Conversations with Jeff Bucknam

Everybody's got a story. And today's is one of the most compelling we've had. Pastor Jeff sits down with Dr. Jon Kelly — Lead Pastor of Chicago West Bible Church, husband to Danielle, and father of three sons. Jon was born in Chicago and raised in Philadelphia. He's a graduate of Moody Bible Institute, Wheaton College, and holds a doctorate in Global Missions from Southern Theological Seminary. Bu...

Everybody's got a story. And today's is a rich one. Pastor Jeff sits down with Dr. Lina Abujamra — a physician, an author, and a speaker who grew up in Lebanon, where she came to faith in Jesus Christ, before coming to the States to study medicine. The Lord has given her a platform that has encouraged countless people to follow Jesus — and today she shares some of that story with us. They also tou...

Everybody's got a story. Today's comes with a soundtrack — and possibly waffle fries. Pastor Jeff sits down with Eli Moore, a worship leader at Harvest's Elgin Campus and part of the Vertical Worship team. Eli's wife is also an owner-operator of a Chick-fil-A, which automatically makes this one of the most interesting conversations we've had. Don't miss it. Executive Producer and Host: Pastor Jeff...

What if hospitality isn't a personality trait — it's a theological conviction? Today, Pastor Jeff is joined by Paul Haske, an elder from our Elgin Campus, and they're unpacking what the Bible actually says about opening our lives and our homes to others. It's more than being friendly. And I think this conversation might change how you see your front door. Executive Producer and Host: Pastor Jeff B...

Everybody's got a story. Today's goes back to the early church — a time when big questions about Jesus and human nature were being fought over, sorted out, and sometimes gotten badly wrong. Pastor Jeff sits down with his co-host Pastor Tommy Creutz for Part 2 of Heresy Hunters, exploring Legalism and Gnosticism — where these ideas came from, why the church rejected them, and why they still matter...

Everybody's got a story. Today's goes back to the early church — a time when big questions about Jesus and human nature were being fought over, sorted out, and sometimes gotten badly wrong. Pastor Jeff sits down with his co-host Pastor Tommy Creutz for Part 1 of Heresy Hunters, exploring Arianism and Pelagianism — where these ideas came from, why the church rejected them, and why they still matter...

Everybody's got a story. And if you've spent any time in the church, you've probably encountered a conversation about spiritual gifts — maybe a great one, maybe an awkward one. Today, Pastor Jeff and Stephanie Geisler, Central Director of Women's Ministry at Harvest, open up 1 Corinthians 12–14 and dig into the sign gifts together. Honest, helpful, and maybe a little surprising. “Conversations wit...

Welcome to Conversations with Jeff Bucknam. Today, Pastor Jeff sits down with Kent Shaw—a ministry leader who has spent years in the trenches of church planting and training pastors—to talk about what it actually takes to start a church. What does it look like on the ground? What do you wish someone had told you before you started? And what keeps church planters going when it gets hard? Grab a cup...

On this episode of the podcast, Pastor Jeff Bucknam tackles an important question for every church: What should churches sing? Music shapes the worship, theology, and even the spiritual formation of a congregation. But how should churches decide what belongs in a worship service? In this conversation, Pastor Jeff and Pastor Moses explore the biblical purpose of congregational singing, what Scriptu...

We often hear people say, 'I love Jesus, but I don't need the church.' But can you really have the Head without the Body? Today, Pastor Jeff Bucknam and Pastor Jeff Thompson dive into the theology of gathering. We’re exploring why 'attending' church is about so much more than a service—it’s about a calling, a community, and a spiritual formation that simply can’t happen in isolation. “Conversation...

Are Catholics Christians? What are the key doctrinal differences between Catholicism and biblical Christianity? In this thoughtful and gracious conversation, guest host Pastor Dave Learned and Bill Ciofani help unpack the similarities, clarify the distinctions, and bring biblical clarity to an important question. “Conversations with Jeff Bucknam” is a production of Harvest Bible Chapel. Executive...

Can forgiveness exist without repentance? In this episode of Conversations with Jeff Bucknam, Pastor Jeff and Pastor Brit Gilman tackle this thoughtful and sometimes controversial question, examining what the Bible says about repentance, grace, and the heart of the gospel. “Conversations with Jeff Bucknam” is a production of Harvest Bible Chapel. Executive Producer: Wesley Cassford Host: Dr. Jeff...

Have you ever wondered why Christians—people who follow Jesus—can sometimes come across as harsh, judgmental, or just plain unkind? And if we’re honest… did the Church actually learn anything from Covid, or did it just expose what was already there? In today’s episode, we’re asking some hard but necessary questions: Why are Christians such jerks sometimes? And what did the last few years reveal ab...

Welcome to Conversations with Jeff Bucknam. In this episode, Jeff is joined by Dr. Kyle Meeker for a timely and important conversation about deciding on doctrine—how Christians think about truth claims, weigh theological differences, and stay grounded when everything from secondary doctrines to conspiracy theories is competing for our attention. We’ll talk about how to discern what’s central to th...

Everybody's got a story! Listen now as Pastor Jeff Bucknam talks with Cory Anderson, Campus Pastor at the North Shore Campus of Harvest, about Mormonism. Cory previously served as a pastor in Salt Lake City, Utah. Together they discuss the question, "Are Mormons Christians? " If you’d like to explore this topic further, consider these helpful books by Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson, available wher...

Everybody's got a story! Listen now as Pastor Jeff Bucknam talks with Dr. Mikel Del Rosario, the Apologetics Guy and professor at Moody Bible Institute, about apologetics. Listen now. Pick up a copy of Dr. Del Rosario's new book: Did Jesus Really Say He Was God? BOOK INFO: https://www.ivpress.com/did-jesus-really-say-he-was-god  You can also follow him on Instagram at @apologeticsguy. Listen to hi...

Everybody's got a story! Listen now as Pastor Jeff Bucknam talks with Pastor Dave Learned, Lead Pastor of Care at Harvest, about truth and relativism. Listen now. “Conversations with Jeff Bucknam” is a production of Harvest Bible Chapel. Executive Producer: Wesley Cassford Host: Dr. Jeff Bucknam Co-host: Pastor Tommy Creutz Guest: Pastor Dave Learned Sound design, mixing, and editing: Wesley Cassf...

Everybody's got a story! Listen now as Pastor Jeff Bucknam talks with Stephanie Geisler, Central Director of Women's Ministry at Harvest, about women in leadership in the church. Listen now. “Conversations with Jeff Bucknam” is a production of Harvest Bible Chapel. Executive Producer: Wesley Cassford Host: Dr. Jeff Bucknam Co-host: Pastor Tommy Creutz Guest: Stephanie Geisler Sound design, mixing,...

Everybody's got a story. Listen now as Dr. Jeff Bucknam talks with Dr. Christian Constante, Campus Pastor of the Rolling Meadows Campus, about Jesus Christ and the evidence of His resurrection. Show Notes Warner Wallace’s book: “Cold Case Christianity: A homicide detective investigates the claims of the gospels” and site: https://coldcasechristianity.com Dr. Gary Habermas’ book: “The Historical Je...

Everybody's got a story. Listen now as Pastor Jeff Bucknam talks with his co-host, Pastor Tommy Creutz about cultural apologetics--applying Christian principles to contemporary cultural issues and engaging with popular culture. “Conversations with Jeff Bucknam” is a production of Harvest Bible Chapel. Executive Producer: Wesley Cassford Host: Pastor Jeff Bucknam Co-host: Pastor Tommy Creutz Guest:...

Everybody's got a story. Listen now as Pastor Jeff Bucknam talks with Dr. John Kilner about bioethics and a biblical perspective on beginning- and end-of-life issues.  “Conversations with Jeff Bucknam” is a production of Harvest Bible Chapel. Executive Producer: Wesley Cassford Host: Pastor Jeff Bucknam Co-host: Pastor Tommy Creutz Guest: Dr. John Kilner Sound design, mixing, and editing: Louis Go...

Everybody's got a story. Listen now as Pastor Jeff Bucknam talks with Pastor Ed Kang, the Director of Acts 2 Network. Listen to learn more about Ed's story, the Acts2 Network story, and the incredible provision of Acts 2 Network's acquisition of our Elgin Campus! “Conversations with Jeff Bucknam” is a production of Harvest Bible Chapel. Executive Producer: Wesley Cassford Host: Pastor Jeff Bucknam...

Everybody’s got a story. This season, Pastor Jeff Bucknam is sitting down with guests to hear about some of their journeys and to delve into significant apologetics topics that matter for everyday faith. In this episode, Pastor Jeff talks with Dr. Kyle Meeker, who oversees Leadership Development at Harvest Bible Chapel, about the existence and nature of God and why that matters. Show Notes: Great...

Everybody’s got a story. This season, Pastor Jeff Bucknam is sitting down with guests to hear some of their journeys and to dig into big apologetics topics that matter for everyday faith. In this episode, Pastor Jeff talks with Dr. Mike Vanlaningham, elder at Harvest Bible Chapel, about the reliability and authority of Scripture—why we can trust the Bible and build our lives on it. Join the conver...

Everybody's got a story. Listen now as Pastor Jeff Bucknam talks with Louis Go, who serves on staff in the production department of Harvest Bible Chapel. Listen to learn more. “Conversations with Jeff Bucknam” is a production of Harvest Bible Chapel. Executive Producer: Wesley Cassford Host: Pastor Jeff Bucknam Co-host: Pastor Tommy Creutz Guest: Louis Go Sound design, mixing, and editing: Wesley...