What Happened at First

In this episode of What Happened at First Baptist, Pastor Heath Lambert and Pastor Spencer Harmon unpack what makes an excellent sermon. Drawing on his article and experience, Pastor Heath outlines five key marks of effective preaching. He pushes back against the notion that “faithful” preaching alone is enough, arguing that communication and connection are also acts of faithfulness. This episode dives deep into sermon prep, structure, and delivery. Thanks for joining us for Season 2 of What Happened at First!

In this episode, Spencer Harmon and Heath Lambert discuss the “landmines” ministry leaders face: personal weaknesses, confusing preferences with principles, and the proper use of authority. They explore how pastors can recognize vocational and spiritual weaknesses, discern between incompetence and lack of gifting, and embrace humility. They also emphasize the danger of elevating personal preferences above biblical principles in church life and the importance of stewarding authority with faith in God’s sovereignty. The conversation encourages self-awareness, reliance on Christ, and humility as the foundation for fruitful ministry.

In this episode of the What Happened at First Baptist podcast, our pastors dive into one of the hardest realities of ministry—broken relationships, bitterness, and gossip. They discuss the surprising presence of enemies in ministry, how leaders can guard their hearts against bitterness, and the role of prayer, forgiveness, and the hope of reconciliation in Christ. They also give practical wisdom on cultivating a culture of reconciliation in the church, addressing gossip in healthy ways, and setting a standard of love and accountability for ministry teams.

In this episode, Pastor Spencer talks with Pastor Heath on how almost every problem in ministry leadership traces back to communication, and why bridging the unavoidable “leadership gap” requires humility, prayer, feedback, and honesty. Whether you’re leading a large staff or a small team of volunteers, the call is the same: foster a culture of open communication, correction given in love, and leadership grounded in both relational and structural authority. Hard conversations will never be easy, but when leaders act with compassion, clarity, and courage, they strengthen their teams for the glory of Christ.

Welcome back to the What Happened at First Baptist podcast. In this episode, we reflect on God’s kindness in carrying us through difficult years and how He’s now using our story to help pastors, leaders, and churches all over the world. The focus of this new season is on ministry teams because none of us were meant to do this work alone. Pastor Heath and Spencer share candidly about the dangers of competition, the temptation to love our ministry more than we love people, and the essential truth that real excellence comes not from steamrolling others but from loving them well. With Scripture as our guide, we talk about correction, gentleness, patience, and the balance of truth and love that builds healthy, Christ-honoring teams.

Join Pastor Heath Lambert on September 15 for candid conversations on one of ministry's toughest roles: leading teams. From balancing loving others well while striving for excellence, having hard yet loving conversations, and receiving correction from spiritual leaders are just some of the real dilemmas we'll tackle together. Don't miss it!

Thank you so much for listening to the What Happened at First Baptist Podcast! We hope this has been a blessing to you and please enjoy this bonus episode of Pastor Heath and his wife Lauren.

This episode will include:

- How much of what happened at First do you attribute to spiritual warfare? How important is it to recognize Satanic opposition in ministry? 

- We hear a lot of people talking about theological triage and which doctrines are most important for Christian leaders to address in their ministries. This episode gets me wondering about ministry triage. How can we know which ministry issues need to be addressed right away and which ones can wait? 

- How has the sexuality statement “aged” at our church? In the community?  

- The historic way that First Baptist engaged with our city was through door-to-door evangelism. How does First Baptist engage with the city and share the gospel today?  

- You took a stand about sexuality because you say in the podcast that it is the greatest sin in American culture. From where you are sitting – what are the biggest issues facing American Christianity that pastors must be prepared to engage with? 

- One pastor wrote in who is leading a church of a comparable size to ours that is healthy and thriving asked: “What is the biggest threat to large churches going into the future?” 

- God works everything together for good. What are some of the good things that he has done at First Baptist through all the struggles we have gone through? 

- What are you most excited about when you think about the future of First Baptist?  

This episode will feature:

- First Corinthians 16:13-14 says, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”

- In order to lead well in a God-honoring way, one must wisely strike a balance between solid convictions and compassionate care.

- Dr. Lambert will talk about how to be “tender and tough” as he shares the wisdom gained from taking a stand for truth in FBC’s Statement on Biblical Sexuality.

- If you have any questions or would like more information about what was discussed on this episode, please submit your questions to [email protected], we would love to hear from you!