The Estuary with Kelley Mathews Podcast

Happy July, everyone! Enjoy this beautiful picture from our recent vacation. Sunrise at the Snake River Overlook in the Grand Tetons. As promised, a few links… Doctor or Doctor? How to Choose Between DMin & PhD by Matthew Kim, PhD, George W. Truett Endowed Chair in Preaching and Evangelism and director of the PhD in preaching program at Baylor University's George W. Truett Theological Seminary in...

Dr. Cynthia Hester teaches, writes, and speaks on topics of faith and women. In 2021, she founded Theology of Women Academy ®, an online hub for equipping individuals with a comprehensive understanding of the spectrum of orthodox views on women in the home and church and enabling them to develop their beliefs—their theology of women. Seminary-trained, Dr. Hester, who received her DMin at Dallas Th...

How does a doctoral program compare to a master’s degree? Which study tool is “magic” for doctoral studies? What question has she fielded often since graduating? And how did she inadvertently and unknowingly encourage me to make sure I was ready for my final presentation? All this and more in my conversation with my cohort colleague, Dr. Laurien Hook. Dr. Hook serves on staff at a large church in...

Welcome my friend and colleague Hannah McGinnis, a thoughtful, brilliant young scholar and former English literature teacher. She also traversed the winding road of her Doctor of Ministry with me every step of the way. At 21, Hannah was diagnosed with cancer, and though she went on to teach, work in fundraising, and live a pretty normal life as a survivor, she senses a continuing stewardship of th...

Dr. Beth Allison Barr joins me to talk through a fascinating book we both enjoyed: Excavating Women: The Archaeology of Leaders in Early Christianity , by Dr. Carina Prestes. What do inscriptions and art tell us about the participation of women in the earliest centuries of the church? Get full access to The Estuary with Kelley Mathews at kelleymathews.substack.com/subscribe

Doctor of Ministry graduates minister to the church in many unconventional ways. They may preach, teach, or administrate at churches, but they also may work as counselors, writers, professors, and more. Today, I talk with my own DMin cohort-mate Susy Flory, who was already a NYT bestselling author before she began her seminary work. Unsurprisingly, Susy focused her research on writers—specifically...

Welcome to my series exploring the Doctor of Ministry degree! Today I spoke with Dr. Nika Spaulding, who studied under Dr. Scot McKnight at Northern Seminary. Nika came to the program with pastoral experience, an ability to think and write well, and a solid dose of creative energy. We discussed her reasons for pursuing the DMin, why she chose Northern, and what her research entailed. Plus so much...

When I am introduced as Dr. Kelley Mathews, someone inevitably asks, “So what did you get your PhD in?” When I respond, “I have a DMin, a Doctor of Ministry,” I often receive a puzzled look and, “Oh, ok.” Welcome to the first in my series exploring both the Doctor of Ministry degree itself and the journeys that took students into the program. I’ll be talking with a number of graduates to learn abo...

Happy Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you)! It’s the first Monday of the month, so I have a couple of book recommendations for you, along with a little trivia about Mother Mary and the month of May. One book to read , by Jennifer Houston McNeel, another to preorder , by Kristin Du Mez , both centering mothers (and other women) who influenced the church in different ways. Get full access to T...

Get full access to The Estuary with Kelley Mathews at kelleymathews.substack.com/subscribe

It’s the beginning of the month, so it must be book recommendation time! I have two topical books relevant to Good Friday. One is short and devotional, the other long and theological—but both are readable and engaging. I love them both. The Wood Between the Worlds , by Brian Zahnd The Crucifixion , by Fleming Rutledge The Estuary with Kelley Mathews is a reader-supported publication. To receive ne...

Get full access to The Estuary with Kelley Mathews at kelleymathews.substack.com/subscribe

Bill Blaydes, my late birthday buddy and surrogate father figure for 30 years, introduced me to a phrase when I lived in his home during my twenties while I attended Dallas Seminary: “the love bucket.” We each have a love bucket that can leak or be filled up. For me, it’s most full when I am with the people I love. So after this past (long) weekend of visiting Dallas and seeing a lineup of friends...

In today’s short video, I recommend two new women’s study Bibles, in which all devotional and technical contributions come from women Bible scholars. NLT Every Woman’s Bible : Published in 2025 CSB Women’s Study Bible : Brand new, out today! Both contain word studies, devotional “call out” sections, thousands of study notes, biographies of leading women in church history, articles on theological t...

I may be a little scattered this morning, but you still get three excellent books to check out. All are on the devotional side, for personal reflection and growth, rather than academic learning. The Freedom of Surrender , by Mary DeMuth . Journey through forty days of entrusting specific areas of your life to God your inner struggles, your family, your expectations, your regrets, your ministry, yo...

Sharing good books is one of my favorite occupations. Congratulations to all the authors whose books are dropping this fall! Some of these I’ve already read, while others are in process or awaiting my attention. Most have already dropped—so you can grab a copy today. All hyperlinks connect to bookshop.org, which supports local book stores. Why I Am Protestant , by Beth Felker Jones. What does it m...

Happy September! May the promise of cooler weather fuel your dreams to snuggle up on the porch under a blanket, with a mug of java and a good book. It’s too early for the porch and blanket where I live, but I’m always down for reading with a side of yumminess. This month, I introduce three options to you: From Dropout to Doctorate With a foreword by the inimitable Jemar Tisby, this moving personal...

Susy Flory needed to say something, but she didn’t want to join the rabblerousers online by just venting. So she typed out three words: “Jesus was nonviolent.” The response was so positive and refreshing, she typed out another “Jesus was …” post the next day. And the next. And the next. For thirty days, she invited friends and strangers into a conversation about the person of Jesus. Eventually, it...

With my doctoral studies winding down, though not completely finished, I am looking ahead to books I can read for fun. As you can see from the list and hear me discuss in the video, my interests remain consistent—history, theology, and the combination of both. Below you will find links to each copy in my Bookshop.org “store.” Each link does send a small percentage to me as an affiliate (much like...

Hey friends, No time to write for Substack over the weekend, so I am sending a short video instead. I’ve got four books to recommend, and they are all wildly different. A book of prayers and poems from Sharifa . A theology book for regular people from Jared Ortiz and Daniel Keating. A controversial history about (shocker!) women in the church from Beth Allison Barr A counseling resource from Miche...

No, it’s not a typo. I don’t mean “40” this time, though we are discussing concepts found within Sue Edwards’ and my book, 40 Questions About Women in Ministry . In this video interview, StacieNicole Simmons and I dialogue over questions gleaned from a course she taught at the Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The video, shot in 2023, was originally used as a supplement to...

The video says it all. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! I’ll catch you on the other side of this move…when I have wi-fi again. Get full access to The Estuary with Kelley Mathews at kelleymathews.substack.com/subscribe

I thought I would try something a little different and offer an old-fashioned show-and-tell about what I am reading this fall, now that school is back in session. My list is incomplete, but it is the best I’ve got right now. Links below, by author! Richard Bauckham Jeannine Brown David Capes Michael Gorman Joshua Jipp Jennifer Powell McNutt Sandra Richter Kelley Mathews is a reader-supported publi...

Last Saturday 2/3 of my immediate family flew to Sacramento, CA, for a few days of exploration on the Northern California coast. We hugged enormous redwood trees, hiked through a national forest of epic proportions, and drove down the wild and tumultuous coastline for hours. Holy moly, the redwoods are breathtaking. After a few days of smelling salty sea air and piney woods, we trekked inland to m...