Talking Church

Episode 74: Levi Lusko and Logan catch up on life, chat about how to deal with criticism, Levi's friendship with Craig Groeschel, and how he keeps himself and his team moving forward with creativity. Levi Lusko is the Lead Pastor of Fresh Life Church in Montana, as well as a renowned author & speaker.

Episode 73: The one and only Nathan Finochio is back at it again with Logan on this live-recorded episode from River Valley Conference! Nathan and Logan chat about last week's discussion with Dr. Tennison, Nathan's perspective on navigating the hot topics of today's world with the platform he has, and much more. When Nathan drops in, it's always a blast! Listen in now!

Episode 72: We recorded a live podcast at our Conference with Nathan Finochio & Dr. Allen Tennison! We knew having these two great minds come together to discuss major topics of debate within our world would be so informative, edifying, fun, and electric. It was definitely the highlight of our time at Conference, and we know this conversation will bless you as well! Listen now!

Episode 71: Pastor Herbert Cooper, lead pastor and one of the speakers at River Valley Conference 2023, joins in on this special episode that we filmed live at our Conference lobby just several days ago! Check it out now!

Episode 70: Cade Thompson, christian musician and songwriter, discusses what is was like to sign a record deal as a teenager, the challenges that he faced then, and the lessons that God taught him through starting his career so young. What was it like to hear himself on the radio back then? What are some of the thoughts and heart behind the songs on his newest album? Cade breaks down these questio...

Episode 69: Michael Murphy drops into the studio to speak on leadership and pastoral care. Michael is an incredible leader, pastor, mentor, consultant, and so much more. He specializes in helping pastors and churches grow within staff development and culture. We can't wait for you to listen!

Episode 68: Paul Olson is a member from our church who uses his gifts in education and theology to help Pastor Rob prepare and research for all of his sermons! Paul jumps into Talking Church to discuss his story, how he once made the mistake of loving the Bible and knowledge more than God, and how he let God pull him out of that season in his life. Don't miss this amazing story!

Episode 67: Listen to learn how to talk about the hard things as a pastor.  Some people avoid these conversations but Pastor Rob has led his life as a pastor to talk about the difficult things despite the tough responses that can arise. Ultimately, we need to pastor like we parent! 

Episode 66: Alex Seeley from The Belonging Co in Nashville joins us this week to discuss her transition to Nashville, her experience as a female in ministry, and so much more. Alex is an incredibly gifted speaker and pastor, and we know she has a word for you today!

Episode 65: Ryan Williams disects his process within writing worship music, the roadblocks he experiences as an established songwriter, and the direction he sees worship music heading from seeing where it has been. Pastor Ryan has an amazing testimony within River Valley, having written so many songs, and albums, and we're so glad he joined us to share his wisdom!

Episode 64: Pastor Rob jumps into the conversation surrounding moral failures and dealing with conflict within your team, and outside of your team. What is the appropriate response to another church of the same denomination starting just a few blocks away? So many great lessons to navigate, so tune in now!

Episode 63: Today on Talking Church we welcome River Valley staff, Kirk Graham and Aaron Johnson, to talk about the tension of creativity in ministry. How do you create towards the vision of your lead pastor? How do you encourage your creative teams in their process while also implementing boundaries? These questions and more are answered in this conversation. Don't miss it!

Today on Talking Church we have team members, Lindsay Swiggum & Pat Utecht, sharing about their call into ministry from Corporate America. Hear about the wins, challenges, and blessings of both worlds, and how the blend of both could empower ministries to the next level.

On today's episode we are talking Next Gen! We are joined by Peter Reeves, an evangelist passionate about reaching the Next Generation. Terry Parkman and Gabi O'Rourke also join in this conversation about our recent youth conference, social media, Gen Z, and the future of Youth Ministry.

Episode 60: Today we are joined by Dr. Robert Crosby, president of Emerge Counseling Ministries and author of The One Jesus Loves . Tune in to hear about the importance of mental wholeness not simply mental wellness; how to intentionally build a friendship with Jesus; and what our calling as pastors really looks like.

Episode 59: Pastor Logan took some time during CMN conference to ask questions of some amazing leaders about retaining new visitors after Easter and creating space for revival in response to the Asbury Revival. Joined by Pastor Aaron Burke from Radiant Church in Tampa, Florida; Pastor Herbert Cooper from People's Church in Oklahoma City; Pastor Jeffrey Portman, Director of Church Multiplication Ne...

Today Pastor Logan sits down with Zach Windahl, author of The Bible Study and his newest book, See The Good! Listen as Zach shares about how there is good to see in all situations, how to pastor people with entrepreneurial spirits, and how he almost walked away from his faith. Don’t miss it!

Episode 57: Pastor Logan was in Portland a few weeks back with Pastor Rob, and he found a book that was published in the 1800's with stories from the famous Cambridge 7, Hudson Taylor and other amazing missionaries! Logan explains the background behind this historic book, beautiful passages and lessons from the author, and his encouragement to the network. Let's take a look back at what missions w...

Episode 56: Dave Ramsey joins Logan for an extraordinary conversation all about Dave's faith journey, his appreciation for pastors, avoiding debt, and his heart for the next generation of church leaders. We know the biggest Ramsey fans and new listeners will get so much out of this conversation! Free Financial Peace for Pastors: https://bit.ly/3xzG39s

Episode 55: We gladly and joyfully submit and live under the authority of Christ, but we often run into confrontation when we are challenged to submit to leadership. Pastor Rob jumps into the topic of living under authority, and he shares many stories of moments where he had to choose to submit to the authority God placed in his life. One time he tried to split the AG?! Listen now to hear the full...

Episode 54: As we begin our event season as a Network with our Generosity Accelerators, Pastor Logan wanted to take a week to look back at the very first episode of Talking Church that he ever recorded! We do not want you to miss this encouraging and momentous conversation all the way back from 2021 with Mark Batterson.

Episode 53: The talented Stephen Brewster, with the Harmony Group, sits down with Logan for a conversation around creating worship albums. Stephen is a renowned music partner who has worked with River Valley and so many others, and is very well versed in the music industry. As he discusses what makes a great worship song, and the process that comes with writing and producing, ask God what He wants...

Episode 52: Pastor Rob jumps back into Talking Church this week to discuss his new vision for 2023: Take Ground! Each year, Pastor Rob shares his vision message for our church, and the theme for the year. We commit to take ground in our church, communities, schools, country, and our world! As a Network, we are embodying this theme with tenacity and boldness, and we pray you will join us as we take...

Episode 51: As a multi-site church, we get to minister to many different cultures of the cities around us! Our City Campus, which took ground in Minneapolis several years ago, is located in the heart of Minneapolis and sees a very different culture than some of our rural campuses. Pastor Anthony Cox is the campus pastor of our City Campus, and he sat down to break down his thoughts on pastoring an...

Episode 50: It is very important to recognize mental health, and the attacks of the enemy on the mental well being of our ourselves. Our special guest this week is none other than Detra Clark, who is a member of our church, and incredible christian therapist who has helped so many people with various mental struggles. Detra explains the significance of getting help as a Pastor and leader, so that...