Long episode alert!! Mark and Jeff invite Ryan Hamby and Drake Epkes onto the fireporch to talk about Ryan's time in Iowa City and give him an Average Pastor send-off as he sets out to plant a church in Santa Barbara, California.

To learn more about Veritas Church Santa Barbara, go to http://sbveritas.org

Questions or comments for the podcast? Email us at mailto:[email protected]

Back at the fire porch again, Mark, Jeff and Jake discuss the tension of efficiency while seeking intentionality. Mark opens the floor to air out everyone's personal rants and follows with a discussion on how we can discern God's voice from our own.

Also, Jake Each's new children's book, "The Unusual and Adventurous Raising of Charlie Finely" is now available to purchase on Amazon!

Mark, Jeff and Jake are back in the fire porch to discuss what it looks like for the church to act as a family and how Christians should think about their relationship with the world. Also, if anyone knows Nate Bargatze, please reach out to him and tell him he should be a guest on our podcast! If you want to connect or have a topic suggestion or question for the show, drop us a line at [email protected]

The average pastors discuss the pressures that come with church growth and how pastors should steward their ministries. The business world pursues growth as the ultimate objective, but what should pastors pursue as the goal of their work?

Mark, Jeff and Jake catch up after the holidays and talk about what qualifies a person for ministry. What do they look for when hiring people, and what does it mean that God uses weak vessels to accomplish His purposes?

The average pastors welcome lead pastor of Veritas Dubuque and retired detective Jon Turbett! While sharing stories from years in the field, Jon tells how Veritas Dubuque began and what faithfulness looks like while looking ahead to a new chapter of life as their lead pastor.

To cure Marks reading slump, the average pastors share their favorite book recommendations and discuss the church's role in bringing up mature disciples.

Jeff's back from Zambia! On this episode, the average pastors exchange "coffee testimonies," talk about upcoming Advent teaching series, unpack Jeff's Zambia trip and even unveil Mark's Spotify Wrapped!

Mark, Jake and special guest Ryan Hamby discuss what it means to pass "The Faithfulness Test" and learn from voices from the past, such as William Tyndale and Alexander MacLaren.

If you'd like to send a message to the crew or suggest a discussion topic for the podcast, send us an email at [email protected]

Jeff has gone to a better place (Zambia)! In his absence, Mark and Jake are joined by Ryan Hamby, who will soon be planting a church in Santa Barbara, California.