What's the Story?

About What's the Story?

We're excited to bring you the What's The Story Podcast, where we ask every day, inspiring people about their stories of faith, times of courage when life hasn't gone according to plan and what their 'One Thing' is. This is a place for you to hear real-life stories and be encouraged that you're not alone in this journey called life. We'll laugh, we'll cry and we'll hope together. What's The Story? is brought to you by Crowd Church, a place to explore the Christian faith and search out answers on how to live a meaningful life. So, whether you're exploring Christianity for the first time or you've been a follower of Jesus for many years, you're sure to be inspired by each story, so make sure you subscribe to What's The Story? Podcast today.

Publisher

CROWD Church

Category

religion & spirituality · religion & spirituality · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 Aug 2022

Latest episode

20 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

69 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   20 Sept 2026

   Two Brain Bleeds, And Still He's Thankful

   When the bad news keeps stacking up, is it still possible to be grateful? Kelly Green on the year that nearly broke him. About this episode Pastor Kelly Green was knocked out cold officiating an American football game and woke up in hospital with two brain bleeds. That was only the start. Over the months that followed came skin cancer, a benign brain tumour, the loss of his mum, and surgery after surgery. His wife nicknamed it "the Year of the Dragon." In this honest conversation, Kelly tells Matt why, in the middle of all of it, he found himself more grateful and closer to God than in 40 years of ministry. This is not a story about pretending it was easy. Kelly is open about breaking down, about the fear, and about the daily work of trusting God when everything feels like it is crumbling. If you are in your own hard season, this one is for you. What you'll hear How a single play on the football field ended with Kelly in hospital with two brain bleeds Growing up in the Lutheran church, the "you're worthless" moment in front of the mirror, and coming to faith at 24 40 years of ministry, being bivocational, and why calling matters more than the celebrity culture creeping into church The pile-up Kelly calls death by a thousand cuts, and why it is the small things stacked on top of each other that take us under "The Year of the Dragon" and the wife who walked every step of it with him The one message Kelly would preach if he could only preach one more Where to find Kelly's three books and how to reach him The moment it all started Kelly was the crew chief, the "white hat," standing 15 to 20 yards behind the play when two players collided into him. He doesn't remember the impact, only holding up his hands. "I woke up on the sideline again to the EMS saying, hey, we're going to load you and take you to the hospital." A CAT scan at Grant Hospital in Columbus found two small brain bleeds. It could have been far worse. Kelly is clear that he came away believing God had spared him for a reason, to tell others about the hope we have. When the small things stack up The injury was one blow. Then came skin cancer and surgery that took 38 stitches. Then losing his mum, who had dementia, at almost 96. Then a benign brain tumour that has to be watched with regular MRI scans. Kelly names something a lot of us feel in a hard stretch. "It's not the major things in our lives, the major trauma that takes us under. It's all the small things stacked on top of each other." He is honest that he has broken down more than once, and that things affect him more deeply now than they used to. His answer is not a tidy formula. It is turning to God again and again, and leaning on the people God places around us. The Year of the Dragon Kelly's wife gave the season its name. "She said, we're gonna name this the Year of the Dragon. She said, I've been dragging you from one doctor's appointment to the next." Matt reflects on watching his own wife, Sharon, go through skin cancer, and how her relationship with God deepened in the hardest of circumstances. Both men land in the same place. You would never choose the storm, but there is something God does in the middle of it that changes you. Grateful in it, not for it Kelly says the words plainly. "I'm thankful for my injury." He isn't celebrating the suffering. What he is grateful for is what God did in the middle of it, drawing him closer than 40 years of ministry ever had. Rather than asking "why me," Kelly landed somewhere freer. "Why not me? Who am I? I'm not special. God can do what He's always done without me, but I'm thankful that He invites me on the journey with Him." The one message When Matt asks what Kelly would preach if he only had one message left, the answer became the heart of his books. "We can be wounded, find healing, and be sent, because our wounds do not get to write the final chapter of our lives." It is why he writes and why he tells the story. Not to be known himself, but so that people who are struggling are given faith, hope, and a reason to keep going. Key references The disciples in the boat and Jesus calming the storm (Mark 4:35-41) Paul calling himself the worst of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15) How to Be Born Again by Billy Graham, the book that helped Kelly come to faith Scars Beyond the Surface, Healing Beyond the Surface and Beyond the Healing by Kelly E. Green Today's guest Kelly Green (Kelly E. Green) has pastored for around 40 years and lives in Zanesville, Ohio. Bivocational for much of that time, he also substitute teaches to supplement his income. After a serious head injury while officiating an American football game, he started writing about the wounds people carry beneath the surface. He is the author of three books, beginning with Scars Beyond the Surface. Substack kellygreen232127.substack.com (https://kellygreen232127.substack.com/) Facebook "Pastor Kelly" (search Kelly E. Green) Amazon (search "Kelly E. Green") Kelly would love to hear from you, especially if you need prayer. Reach out through any of the above. Links More real stories of faith at whatsthestorypodcast.com (https://whatsthestorypodcast.com/) Find out more about Crowd Church at crowd.church (https://crowd.church/) New to faith or full of questions? A good place to start is the Alpha course, a relaxed 15-week online exploration of the basics of Christianity, with people joining from all over the world. Find it at crowd.church (https://crowd.church/). Crowd Church — a community for those who might not see the point of church.

2. 

   17 May 2026

   Why a Dying Pastor Calls These His Best Years

   Why a Dying Pastor Calls These His Best Years Told he had two to three months to live in January, Allan Finnegan says these are the best years of his life — and means it. About this episode Allan Finnegan is a Baptist minister from Liverpool, a stand-up comedian, and the author of I Didn’t Ask For Any Of This — Church, Comedy and Cancer (Broad Place Publishing, 2026). On the 20th of January this year, he was told he had two to three months left. He’s still here, still finishing things, and remarkably at peace. In this honest, often funny conversation Allan talks to Matt about the comedy course that quietly changed his preaching, the hour he spent crying in a Tesco’s car park because he’d realised he had no friends outside church, the night his old mates told him they thought he’d been dead for thirty years, and what he’s learning about finishing well now that the medicine has stopped working. Timestamps 00:00 Welcome and Wednesday Night Finnegans 01:23 The book — I Didn’t Ask For Any Of This 03:30 How a preaching class led Allan to a stand-up comedy course 06:20 Why comedy techniques make for better sermons 10:58 Certainty kills faith — giving people permission to doubt 13:24 “I started a podcast instead of a prayer meeting” 14:30 Becoming the minister he never wanted to be 17:43 Trying to engineer being sacked 18:32 Crying in a Tesco’s car park in Litherland 21:00 Walking back into a Bootle pub after thirty years away 24:00 Why comedy saved his faith 28:27 Comedy needed him less than he needed comedy 32:50 Steve the nudist Baptist minister 35:08 Britain’s Got Talent — the four yeses 38:30 The Zoom semi-final disaster and the £9 Primark shoes 42:18 “It’s only a freckle” — the cancer diagnosis 50:00 Told he had two to three months on the 20th of January 51:34 “I am truly in the hands of God now” 52:38 The last sermon and the last comedy gig 53:56 What Allan has learned about finishing well 54:42 Philippians 1:6 as the verse that holds his life together 1:00:00 Just keep turning up Key references Philippians 1:6 — “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.” Allan’s anchor verse since he came to faith aged 16. Jonah — Allan reaches for Jonah’s story to make sense of his own. The hard work, he reckons, often needed to be done on the messenger as much as the message. I Didn’t Ask For Any Of This — Church, Comedy and Cancer by Allan Finnegan (Broad Place Publishing, 2026). Available on Amazon in Kindle and Audible. The audiobook intro is read by Allan; the rest is narrated by Christian comedian Andy Kind. Wednesday Night Finnegans — the podcast Allan ran with Tom Grant during and after lockdown. Tom has also been a guest on What’s The Story — listen to his episode here: crowd.church/whats-the-story/breaking-out-of-our-comfort-zone-being-part-of-an-eden-team-tom-grant (https://crowd.church/whats-the-story/breaking-out-of-our-comfort-zone-being-part-of-an-eden-team-tom-grant) Comedy Trust Liverpool — where Allan did the six-week stand-up course (taught by Sam Avery and Brendan Reilly) that started everything. Britain’s Got Talent 2020 — Allan’s audition at the London Palladium got four yeses, with Simon Cowell calling it the best audition of the day. Quotes from the episode “Certainty kills faith. Faith has to exist in the doubts and the uncertainty.” — Matt Edmundson “I always thought I was kind of the worst Christian, and I was just putting this veneer on to hide so no one would get through and see that I was really rubbish at following Jesus.” — Allan Finnegan “I started a podcast instead of a prayer meeting. Still got no idea how I got away with that.” — Allan Finnegan “I am truly in the hands of God now. I’m not receiving any medication to make me better or keep me better. I am only receiving it for palliative care.” — Allan Finnegan “I think what I’m learning about finishing well is sticking in there. God will finish it. I just need to stick in there. Just stay. Don’t give up.” — Allan Finnegan Links Crowd Church — crowd.church (https://crowd.church) More episodes of What’s The Story — crowd.church/whats-the-story (https://crowd.church/whats-the-story) Allan’s book on Amazon — I Didn’t Ask For Any Of This — Church, Comedy and Cancer (Kindle and Audible) Broad Place Publishing — Allan’s publisher Crowd Church — a community for those who might not see the point of church.

3. 

   15 Apr 2025

   Value Beyond Status That Changes Everything

   Episode Summary In this soul-stirring conversation, Laura Nicholson shares her remarkable journey of finding value beyond relationship status. As Director of Second2None School Support, worship leader, and soon-to-be adoptive mum, Laura opens up about navigating church hurt, embracing singleness, and discovering her unchanging worth in God. Contrary to what many church cultures imply, Laura demonstrates how a single life can be filled with purpose, community, and impact—proving that our value isn't determined by our status but by who we are in Christ. About Our Guest Laura Nicholson is the founder and director of Second to Non School Support, providing clerking services to over 150 schools across the northwest UK and beyond. Beyond her professional achievements, Laura is an accomplished worship leader and musician in her local church. She has experience as a foster carer and is currently in the process of becoming an adoptive parent. Laura's journey through performance Christianity to authentic faith offers wisdom for anyone struggling to find their place in church or society. Key Takeaways Your value transcends status - "Knowing your value in God is crucial because that's the thing that will never change. Your feelings will come and go, but your value, where you put your trust, is crucial." Community heals - "Pray to God that he brings the right people to you at the right time. He doesn't want you on your own." Church culture needs balance - Laura challenges the family-centric nature of many churches: "It's not about what you don't have. It's looking at all the amazing things that are going well." Singleness has unique benefits - "My forties have been some of my best years so far. I'm the most steady and secure I've ever been." Faith empowers purpose - Laura's journey into fostering and adoption demonstrates how faith can empower significant life decisions regardless of relationship status. Join the Conversation Have you struggled with finding your value beyond relationship status or navigating church as a single person? We'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences. Connect with us: Website: crowd.church (https://crowd.church/) Instagram: @crowdchurch (https://www.instagram.com/crowdchurch) Listen to More Episodes New episodes of What's The Story? are available every week. Subscribe to hear more stories of faith and courage from everyday people. What's The Story? is a podcast aimed at people who are curious about faith but don't see the point in church, sharing real stories of God moving in the lives of everyday people.

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