Podcasts for Church Leaders (2022 Edition)

I am quite a podcast fan and have been privileged to help start FIEC’s first podcast, In:Dependence, this year. On the commute to the office, on a run, whilst I’m washing up – I love to redeem those times by listening to experiences, knowledge, and gospel encouragement through podcasts.

And I’m often asked for recommendations of what to listen to. There is so much out there, and we ultimately only have a certain amount of time to invest in podcast listening. So, being able to recommend what I have found helpful is always a delight.

Here are some recommendations from me, and some of the other staff at FIEC, of podcasts that have been helpful during 2021 or are continuing into 2022.

I pray they will aid you in serving your church and sharing the gospel!

Podcast categories:

• Theology
• Church ministry
• Christian living
• Storytelling
• Short form

Theology

Knowing Faith

Kyle Worley, JT English, and Jen Wilkin are three church leaders from the US who feel like friends to me – even though we’ve never met (though we have engaged on social media!). I’ve listened to Knowing Faith for years now (having been recommended it myself) and it’s the first on my list to listen to.

The three hosts do “theology in community” as they go through scriptures and some topics together – exploring their own thoughts on it and learning from each other. They have a great chemistry and clearly love one another – making for an edifying and enjoyable podcast that will inspire you to learn in community more yourself.

- Joel Murray (Communications and Media Officer)

Timothy Keller Sermons by Gospel in Life

I have always liked the way that Tim Keller is able to speak into the culture. Whether in his books or his preaching, he has a gift that enables him to communicate to a world whose default position is to reject the God of the Bible.

This podcast offers a couple of sermons every week taken from his ministry at Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. They could be from as early as the 1990s or more up-to-date in late 2010s (you can usually date them by the illustrations!) and they are gathered around a particular theme. At the time of writing, it is the “characteristics of God” which has considered (amongst other things) his love, his holiness and his wrath.

I find the way Keller handles topics that seem unpalatable to many in the world winsome and helpful. I always find it an edifying listen.

- Phil Topham (Executive Director)

Women of the Bible

Nancy Leigh De Moss heads up Revive our Hearts - a huge resource of podcasts to listen to, some discussion based and others are talks.

This podcast is a great resource if you are planning women's ministry in your church, exploring the lives of women in the Bible and taking biblical truths from their stories.

- Elinor Magowan (Women's Ministry Coordinator)

Church ministry

You’re Not Crazy

If you’re a pastor, especially a young pastor, who is struggling in church ministry which doesn’t seem to live up to what you thought it would be, this podcast is for you. If you are a pastor and feel like ministry is in a bit of a rut and needs a livening freshen up, this is for you!

Ray Ortlund and Sam Allberry are pastors in the US (although Sam is certainly British!) and approach the idea of “gospel culture” with passion and care, encouraging church leaders to focus on the gospel and the beauty, and glory, of how it can be worked out in church.

You’ll get to know the hosts and will finish each episode inspired and wanting more.

- Joel Murray (Communications and Media Officer)

Pastors’ Talk

Many will know and trust 9Marks and their resources to help church leaders and church members see what a biblical church looks like – and to help them become one.

If that is you, then Pastors Talk should be on your podcast feed for sure. It’s a weekly show (running for more than four years now) with a discussion between Jonathan Leeman (Editorial Director) and Mark Dever (President) on all sorts of topics and questions to do with church ministry.

You’ll get to know a bit more of their personality as they carefully address different topics and sometimes disagree or have different experiences. It’s a great show and will be very helpful to start conversations in your leadership team.

- Joel Murray (Communications and Media Officer)

Digital Rabbi

I met the Digital Rabbi (aka Sats Solanki) at a church communications conference and have been enjoying his resources ever since. He uses his experience working in design, communications, and social media with his current role in leading a church in London to share insights into leveraging social media for church ministry.

If you’re interested in the digital space and how it relates to your church ministry, this is a great podcast to dive into. Interviews with influential creatives and Sats’ own experiences make interesting and helpful listening for you to think about social media in your own church context.

- Joel Murray (Communications and Media Officer)

Christian living

Two sisters & a cup of tea

Felicity (in the US) and Sarah (in the UK) are two sisters who dig into God's word in a 20-minute, weekly podcast episode. Studies in Habbukuk, James, and Esther are complete - season four is a study on John.

It's great to listen into two British women doing a Bible study together and providing follow up questions to think through. This a great resource to be used either individually, in a partnership or a group, just the right length and faithfully drawing out truth and applying it to our lives.

- Elinor Magowan (Women's Ministry Coordinator)

Faith in Kids

It’s Easter 2021 and my daughters and I have just been told the gospel whilst baking Easter brownies with help from Martha from the Great British Bake Off and a guy named Ed. It turns out that Ed’s ministry Faith in Kids produces lots of fantastic resources to help parents disciple their kids well and parent to the glory of God. The podcast is no different!

The Faith in Kids podcast is actually produced for parents to listen to with their kids, but I especially recommend the ‘Faith in Parents’ episodes which features interviews with authors, church leaders, and regular parents. They don’t hide from the difficult realities of parenting or topics which we are all thinking about – including video games, sexuality, and Halloween.

- Joel Murray (Communications and Media Officer)

Christian Nerds Unite

I confess to be a Christian nerd, so this is perfect for me. And even if it’s not for you, I would guess it will be perfect for some in your churches.

Ricky Pope is the host who passionately brings topics to the podcast to consider them from a Christian point of view. Think finding the gospel in Lord of the Rings, how churches can get involved in tabletop gaming, or what Christians can learn from the latest Marvel show on DIsney+.

These topics are becoming more and more popular, so take a risk and see how you can use them for the kingdom.

- Joel Murray (Communications and Media Officer)

Storytelling

Compelled

As we go through our often mundane lives, it can be easy to forget how God is involved in everything we experience. However, for many people, God has broken through in very clear and incredible ways.

So, Compelled is a podcast to help encourage and spur you on to worship of the sovereign God in charge of all things with some of these stories. Each episode is an expertly made biography of a Christian to tell their story of how God transformed their lives.

Of the episodes to listen to, I’d recommend Brian’s story of working in the Pentagon during 9/11, Yusuf’s conversion from Islam, and Edgar’s testimony of life without limbs.

- Joel Murray (Communications and Media Officer)

Recorded

Recorded takes Psalm 102:18’s reminder to record God’s faithfulness and uses the medium of podcasts to do so.

There are only a few episodes so far but the story of 9/11 as told by Christians in New York - and beyond - is worth a listen by itself. The way the narration is intertwined with interviews with unbelievers, Christians, and pastors is gripping!

I’m hoping for more to come.

- Joel Murray (Communications and Media Officer)

Luther in Real Time

This was first published in 2020, 500 years since Martin Luther was declared a heretic by Pope Leo X himself. In fact, it told the story of Luther, and others involved in the event, to the day of specific events. It was all very exciting!

If you’re interested in church history, then this is a must-listen, even after the publish date. The audio work, the actors (with recognisable European accents), and the way each episode ends with a cliffhanger of sorts made for an immersive series of podcast episodes – and you can listen back to them all now.

- Joel Murray (Communications and Media Officer)

Short form

Simply Put

If you’ve got a vast theological vocabulary or want to learn more about terms you’ve read in books or heard in sermons, Simply Put is for you.

Terms such as ‘Christophany’, ‘impassibility’, ‘supralapsarianism’ are helpfully broken down with wit in five-minute-long episodes - great for a quick listen or accessible to share with someone who doesn’t want to commit to an hour-long show.

- Joel Murray (Communications and Media Officer)

Seeking Him

One of the resources from Nancy Leigh De Moss’ Revive Our Hearts is this devotional podcast. She calls it “bite-sized Bible teaching” - with each episode just one minute in length.

These will be helpful for women – especially women in ministry – for daily encouragement or to pass on to others to love and support them.

- Elinor Magowan (Women's Ministry Coordinator)

Ask Pastor John

This was probably the first podcast I ever started listening to regularly back in my days as a student and it is now heading fast towards episode number 2,000.

Three times a week John Piper is presented with listener-submitted questions or issues which are responded to with biblical references and decades of experience. Sometimes directly in the studio, sometimes through a sermon clip from the past.

The podcast is helpful to get an idea of some of the issues people are facing and how you could go about responding in a biblical and godly way.

- Joel Murray (Communications and Media Officer)