How did the Lord burden your heart to preach through the book of Genesis? What did you do to prepare for the series before ever preaching the first sermon? What are the key theological themes? What passage presented the most theological challenge? In this episode of RE:CHURCH, Marshall Fant discusses these questions with Greg Baker, pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Liberty, UT. Pastor Baker has served as the senior pastor of this assembly since 2010. He also works extensively with Pioneer Bible Camp and serves as the president of the Sego Lily Foundation.

Expositional preaching, particularly verse by verse through books of the Bible, is the widely practiced style today in our circles. But should book exposition be the center of a pastoral ministry? What Scriptures inform a pastor's pulpit ministry? How should a pastor pray and prepare when uncertain of the next book to study? What about his own personal preparation before preaching on Sunday? Marshall Fant discusses these questions with Dr. Mark Minnick, senior pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Greenville, SC, since 1989. Pastor Minnick has been in pastoral ministry for over 40 years and is known as a pastor who diligently preaches the Word. This episode of RE:CHURCH introduces the next season's series on preparing to preach different books of the Bible.

The relationship is key to churches and missionaries partnering effectively in the Great Commission. How can missionaries serve and encourage churches they visit on deputation and furlough? How can churches serve and encourage the missionaries they support? In this podcast, Marshall Fant interviews Jon Crocker, GFA's executive director, about this topic. Before assuming a leadership role in the home office in 2022, Jon Crocker along with his wife, Andrea, and five children, served as missionaries to Mexico City. Having traveled to churches on both deputation and furlough, the Crockers know what it is like to have a network of supporting churches.

Are image issues, suicidal thoughts, depression, identity crises, and pornography the key struggles young people face today, or are they the symptoms of something else? Matt Collier, president of The Wilds, has talked with many pastors and youth pastors about a cultural trend they are seeing: teens are struggling to develop genuinely deep relationships. To equip pastors and parents to help young people form meaningful connections, Matt Collier has written a white paper, "Created to Connect: Helping Teens Develop Deeper Relationships." In this podcast, Marshall Fant interviews Matt Collier about this paper. In addition to serving as the president of The Wilds, Matt Collier also serves as the director of Camps Abroad. He has also had 15 years of pastoral experience.

Addiction is a growing problem in our homes, communities, and country. How can churches help people struggling with enslaving sin patterns? Through his friendship with a believer struggling with drug addiction, Jim Berg began Freedom That Lasts®, a biblically-based discipleship ministry of the local church. In this RE: CHURCH episode, Marshall Fant discusses with Jim Berg the nature of addiction and how churches can use Freedom That Lasts® to evangelize and counsel people to grow in Christlike character. Jim Berg is an author, biblical counselor, professor, and founder of FTL.

He has written Help, I'm Addicted, a 64-page booklet as an easily accessible resource. You can view that and other material he's authored at jimberg.com.

Why should a person consider ministry in an urban area? In this episode of RE: CHURCH, Marshall Fant discusses this topic with two pastors ministering in NYC. After planting a church in Connecticut, Jim Bickel moved his family to Brooklyn, NY, to plant Bethel Baptist Fellowship. In 2024, he will have pastored that church for 25 years. Matt Recker, a native New Yorker, committed his life to the Lord after the Lord saved him while at college at Clemson University in South Carolina. He has planted three churches in NYC and currently pastors Heritage Baptist Church in Manhattan.

How can a man who stays too long at his church become a hindrance? What can we learn from the Apostle Paul's life about finishing well? In what ways does scripture require faithfulness? In this episode, Marshall Fant discusses with Bruce McAllister, GFA Director of Ministry Relations, how pride and procrastination hinder a man from transitioning out of full-time ministry. With over 40 years in ministry, Bruce McAllister speaks to this topic from personal experience.

Considering starting a new outreach to children or gearing up for summer ministries? Looking for materials to help you? Bible Visuals International (BVI) exists "to support Christians worldwide in evangelizing and discipling children by supplying quality teaching tools and relevant training for the purpose of helping children see Jesus." In this episode, Marshall Fant interviews Tom Luttmann, Executive Director of BVI, about the print and digital materials this non-profit supplies to help churches, parents, teachers, and missionaries reach children with the Gospel. With experience in both children's ministry and publishing, Tom Luttmann has served as BVI's executive director since 2010. Check out BVI's resources at biblevisuals.org.

Christ is faithful to His promise to build His church, but as the seven churches in Revelation illustrate, individual churches are raised up for a season. So what are some indicators of when a church should merge or close? How practically can a church work through a merger? In episode 109 of RE: CHURCH, Rick Arrowood shares with Marshall Fant the story of how he led a church through a merger. Pastor Arrowood and his wife, Dolly, have served in pastoral ministry for 42 1/2 years, and they are currently part of GFA's interim pastor program. Go to gfamissions.org/church-mergers/ for the full show notes.

What are some common areas of discouragement for women in ministry, marriage, mothering, and influence in the world? How can a woman seek refreshment in her relationship with the Lord? In episode 108 of RE: CHURCH, Marshall Fant discusses this topic with Denise and Dale Cunningham. Denise has been married to Dale Cunningham for 42 years and for the last 21 years has served alongside him at Boones Creek Bible Church, where he is the senior pastor. Denise is a mentor to other women and seeks to encourage them through her blog, RefreshHer, and podcast, Refresh Her.

Go to gfamissions.org/encouraging-words-for-women for the full show notes.