This week on the podcast, we recap an incredible weekend at our Church Picnic, celebrate another birthday for Amplify, and somehow end up talking about missing giraffes, Fourth of July plans, and why Ed was getting compared to Ron Burgundy on Sunday.Then we jump into one of our most thought-provoking conversations yet.We tackle questions from our live Q&A covering everything from Calvinism and Arminianism to the sacredness of God, the role of the Old Testament in the life of a Christian, modern Israel, dispensationalism, church hurt, and pastoral sabbaticals. These are the kinds of questions that deserve more than a quick soundbite, and we do our best to thoughtfully work through each one.We also clear up some exciting staffing news at Amplify, look ahead to what's coming this summer, and wrap things up with a draft of our favorite things about the Fourth of July.Whether you're here for the theology, the church life conversations, or the completely random side quests, there's something in this one for everyone.

This week, you brought the questions and we did our best to bring the answers.After catching up on summer preaching rhythms, the church picnic, Harrison's playoff run, a giveaway announcement, and a few exciting things happening around Amplify, we jump into a live Q&A driven entirely by your questions.We tackle topics like church hurt, pastoral sabbaticals, social media, and some of the challenges people wrestle with when it comes to faith and church life. We also revisit Sunday's message and talk about what it means to approach faith with a "it's a meal, not a snack" mentality.Plus, we clear up a few questions about staffing changes, look ahead to what's coming next, and finish things off with a draft of places we'd love to visit someday.As always, some answers were thoughtful, some were questionable, and a few probably created more questions than they solved#christianpodcastcommunity #ChurchLeadership #BibleTeaching #Preaching #FaithLeadership #ChristianLiving #ChurchGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #MinistryLife #PastorLife #BibleStudy #SermonPrep #BiblicalLeadership #faithandculture

Join us for Off The Record

This week on the podcast, we look back at the launch of our new series, Brandon's message, and some of the moments that stuck with us long after Sunday ended.We also get into a few bigger conversations that have been popping up both online and in church circles: Is church hurt real? How should churches think about pastoral sabbaticals? And what do we do with some of the more debated topics in the Church today?Along the way, we revisit a few thoughts that didn't make it into Sunday's message, preview some exciting things coming up at Amplify, and somehow end up debating the greatest foods at graduation parties.A little theology, a little church life, and a lot of honest conversation.

This week on the podcast, we cover a little bit of everything.We kick things off with an overdue apology from Ed, a story involving Intern Emma breaking her hand, and the realization that somehow it's already June.In Sunday Rewind, we celebrate an incredible weekend at church: 999 people in attendance, 10 salvations, and 33 baptisms. We also talk about a reminder that God is often doing far more than we can see in the moment.Then we get into a conversation about "cool church"—what people mean when they say it, whether it's something churches should pursue, and how easy it can be to miss what actually matters.We also look ahead to a brand-new series, upcoming events, and finish things off with a draft that reveals way too much about everyone's movie preferences: Desert Island Movies.Faith, church life, questionable movie picks, and at least one story involving a broken hand.

This week somehow includes theology, thermostats, baseball injuries, and a surprisingly intense conversation about household chores.We kick things off by rating Intern Emma’s sermon, discussing optimal house temperatures like middle-aged dads, and asking why Brandon skipped the parade.In Sunday Rewind, we unpack one of the biggest questions people wrestle with: why do bad things happen? That leads into a deeper conversation from our apologetics Q&A around the question, “Is God the author of evil?”We also talk through some upcoming conversations we want to have on the podcast, preview what’s coming up at church, and somehow finish the episode debating household chores.

This week’s conversation covers everything from a bizarre Pittsburgh zoo trade to Emma preaching at youth, random songs getting stuck in our heads, and some classic backstage chaos along the way.

We also rewind Sunday’s message, share what’s been sticking with us heading into the week, and revisit a few extra thoughts that didn’t make it into the sermon. Plus, we talk apologetics, why it matters for everyday believers, and look ahead to next week’s live Q&A night.

And of course, we wrap things up with upcoming events, baptisms, and some completely unserious draft conversations.

This week gets surprisingly deep… and surprisingly weird.

We kick things off looking back at Sunday’s message, including some apologetics conversations, a concerning amount of math, and a few resources for people wanting to think deeper about their faith.

From there, we get into one of the more unexpected conversations we’ve had on the podcast:

If aliens existed… would it actually affect Christianity?

Not from a conspiracy angle—but from a theological one. We talk through what central beliefs of the Christian faith would (or wouldn’t) change, and why that question even matters in the first place.

We also preview our upcoming apologetics Q&A night, talk about what’s coming up at church—including baptisms, Man Up, and GLS—and somehow end the episode with a spontaneous preaching game that goes exactly how you’d expect.

A little theology, a little apologetics, and a few moments that completely went off script.