Where can I listen to this podcast?

This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.

Does this podcast accept guests?

Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

Synod Stories

Claim This Podcast

by Brian Yamabe

5.0(5 reviews)

17 episodes

Updated Daily

Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸

Podcast Overview

Synod Stories is a show about the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod: where it’s been, where it is, and where it’s going. Our goal is to look at the entire Synod—celebrating its wins, facing its challenges, and exploring the unique perspectives that shape its future. We’ll talk with Circuit Visitors and others who can share insights you won’t hear from a single congregation or a synodical official. We’re starting with coverage from the convention, but this is just the beginning. Join us as we tell the stories of the LCMS from voices across the church body.

Language

🇺🇲

Publishing Since

8/12/2025

Visit Website View on Apple Podcasts RSS Feed

1 verified contact email on file for Synod Stories

Pitch yourself as a guest, propose sponsorships, or reach out directly to the host.

See contact details

Recent Episodes

July 17, 2026

Synod Stories 17: One Vicar, Two Churches — Fixing the Pastor Shortage

What happens when one vicar is assigned to two very different churches at once? Vicar Isaiah Mudge has spent the past year splitting his time between Shepherd of the Valley, a suburban congregation, and First Emmanuel, an inner-city church with a thriving Spanish-language congregation and no pastor of its own — the California-Nevada-Hawaii District’s creative answer to the Synod’s pastoral shortage. In this episode, Isaiah reflects on what a year of real ministry taught him that the classroom couldn’t: sitting with a dying congregant, running out of sermon ideas eight weeks in, and learning to let go of people he may only meet once. He shares why he believes young men are quietly returning to church, walks through his (careful, gracious) thoughts on close communion and the confessional/missional debate, and weighs in on the SMP alternate route to ordination — all ahead of this year’s LCMS Convention.

June 22, 2026

Synod Stories 16: Inside the CTCR with Dr. Martin Noland

The Commission on Theology and Church Relations — the CTCR — is one of the LCMS's most influential bodies, yet most laypeople couldn't explain what it actually does. In this episode, host Brian Yamabe sits down with Dr. Martin Noland, pastor, historian, and CTCR nominee, to trace the commission from its Reformation-era origins all the way to its role in the 2026 National Convention workbook. The conversation covers how the CTCR is structured, how its documents are written and distributed, what makes it effective (and occasionally fallible), and which current resolutions — including one on LCMS partner churches and another on artificial intelligence — will put the commission's work front and center at the Phoenix convention in July. Dr. Noland also shares candid assessments of two CTCR documents he believes need revision, and explains why organized laymen — not church officials — were the ones who kept the Missouri Synod from following the ELCA into doctrinal drift. Brian also discloses his nomination to the Concordia University Irvine Board of Regents and the two share a wide-ranging discussion about AI, technology, transhumanism, and what role the church should play in guiding Christians through a rapidly changing technological landscape.

May 26, 2026

Synod Stories 15: Marine-Turned-Pastor on Worship, Confession & AI

Rev. Isaac Wirtz didn't grow up wanting to be a pastor. He was heading toward CIA interrogation work when a misfiled seminary application, a Marine's willingness to be the dumbest guy in the room, and a nagging sense that the harvest was ready redirected his life to Fort Wayne and eventually to Mount Olive Lutheran Church in Tucson, Arizona—where he now serves as pastor and hosts the Christian Combatives YouTube channel. In this conversation, Brian Yamabe and Pastor Wirtz cover the full range of congregational life: liturgical worship in the desert Southwest, the chalice and close communion, why Wirtz does all his own readings, and how tens of hours of daily Bible study underlie a 15-minute Sunday sermon. They also wade into harder territory—women's roles and the orders of creation, the worship wars (Wirtz doesn't think they're over), open communion discipline, the Concordia University system, and the pastoral shortage reframed as an overabundance of unsustainable congregations rather than a lack of men. The episode closes with an urgent and encouraging word: the LCMS needs to show up online, and the way to compete with Catholic money and Reformed personality culture is for Lutherans to build each other up.

17 total episodes available

Similar Podcasts

Discover related shows you might enjoy

A Brief History of Power

Dr. Adam Koontz and Rev. Jonathan Fisk

The Gottesdienst Crowd

Jason Braaten

The CloudCast

Reber-Buchs Productions

On The Line

Bryan Stecker

Flaneur Media Podcasts

genewilken

What-Not: The Podcast

What-Not, The Podcast

Lead Time

Unite Leadership Collective

Issues, Etc.

Lutheran Public Radio

Concord Matters from KFUO Radio

KFUO Radio

The Red Letter Disciple

Red Letter Living, LLC

Let the Bird Fly!

1517 Podcasts

The Study

FLAME & Lex Lutheran

Thinking Fellows

1517 Podcasts

The Lutheran Witness Podcast

KFUO Radio

Tough Texts

1517. Podcasts

Deep-dive analytics for Synod Stories

Frequently asked questions

Have a different question and can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our support team by sending us an email and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.

What is Synod Stories?: Synod Stories is a show about the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod: where it’s been, where it is, and where it’s going.

Our goal is to look at the entire Synod—celebrating its wins, facing its challenges, and exploring the unique perspectives that shape its future. We’ll talk with Circuit Visitors and others who can share insights you won’t hear from a single congregation or a synodical official.

We’re starting with coverage from the convention, but this is just the beginning. Join us as we tell the stories of the LCMS from voices across the church body.
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.

Legal Disclaimer

Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.

All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.

We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.

While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at hey@podengine.ai for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.

By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.