The Christian Leader Podcast

Returning guests Matt Bell and Jon Wiebe join the podcast to talk about money as a discipleship issue. Matt is an author and speaker on biblical money management, and Jon has spent 30 years at MB Foundation.  The conversation centers on Matt's new book, Starting Strong , written for dating, engaged and newly married couples. He explains why spenders so often marry savers and why a budget is a...

Kadi Cole returns to the Christian Leader podcast to unpack one of the most surprising shifts in recent church attendance data: for the first time on record, young men are now attending church at higher rates than young women. Kadi is a veteran church leadership consultant with over 20 years focused on developing women's leadership, and she has kept a close eye on why women have been quietly...

Church size is one of those topics everyone tiptoes around. If you're at a smaller church, it can feel like you're always playing catch-up; if you're at a bigger one, it can feel awkward to talk about resources without sounding like you're bragging. In this episode, Matt sits down with two pastors living out very different realities: Alex Janzen, lead pastor of Community Bible...

If God never changes, why does the God in the Old Testament seem so different from Jesus in the New Testament? The Old Testament seems to be full of blood, gore, and violence, but Jesus promotes peace and self-sacrificial love. Are those contradictory ideas? How could God be ok with so much bloodshed and killing—and did he actually initiate it in the Old Testament?  These are big questions that Ch...

Wendell Funk has spent three decades building a successful career with significant impact in his community. He currently serves 3,000 business leaders as the president and CEO of the Wichita Independent Business Association. In this episode, Wendell joins Matt to talk about what it looks like to honor God in the marketplace, primarily through genuine relationship-building with everyone he meets, C...

This week Matt sits down with Brady Bergman, a licensed clinical professional counselor in Wichita and former firefighter of over 20 years, to talk about one of the trickiest parts of parenting: letting kids fail. Brady shares how his path to counseling began informally, doing peer support work with fellow firefighters and walking alongside men in the church long before he pursued his license, and...

Pastor Nathan Ensz of Kingwood Bible Church in Salem, Oregon, returns to the podcast to talk about sabbaticals, what they are, why the Bible points toward them, and what he learned from taking one in 2024 after seven years at Kingwood. Nathan traces the idea back to the biblical pattern of Sabbath rest, the seven-year cycle of rest for the land, and the year of Jubilee, and explains why he believe...

If you were a Christian music fan in the early 2000s, Hawk Nelson needs no introduction. Jason Dunn fronted one of the era's biggest Christian punk-rock bands, touring nearly 280 shows a year, appearing on NBC and feature films, and selling out theaters before he was old enough to understand what was happening. In this episode, Jason traces the whole arc with Matt, how a youth group worship b...

This is a big episode, and not just because of the topic. After more than 150 episodes as LEAD Pods, we've officially got a new name. Today Matt shares a little context for the rebrand at the top of the episode, but the short version is this: we're now the Christian Leader Podcast, and we think the name better reflects who we're for and what we're about. We're kicking off...

Peggy Goertzen is back for her fourth appearance on LEAD Pods, and she's bringing history to life once again. As director and archivist of the Center for Mennonite Brethren Studies at Tabor College, Peggy is the go-to voice for all things MB heritage. In this episode, she traces the roots of why Mennonite Brethren started gathering in the first place, taking us back to the 1870s when MB immig...

After five years at the helm of MCC as the world faced some of its most turbulent times in recent history, US Executive Director Ann Graber Hershberger is passing the baton, and she couldn't be more at peace about it. Incoming director Rukshan Fernando brings a remarkable story of his own: born in the US, raised in Sri Lanka amid civil war, and shaped by decades of work across social work, Ch...

This week Matt sits down with three members of the Gathering planning team, Kelsey Ensz, Drew Pankratz, and Alec Alvarado, for a behind-the-scenes look at what to expect for the USMB national convention this July in Salt Lake City.  The three share the heart behind this year's theme, Cultivate: Living on Mission with Jesus, rooted in 1 Corinthians 3 and the MB family's longtime commitmen...

Andy Owen and Kyle Goings return to LEAD Pods for a timely and energizing conversation about one of the church's most urgent challenges: developing the next generation of leaders before a looming leadership crisis arrives. Andy serves as executive pastor at Ridgepoint Church in Wichita, Kansas, bringing over 20 years of international ministry experience from Thailand to his work of equipping...

Amy Jackson-Kincaid joins LEAD Pods for an eye-opening and faith-filled conversation about foster care, the guardian ad litem program, and the vital role churches can play in one of America's most pressing needs. Amy serves as district administrator for the Guardian Ad Litem Program in North Carolina, overseeing nearly 600 children across three counties. She is also an ordained minister and a...

Pastor Aaron Halvorsen joins LEAD Pods for a warm and wide-ranging conversation about preaching, pastoral identity, and the often unglamorous but essential work of long-term ministry. Aaron is the lead pastor of Community Bible Church in Olathe, Kansas, where he has served for over a decade and will soon celebrate the church's 60th anniversary. He shares his journey from the Pacific Northwest...

Pastor Endashaw Kelkele joins LEAD Pods for a wide-ranging conversation about immigrant church leadership, mission, and faith shaped by perseverance. Endashaw is the lead pastor of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Denver , where he has served for more than three decades. He shares his story of growing up in Ethiopia during a time of Christian persecution, fleeing to Kenya, and eventually immigr...

Pastor Jon Annin joins LEAD Pods for a thoughtful conversation about leading change without losing people. Jon is one of the speakers for the USMB Gathering this summer, and this episode offers a window into his heart for ministry, renewal, and sustainable leadership. Jon shares the story of returning to Stony Brook Church, a small church in Omaha that had experienced significant decline, and how...

In this special role-reversal episode of LEAD Pods, host Matt Ehresman steps into the guest seat as he is interviewed by Lacey Scully, the editor of the Christian Leader magazine. Together they explore the fast-moving world of artificial intelligence and what it means for church leaders today. Matt shares how he personally uses AI tools in his work, from podcast production to daily church communic...

Pastor, theologian, and author A.J. Swoboda joins LEAD Pods for a wide-ranging conversation about leadership and formation. A.J. is one of our keynote speakers for the USMB Gathering coming up this July, so this episode gives a sneak peek into his heart for ministry and insight into life as a pastor in today's unique culture.  We cover a lot of ground in this episode! A.J. shares thoughts abo...

This week pastor and denominational leader Jesse Swiers reflects on reconciliation as a foundational Christian practice—and why it is often far more complex and painful than we expect. Drawing from Scripture, Anabaptist theology, and his own lived experience, Jesse explores the difference between forgiveness and reconciliation, the role of community in peacemaking, and why reconciliation requires...

In this episode, author and Barna senior fellow Mark Matlock unpacks new research on the rapidly growing number of “spiritually curious” Americans. He explains why many assumptions about the unchurched no longer hold, what today’s seekers are actually longing for, and how curiosity—not hostility—is shaping their questions about meaning and purpose. Mark also explores why many Christians prefer cer...

This week Matt sits down with higher-ed leader Greg Brock for a thoughtful look at why so many Americans are facing significant loneliness. Greg unpacks his research on trust, generosity, and crisis leadership, and shares how simple human practices like eye contact, shared meals, and meaningful conversation have become rare in our tech-driven world. Greg traces the cultural shifts accelerated by C...

In this Christmas-themed episode, Matt welcomes Pastor Stuart Curry from Bridgewater, South Dakota, to talk about his new devotional The Keeper of the Light . Stuart shares the heart behind his book—a 25-day journey through Advent designed to help readers slow down, refocus, and rediscover the wonder of Christmas. Drawing from his own life as a pastor and father of eleven, Stuart reflects on how h...

In this special Reformation Day episode, Matt sits down with Tony Petersen, pastor at Mountain View Church in Clovis, and Ryan Loewen, assistant professor of theology at Tabor College, for a deep dive into Martin Luther’s world-changing legacy. Together they unpack the tension and turmoil of the 1500s, from indulgences and corruption in the medieval church to Luther’s rediscovery of grace and the...

In this episode, we sit down with Pastor Jeremy Matlock from Hillsboro MB Church to talk about something every church cares about but often struggles to define—discipleship. Drawing from years of experience as a missionary, teacher, and pastor, Jeremy shares the story behind his new book Discipleship Discussions , a simple, adaptable resource designed to help believers grow in their faith and guid...