RE: CHURCH

Who qualifies for minister’s housing allowance? What is the process for determining it, and what are the most confusing or misunderstood points? How can pastors and church leaders exercise good stewardship as they establish the 2026 church budget? In this episode of RE:CHURCH, Marshall Fant discusses minister’s housing allowances with Corey Pfaffe, CPA and Principal at MinistryCPA.com and retired dean of the school of business at Maranatha Baptist University. 

The following resources are available on the website of MinistryCPA.

Financial Health Questionnaire: https://ministrycpa.org/resources/other

Housing Allowance Worksheet: https://ministrycpa.org/services/tax-organizers

Should you create and host a podcast for your church? What are some considerations for the format, technology, and content? Can such a podcast enhance your shepherding or take away from it? In this episode of RE:CHURCH, Marshall Fant discusses this topic with Joe Fant, pastor of Community Baptist Church in South Bend, IN. Speaking of the opportunity a church podcast gave for informal ministry discussions, Joe Fant says, "If you can do it for your church, it’s an awesome opportunity to have conversations you couldn’t have in any other vein, but you have to be ready and make a commitment for a certain period of time."

How long was the time from when your husband announced his retirement to the church until you left the church? What were some of the biggest practical changes you noticed right away after your husband stepped down from the full-time pastorate? Did you feel a sense of loss, freedom, or both? In this episode of RE:CHURCH, Marshall Fant discusses life after the pastorate with his wife, Gretchen, and Sue Goodwill. Sue Goodwill served as a pastor’s wife for 35 years, following her husband to three different churches. After retirement, Scott and Sue Goodwill began assisting churches through GFA’s interim pastors ministry. Gretchen Fant served as a pastor’s wife during the 21 years her husband replanted Harvest Baptist Church in Rock Hill, SC. The Fants transitioned from that church to GFA, where Marshall Fant leads the interim pastors ministry and church-planting and revitalization efforts.

How does a church’s pulpit committee vet multiple pastoral candidates and narrow down its recommendation to one candidate for the entire church to consider? How does the committee keep the church informed of progress while maintaining confidentiality?  In this episode of RE:CHURCH, Marshall Fant discusses the function of pulpit committees with Kerry Baggett and Art Springer, chairman and member respectively of the pulpit committee of Faith Baptist Church in Taylors, SC. Kerry Baggett shares this encouragement for pastoral candidates, “For any pastor out there, the maturity you bring to the table—your spiritual maturity, your love for the Lord, your desire to want what God wants—is what will help keep you calm, knowing that you are wanting what God wants.”

Artificial intelligence, a rapidly changing but powerful tool, is changing how we live, much like automobiles did. In this episode of RE:CHURCH, Marshall Fant discusses with David Shumate his article, “An AI ‘Interview’ with C. H. Spurgeon,” published in the January/February 2025 issue of Frontline. Using well-crafted prompts and Anthropic's Claude, Dr. Shumate “interviewed” Spurgeon. What is the difference between a plausible answer and an accurate answer? What is a hallucination? How essential is fact-checking a quotation? Dr. Shumate, Academic Dean at International Baptist College and Seminary in Chandler, AZ, gives this advice about AI: “Treat it more as a brainstorming partner rather than an authority.”

How can church leadership plan for a pastoral change? What makes a pastoral transition successful? In this episode of RE:CHURCH, Doug and Ben DeMar share with Marshall Fant the story of the pastoral transition at Salem Bible Church in Salem, OH. As the founding pastor with 45 years of pastoral experience, Doug DeMar passed the baton to his son Ben DeMar after a five-year transition. Speaking of one lesson he learned during that process, Pastor Ben DeMar says, “You are not in the lead until you are in the lead.” His father says, “The primary thing is the Lord Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, not a man. We are servants, unprofitable at best. We want to follow His leading.”

What are the predominant worldviews in your community? How can you more effectively reach people from different cultural perspectives? In this episode of RE:CHURCH, Marshall Fant discusses with Greg Baker three questions to ask a person to learn his or her basis for determining truth, dominant view of God, and dominant fear. Greg Baker serves as pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Liberty, UT, and president of the Sego Lily Foundation, which creates and provides resources for evangelizing Mormons. Speaking of how posturing himself as a learner has helped him, Pastor Greg says, "When you start asking these questions, it doesn't diminish your burden for those people; it increases it."

What leadership style does God expect of leaders? Following Christ’s example means we lead through serving. In this episode of RE:CHURCH, Marshall Fant discusses this topic with Ken Collier, friend, preacher, mentor, and the voice of many characters on The Adventures of Patch the Pirate. Ken Collier has spent 56 years employed by The Wilds, living out what it means to lead by serving. He has also co-authored Biblical Leadership: Becoming a Different Kind of Leader. Speaking of his desire to hear God’s “Well done thou good and faithful servant,” Ken Collier says, “The man or woman who dies with the dirtiest towel wins.”

Serving in a small ministry can magnify the isolation of a pastor and his wife. How can a pastor’s wife make wise decisions about ministry involvement and also benefit from the “one anothers” of the body of Christ? Whom can she tap for wisdom in her role? In this episode of RE:CHURCH, Marshall Fant discusses this topic with Crystal Joos. Her husband, Taigen, has served as senior pastor of Heritage Baptist Church in Dover, NH, since 2007.

When does a man whom God has called to ministry stop ministering? How can he use his next season of life to help a church without a pastor? In this episode of RE:CHURCH, Marshall Fant discusses with Jonathan Edwards how God has used him for 50 years in Utah in church planting, pastoring, and, most recently, church revitalization. Jonathan Edwards has served with Northwest Baptist Missions since 1975. His advice when reflecting on the only three eternal things in this world—God, His Word, and the human soul—is simple: “Invest in things that will last forever.”