The Central Podcast

Today, Lead Pastor Jon Henninger kicked off a brand new series about Mountain Moments. Up first, Mt. Ararat. Mt. Ararat represents grace, faithfulness, and a fresh start. God is still guiding, protecting, and preparing a place of rest for us. The story of Mt. Ararat shows us the power of trusting God when we do not understand the process, serving while we wait, and worshiping both in the storm and...

When was the last time you allowed your heart to break for what breaks God's heart? This Mother's Day, we wrapped up our series on uncomfortable prayers with one of the most transformative: "Break my heart for what breaks Yours." It's not about adding more to our plates, it's about alignment with the God's will. Like Jesus taught us to pray in Matthew 6:9-10, we're bringing heaven to earth. When w...

We’re in week 3 of our series, Stories of Uncomfortable Prayers, where we're learning to step out of the comfort zones of our prayer life to pray prayers that stretch us and challenge us to grow in our faith. These are the prayers that aren’t easy to say, but often lead to even greater trust in God. This week, we’ll hear about the challenging prayer of “Why God?” as we study the life of Job, a man...

Lead Pastor, Jon Henninger is bringing us a powerful word about the uncomfortable prayer: “Send me,” a challenge to be taken into new spaces, places, and positions in order to share the Good News of Jesus.

Our comfort zones are a place where we feel safe, it’s familiar, it’s…comfortable. But our prayer life was never meant to stay in that safe zone, God wants us to pray prayers that stretch us and challenge us. Prayers that allow us to grow and experience even more of His power than ever before. And that’s what we’re diving into in this series. Throughout the next four weeks, we’re going to discover...

The Holy Spirit doesn’t just visit believers, He dwells IN believers. When we actively pursue Him, His power is stirred in us, transforming us from the inside out and producing a visible, life-changing impact on the world around us.

The same God who walked in the garden, appeared in the burning bush, and dwelled in sacred spaces now chooses to live WITH His people. Through the resurrection, His presence is alive, powerful, and available to YOU. Because Jesus is alive, real life and true freedom are possible. The tomb is empty, the veil is torn, and the Spirit of God is ready to dwell within you.

Lead Pastor, Jon Henninger is bringing us week 3 of our series, Sacred Spaces, where we're taking a look at special places throughout Scripture where God turned ordinary spaces into sacred spaces.  Up next: The Temple! The Temple was ordered by God to be created as a space where He could be encountered. Having the temple assured the people that God was accessible and near, but also reminded them t...

Today, Lead Pastor, Jon Henninger is bringing us a powerful word from our Carbondale campus as we celebrate TWO WHOLE YEARS of this extension of the heart of Central in Carbondale, Illinois!    God has been so faithful since we launched this second campus! Today, we pause to celebrate and honor Him for His provision and remember what He’s done for us as we continue our series, Sacred Spaces, where...

A sacred space isn’t about the place or the ritual, it’s about the relationship we develop with God in that space. God invites us not just to visit His presence occasionally, but to dwell with Him in an ongoing relationship. While we can’t physically stay in our prayer space all day, we can carry the mindset of that relationship with us wherever we go.

Have you ever felt worthless? Helpless? Hopeless? Those can be common feelings IN us but they are not God’s feelings TOWARD us. In this final six-seven lesson, we will look at what The Bible teaches about our value to God.

Community Outreach Pastor, Hayden Poninski is bringing us week 6 of our series, 67, where we're turning this meaningless trending phrase into a fun way to remember meaningful truths from God’s Word. There are always moments in life where you don’t know how to respond, challenges we will face that seem unbeatable, and questions we have that may never be answered on this side of Heaven, yet, we are...

Worry controls our thoughts and steals our trust in God, but what if instead of living in constant fear we could train our minds toward faith by telling God what we need, thanking Him for what He’s already done, and trusting that He knows best. Over time, the worries that once overwhelmed us would become an invitation to deeper trust and greater freedom.

We’re in week 5 of our series, 67, where we're turning this meaningless trending phrase into a fun way to remember meaningful truths from God’s Word. So often we are guilty of giving God the convenient, the comfortable, the remnant, the leftover. Yet time and time again all throughout scripture we see that God gave His BEST for us, and wants the same FROM us. It may be more costly, but it is alway...

How to pray…Talk about something we overcomplicate. In our human effort we repeat words, use different tone, try and sound spiritually deep…but when Jesus was asked how we SHOULD pray, He gave some specific, and SIMPLE instruction. We find it in the Bible book of Matthew chapter 6, verses…you guessed it 6 and 7.

Today, Executive Pastor of Growth and Development, James McKinzie is bringing us a powerful word from the only chapter 67 found in the Bible - Psalm 67, where we’re called to meditate on the things God has given us and let that encourage us to being a blessing to others. We are blessed to be a blessing.

Today, Lead Pastor, Jon Henninger, kicks off a brand new sermon series called.....67. Yes, we're turning this trending phrase into a fun way to remember God's truths from His Word. In this message, we'll look at Joshua chapter 6 where God's people are called to faithful obedience even when they don't see the results of what they're praying for, God asks them to keep moving forward. If you're in th...

Relationships Matter Most is more than a saying around here—it’s an intentional way of interacting with God, the Church, and the world. Today, we’ll explore what it means to build our relationship with the world. You were created for a purpose. Check it out!

Relationships Matter Most is more than a saying around here—it’s an intentional way of interacting with God, the Church, and the world. Today, we’ll explore what it means to build our relationship with the Church. You were made for more than solitude. You were made to be in the live-giving relationship with a circle of people who know you intimately and know God intimately! Check it out!

Relationships Matter Most is more than a saying around here—it’s an intentional way of interacting with God, the Church, and the world. Today, we’ll explore what it means to build our relationship with God. Too often, we chase success, comfort, or answers, hoping a deeper relationship with God will happen along the way, but Jesus calls us to seek Him FIRST in all things. Let's find out how uncommo...

We’re celebrating all God has done in 2025 and looking forward with anticipation for what He will do in the days ahead!  But witnessing a miraculous move of God requires action on our part, we have to demonstrate faith in Jesus on a different level to see something extraordinary happen before our eyes. As we head into a new year full of new possibilities to see a real move of the Holy Spirit in ou...

We're wrapping up our Christmas Sermon Series called “Good News, Great Joy, ALL People.”  Just like He did on the night He was born, Jesus still offers true joy to people who don’t expect it, joy in the midst of interruption and inconvenience, and He even makes Joy available to those who never choose to accept it.  Like the wisemen in the Bible, so many of us spend our lives searching. Searching f...

The birth of Jesus is more than a moment in history, it's the good news that brings great joy and changes everything for us. In Luke 2:10–11, the angel’s announcement to a group of overlooked shepherds becomes a powerful declaration of WHO Jesus is and WHO He came for. Today, we’ll hear about Mary and Joseph. What they were asked to carry wasn't easy, but their inconvenience became the doorway for...

The birth of Jesus is more than a moment in history, it's the good news that brings great joy and changes everything for us. In Luke 2:10–11, the angel’s announcement to a group of overlooked shepherds becomes a powerful declaration of WHO Jesus is and WHO He came for. Today, we'll explore the good news of great joy of all people offered through the Messiah, Jesus. As recorded in Scripture, King H...

The birth of Jesus is more than a moment in history, it's the good news that brings great joy and changes everything for us. In Luke 2:10–11, the angel’s announcement to a group of overlooked shepherds becomes a powerful declaration of WHO Jesus is and WHO He came for. Today, we’ll hear about the shepherds. If Jesus is announced first to lowly shepherds, people who society saw as outcasts, then Je...