How often does this podcast release new episodes?

This podcast updates bi-weekly.

Where can I listen to this podcast?

This podcast is available on 9 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.

What's the Story?

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by CROWD Church

5.0(2 reviews)

68 episodes

Updated Bi-weekly

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Podcast Overview

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.

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Publishing Since

8/28/2022

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Recent Episodes

May 17, 2026

Why a Dying Pastor Calls These His Best Years

<h1>Why a Dying Pastor Calls These His Best Years</h1><p>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.</p><h2>About this episode</h2><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><h2>Timestamps</h2><ul><li>00:00 Welcome and Wednesday Night Finnegans</li><li>01:23 The book — I Didn’t Ask For Any Of This</li><li>03:30 How a preaching class led Allan to a stand-up comedy course</li><li>06:20 Why comedy techniques make for better sermons</li><li>10:58 Certainty kills faith — giving people permission to doubt</li><li>13:24 “I started a podcast instead of a prayer meeting”</li><li>14:30 Becoming the minister he never wanted to be</li><li>17:43 Trying to engineer being sacked</li><li>18:32 Crying in a Tesco’s car park in Litherland</li><li>21:00 Walking back into a Bootle pub after thirty years away</li><li>24:00 Why comedy saved his faith</li><li>28:27 Comedy needed him less than he needed comedy</li><li>32:50 Steve the nudist Baptist minister</li><li>35:08 Britain’s Got Talent — the four yeses</li><li>38:30 The Zoom semi-final disaster and the £9 Primark shoes</li><li>42:18 “It’s only a freckle” — the cancer diagnosis</li><li>50:00 Told he had two to three months on the 20th of January</li><li>51:34 “I am truly in the hands of God now”</li><li>52:38 The last sermon and the last comedy gig</li><li>53:56 What Allan has learned about finishing well</li><li>54:42 Philippians 1:6 as the verse that holds his life together</li><li>1:00:00 Just keep turning up</li></ul><br/><h2>Key references</h2><ul><li><strong>Philippians 1:6</strong> — “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.</li><li><strong>Jonah</strong> — 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.</li><li>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.</li><li><strong>Wednesday Night Finnegans</strong> — 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: <a href="https://crowd.church/whats-the-story/breaking-out-of-our-comfort-zone-being-part-of-an-eden-team-tom-grant" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">crowd.church/whats-the-story/breaking-out-of-our-comfort-zone-being-part-of-an-eden-team-tom-grant</a></li><li><strong>Comedy Trust Liverpool</strong> — where Allan did the six-week stand-up course (taught by Sam Avery and Brendan Reilly) that started everything.</li><li><strong>Britain’s Got Talent 2020</strong> — Allan’s audition at the London Palladium got four yeses, with Simon Cowell calling it the best audition of the day.</li></ul><br/><h2>Quotes from the episode</h2><blockquote>“Certainty kills faith. Faith has to exist in the doubts and the uncertainty.” — Matt Edmundson</blockquote><blockquote>“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</blockquote><blockquote>“I started a podcast instead of a prayer meeting. Still got no idea how I got away with that.” — Allan Finnegan</blockquote><blockquote>“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</blockquote><blockquote>“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</blockquote><h2>Links</h2><ul><li><strong>Crowd Church</strong> — <a href="https://crowd.church" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">crowd.church</a></li><li><strong>More episodes of What’s The Story</strong> — <a href="https://crowd.church/whats-the-story" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">crowd.church/whats-the-story</a></li><li><strong>Allan’s book on Amazon</strong> — I Didn’t Ask For Any Of This — Church, Comedy and Cancer (Kindle and Audible)</li><li><strong>Broad Place Publishing</strong> — Allan’s publisher</li></ul><br/><p>Crowd Church — a community for those who might not see the point of church.</p>

April 15, 2025

Value Beyond Status That Changes Everything

<h2>Episode Summary</h2><p>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.</p><h2>About Our Guest</h2><p>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.</p><h2>Key Takeaways</h2><ol><li><strong>Your value transcends status</strong> - "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."</li><li><strong>Community heals</strong> - "Pray to God that he brings the right people to you at the right time. He doesn't want you on your own."</li><li><strong>Church culture needs balance</strong> - 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."</li><li><strong>Singleness has unique benefits</strong> - "My forties have been some of my best years so far. I'm the most steady and secure I've ever been."</li><li><strong>Faith empowers purpose</strong> - Laura's journey into fostering and adoption demonstrates how faith can empower significant life decisions regardless of relationship status.</li></ol><br/><h2>Join the Conversation</h2><p>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.</p><p>Connect with us:</p><ul><li>Website: <a href="https://crowd.church/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">crowd.church</a></li><li>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/crowdchurch" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@crowdchurch</a></li></ul><br/><h2>Listen to More Episodes</h2><p>New episodes of What's The Story? are available every week. Subscribe to hear more stories of faith and courage from everyday people.</p><p>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.</p>

March 4, 2025

When Infertility Becomes a Doorway, Not a Dead End with Kim Patton

<p>What if the door that seems permanently closed is actually leading somewhere beautiful? Kim Patton's decade-long infertility journey became the unexpected pathway to adopting two biological sisters and working with teenage girls in foster care. In this raw conversation with Anna Kettle, Kim shares how her anxious resistance to God's call transformed into purpose and peace. From struggling with health issues and career confusion to managing a household of toddlers and teenagers, Kim reveals how surrender and daily dependence on God can sustain us through seemingly impossible seasons. Her story proves that our most painful chapters can become doorways to a life more meaningful than we could have planned.</p><p>---</p><h2>What You'll Learn</h2><ul><li>How Kim's 10-year infertility journey led to adopting biological sisters and a ministry with teenage girls</li><li>Practical ways to manage anxiety and overwhelm while serving others</li><li>Why "absolute dependence on God" is the key to surviving impossible seasons</li><li>How to build a support system of prayer partners during difficult transitions</li><li>The transformative power of seeing your life as a "living sacrifice"</li></ul><br/><p>---</p><p><strong>Main Links</strong></p><ul><li>Kim Patton's website: <a href="https://kimpatton.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">kimpatton.com</a></li><li>Kim's book "Nothing Wasted: Struggling Well Through Difficult Seasons" on <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nothing-Wasted-Struggling-Through-Difficult/dp/B0CJLL2C1Z" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amazon </a>(both print and audiobook versions)</li><li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-therapy-with-kim-patton/id1627774110" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Book Therapy Podcast</a> (released bi-weekly)</li></ul><br/><p><strong>Ministry Links</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.waitinginhopeinfertility.com/team" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Waiting in Hope Infertility Ministry</a></li><li><a href="https://herviewfromhome.com/author/kim-patton/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Her View From Home</a> (publication Kim writes for)</li></ul><br/><p><strong>CROWD Church Links</strong></p><ul><li>CROWD Church website: <a href="https://crowd.church/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">crowd.church</a></li><li>What's the Story Podcast website: <a href="https://whatsthestorypodcast.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">whatsthestorypodcast.com</a></li></ul><br/><p><strong>Social Media</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/kimpatton730/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kim's Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/crowdchurch/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CROWD Church's Instagram</a></li></ul><br/>

68 total episodes available

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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 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.
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates bi-weekly.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 9 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.

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