Finding Healthy Church

It's common for humans to operate in systems of authority and submission where people are in charge of other people. But when Jesus was confronted by such a system, he gave a surprising response that revealed a...

Largely in the church today, being a leader is about being a little god or a prince or an official. It's about being in a needed position permanently. But you see something different in the biblical story. Join Mike and...

There are many word used by the writers of the New Testament that have come to mean things different than what they originally meant. "Deacon" and "bishop" have come to mean positions in an organization rather than...

1 Corinthians 12:28 says "And God has appointed in the church, first apostles..." So why are apostles first? There are two main ways to answer that question. Join Mike and Barb as they discuss this critical function in...

It's common to hear people talking about how churches are the "Body of Christ." But what does that mean practically? What does it look like to actually function like that? Join Mike and Barb as they discuss how the...

There are words used in English Bible translations when it comes to the topic of church leadership that are misleading at best, and completely destructive at worst. But as we start to dig into the words the original...

You might have noticed something when it comes to Scriptures related to the topic of leadership - many of them seem to contradict each other. In one verse, Jesus says that his disciples don't "lord it over each other."...

Finding healthy church starts with understanding the nature and purpose of the Church. Join Mike and Barb as they break down the insights they uncovered in their study of this topic through the first 18 episodes of the...

Isn't it ironic that the Church was more successful in a passionately pagan society where demands on converts were higher than in an at least nominally Christian society where demands are lower? Join us as we talk about...

It takes knowledge and practice plus time for a group of people to be built together in agape love. The letters to churches in the New Testament give us a clear picture of this being the case. But when a church starts...

Jesus said some pretty radical things about being his disciple; specifically that making the choice would divide families and re-prioritize our loyalty. Join us as we talk about how Jesus felt about where the Church...

Do you think primary loyalty belongs to a spouse (if married) or siblings? In the modern Western world, it's romantic love that generally wins. But in the ancient Mediterranean world, this wasn't true. Join us as we...

The world's identity comes from what you do, where you live, what you have, and what other people think of you. This is a unique approach of the modern Western world. In this episode, we'll talk about the consequences...

People are seemingly unable to commit to or stay in close-knit shared-life Christian community. A main reason for this is a cultural mindset members of churches have adopted that contributes to this. In this episode...

There's a deceptive philosophy about church structure floating around the Christian world that is ultra-unhealthy. In this episode, Mike shares a story about encountering this philosophy in real life and sets the record...