The Red Letter Disciple
by Red Letter Living, LLC
Latest episode
150: Should Pastors Be Journalists? Truth, Accountability & the LCMS…
150: Should Pastors Be Journalists? Truth, Accountability & the LCMS…
About this podcast
Welcome to Red Letter Disciple, a podcast to challenge you and your church to be greater disciples of Jesus so that together we can unleash the greatest and fullest expression of Jesus possible. When we do, when we truly live as disciples of Jesus, the world will never be the same! Your host, Pastor and author Zach Zehnder, will guide you through some incredible conversations with world-class disciples. Let’s do this.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 157 episodes
- 150: Should Pastors Be Journalists? Truth, Accountability & the LCMS with Tim Wood · 1 h 18 min · Episode 150Should pastors publicly criticize other pastors? Tim Wood of Ad Crucem News joins Zach Zehnder for an honest conversation about journalism in the LCMS, the Eighth Commandment…
- 149: Does the LCMS Need to Change? Lutheran Tradition vs. Innovation | Seth Kasten · 1 h 2 min · Episode 149How much should Lutheran churches change to reach the next generation? Seth Kasten of Scholastic Lutherans joins Zach Zehnder to discuss historic Lutheran worship, the freedom…
- 148: Why Young Christians Are Turning to Catholicism and Orthodoxy (Not Lutheranism) | Matthew Gehne · 1 h 5 min · Episode 148Matthew Gehne grew up Lutheran, drifted from his faith, and rediscovered it after falling in love with a Catholic woman and moving into Baptist country. Now he's using social…
- After the Election: Joel Biermann on Division, Worship, Pastoral Formation & the Future of the LCMS · 1 h 14 min · Episode 147Joel Biermann returns to The Red Letter Disciple after the 2026 LCMS presidential election to reflect on the experience and respond to new State of the LCMS Survey data on…
- 146: Who Gets to Decide How Lutherans Worship? | Kent Burreson on Worship Wars & Christian Freedom · 1 h 26 min · Episode 146What actually makes worship Lutheran? Concordia Seminary professor Kent Burreson joins Zach to talk worship wars, Christian freedom, adiaphora, Word and Sacrament, traditional…
- LCMS Churches Don’t Have to Die | Mergers & Multisite | Scott Giger, Greg Griffith & Tom Pfotenhauer · 1 h 48 min · Episode 145What happens when a congregation knows its current path isn’t sustainable? Scott Giger, Greg Griffith, and Tom Pfotenhauer join Zach to talk honestly about church mergers…
- Are the Worship Wars Back? NAR, Creativity & the Future of Lutheran Worship w/ Kip Fox & Steve Zank · 1 h 18 min · Episode 144Are the worship wars back in the LCMS? Kip Fox and Steve Zank join Zach to talk traditional vs. contemporary worship, the NAR movement, whether Lutherans can use songs from…
- 143: The Future of the Concordias: An Honest Conversation with CUS President Jamison Hardy · 1 h 19 min · Episode 143What is the future of Lutheran higher education? Concordia University System President Jamison Hardy joins Zach to talk honestly about the state of the Concordias, lessons from…
- 142: Why Lutheran Theology Is Built for This Moment | Reaching Young Adults with Bryan Wolfmueller · 1 h 1 min · Episode 142Why are so many young adults searching for deeper faith? In this special session from the Hodos Influencers Gathering, Bryan Wolfmueller explains why Lutheran theology is…
- 141: A Third Ballot and a Divided Synod: Talking Presidential Election with Matt Popovits · 41 min · Episode 141For the first time in LCMS history, the synodical presidential election has advanced to a third ballot. With only 14 votes separating incumbent President Matthew Harrison and…
- 140: What the LCMS Election Results Are Really Telling Us | Special Episode with Tim Ahlman · 32 min · Episode 140For the first time in years, the LCMS presidential election is headed to a second ballot. Tim Ahlman and Zach Zehnder break down the results, discuss the growing support for Dr…
- 139: Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime: A Simple Strategy for Multiplying Disciples | Matt Peeples · 1 h 4 min · Episode 139Most churches want to make disciples. Few have a clear strategy for multiplying them. In this episode, Zach sits down with LCMS pastor, church planter, and Kairos Network founder…
- 138: 88 Overtures and a Divided Synod: The LCMS Pastoral Formation Debate | Andy Bartelt · 1 h 11 min · Episode 138With 88 overtures related to pastoral formation headed to the 2026 LCMS Convention, one of the most important conversations in the Missouri Synod is heating up. Former Concordia…
- 137: BREAKING: What Really Happened at Concordia Ann Arbor? | Journalist Sam Jane | Special Episode · 1 h 0 min · Episode 137In this special breaking episode of Red Letter Disciple, journalist Sam Jane joins Zach Zehnder to unpack the closure of Concordia Ann Arbor and the newly announced sale of the…
- 136: What If Lutherans Stopped Competing and Started Collaborating? | The Go Network · 1 h 5 min · Episode 136What is the Go Network, and why are so many mission-minded Lutherans talking about it? Greg Finke and Deaconess Noemí Guerra join Zach Zehnder to discuss trust, discipleship…
- 135: Why Pastors Are Leaving Ministry | Outcomes Over Pathways (with Brad Urlaub) · 1 h 7 min · Episode 135What if the real issue in pastoral formation isn’t pathways—but outcomes? Pastor Brad Urlaub joins Zach to discuss why pastors are leaving ministry, the importance of long-term…
- 134: Why Is the LCMS Limiting the SMP Program? Chris Holder Speaks Out · 1 h 0 min · Episode 134The LCMS is facing a pastoral shortage—so why limit one of its fastest-growing pathways? Chris Holder shares what it’s really like to go through the SMP program. To access the…
- 133: After 12 Failed Call Attempts, This LCMS Church Chose to Merge · 1 h 5 min · Episode 133What happens when a declining LCMS church chooses courage over comfort? This episode shares the real story of a church merger that brought new life, new people, and renewed…
- 132: Forming LCMS Pastors: Residential vs. Online Seminary Debate with Two District Presidents · 2 h 1 min · Episode 132What actually forms a faithful pastor? District Presidents Nathan Meador and Wally Vinovskis unpack residential vs. online seminary and what our LCMS churches really need today…
- 131: Brady Finnern on LCMS President, Decline, Hope, and the Future of the Synod · 1 h 4 min · Episode 131Brady Finnern joins Red Letter Disciple to talk about the future of the LCMS, why forgiveness still matters, what concerns him about decline, and how hope in Christ can shape the…
