Welcome to the Influence Podcast!

I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. In this episode, I talk to Allen Tennison about what Pentecostal ministers should read in 2026. Tennison serves as theological counsel to The General Counsel of the Assemblies of God.

Reading may not be at or even near the top of many ministers' new year's resolutions, but it should be. In an August 1760 letter to John Premboth, John Wesley wrote:

"What has exceedingly hurt you in time past, nay, and I fear to this day, is want of reading.

"I scarce ever knew a preacher read so little. And perhaps, by neglecting it, you have lost the taste for it. Hence your talent in preaching does not increase. It is just the same as it was seven years ago. It is lively, but not deep; there is little variety, there is no compass of thought. Reading only can supply this, with meditation and daily prayer. You wrong yourself greatly by omitting this. You can never be a deep preacher without it, any more than a thorough Christian."

Even if you agree with Wesley, questions remain: How long should I read every day? What should I read? How do I balance reading with my other pastoral responsibilities? Those are the questions Tennison and I discuss after a brief word from our sponsor.

IN THIS PODCAST

• 0:00:00 — Introduction
• 0:01:34 — Sponsor Copy
• 0:02:38 — How does reading help ministers deepen their preaching and spiritual formation?
• 0:07:18 — How much time should ministers devote to reading, and what's a realistic goal for how many books they should read?
• 0:14:43 — What kinds of knowledge should ministers seek in books?
• 0:20:00 — What Bible study books — commentaries, biblical theologies, reference works, etc. — would you recommend?
• 0:37:14 — What theology books would you recommend?
• 0:48:55 — What histories and biographies do you recommend?
• 1:03:10 — What books about ethics and pastoral theology would you recommend?
• 1:08:07 — What books on preaching and church administration would you recommend?
• 1:15:36 — Conclusion

SPONSOR COPY

This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by Gospel Publishing House, distributors of The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler.

The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler equips you with an understanding of the Holy Spirit's role in your life. As a resource for both laypeople and ministry leaders, it also imparts practical insight for anyone discipling others in receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

For more information visit GospelPublishingHouse.com.

"Jesus is up front with us that there is a cost to following him," writes Craig Keener.

"From God's side, the gift of him in him is free—or rather, already paid for by what Christ suffered for us. But we live in a world that challenges our faith, so from the world's side our faith is bound to cost us hardships. Yet God empowers us by his Spirit to maintain our witness for Christ in this world no matter what."

In this episode of the podcast, I talk to Keener about how Pentecostal Christians should think about suffering. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Craig Keener is F.M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary, an ordained Assemblies of God minister, and author of Suffering: Its Meaning for the Spirit-Filled Life, published by Baker Academic.

NOTE: This will be the final Influence Podcast of 2025. Episode 411 — the first podcast of 2026 — will drop on Thursday, January 8.

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This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Open When . . . Parenting through Everyday Moments.

In Open When . . . Parenting through Everyday Moments, child development professionals and Christian education experts discuss the most common parenting scenarios faced by families today. Readers will be empowered with knowledge, tools, and strategies for navigating the complexities of each issue while also nurturing the child's spirit through scriptural application.

For more information about Open When . . . Parenting through Everyday Moments visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

Donna Barrett is retiring at the end of this year from her position as general secretary of the Assemblies of God.

Elected unanimously by the executive presbytery in 2018 to fill the unexpired term of her predecessor, Jim Bradford, then elected twice by the General Council in 2019 and 2023, she is the first woman to hold executive office at the national level in the history of the AG.

Full disclosure: I am one of Barrett's direct reports. But I can honestly say that she is universally regarded by her employees, fellow executives, district officials, and ministry peers as a woman of God, conscientious leader, good friend, and great boss.

In this episode of the podcast, I talk to Barrett about her unique perspective on topics such as women's leadership, the grind of ministry, and the necessity of prayer. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Barrett is the 11th general secretary of The General Council of the Assemblies of God. Her final day in office is December 31, 2025.

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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler.

The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler equips you with an understanding of the Holy Spirit's role in your life. As a resource for both laypeople and ministry leaders, it also imparts practical insight for anyone discipling others in receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

For more information about The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

"Young men are leading a religious resurgence," wrote Erica Pandey in a May 10, 2025 report on Axios.com.

"Within older generations, there's a consistent gender gap among Christians, with women more likely to be religious than men," she explained.

"Within Gen Z, the gap has closed, as young men join the church and young women leave it. If the current trajectory sticks, the gender gap will flip."

Are churches ready to minister to the young men returning to church? Are they ready to minister to men at all? And if they are, what are the best ways to do so?

Those are the kinds of question I discuss with Rick Allen in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Rick Allen is an ordained Assemblies of God minister and national director of Men's Ministries and Light for the Lost.

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This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of 30 Under 30.

In 30 Under 30: Young Adults in Scripture Who Heard from God, you'll meet 30 young adults from the Bible who had their own defining moments. Heroes or cautionary tales—they all had a choice. This isn't just a history lesson. It's a call to action. God still speaks, and if you're willing to listen, He's got something to say to you.

For more information about the 30 Under 30, visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

The season of Advent begins this Sunday, November 30, and ends, appropriately enough, on Christmas Eve — Sunday, December 24.

No doubt many churches will sing Isaac Watts' "Joy to the World" throughout this season, especially on Christmas Eve. But did you know that Watts wrote that song to celebrate the Second Coming, not the birth of Jesus Christ?

Advent celebrates both in the Christian tradition. It looks backward to the First Coming and forward to the Second Coming. It is a thoroughly historical and end-times holiday season.

In this episode of the podcast, I talk to Allen Tennison about the relationship between Advent and eschatology. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Tennison is theological counsel of The General Council of the Assemblies of God.

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This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards.

Strengthen your family's relationships with God and each other with these easy-to-use Conversation Cards. Each card is uniquely designed with a question, faith builder statement, and a Bible verse to spark meaningful conversations that cultivate an open and nurturing environment in your home.

For more information about the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

This past Tuesday, the Executive Presbytery of the Assemblies of God announced that Brad Kesler will succeed Donna Barrett as general secretary of the Fellowship. Kesler's first day in office is January 1, 2026. He will serve the remainder of Barrett's unexpired term.

Kesler has been an ordained AG minister since 2000. He has served as a youth pastor in Sitka, Alaska, and a senior pastor in Juneau. For 15 years, he worked as business administrator in the Alaska Ministry Network and nine years as district secretary.

Since 2024, he has served as assistant to the general secretary, providing that office with administrative and technical support.

In Episode 406 of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Kesler about his life, ministry, and the duties of his new office, as well as his forthcoming book on ministerial ethics, Trusted with Treasure, published by Gospel Publishing House early next year.

I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

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This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards.

Strengthen your family's relationships with God and each other with these easy-to-use Conversation Cards. Each card is uniquely designed with a question, faith builder statement, and a Bible verse to spark meaningful conversations that cultivate an open and nurturing environment in your home.

For more information about the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

The goal of the Church Health Partners is clear.

"To foster healthy, vibrant churches by equipping pastors and their teams with the tools, strategies, and support they need to lead effectively and fulfill their unique calling. We want to see a healthy church in every community, led by empowered and passionate leaders, making a lasting impact for the Kingdom of God."

In Episode 405 of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Gerad Strong about what a healthy church is, why churches become unhealthy, and what to do to get them back to health. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Gerad Strong is director of Church Health Partners, a ministry of the Assemblies of God. He is author of Multiplication Mindset, forthcoming in [month, year] from [GPH?].

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This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of 13: Leadership is More Than Luck.

As the thirteenth general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Doug Clay reflects on the powerful legacy of twelve spiritual pioneers who came before him. Through personal stories, timeless principles, and the Spirit-led wisdom of these men, 13: Leadership is More Than Luck invites readers into a heritage of leadership that has shaped a Movement and impacted the world.

For more information about the 13: Leadership is More Than Luck, visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

"In many Christian theological circles, especially in Pentecostal circles, the person who has the role of pastor is the one who is supposed to have the spiritual answers, and so this [spiritual and social] shutdown [due to trauma] is counterintuitive to the position they hold," writes Dale Sanger.

"The challenge for Pentecostal pastors is that they have an underlying theology of glory which does not appropriately consider personal trauma."

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Dale Sanger about the reality of clergy trauma, and what Pentecostal ministers should do in response. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Dale Sanger is adjunct professor at Bridges Christian College in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Vanguard College in Edmonton, Alberta, as well as chaplain at a homeless men's shelter. He is author of When Ministry Hurts: Triumphalism and the Crisis of Trauma among Clergy, published by Wipf & Stock.

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This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler.

The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler equips you with an understanding of the Holy Spirit's role in your life. As a resource for both laypeople and ministry leaders, it also imparts practical insight for anyone discipling others in receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

For more information about The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Discipler visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

"How did you go bankrupt?" one character asks another in Ernest Hemingway's The Son Also Rises. "Two ways," the other character responds. "Gradually and then suddenly."

But as Mark Batterson points out in his new book, "That's also how you get out of debt. That's how you start a business, write a book, or run a marathon — and a thousand other things."

"Regardless of craft or career, dreams don't become reality overnight," he writes. "Reverse engineer any success story, and I daresay it happened two ways — gradually then suddenly."

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Mark Batterson about how to succeed in ministry, based on insights from his new book. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Mark Batterson is lead pastor at National Community Church in Washington, DC, and an ordained Assemblies of God minister. A New York Times-bestselling author, his newest book is Gradually Then Suddenly: How to Dream Bigger, Decide Better, and Leave a Lasting Legacy, published by Multnomah.

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This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of 13: Leadership is More Than Luck.

As the thirteenth general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, Doug Clay reflects on the powerful legacy of twelve spiritual pioneers who came before him. Through personal stories, timeless principles, and the Spirit-led wisdom of these men, 13: Leadership is More Than Luck invites readers into a heritage of leadership that has shaped a Movement and impacted the world.

For more information about the 13: Leadership is More Than Luck, visit MyHealthyChurch.com.

Which way are American young adults going when it comes to religion?

Pew Research Center's Religious Landscape Survey reports that only 45% of Americans 18–29 years old identify as Christians, compared to 54% of those aged 30–49, 72% of 50–64, and 74% of 65+.

Barna Group's State of the Church initiative reports that young adults are leading "a resurgence in church attendance." Gen Z (born 1999–2015) and Millennials (born 1984–98) attend church 1.9 and 1.8 weekends a month, respectively. By contrast, Gen X (born 1965–83), Boomers (born 1946–64), and Elders (born pre-1946) attend 1.6, 1.4, and 1.4 weekends monthly, respectively.

So are American young adults secularizing or experiencing a revival? It's impossible to say for sure. The only way for Christians to find out is to do the work of evangelism and discipleship.

In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Josh Wellborn about ministry to the next generation of adults. I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host.

Josh Wellborn is director of the Assemblies of God's Young Adults ministry and author of 30 Under 30.

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This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of 30 Under 30.

In 30 Under 30: Young Adults in Scripture Who Heard from God, you'll meet 30 young adults from the Bible who had their own defining moments. Heroes or cautionary tales—they all had a choice. This isn't just a history lesson. It's a call to action. God still speaks, and if you're willing to listen, He's got something to say to you.

For more information about the 30 Under 30, visit MyHealthyChurch.com.