've got Gateway Seminary vice president Dr. Kristen Ferguson for a fascinating conversation that ranges from women's ministry, to being a pastor's wife, and concludes with a moving discussion of special needs ministry in the church AND special needs MINISTERING TO THE CHURCH. We will also have JC, the Cal Baptist Ministry student, back to review the World's Hottest Soda with us - does it live up to the hype? Does it injure us? We also have a great Spanish language interview at the end with Dr. Chris Smith and Pastor Humberto Hernandez on the state of the Hispanic church in the West.

Great pod today, with some fascinating topics and guest hosts and guest reviewers. We've got a review of a Scottish Soda - Irn Bru, made with steel girders, apparently, and a great guest reviewer there AND ALSO a listener question from Robin F., who asks about the Apocrypha - those mysterious books that are in some Bibles, absent from others, and are the centerpiece for tons of conspiracy theories about the church. What is the Apocrypha, and should you be reading it? WHY is it no longer in most Protestant Bibles? The Truth is out there…and today we begin a multi-part series on the Apocrypha. By the way - what Giant of the Reformation quoted a book from the apocrypha, and called the speaker, and the namesake of that book a "prophet" We will find out!

Before that, our main interview is with Dr. Chris Smith of the Great Commission Association, a former missionary to Spain, and current mission consultant with the GCA and president of the Great Commission Training Institution, which is an online training school that is VERY affordable for pastors and church leaders. Check out www.GCASBC.org for more. Dr. Mike Stewart, our co-host today and the senior director of California's Great Commission Association, and I will talk to Dr. Chris Smith about front-stage vs. Back-stage ministry, and also his favorite food from Spain, and - perhaps most importantly- the difference between Spanish tortillas and Mexican tortillas.

Our focus today is on The roots that nobody sees vs the flower that draws attention. If the flower isn't healthy, or it browns, or falls off - as long as the roots are healthy, the plant will be healthy, and that flower will grow again. But some flowers can persist for a time without any roots whatsoever - they can look healthy - for a time in a vase, or whatever, but their life is limited because their roots for accessing living water are gone. Similarly, there are times in ministry where leaders and pastors can have a healthy looking front stage or flower of ministry, but the back-stage or the roots are sick, failing or missing, and in that case, it is inevitable that a collapse will happen at some point. Most leaders pay more attention to the front stage - the flower of ministry - but we really should pay the far greater attention to our roots - our abiding in the vine of Jesus.

Our next two episodes are with Dr. Kristen Ferguson, VP Gateway Seminary, and we will discuss Christians and AI, Church leader education, online education, women in ministry and being a pastor's wife. Also coming soon: Dr. Cathie Smith on women in ministry and missions and missional complementarianism, Pastor Humberto Hernandez, and many other interesting guests. Stay tuned!

Are you at the end of your rope? Today we discuss how to know you are close to running out of rope and what to do about it. PLUS: Preacher Myths. Will the lion lay down with the lamb? Did Paul fall of his horse on the Damascus Road? Did Mary ride a donkey to Bethlehem? Did Jesus leave a coded message in His tomb with a folded napkin? Does sparing the rod spoil the child? We will cover these preaching myths and more!

Welcome to episode 14 of the Every Church Flourishing Podcast, sponsored by the Great Commission Association of California. If you are a California pastor or church leader looking for a home - get in touch with us through our website GCASBC.org - we would love to partner with you!

Today Senior Director of the GCA Dr. Mike Stewart and I interview Pastor Grant Combs of Lighthouse Baptist in Seaside, California. In addition to pastoring Lighthouse, Grant is an ambassador to other pastors and church leaders, and he is going to help us know when disaster is coming, and some practical steps to avoid disaster in ministry.

We have upcoming episodes on women in ministry, with Dr. Kristen Ferguson Vice President of Gateway Seminary, mom, pastor's wife, lady in ministry, and expert on the Christian use of AI. We will also be talking to Dr. Cathie Smith about women in ministry and women on mission coming very soon AND we are recording with Dr. Cameron Schweitzer, the director of Gateway Seminary's campus in San Liandro, this week, and we've got lots more great guests lined up also.

Lions lying Down with Lambs? The Danger of Preacher Myths and Urban Legends.

Credibility and integrity are important, and I don't think that any real Christian would disagree with that statement. Jesus spoke the truth, and identified Himself as a truth-teller in John 8. In fact, He noted that some of the Jews wanted to kill Him because He told them the truth. The truth isn't always popular. Today we examine five "preacher myths," that may not be true.

2000 years of amazing preaching advice from John Piper to John Chrysostom, from Tim Keller to Augustine and Gregory the Great, From Martyn Lloyd Jones to Haddon Robinson to Gregory the Great to Thabiti Anyabwile, we've got ELEVEN fantastic tips to help YOU teach and preach the Word of God better. Not only that, but we have some amazing stories in this episode too, such as:

What preacher railed at his listeners for buying solid silver toilets? What preacher and future Pope tried to escape from the Roman Emporer in a wicker basket? What Evangelical icon preferred beer over water and NAMED HIMSELF after a dead dog? What famous pastor desired to be a doctor, but a severe bout with mononucleosis in college changed his mind, causing us to miss out on 2000 episodes of the possibly awesome Ask Doctor John Podcast?? You will find this AND MORE on this BONUD episode of the Every Church Flourishing Podcast.

This episode takes listeners on a fast-moving tour through nearly two thousand years of Christian wisdom on preaching and teaching, gathering counsel from church fathers, classic pastors, and modern evangelical voices. The central claim is simple: truly effective preaching has not fundamentally changed. Across the centuries, the best counsel still calls preachers to be prayerful, biblical, heartfelt, holy, and courageously faithful rather than clever, trendy, or applause-driven. The episode begins with Augustine, who reminds us that preaching is born first in prayer, not in performance. Before becoming "a man of words," the preacher must become a man of prayer, drawing deeply from God before attempting to pour truth into others. From there, Thabiti Anyabwile brings the same warning into the present: a preacher without a Bible has no authority, and a preacher must never go beyond what God has actually said. Scripture governs both the substance and the limits of faithful preaching. John Chrysostom adds a needed rebuke for every age: preaching must aim at pierced hearts, not amused intellects. Sermons are not meant to be religious entertainment or polished performances designed to win praise. Martyn Lloyd-Jones echoes that concern in a different register, insisting that preaching is theology coming through a man who is on fire and that its goal is to give people a sense of God and His presence. Together, they remind us that preaching should be spiritually weighty, not merely interesting or impressive. Gregory the Great shifts the emphasis to the preacher's life. Those who teach others must first be corrected by the truth themselves. Hypocrisy in the pulpit is not a minor flaw; it is a scandal. Augustine returns later with another practical insight: do not drone on endlessly, and do not preach without real feeling. Preaching should be animated by genuine enthusiasm born from a heart gripped by the beauty and urgency of God's Word. The modern voices deepen the same themes. Tim Keller argues that a good sermon should cut to the heart like a sword, not club the will into external compliance. John Piper describes preaching as "expository exultation," joining exposition and worship so that the sermon becomes truth proclaimed with wonder. C.S. Lewis closes with a sharp warning against tailoring Christianity to public demand. The preacher's job is not to guess what people want to hear, but to faithfully proclaim what God has said. The bonus insight from Haddon Robinson then adds a practical challenge: sermons need clarity, unity, and focus, not scattered good ideas. Altogether, the episode argues that the best preaching across the centuries is not man-centered performance, but God-centered proclamation that is prayerful, biblical, holy, vivid, and aimed at transformation.

Today Pastor Christopher Cole of the Great Commission Association and Dr. Chase Thompson discuss mental health among church leaders, how to lead without wearing people out, great preaching tips, helping people to tap into Jesus for rest, AND we review Dirty Dew Soda! "He must become a man of prayer before he becomes a man of words." Augustine on preaching. From this episodes great tips on preaching from ancients and moderns section.

Is there a mental health crisis among pastors and church leaders?

In just a few years, the percentage of pastors self-reporting excellent emotional well-being dropped from 40 percent to 15 percent. What could explain such a fast and precipitous drop?

If you are a pastor or church leader, your calling FIRST AND FOREMOST is to help people tap into Christ, the Source of Life, as opposed to assimilating them into the life of the church. Both are important, and both are biblical, but abiding in Christ must come first and be foremost.

Jesus did not say, "Come unto me and get busy," He did say, "Come unto Me, and I will give you rest." If we aren't regularly sabbathing our souls, we are missing out on one of the great invitations of Christ.

How classical spiritual disciplines can be a key component of reversing pastor's mental and emotional health slides.

Andy Addis - Rhythms of Rest.

How pastors can overdrive and wear out church members, and how NOT to do that!

How thriving in ministry can sometimes kill your marriage when priorities are out of order.

You can NOT be great at EVERYTHING, because you are HUMAN, and humans have LIMITATIONS. God is one who does not sleep - we MUST rest and we SHOULD rest and rest is a GIFT from God!

The dangers of being too busy for quiet times.

Lectio 365 - Morning noon and evening prayer

The biblical command for pastors and church leaders to enjoy life.

It is hard to have a healthy relationship with your spouse if you are overcommitted.

Wisdom from Ecclesiastes and the Psalms for Christians struggling with mental and emotional health, and how the Psalms are battlers of anxiety in your life.

How can pastors lead, encourage and exhort church members WITHOUT overdriving them or being a slave driver?? (

Healthy and Christ-honoring alternatives to pastors' guilt-tripping those who are already overwhelmed.