In this episode of the J29 Coalition Podcast, pastors Derrick Puckett and Mike Erre dive deep into the challenges and calling of leading churches through polarization, cultural change, and spiritual formation. Drawing from their diverse contexts—Chicago and Southern California—they unpack how the gospel shapes a unique political and pastoral imagination that defies partisan categories. Derrick shares how racial justice, discipleship, and theological depth hold together in his multiethnic congregation, while Mike reflects on how fear, cynicism, and ideology often shape believers more than Scripture. Together, they call pastors to preach a more beautiful gospel, stay rooted in Christ’s kingdom, and shepherd their people through the noise with humility, honesty, and hope.

Pastor Derrick Puckett is the founding pastor of Renewal Church of Chicago, a gospel-centered, multiethnic congregation committed to discipleship, justice, and the flourishing of its city. He also serves as the Executive Director of The Chicago Partnership, equipping church planters and pastors for urban ministry. With a strong commitment to racial reconciliation and pastoral formation, Derrick is a frequent conference speaker and contributor to conversations on church planting, multiethnic ministry, and kingdom justice.

Pastor Mike Erre is the lead pastor of Journey Church in Southern California and host of the VOX Podcast, where he explores culture, theology, and the Church’s public witness. A former teaching pastor at large evangelical churches, Mike now shepherds a community committed to deconstruction, reconstruction, and Jesus-centered discipleship. He is known for his honest, theological approach to tough issues—calling believers to trade fear and outrage for wonder, humility, and kingdom imagination.

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Pastor Caleb Campbell explores the intersection of American politics and religion with political scientists Amy Black, Dan Bennett and Napp Nazworth. The speakers discuss the importance of civic engagement, the role of government as a form of love for neighbor, and the need for Christians to participate in politics while maintaining a posture of humility and service. They emphasize the significance of local politics and the responsibility of the church to educate its members on citizenship and civic duties.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to American Politics and Religion

06:37 Understanding Habeas Corpus

13:01 The Importance of Due Process

20:41 Biblical Perspectives on Governance

25:42 Navigating Political Engagement as Christians

28:19 The Role of Love in Politics

30:33 Government as a Form of Neighborly Love

35:32 The Dichotomy of Political Involvement

40:15 Local vs. National Politics: A Balanced Approach

45:32 The Church's Role in Political Education

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In this episode of the J29 Coalition Podcast, Pastor Richard Johnson shares his journey from a pastor’s kid to founding pastor of a vibrant, intentionally multiracial congregation in Columbus, Ohio. Rooted in Micah 6:8, Richard’s ministry embraces justice, mercy, and humility—not just in theory, but in the daily discipleship of a diverse church family navigating race, politics, and civic responsibility. He reflects on leading his church through polarizing moments like the Trayvon Martin shooting and the 2016 election, the vulnerability of political transparency from the pulpit, and how practices like active listening and contemplative worship have become tools of transformation.

Pastor Rich Johnson is the founding pastor of Sanctuary Columbus Church, an intentionally multiracial and justice-oriented congregation rooted in the Evangelical Covenant Church. A graduate of Morehouse College and a longtime advocate for racial reconciliation in the church, he leads with vulnerability, spiritual depth, and a commitment to civic discipleship.

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In this episode of the J29 Coalition Podcast, Caleb Campbell sits down with pastor, scholar, jazz pianist, and author Mark Glanville to explore what it means to preach faithfully in a post-Christian, doubt-filled age. Drawing from his new book Preaching in a New Key, Mark unpacks how expository preaching must move beyond outdated models to engage both the head and heart of today’s listeners, who often come to church carrying skepticism, grief, and questions. Using jazz as a guiding metaphor, he describes preaching as improvisation within tradition—rooted in Scripture yet dynamically contextualized for the moment.

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Mark Glanville is a pastor, Old Testament scholar, accomplished jazz pianist, and author whose work bridges theology, culture, and the life of the local church. He currently serves as Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, where he teaches preaching, biblical studies, and mission. His books include Improvising Church: Scripture as the Source of Harmony, Rhythm, and Soul and Preaching in a New Key, which invites pastors to reimagine expository preaching for today’s post-Christian world. Drawing on both Scripture and jazz, Mark offers a compelling vision of preaching that is faithful to tradition yet dynamically responsive to the cultural moment.

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In this compelling episode of the J29 Coalition Podcast, Pastor David Swanson and Pastor Michael Agapito offer rich and contrasting pastoral perspectives on navigating politics, polarization, and discipleship in deeply different ministry contexts—Chicago’s South Side and rural Southern Illinois. David, leading a multiracial congregation in a historically underrepresented neighborhood, shares how the Black church tradition has shaped a pragmatic, justice-oriented engagement with politics. Michael, serving in a historically sundown town, speaks vulnerably about pastoring a predominantly white congregation as a non-anxious presence and ambassador of the Kingdom of God. Together, they offer theological insights, pastoral strategies, and honest reflections on how Christian leaders can equip their communities to engage civic life faithfully, curiously, and with spiritual maturity.

David W. Swanson is the founding pastor of New Community Covenant Church, a multiracial congregation located on the South Side of Chicago. He is also the founder of New Community Outreach, a nonprofit ministry focused on youth reconciliation and trauma healing. A graduate of North Park Theological Seminary, David serves within the Evangelical Covenant Church and is the author of Rediscipling the White Church: From Cheap Diversity to True Solidarity. With a heart for racial justice, holistic discipleship, and neighborhood-rooted ministry, David brings deep theological reflection and practical pastoral experience to today's most pressing cultural challenges.

Michael Agapito is the lead pastor of Craneville Baptist Church in Southern Illinois. A thoughtful and mission-minded pastor, Michael ministers in a predominantly white, rural community with a complex racial history. Drawing from his American Baptist tradition and a personal commitment to cross-cultural discipleship, he approaches ministry with humility, curiosity, and courage. Michael frequently engages in public conversations about how the church can navigate partisan polarization and embody the love and justice of the Kingdom of God. Online, he’s known as “The Confessing Millennial,” where he offers nuanced reflections on politics, faith, and formation.

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In this timely and honest episode of the J29 Coalition Podcast, pastors Vermon Pierre and Darryl Williamson reflect on the tensions of leading gospel-centered churches in an age of political hostility, racial division, and theological drift. Both members of The Gospel Coalition’s Council, Vermon and Darryl share from their experiences pastoring multiethnic churches in Phoenix and Tampa, offering insight into how Christian leaders can form people who are resilient, humble, and shaped more by the Kingdom of God than by partisan ideologies. With wisdom and clarity, they unpack themes like political discipleship, spiritual formation, pastoral courage, and the need for long-term, relational investment in shaping the imagination of the church.

Vermon Pierre is the lead pastor of Roosevelt Community Church, a gospel-centered, multiethnic congregation in downtown Phoenix, Arizona. He is a Council member of The Gospel Coalition and a founding leader in the Surge Network, where he equips pastors and leaders for contextual, justice-oriented ministry. Vermon is widely respected for his theological clarity, missional heart, and commitment to helping the local church engage cultural and political realities with biblical wisdom and pastoral integrity. His book, Dearly Beloved: How God's Love for His Church Deepens Our Love for Each Other, is available wherever fine books are sold.

Darryl Williamson serves as the lead pastor of Living Faith Bible Fellowship in Tampa, Florida, a diverse and disciple-making church committed to gospel proclamation and community transformation. As a Council member for The Gospel Coalition and a frequent national speaker, Darryl brings theological depth and pastoral experience to conversations about racial reconciliation, justice, and kingdom-centered discipleship. His leadership is marked by humility, clarity, and a deep trust in the power of the gospel to unify across division.

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In this episode of the J29 Coalition Podcast, pastors Benji Bruneel and Ben Marsh unpack what it means to lead churches through political division, cultural formation, and communal discipleship in radically different contexts—Santa Barbara, California and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Together, they explore how service, incarnation, and relational ministry become powerful antidotes to politicized tribalism. From engaging refugee and immigrant communities to fostering disruptive unity across ideological lines, both pastors share how their churches are learning to foreground difference, embrace Spirit-led formation, and confront modern idols—including media addiction and cultural homogeneity. This conversation is a practical, wise, and at times hilarious roadmap for pastors navigating polarized times with courage and compassion.

Benji Bruneel is one of the lead pastors at Santa Barbara Community Church, a non-denominational congregation with historic ties to the Baptist tradition. Serving on the Central Coast of California, Benji is passionate about forming a church that is “relentlessly relational,” rooted in the gospel, and responsive to the real needs of its immigrant-rich, economically diverse community.

Ben Marsh is the lead pastor of First Alliance Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, part of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Ministering in the heart of the Bible Belt, Ben is known for his public theological writing, pastoral honesty, and prophetic commitment to justice, truth, and unity. He leads a small, vibrant congregation shaped by community outreach, refugee engagement, and discipleship that resists partisan conformity.

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In this episode of the J29 Coalition Podcast, Pastor Brad Edwards joins Caleb Campbell for a wide-ranging conversation on pastoring in a politically volatile and spiritually skeptical environment. Reflecting on his experience planting The Table in Boulder County, Colorado, Edwards explores the deep cultural suspicions toward institutional life—particularly the church—and argues for a renewed theological imagination that recovers the beauty, goodness, and formational power of the local church. Drawing from his book The Reason for Church, he discusses how institutions, when rightly understood, function as greenhouses for spiritual growth, identity, and meaning in a fragmented world. Edwards offers practical and pastoral insights for helping congregants move from consumer-driven religiosity and politically shaped theology to Christ-centered wisdom, communal discernment, and rooted spiritual maturity.

About Brad

Brad Edwards is a pastor, church planter, and author serving in Boulder County, Colorado, where he leads The Table, a congregation deeply rooted in Reformed theology and passionate about engaging a secular, hyper-spiritual culture with the beauty of Jesus and His church. A graduate of Covenant Theological Seminary and a longtime admirer of Tim Keller, Brad brings a thoughtful, intellectually honest, and pastoral approach to ministry in a politically complex landscape. He is the author of The Reason for Church, a book that articulates a compelling case for the church as a vital institution for spiritual formation and human flourishing. Brad also co-hosts the Post Everything podcast, exploring faith, culture, and institutional renewal.

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In this J29 Coalition Podcast episode, pastors Jackie Parks and Andy Littleton explore what it means to lead churches through cultural polarization, political tension, and spiritual formation in vastly different Arizona contexts. Jackie, who planted a trauma-informed, justice-driven congregation emerging from a homeless ministry, shares how missional life together can become a prophetic alternative to tribalism. Andy, serving a post-Christian, artistically inclined population in Tucson, reflects on how Scripture subtly but persistently forms a political imagination when preached with humility and curiosity. Together, they reflect on building trust, embracing discomfort, and leaving space for the Spirit to form people through lived experience and communal discernment. Their honest and hopeful conversation models how pastors can be both prophetic and pastoral without giving in to fear or false certainty.

Jackie Parks is the founding pastor of South Scottsdale Presbyterian Church, a community born out of a long-standing ministry to people experiencing homelessness. Ordained in the Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians (ECO), Jackie leads a church deeply shaped by justice, inclusion, and trauma-informed discipleship.

Andy Littleton is the founding pastor of Mission Church in Tucson, Arizona, a congregation rooted in the heart of a post-Christian, creative, and justice-seeking neighborhood. He also writes and reflects on faith and culture through his online platform, A Little Mission.

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Caleb is joined by Ben Cremer and David Ritchie for a candid conversation about navigating the complexities of pastoral ministry in politically charged and culturally entrenched environments. From the Confederate roots of Idaho to refugee ministry in West Texas, the three pastors explore how historical context, political idolatry, and cultural assumptions shape the church’s witness today. They share their own evolving journeys—from avoiding politics to addressing justice and social action through a gospel lens. They offer practical guidance for pastors, emphasize the power of gentle, Spirit-led truth, and call the church back to the cruciform way of the Lamb.

For more about the J29 Coalition, and our upcoming Pastor Cohort, visit J29coalition.com

David Ritchie is the lead pastor of Redeemer Christian Church in Amarillo, Texas, where he has faithfully served for over a decade. A fifth-generation West Texan, David brings deep-rooted love for his hometown to his ministry, which began with the replanting of a dying church and has grown into a vibrant, multi-generational congregation. He is the author of Why Do the Nations Rage?, a biblical-theological critique of Christian nationalism, and is known for his thoughtful, gospel-centered engagement with cultural and political issues. In addition to his local church work, David is involved in ministry to refugees in the Amarillo area and is passionate about forming disciples who embody the self-giving love of Jesus.

Ben Cremer is a writer, theologian, and pastor committed to shepherding people through the complexities of faith, culture, and discipleship in the modern world. Based in Boise, Idaho, Ben has spent nearly two decades pastoring in both traditional and digital spaces, with a growing focus on online discipleship and theological reflection. He is the voice behind the Into the Gray newsletter and podcast, where he explores faith beyond culture war binaries, drawing from church history, biblical scholarship, and personal pastoral experience. Known for his gentle yet prophetic voice, Ben speaks especially to those who have felt pushed out of church spaces, offering a vision of Jesus rooted in grace, justice, and spiritual renewal.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit blog.j29coalition.com