joey and friends

Leif joins Faith Backstage to discuss various transitions between churches throughout his life, why he and his wife decided to move from San Diego to Los Angeles with the pastor she worked for, how to establish a healthy life groups culture, and the challenges of creating a safe space for worship. Support on patreon: patreon.com/faithbackstage

Dennis Onen, a pastor and filmmaker from Kampala, Uganda joins me for the 50th episode of the podcast, recorded in front of a live audience at the AFRU Media Summit. Dennis and I discuss the emerging filmmaking industry in Uganda, why he's passionate about storytelling, and how he lead his parents to new faith in Jesus. Support on patreon: patreon.com/faithbackstage

Join me and co-host Roni Shasamni as we speak with Lesley Sears (LMFT) about the relationship between faith and mental health. We explore why it’s easy to get stuck in a state of victimhood, and how pastors and leaders can differentiate between a person experiencing strong (but healthy) emotions, and someone suffering from a true mental disorder. Support on Patreon: patreon.com/faithbackstage Time...

Bill joins Faith Backstage to discuss his role as Minister of Music and Worship, from the process of song selection to pastoring a congregation through worship. We also talk about how a song's authorship effects whether or not it will be used at Grace, the dangers of experiential worship, and how Grace balances relevance and tradition in their style and approach. Support the podcast on Patreo...

J.W. Buck is a church planter, filmmaker, teacher, and faith-based entrepreneur. With undergraduate degrees in biblical studies and ministry, J.W. has his PhD in intercultural studies, with a focus on the problem of racial violence. He is a cofounder of Pax, a Christian organization designed to inspire and equip the next generation through slow, beautiful, Jesus-centered content created by people...

Tony joins Faith Backstage to talk about different metrics for measuring a church's success, why people choose to attend a particular church, what keeps them coming back, and how to determine the unique vision that God is calling your church to pursue at the executive leadership level. Tim Keller Article Support on Patreon

Cindy Fahy is an international journalist who has interviewed women and government leaders in 12 countries on six continents for 19 years. She is the author of Living Without Limits: 10 Keys to Unlocking the Champion in You, former features editor of World Christian Magazine and the founding teaching director of an interdenominational Bible study serving women from over 40 churches in the Los Ange...

The Other Side: Women in Ministry continues in this conversation with Sarah Czerwinski! When Sarah was approached with the opportunity to pastor a new young adults ministry at her church, it led her down a path of examining the Scriptures and pursuing God's intention for women in the church. Could she go to seminary? Could she teach men over 18, or accept the title of pastor? In this episode,...

Can women hold the title of pastor? What level of authority can they have in the church? What was God's intent for gender roles in preaching the Gospel? Do these questions even matter, and can we be unified with people who answer them differently? Taylor Pircey joins me on this three-part installment of The Other Side!

Trent joins Faith Backstage to discuss the role he played in reviving a former mega church with dwindling attendance, and how he and the team used a relational ministry model to bring life and growth back to the church. We also discuss leadership development models, determining a church's unique vision and distinctives, and why he's grateful his sin was brought into the light when he was...

Chris joins Faith Backstage to talk about his time as an on-location news reporter, why he bought a one-way ticket to L.A. without a job or place to live, and why he's passionate about telling the stories of others.

Pastor Dave Hurtado stops by Faith Backstage to talk about his years in youth ministry, how he tries to blend attractional ministry and discipleship ministry, and how he leverages his primary gifting of teaching as a lead pastor.

Roniyah Shasamni joins the show to discuss what the Gospel means for Johnny Depp and Amber Heard, and why we as Christians should believe and stand up for victims in our culture while also seeking truth for people who are wrongly accused. It’s a complicated conversation, but one that we hopefully approach with a lot of grace and love.

The Di Pumas are starting their ministry journey to the city of Paris, France! During our conversation we talked about France's culture, why Parisians have a resistance to organized religion, and what the Gospel could mean for the people who call Paris home. They also shared why a two-year delay caused by the pandemic might have been exactly what they needed, and some of the challenges they e...

There’s been a lot of conversation over the past decade about the beliefs and practices of Bethel Church, mostly because of how successful and prominent their worship ministry has been in the Christian culture. Many critics have weighed in on their theology, going as far as calling them heretical and dangerous. On this episode of The Other Side, we’re diving in to find out whether Bethel is truly...

Todd Nighswonger is currently serving as the lead pastor at Cornerstone Church, which was founded by Francis Chan. When Francis left Cornerstone in 2010, Todd was facing an impossible challenge... continue to carry out the great commission when the majority of the congregation was just there to hear Francis preach. During our conversation, we talked about what that transition looked like, and some...

One of our foundational beliefs as Christians is that God created the universe... but what did that process actually look like? What does our belief about the age of the earth mean for our faith? And most importantly... can we be united with believers who would answer those questions differently? Producers: Joey James & Kelly Bumb Guests: Christian Fernandez, Ryan Pauly and Paul Dulaney Techni...

We're kicking off a brand new series on the Faith Backstage feed! Pastor Tim Schoen joins me for a discussion about Christian unity and why it's one of the most important ingredients for a healthy church body. Show notes: https://5dc8cad0-db01-4071-b0b3-70ae0ba18909.usrfiles.com/ugd/5dc8ca_5564a8d6a7df4bba84b6ed5e1f577e2e.pdf

Aaron Kajumba pastors a network of over 50 churches in Uganda and is currently serving as the High School Pastor at Calvary Community Church! During our conversation we talked about how American church culture differs from Ugandan church culture, how value should be determined in the church, why church creatives are some of the most important people on the team, and how those creatives can be both...

Genein Letford is an award-winning speaker, best-selling author and corporate trainer on creative thinking and Intercultural Creativity™. She is the founder of CAFFE Strategies, and has inspired and led many to reconnect to their creative abilities in order to produce innovative ideas for an inclusive workspace. During our conversation, we talked about the definition of creativity, the role creati...

Ariel and Trey Fernald, co-founders of Easter Sky Theater Company, join Faith Backstage to discuss their new book about how performing arts can be used for ministry, and what goes into creating a show that effectively illustrates the heart of God. They also share some stories and testimonies from the over 100 shows they have produced together.

Kristen joins Faith Backstage to talk about the importance of empathy in parenting, how families can stay connected to the church even when they aren't physically present, why it's critical that we have conversations about social justice in the church, the unique heart and character of Gen Z, and so much more.

Michael is the lead pastor of The Church at Rocky Peak in southern California, and with over four decades of ministry experience at two different mega churches, he has a lot of wisdom to share. We talked about why leading a spiritually and emotionally healthy church is so important to him, how the church has been starting to think like the world, and why our nation and culture is approaching a bre...

Jason is the Director of Church Ministry Initiatives with Christian Alliance for Orphans, and the author of several books on foster care including Reframing Foster Car e and Everyone Can Do Something . During our conversation we talked about the role churches have to play in equipping their families for foster care, what keeps families and churches from pursuing foster care, and how Jason leads hi...

Dusty is the youth and young adults pastor at Shepherd Church, where he has been on staff since 2005. He joins Faith Backstage to talk about leadership, discipleship, youth ministry and the biggest challenges facing the students of today.