The EFCA West Podcast

Understanding Sexual Issues in the Culture and in the Church with Dr. Amy Stumpf

This episode is from an EFCA West First Wednesday Worskshop with Dr. Amy Stumpf, professor of Society and Religion at Cal Baptist University in Riverside, CA. The result was an extremely practical and informative discussion on how to minister effectively to those facing issues of same-sex attraction, intersexuality, and gender dysphoria. In addition to being the world of academia, Dr. Stumpf is also the wife of Pastor Paul Stumpf, of Colton Community Church (EFCA) in Colton, CA. This episode is vital for anyone seeking a better understanding of these sensitive and highly-charged issues.

The Real Story About The Border Crisis and What You Can Do

It is true that the closer you get to something, the more complicated it becomes. Alex Rivero, EFCA West's Director of All People Ministries, and Tim Jacobs discuss what they learned during a recent trip to the border along with ten other EFCA pastors and leaders. Traveling with Abara Ministries, the team had the opportunity to be briefed by members of the United States Border Patrol, as well as visit a shelter across the border in Juarez for refugees who had been turned away for asylum in the US. In this episode you'll hear aspects of the immigration issue that you'll never hear discussed in the news, as well as specific steps you can take to become part of the solution no matter where you live. If you have more questions about how EFCA West is addressing the immigration crisis, please reach out to Alex at alex.rivero@efca.org.

How to Be a Better Mid-Level Leader and Elder Board Member with Bob Osborne

This episode is designed to give you a taste of what you can expect in our upcoming EFCA West cohorts starting in March. Click here to register for the Elder Board Cohort and here for the Mid-Level Leader Cohort. Each cohort will consist of five two-hour sessions and is designed to leverage the benefits of peer-level learning, relationship building, and practical insights so that you can become better in either of these vital roles in the church. As you listen to this episode you'll hear EFCA West Director of Church Health Bob Osborne and District Superintendent Tim Jacobs discuss the what makes these two areas of church leadership succeed and what tends to trip them up. Hopefully you'll want to join in on the conversation and the experience of learning together by taking advantage of either of these cohorts.

The Capitol Hill Riot, Evangelicalism, and the Way Forward with Bill Riedel

Bill Riedel founded Redemption Hill Church back in 2010 with a vision to carry the Gospel to the most powerful city in the world, and he and his family live within walking distance of the Capitol. At the time of this recording he was notified that his church building has fallen within the barricades set up to guard our elected officials from credible threats of attack. In addition to planting Redemption Hill Church, Bill is also an EFCA board member and part of the Acts 29 network, where he recently published an article about the events of January 6th. In this episode we talk about what Bill experienced being in close proximity to the protest-turned-riot, and then have a larger discussion about Christian Nationalism and the place it occupies in many of our churches. This is a real, raw, and honest conversation about the difference between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of men, and how many well-meaning Evangelicals have confused the two. However, we also talk about how we have reason to hope that, even in this dark time, the Gospel can emerge with greater clarity and effectiveness than ever before.

A Church-Based Solution to the Immigration Challenge with Diane Martinez from Immigrant Hope

While 2020 has been all about the pandemic and the presidential election (among other things), the controversial issue of immigration in America remains one of our nation's most pressing challenges. Because of this, the EFCA has launched an innovative, church-based solution that provides help at the local level. In this episode, Diane Martinez, Executive Director of Immigrant Hope in Santa Barbara, CA, talks about how the strategy of Hope, Help, and Home is reaching the "least of these" with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This Department of Justice certified ministry based at Shoreline Community Church (EFCA) was recently featured in Christianity Today and the Santa Barbara Independent. If you  are interested in how you can help get an Immigrant Hope center set up in your community, or just want to learn more, reach out to Diane at diane.martinez@immigranthope.org. Immigrant Hope is yet another example of the EFCA fulfilling its mission of "Multiplying Transformational Churches Among All People."

How To Multiply Leaders and Churches with Matt Larson

So much has been written and discussed about multiplying churches in the United States but in reality so few are actually doing it. However, in this episode Matt Larson teaches us what it looks like to multiply leaders and churches in a very strategic and yet organic way. Not only is Matt the Founding Pastor of Anthem Church in Thousand Oaks, CA, but he has also started the Anthem Family of Churches that is an association of church plants around Southern California and even as far away as Denver, CO. While Matt's story is unique, you'll hear principles and practices that you can integrate into your own ministry now, wherever you are. In addition to leading a church planting movement, Matt continues to develop leaders outside of Anthem, even hosting a monthly gathering of area pastors that he calls Exploration. If you are interested in learning more, or even checking out one of the Exploration gatherings, feel free to reach out to him at matt@anthemchurch.org. This is yet another example of how EFCA West churches are gaining ground for the Kingdom of God.

Build Something Great for the Kingdom of God with Scott Achterling

Everyone knows the church isn’t a building. But, when planned for wisely, buildings can be tremendous tools for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. And even though the current pandemic has forced us to think beyond church buildings (a good thing in many ways), land and buildings will continue to be a vital part of ministry in the future. In this episode, Scott Achterling, President and CEO of Christian Investors Financial (www.christianinvestors.org), tells us what we can be doing now to maximize our church facilities and prepare wisely for the future. Even if a church isn’t ready to build, there’s a good chance that a refinance could be an excellent move. Or, perhaps your church is eyeing a piece of land that seems way out of range. Maybe it’s just a matter of figuring out how to renovate the old 1960’s building that is paid off but is falling apart. The point is, there is probably something you can do, and probably some way Christian Investors can help. All of these issues are discussed in this episode, as well as avoiding common mistakes with capital projects, why “reasonable debt” can be strategic for the church, and why a capital campaign consultant is worth every penny. As part of the EFCA family, CIF should be your first call to figure out how to take the next step in moving forward with the vision God has given your church.  

Post-Election Reflections with Kevin Kompelien and Jack Hamilton

This is the audio version of a Wednesday Workshop called Post-Election Reflections with Kevin Kompelien, president of the Evangelical Free Church of America, and Jack Hamilton, who spent decades as the executive pastor of High Desert Church in Victorville, CA, and now mentors pastors all over the United States. We talk about the thoughts and emotions that those in our congregations are experiencing post-election, and what it looks like to keep the mission clear in these days. Also, because undoubtedly every pastor and church leader in America has been put in a brutally difficult situation we dive into how to handle criticism, very practically and personally. If we’re going to make it over the long haul, we’ve got to learn how to deal with the pain that comes when those who have faithfully walked with us, for whatever reason, choose to walk away, or even turn against us. This was a special episode in so many ways.

The Fascinating Theology of Beauty with Brian Chan

Brian Chan, Lead Pastor of Emmanuel Church in Burbank, CA, (EFCA) has extensively studied the theology of beauty and even written a book on the subject called The Purple Curtain. In this episode we answer questions such as: What is beauty and why are we attracted to it in the first place? Why do churches, except in the area of music, seem to underutilize the arts? And what makes so many Christian movies and songs so cringeworthy? We also discuss Brian's involvement in his community art society, and how modern Christian artists like Makoto Fujimura use their craft to communicate Gospel themes of redemption and restoration. To get in touch with Brian, reach out to him at brian.chan@emmanuelburbank.org or check out his website.

Think Like a Missionary

What can a missionary to Berlin, Germany, teach us about how to approach ministry in our respective areas? As it turns out, quite a lot! The Berlin City Team Leader for ReachGlobal has had to figure out how the Gospel relates to a very cosmopolitan and secular metropolis. One the most common responses she gets from German friends who find out she's a Christian is, "You still believe that?" Her experiences and insight, along with the team of 25 that she leads, allow her to speak prophetically into what we can expect here in the US as our nation drifts further away from any type of Christian understanding. This podcast will help you think like a missionary, an absolutely vital skill in our rapidly changing culture. While originally produced in January of 2020, this podcast has relevancy now more than ever due to the challenges we all currently face.