The Alliance for Mission and Renewal Podcast

About The Alliance for Mission and Renewal Podcast

An alliance for the unity, faithfulness, and flourishing of the PCA. a4mr.substack.com (https://a4mr.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

AMR

Category

religion & spirituality · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 Mar 2026

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

22 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Oct 2026

   How Wisconsin Learned to Plant Churches Together

   In recent years, the Wisconsin Presbytery has transformed its approach to starting and supporting new churches. In 2012, it consisted of only six established congregations, and nearly two decades had passed since a new PCA church had been planted in the state. Today, the presbytery includes twenty-four churches and six active church plants, with more prospective leaders in development and plans to establish additional congregations in the years ahead. In this conversation, Derek Radney speaks with Dan Breed, Mark Kaiser, and Josh Golackson about how that growth happened—not through a single program or unusually large churches, but through a shared commitment to planting churches together. They describe the development of the On Wisconsin network, a three-path approach to identifying and training planters, and a presbytery-wide culture in which existing churches, new plants, ruling and teaching elders, and multiple committees all contribute to the same mission. A major part of that strategy has been expanding the pastoral pipeline. Wisconsin churches are identifying men already present in their congregations, encouraging them to consider ministry, helping make seminary financially accessible, and giving them years of hands-on training within local churches. That approach has opened new pathways for candidates who might never have imagined pastoral ministry as an option and has helped prepare leaders who already know the communities they hope to serve. The interview also explores the less visible work that makes sustained church planting possible: building trust across a presbytery, raising money among relatively small churches, coordinating pastoral development, and creating systems that keep candidates from falling through the cracks during the long process from initial interest to church planting. Underlying this interview is a conviction about Presbyterianism itself. Church planting does not have to be the project of a few unusually entrepreneurial pastors or congregations. Presbyteries can actually function in a connected way—sharing resources, developing leaders together, accepting real sacrifice, and treating the growth of another church not as a loss, but as a common gain. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit a4mr.substack.com (https://a4mr.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

2. 

   30 Sept 2026

   Raising Up the Next Generation of Pastors

   The PCA is facing a growing challenge: how will the denomination raise up enough pastors and church planters for the years ahead? Demographic changes, the cost of seminary, and the increasing difficulty of pastoral ministry have all contributed to concern about the future pastoral pipeline. In a recent AMR conversation with Tom Gibbs and Ligon Duncan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEqGUZ83hlQ), Derek Radney explored the scope of that problem. This interview turns to a more practical question: what can local churches actually do about it? Jason Helopoulos, senior pastor of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan, describes how his congregation has built a ministry training program designed to identify, prepare, and send future leaders. The program includes internships for those considering seminary, residencies for men currently in seminary, and fellowships for post-seminary candidates who need further preparation before receiving a call. The conversation also addresses some of the practical obstacles churches face when considering this kind of investment: funding, staff time, congregational support, recruiting candidates, and the reality that not every participant will ultimately enter PCA ministry. Helopoulos explains how URC has approached those challenges gradually, including through support raising and by connecting the training program directly to the church’s broader commitment to church planting. At the heart of the interview is a relatively simple conviction: churches do not have to wait passively for future pastors to appear. They can intentionally identify people, invite them to consider ministry, give them meaningful experience, and invest in their preparation. Helopoulos’s encouragement to other PCA churches is to begin where they are, take appropriate risks, and see raising up future leaders as part of the church’s own participation in the Great Commission. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit a4mr.substack.com (https://a4mr.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

3. 

   20 Aug 2026

   Who Will Fill the Pulpits?

   The PCA is approaching an important long-term question: How will the denomination raise up enough qualified pastors to serve its churches, plant new ones, and lead growing ministries in the decades ahead? A large generation of pastors is nearing retirement, the PCA continues to grow, and RUF and other ministries are expanding into new places. At the same time, fewer young men are imagining pastoral ministry as a possible vocation, financial barriers can make seminary difficult to pursue, and pastors are leaving pulpits because of burnout, early retirement, and other pressures. These converging factors raise questions about the entire pastoral pipeline—from identifying and encouraging potential ministers to training, supporting, and placing them well. That work cannot belong to seminaries alone. It requires local churches, presbyteries, campus ministries, seminaries, and the wider denomination to see themselves as partners in raising up the next generation. In this conversation, Derek Radney speaks with seminary presidents Ligon Duncan and Tom Gibbs about the challenges and opportunities ahead—and how the whole church can work together to prepare pastors for a lifetime of faithful ministry. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit a4mr.substack.com (https://a4mr.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_1)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.