The Church Lobby

Peyton Jones, a church planter and author of Discipology, outlines disciple-making drawn from Jesus’ life. He describes the Discipology Flywheel of Time, Teaching, and Tactics. He traces Jesus’ three-year pattern—come and see, follow me, send—and explains how focused relationships, practical training, and intentional sending form sustainable movements.

Karl Vaters interviews Darryl Dash, a long-time pastor in Toronto, Canada. Darryl recently wrote the article, Advice to New and Aspiring Pastors, for The Gospel Coalition, Canada in which raised several issues that are helpful, not just for younger pastors, but for anyone who wants to be a better pastor for the long haul.Links:Advice to New and Aspiring PastorsDashHouse.comGospel for Life PodcastPrayerMate AppHow to Grow: Applying the Gospel to All of Your Life8 Habits for Growth: A Simple Guide to Becoming More Like ChristPreach Well: A Short Guide to Making Even the Average Sermon Much BetterBonus Content8 Habits to Become More Like Christ, with Darryl DashKarl Vaters interviews Darryl Dash about the content of his helpful discipleship book, 8 Habits for Growth: A Simple Guide to Becoming More Like Christ. The habits include: the importance of spending time with God, daily Bible reading, involvement in a healthy local church, and more. This is a great book for discipleship in the local church, and this interview with Darryl will give you an idea of what it’s about and how to use it.To get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Karl Vaters talks with Kurt W. Bubna about what to do if you’re a Christian leader who has betrayed people and broken trust. This conversation was sparked by the Facebook post, An Open Letter to Philip Yancey Regarding His Extramarital Affair, that Bubna wrote in early January.So many have opined about Yancey, and understandably so, but most of them know little if anything about his situation, including Karl and Kurt. So, while this conversation was triggered by that news, it’s an attempt at a measured approach from a perspective that we need to hear—a pastor who broke trust and is rebuilding it again. This conversation focuses on practical help for anyone who is walking through a similar time of sinful behavior, by talking through Kurt’s helpful article, How to Rebuild Trust After You’ve Broken It.Links:An Open Letter to Philip Yancey Regarding His Extramarital AffairHow to Rebuild Trust After You’ve Broken ItKurt Bubna’s Amazon author pageKurtBubna.comTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Laurie Graham, founder of SmallChurchMinistry.com who helps small churches develop volunteers, talks about six big shifts in how people serve. She covers the move from transactional roles to person-centered service. She explains demand for seasonal, flexible commitments. She highlights rebuilding trust, prioritizing relationships, and showing measurable mission impact.

Karl Vaters talks through some helpful guidelines with Dave Ripper about how to read, meditate, and teach from the Bible in a richer, deeper way.Dave is the lead pastor of Crossway Christian Church, a multicongregational church in southern New Hampshire, focused on spiritual formation, and is the author of Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus: Reading the Bible like Dallas Willard.Karl and Dave explore who Dallas Willard was, and what his way of reading the Bible can do for us, including:Willard’s four steps on how to read the BibleA five-step outline for meditating on a textThe IMMERSE methodPreaching out of the overflowHow to let God speak to the church instead imposing your ideas into the text or onto the congregationLinks:Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus: Reading the Bible like Dallas Willard, by Dave RipperThe Dallas Willard podcastDaveRipper.comDeeper Experiences with God Podcast, with Dave RipperDave Ripper on InstagramDave Ripper on FacebookContact Dave RipperBonus video summaryThree Warnings from Dallas Willard about How Not to Read the Bible, with Dave RipperIn this subscriber-only bonus material, Karl Vaters talks with pastor Dave Ripper, the author of Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus: Reading the Bible like Dallas Willard, about why Bible readers should stay away from:Bible rouletteThe “It’s all in the Bible” ViewBible deismTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

In this engaging discussion, Jeff Hoglen, a church planter and CEO of ChurchPlanning.com, debunks the myth that all healthy churches must grow rapidly. He shares insights into how growth mirrors farming instead of fireworks, emphasizing the value of slow, steady development. Jeff encourages pastors to celebrate small wins and remain faithful during discouraging seasons. With practical advice on prioritizing discipleship and healthy church practices, he inspires leaders to focus on depth over spectacle.

Karl Vaters talks with Brad Edwards about the shift that’s happened over the last decade or so in how people perceive institutions, especially the institutional church.In this conversation they talk about how the rise of radical individualism has replaced once-trusted institutions, why a distrust in institutions is problematic, and why institutions—especially the church—still matter.Brad is a church planter and pastor of The Table Church in Lafayette, CO. He’s also the author of, The Reason for Church: Why the Body of Christ Still Matters in an Age of Anxiety, Division, and Radical Individualism. This conversation also includes an overview of the reasons behind the loss of institutionalism, and especially five Church Defeaters:Church Defeater 1: Spiritual PragmatismChurch Defeater 2: The Sacred SelfChurch Defeater 3: Counterfeit InstitutionsChurch Defeater 4: (Un)Civil religionsChurch Defeater 5: Virtuous Victimhood(CONGRATULATIONS to Brad on his book being named Book of the Year by Christianity Today magazine!)Links:The Reason for Church: Why the Body of Christ Still Matters in an Age of Anxiety, Division, and Radical IndividualismMere Orthodoxy BONUS TALKOur Role in the Grand Narrative of Scripture, with Brad EdwardsKarl Vaters talks with Brad Edwards about the importance of understanding the metanarrative of scripture as a foundational teaching for life and faith.In particular, their conversation addresses two storytelling terms. First, Main Character Syndrome, which helps us understand and clarify the dangers of the  hyper-individualism of our current age. Second, the MacGuffin, a term coined by movie director Alfred Hitchcock that helps us see what our role in God’s story really is. Links:The Reason for Church: Why the Body of Christ Still Matters in an Age of Anxiety, Division, and Radical IndividualismTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Do you know how to spot if someone in your congregation has a gambling problem? Once it’s been spotted or confessed, do you know what to do?Karl Vaters talks with Dr. Don Lichi about one of the fastest-growing addictions in the world, including:How is gambling defined?Why does it have such a strong grip on some people?Who is most likely to be addicted?How to get helpAnd moreDonald Lichi is vice president emeritus of Emerge Counseling Ministries, and author of the article, Is Gambling a Problem in the Church? You Bet! in Influence magazine. Links:Is Gambling a Problem in the Church? You Bet! (article)Emerge Counseling MinistriesBroken Windows of the Soul: A Pastor and Christian Psychologist Discuss Sexual Sins and the Prescription to Heal ThemYouVersion Bible App Bonus ChatWhat to Do if You’re a Pastor with a Gambling Problem, with Donald LichiPastors are not immune to the temptations of gambling and other addictions.In this short conversation, Karl Vaters talks with Dr. Don Lichi about how to recognize those tendencies in yourself, and what to do if you’re trapped in it. They also talk about who you should/should not share these problems with, and how to engage in preventative measures. Links:Is Gambling a Problem in the Church? You Bet! (article)Emerge Counseling MinistriesBroken Windows of the Soul: A Pastor and Christian Psychologist Discuss Sexual Sins and the Prescription to Heal ThemTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.

Karl Vaters talks with Dr. Jeff Forrey about grief, recovery, and how your church can help people, both inside and outside the congregation, deal with grief in healthy ways.Grief has no rules, but there are healthy ways through it. And churches—small churches especially—are uniquely suited to provide real comfort for people in these difficult seasons of loss.Karl and Jeff talk about some important principles, including:Why do we need help with grief?What kind of damage can we experience if we don’t deal with grief properly?What's a typical time frame for experiencing grief?What common mistakes are made in responding to grievers?And moreJeff Forrey oversees GriefShare, which can come alongside your church to equip you to be a resource for people in need.Links:GriefShareChurch InitiativeDivorceCare Session 1 PreviewGriefShare on FacebookGriefShare on InstagramGriefShare on YouTube CCEF.orgGrieving Room, by Leanne FriesenThere is no bonus material for this episode.

In recent decades, parachurch organizations have carved out an important space in church life and ministry.Karl Vaters talks with Dr. Angie Ward about why it’s important for ministers to take a closer look at what the church is, what parachurch organizations bring to the mix, and how we can move forward more missionally, even as the emphasis on institutions diminishes.Dr. Ward is director of the Doctor of Ministry program and associate professor of leadership and ministry at Denver Seminary. She’s also the author of Beyond Church and Parachurch: From Competition to Missional Extension, which is the basis for this conversation. Links:Beyond Church and Parachurch: From Competition to Missional ExtensionBeyond the Local Church: How Apostolic Movements Can Change the World, by Sam MetcalfThe Church and the Parachurch: An Uneasy Marriage (A Critical Concern Book), by Jerry E. WhitePolycentric Leadership: Church as a Discipleship Movement, with Dan White Jr. (The Church Lobby, Ep 039)Uncharted Leadership: 20 Case Studies to Help Ministry Leaders Adapt to Uncertainty, by Angie WardBONUS TALKThe Five Advantages Of Parachurch Organizations, with Dr. Angie WardEvery parachurch ministry needs to flow from and/or point to the local church. So why do we need parachurch ministries, at all?In this bonus conversation, Karl Vaters talks with Dr. Angie Ward about the five benefits that churches can gain from partnering with parachurch ministries in productive ways:ReachSpecializationLay involvementPromoting unityTo call the local church to mission Links:Beyond Church and Parachurch: From Competition to Missional ExtensionTo get Bonus Content every week, click here to become a Financial Partner, or here to subscribe to the Free Weekly Newsletter.