What Happened at First

In this episode of What Happened at First Baptist, Pastor Heath Lambert and Pastor Spencer Harmon unpack what makes an excellent sermon. Drawing on his article and experience, Pastor Heath outlines five key marks of effective preaching. He pushes back against the notion that “faithful” preaching alone is enough, arguing that communication and connection are also acts of faithfulness. This episode...

In this episode, Spencer Harmon and Heath Lambert discuss the “landmines” ministry leaders face: personal weaknesses, confusing preferences with principles, and the proper use of authority. They explore how pastors can recognize vocational and spiritual weaknesses, discern between incompetence and lack of gifting, and embrace humility. They also emphasize the danger of elevating personal preferenc...

In this episode of the What Happened at First Baptist podcast, our pastors dive into one of the hardest realities of ministry—broken relationships, bitterness, and gossip. They discuss the surprising presence of enemies in ministry, how leaders can guard their hearts against bitterness, and the role of prayer, forgiveness, and the hope of reconciliation in Christ. They also give practical wisdom o...

In this episode, Pastor Spencer talks with Pastor Heath on how almost every problem in ministry leadership traces back to communication, and why bridging the unavoidable “leadership gap” requires humility, prayer, feedback, and honesty. Whether you’re leading a large staff or a small team of volunteers, the call is the same: foster a culture of open communication, correction given in love, and lea...

Welcome back to the What Happened at First Baptist podcast. In this episode, we reflect on God’s kindness in carrying us through difficult years and how He’s now using our story to help pastors, leaders, and churches all over the world. The focus of this new season is on ministry teams because none of us were meant to do this work alone. Pastor Heath and Spencer share candidly about the dangers of...

Thank you so much for listening to the What Happened at First Baptist Podcast! We hope this has been a blessing to you and please enjoy this bonus episode of Pastor Heath and his wife Lauren.

This episode will include: - How much of what happened at First do you attribute to spiritual warfare? How important is it to recognize Satanic opposition in ministry?    - We hear a lot of people talking about theological triage and which doctrines are most important for Christian leaders to address in their ministries. This episode gets me wondering about ministry triage. How can we know which m...

This episode will feature: - First Corinthians 16:13-14 says, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” - In order to lead well in a God-honoring way, one must wisely strike a balance between solid convictions and compassionate care. - Dr. Lambert will talk about how to be “tender and tough” as he shares the wisdom gained from taking a st...

This episode will feature: - By the fall of 2022, by and large, First Baptist was on the other side of the hardships of change with a renewed sense of joy in the church. - However, cultural developments, especially in the city of Jacksonville, called for the church to take a stand for the truth through FBC’s Statement on Biblical Sexuality. - How was this statement received both inside and outside...

This episode will include: - During the hard days, there were a lot of personal attacks on you, some of the most heartbreaking parts of the podcast; however, are when you talk about the impact on your family. One listener wrote in and asked how you and your wife separated the roles of being a pastor and pastor’s wife from the roles of being dad and mom. Can you talk about how you did that? - Part...

This episode will feature: - In leadership, it is inevitable that your plans will change, and failures will happen around you that are outside of your control. This was true for FBC as COVID hit in the spring of 2020. - As the external failures increase, your leadership weaknesses will show, and you are going to come up short as a leader. - Dr. Lambert shares twelve mistakes that he made as a lead...

This episode will feature: - In the spring of 2020, the complex changes at First Baptist were made even more difficult as the global impact of COVID affected all the plans for revitalization.  - Yet while the situation got increasingly tumultuous, Dr. Lambert chose to stay and shares several reasons why you should try to stay at a church going through change, as well as some legitimate reasons why...

Here are the questions asked in this episode: - How can the narrative be taken control of by a small group of people to spread lies like this? - One listener wrote in and asked about another rumor they heard about our church. The rumor is that one of the reasons that people were leaving First Baptist was because it started teaching reformed theology. Is that true? How would you respond to that sta...

- In the trial of Jesus, many people brought numerous false accusations which ultimately led to his crucifixion. - During the midst of change and transition, there will be those who will seek to destroy ministry leaders through deception and get others to join in the proverbial crucifixion. - Dr. Lambert will explain three reasons why people lie when it comes to ministry change, as well as provide...

This episode will feature: - People lied about Jesus during his ministry, and people will lie about the leaders of his church, especially in the midst of change and transition. - Dr. Lambert will share some of the many lies that were swirling around the church as he and other leaders sought to make the necessary changes at First Baptist. - While most of the dishonesty was intentionally unaddressed...

- One of the main themes of this episode is about people leaving our church. - There are people listening to this podcast who are in churches going through painful change. They are thinking about leaving. Are there good reasons to leave? What are some bad reasons to leave? Talk to those folks. - There are people who *started* attending our church in the season of pain. They show up, realize that t...

This episode will feature: - Change comes with loss and pain, and there are no guarantees that your plans will work. - There is a need to focus on the long game in a way that looks through the details of logistics to see the recovery of the vision and priorities of the church for a new day. - Dr. Lambert will discuss the mission of First Baptist, which is to Reach all Jacksonville with all of Jesu...

This episode will feature: - Change is necessary, but it is going to hurt. - First Baptist Jacksonville needed to make some drastic changes or the church was going to die. Yet those changes were made in hopes that on the other side of the pain would be a renewed season of ministry faithfulness and further advancement of the gospel. - Dr. Lambert will share four different kinds of pain that he and...

Here are the questions asked in this episode: - One reality that overwhelmed me during this episode was the amount of things that needed to change at First Baptist. You list them in the episode. Financial. Facilities. Personnel. Programming. You paint the picture that everything felt like it was on fire. How did you choose what to focus on first? - You talk in several episodes about the difference...

This episode will feature: - Change happens. It will happen to your ministry, and it will happen to you. But how should leaders deal with change in a wise and God-honoring way? - In the midst of transition, there is the tension of loving the people you have while at the same time having a heart for those you are trying to reach. How was this tension handled at First Baptist? - Dr. Lambert shares e...

This episode will feature: - A failure to change course is deadly. - You will hear of Dr. Lambert’s journey to becoming senior pastor of FBC, how he grew to love this church, and his observations in the early years of what needed to change. - The church faced massive problems with a debt of tens of millions of dollars, oversized and failing facilities, a bloated and divided staff, and diminishing...

Here are the questions asked in this episode:   - You talk about this photo of Criswell, Vines, and Lindsay – and how the decline had already been happening and nobody saw it. Help me here: was it even possible for them to see the decline? What were the signs back then?    - Is it wrong to have nostalgia over things in the church like pews, buildings, pulpits, and rooms? What would you say to chur...

This episode will feature: - Eight reasons churches decline and why this should be an encouragement and motive for change rather than being reasons to lament and complain. - Three lessons to learn about ministry decline and how leaders can expect and plan for it rather than be overwhelmed when it happens. - Change is inevitable and hard, but the main task of a leader is to be faithful to his calli...

This episode will feature: • How one photo represents both a shift in the SBC and the end of a golden age in the life of First Baptist. WA Criswell, The Old Time Religion - How the pinnacle of growth under the Lindsay years was marked by constructing its 10,000-seat Main Auditorium. - The succession of pastors and the two decades of painful decline following Homer Lindsay Jr's death. - Conversatio...