Essential Church Podcast

The Essential Church Podcast exists to strengthen and encourage pastors and thought leaders around the world through weekly conversations about some of the most important and challenging issues facing the local church.

Hosted by pastors Andrew Arndt, Brady Boyd, and Daniel Grothe, the Essential Church podcast has featured conversations with leading theologians such as N.T. Wright, Chris Green, and Cheryl Bridges-Johns, church and ministry leaders like Sharon and Ike Miller, Pete Greig, and Warren Bird, as well as a whole host of practical conversations with our team on topics like preaching and teaching, evangelism and discipleship, developing leaders, hiring and firing, much more.

Episode 165: A Conversation with Jared Patrick Boyd

On this episodes hosts Andrew Arndt and Daniel Grothe have a conversation with Jared Patrick Boyd, a pastor, spiritual director, and founding director of the Order of the Common Life. In this conversation, the trio dive into Jared’s complex origin story of church and...

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Episode 164: A Conversation with Ian Simkins

On this episode of Essential Church, Andrew and Daniel sit down with Pastor Ian Simkins who joins us from Nashville. They discuss pastoring and how storytelling can shape how we pastor.  PlayStop X Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel and follow us on...

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Episode 163: How to Have Difficult Conversations

On this episode of Essential Church, Andrew and Rory sit down with Eddie Hoagland, one of the Senior Executive Pastors of New Life Church. Eddie shares different ways to approach and have difficult conversations.  PlayStop X Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube...

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Episode 162: A Conversation with Brit Windel

On this brief episode of Essential Church, Andrew and Rory sit down with Brit Windel a pastor and church planter from Kenosha, Wisconsin. Brit shares the story of Daybreak Church, a church that is ‘making much of Jesus’ and serving the city. Brit’s story is one of...

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Episode 161: A Conversation with Kenneth Tanner

On this week’s episode Andrew and Daniel are joined by Ken Tanner, Pastor of Church of the Holy Redeemer in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Ken takes the time to wade through his own story of life and maturity, as well as the complexities of living a life devoted to...

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Episode 160: A Conversation with Greg Waybright

Greg is a former university president and pastor, and Andrew and Daniel start a conversation around how to sustain longevity in ministry (01:18).  The trio lean into a discussion around Sabbath and work, and the reciprocal relationship they hold for pastoral...

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Episode 159: A Conversation with Geoff Holsclaw

Andrew and Geoff Holsclaw sit down to discuss how the field of neuroscience and spiritual formation intersect in the life of faith (3:43). Andrew and Geoff go on to discuss how these new fields of combined study can actually help people who are beginning to wrestle...

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Episode 158: A Conversation with Bri Stensrud

Andrew Arndt and Daniel Grothe are joined by a New Life congregation member and author Bri Stensrud to talk about the complexities and challenges of what it looks like to “meet the strangers at our gates.” (01:35) The trio discuss how this issue moves far beyond...

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Episode 157: A Conversation with Derek Vreeland

Andrew and special guest, Derek Vreeland have a detailed discussion around Derek’s new book Centering Jesus: How the Lamb of God Transforms Our Communities, Ethics, and Spiritual Lives. One of the core values of Essential Church is that Jesus is at the center, and...

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RETURNING TO WHAT MATTERS MOST

Essential Church: A Ministry of New Life Church