The Dismantling Doctrine Podcast

Rock n' Roll Soul: Reflections on Christianity, Ministry, and Theology (Interview Special Finale!)

This is the final episode of my series of podcasts entitled “Rock n’ Roll Soul.” This is a special edition, however, because in this show I’m bringing in a special guest–my wife, Lisa Heacock. She and I will share a conversation with you which is all about the last year and a half of my time as a full-time pastor, and she’ll bring her own unique point of view in on the subject.
We’ll also touch base on the beginnings of our move from the United States over here to Great Britain. Finally, there will be one additional podcast which is a second conversation we’ll have, all about how we’ve left the traditional, mainstream church far behind…and what have we discovered since then.
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Show 14: Rock n' Roll Soul: Reflections on Christianity, Ministry, and Theology (Part 9)

If you’ve been listening to my series of podcasts I’m calling “Rock n’ Roll Soul,” then you’ll be up to speed with what I’m doing.
If you are just getting started with this series, then I encourage you to go back to the first episode (Show 3, Part 1).
This series represents my opportunity to share my story with you, and tell about a lot of the experiences that I had when I was involved in full-time church ministry. Some of those were very good, and a lot of them were…very bad, as anybody who has ever been involved with ministry on virtually any level will tell you.
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Show 13: Rock n' Roll Soul: Reflections on Christianity, Ministry, and Theology (Part 8)

Part 8 of my “Rock n’ Roll Soul” podcast series is my story of when I hit rock bottom in church ministry. In my discouragement and frustration, I begin to see a way out, but would I be able to pull it off?
As I describe in this show, the purpose of the entire series is (ideally) for those who may be currently involved in church ministry somewhere; those who are perhaps training for ministry as a student; or finally, those who have left the ministry for whatever reason.
Maybe, if none of those descriptions fits you, you’re just someone who is curious how things work at a church, or why people might be crazy–or foolhardy enough–to want to get involved in church leadership in the first place.
As a piece of theological reflection, it’s helpful for us to look back on the past and to process our experiences in meaningful, and (hopefully) systematic, and ideally objective ways. This entire series, then, is aimed to help those people described above either to avoid making some of the same mistakes that I did, or putting yourself into similar situations.
If you’re an ex-pastor who’s left the ministry, and doesn’t want to have anything to do with the church or Christians again, I definitely feel your pain. Perhaps in listening to my story, it will help you process through your own emotional state, and your own experiences.
Email: preachersforum@gmail.com
Twitter: @preachersforum
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Show 12: How to Listen to a Sermon

Exploring the preacher-listener dynamic is of critical importance; each side represents, quite literally, half of the equation.
So how can you become a better listener of sermons?
Making use of the discipline of rhetorical criticism, I’ll give you, the listener, the tools by which to evaluate sermons critically.
By the way, this isn’t about helping you criticize your preachers! It’s about helping you, the hearer, to switch on and use your critical faculties whenever you listen to somebody preaching–regardless of the style of sermon being preached.
Preachers, is there anything on this podcast that will benefit you? This episode will help you to evaluate your own process, and your own rhetorical strategies that you might be making use of in your preaching. If you haven’t thought that way before, then you will definitely find some valuable insights in this show.
Email: preachersforum@gmail.com
Twitter: @preachersforum
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Show 11: Rock n' Roll Soul: Reflections on Christianity, Ministry, and Theology (Part 7)

In this next episode of my “Rock n’ Roll Soul” series, I reach the lowest ebb during my time in ministry…how am I going to make it moving forward? Those of you who have been in church ministry will totally identify with this episode.
I’ve said it many times, but being in church ministry can be a tiring, thankless and exhausting job. If you want to hear the next installment, please listen in… if you are just starting here, it makes sense to go back to the first show and start from there (Part 1 of the series, show 3).
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Show 10: Rock n' Roll Soul: Reflections on Christianity, Ministry, and Theology (Part 6)

In this episode, part 6 of my "Rock n' Roll Soul" podcast series, I continue the story of my experiences of nearly 12 years in ministry. This episode picks up the story of my life-changing encounter at the Willow Creek Leadership Summit, and how that completely transformed my approaches to church leadership and people management.
But when I return back to the church, and share my new findings with my fellow-elders...they aren't exactly excited to hear it. Find out what happened next.
Twitter: @preachersforum
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Show 9: Why are so many Christians Leaving the Church?

In this podcast I take a look at a potentially disturbing trend (at least to mainstream, organized churches, that is): Christians are leaving the church in droves, according to new statistics. Interestingly, however, they claim that they are not necessarily giving up their faith in God.
What is behind such moves? We need to explore this subject in further detail, in order to find out what's going on. What is is about the mainstream, organized church that isn't working for so many people today, particularly younger generations?
In this show, I'll look at some of the more recent statistics, which concerns not just the church in North America, but also the UK.  What's behind this latest trend, and should those involved in traditional churches be concerned? Listen in to find out.
Twitter: @preachersforum
Email: preachersforum@gmail.com
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Show 8: Rock n' Roll Soul: Reflections on Christianity, Ministry, and Theology (Part 5)

Part 5 of my current podcast series picks up the story of my life and experiences in full-time pastoral ministry. In danger of total burnout, I look desperately for solutions to help both me, and the church I was leading, as to how best to move forward.
If you've listened to Parts 1-4, then you'll be interested to hear how things began to change for me in terms of my outlook on ministry, what I believed in about God and the Bible, and how all these seismic shifts in my theological worldview ended up starting to have a major impact on our church.
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Show 7: Rock n' Roll Soul: Reflections on Christianity, Ministry, and Theology (Part 4)

In this latest installment of this podcast series entitled "Rock n' Roll Soul" (Part 4), I continue my story of my experiences during my time in full-time ministry, many years ago, when I was working as an elder at a community church in Portland, Oregon.
A lot of things happened, some good, some bad...but as a result of those experiences, a lot of my perspectives on God, other Christians, and the church changed radically. If that sounds interesting, then be sure and listen in to this latest episode...
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Show 6: Mr Smith goes to Church

Taking a little break from my “Rock n’ Roll Soul” series of shows, it’s always time to indulge in a bit of humor. However, on a (somewhat) more serious note, what do people really feel like when they visit a church for the first time? Especially when they have absolutely zero idea of what it's like to be around Christians, and that special language that only they seem to speak… “Christianese.”
Find out what happens when...Mr Smith goes to church.
Twitter: @preachersforum
Email: preachersforum@gmail.com
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