Michael interviews Pastor Lori Fast, Executive Director of Leadership Focus for Church of God Ministries. They discuss Lori's spiritual journey from surrender to calling to ministry and highlight those who mentored and disciples Lori along the way. They discuss the new 7 Theological Commitments developed by the Leadership Focus team and approved by the Committee on Credentials in 2023. These 7 Theological Commitments now replace the 16 Theological Statements ordination candidates used to develop and create a more integrated theological framework incorporating Church of God distinctive.

Jerry sits down with Michael Guzman, Media & Resource Pastor for Church of God Northwest for a third installment. They talk about Michael's background, when he gave his life to Jesus, when he discovered his calling to ministry and who mentored him along the way.

Michael also addresses the new values for the District and provides further context for them.

Jerry interviews Pastor Michael Guzman, Media & Resource Pastor for Church of God Northwest. They continue the conversation from episode 15 where they presented the new name for the District. In this episode, they launch into the process employed to come to the new language for the vision of the District. This presentation was shared at a recent District Council meeting where the new name, new vision, and new values were discussed and affirmed by the District Council.

Connect with Michael Guzman:

Michael Guzman on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/michael.guzman.904

Michael Guzman on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/jmichaelguzman/

Riverview Kennels Website- https://riverviewkennels.com/

Riverview Kennels Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/riverviewkennelsbandon

Riverview Kennels Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/riverviewkennelsbandon/

Michael sits down with Pastor Jerry Davisson, District Pastor of Church of God Northwest and Lead Pastor of Rockwood Church of God. Roles get reversed today as Season 2- Episode 15 launches. Jerry interviews Michael about the process he has used as Resource & Media Pastor of the District to consider a new name for the Association. Michael shares the extensive process employed and reveals a few forks in the decision-making process.

Connect with Michael Guzman:

Michael Guzman on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/michael.guzman.904

Michael Guzman on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/jmichaelguzman/

Riverview Kennels Website- https://riverviewkennels.com/

Riverview Kennels Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/riverviewkennelsbandon

Riverview Kennels Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/riverviewkennelsbandon/

Michael sits down with Karl Vaters, author, podcast host, pastor, and guest speaker at our upcoming Helping Small Churches Thrive conference. Karl shares his ministry history and how he came to Jesus and recognized his calling. They also address Karl’s area of specialty- small churches. They work through definitions that aid the larger conversation on small churches and set the stage for the upcoming ‘Helping Small Churches Thrive’ conference.

Connect with Karl Vaters:

Karl Vaters on the Web- www.karlvaters.com

Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/KarlVatersMinistry

Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/karlvaters/

YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrcGS0_tkxklJyB7wn9-aZA

Twitter- https://twitter.com/KarlVaters

Amazon books- https://amazon.com/Karl-Vaters/e/B00AWGCU2S?ref_=dbs_p_pbk_r00_abau_000000

Michael sits down with Matt Ingalls, Senior Pastor of Oak Park Church of God in Salem. Matt shares his ministry history and how he came to Jesus and recognized his calling. They also discuss the process Matt and his team used to discern what ministry to focus upon in their community.

Connect with Matt Ingalls:

Matt Ingalls on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/matthew.ingalls.5

Oak Park Church of God on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/OakParkChurchofGod

Oak Park Church of God on the Web- http://www.oakparkchurch.net/

Resources:

Street Psalms- https://streetpsalms.org/

Michael sits down with Fred Douglas, Associate District Pastor of Oregon & SW Washington. Fred shares his ministry history and about many of the mentors he had who shaped him. They also discuss the approach Fred takes to visitation ministry, his observations from visiting pastors and churches and they dig into some recent findings from the Barna Resilient Pastor series that seem to run parallel.

Connect with Fred Douglas:

Fred Douglas on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/fred.douglas.965

Transformational Connexions- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100050614323763

Resources:

Leading People from the Middle by William Robinson- https://www.amazon.com/Leading-People-Middle-Universal-Mission/dp/1440188866/ref=sr_1_4?crid=3C4Q51D9A1RSL&keywords=leading+from+the+middle+bill+robinson&qid=1694112867&sprefix=leading+from+the+middle+bill+robinson%2Caps%2C205&sr=8-4

Holy Post Podcast-

https://www.holypost.com/post/581-how-evangelicalism-lost-its-way-with-russell-moore

Resilient Pastor Series by Barna- https://barna.gloo.us/resilient-pastor

Michael sits down with Dr. Brian Johnson, President of Warner Pacific University. Brian shares his career history, how he came to Jesus and recognized his calling, and why he chose Warner Pacific. They also discuss the challenges Warner Pacific has faced since the onset of the pandemic, the current lifecycle phase the University finds itself in, and the opportunity at hand for the Movement to further step into the rebirth of what the University will become.

Connect with Dr. Brian Johnson:

Brian Johnson’s website- https://intersectionoffaithandlearning.com/

Brian Johnson on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/brian.johnson.583

Brian Johnson on Twitter- https://twitter.com/drbrianjohnson1

Brian Johnson’s email- https://www.instagram.com/drbrianjohnson1

Michael sits down with Dr. Lloyd Moritz, Author of Chog Blog and Catalyst of Transformation Communities. Lloyd shares his ministry history, how he came to Jesus and recognized his calling, and his transition from Regional Pastor of the Pacific Northwest Association. They also discuss Lloyd’s goals with ChoG Blog, decentralized church as a viable model for making a way forward in today’s ministry context, and Transformation Communities- a hub of missional communities covenanted together as one church.

Connect with Lloyd Moritz:

Chog Blog- https://takethecity.com/

Lloyd Moritz on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/lloyd.moritz

Lloyd Moritz on Twitter- @xmathetes

Lloyd Moritz’ email- lloyd.moritz@tfcommunities.org

Michael sits down with Dr. Jerry Davisson, District Pastor of Oregon & SW Washington and Lead Pastor of Rockwood Church of God. Jerry shares his story of coming to Jesus and local and regional leadership differences. They also discuss the missional church, the topic of Jerry’s doctorate, and how it provides insight into the challenges the church is facing today.

Connect with Jerry Davisson:

ORWACOG- https://orwacog.org/

Rockwood Church of God- http://rockwoodcog.com

Jerry Davisson on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/jerry.davisson.7

Jerry Davisson on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/jerry_davisson/

Michael sits down with Andrew Chalmers, Founder of Take the City & Harvest Equipping School in Columbus, Georgia. Andrew shares his story of coming to Jesus and about the ministries he has pioneered over the years. They also discuss walking a naturally supernatural lifestyle and the importance of abiding in order to bear lasting fruit.

Connect with Andrew Chalmers:

Take the City- https://takethecity.com/

Andrew Chalmers on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/landrewchalmers

Andrew Chalmers on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/landrewchalmers/

Resources Discussed:

‘Discovering the Joy’ by Andrew Chalmers- https://www.amazon.com/Discovering-Joy-Representing-Jesus-everyday/dp/B08VCQPCJV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2MX4XQQQFFP4V&keywords=discovering+the+joy+andrew+chalmers&qid=1690389548&sprefix=discovering+the+joy+andrew+chalmer%2Caps%2C181&sr=8-1

Michael sits down with Bishop Timothy Clarke, Senior Pastor of First Church of God in Columbus, Ohio, and recent Chair of the Ministries Council of the General Assembly of Church of God. Bishop Clarke shares the history of unity in the Movement and the current hurdles to unity he sees today.

Connect with Bishop Clarke:

First Church of God, Columbus, Ohio- https://www.1stchurch.net/leadership/bishop-clarke

Bishop Timothy Clarke on Facebook- https://www.facebook.com/BishopTimothyClarke/

Bishop Timothy Clarke on Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/citypstr/

Resources Discussed:

‘Saints in Exile’ by Cheryl Sanders- https://www.amazon.com/Saints-Exile-Holiness-Pentecostal-Experience-American/dp/0195131010/ref=sr_1_2?crid=38OOND3A9V7DH&keywords=saints+in+exile&qid=1689717378&sprefix=saints+in+exile%2Caps%2C192&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc

‘African Americans and the Church of God’ by James Earl Massey- https://www.amazon.com/African-Americans-Church-James-Massey/dp/0964668254/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UAZFO97EWYHD&keywords=african+americans+and+the+church+of+god&qid=1689717419&sprefix=african+americans+and+the+church+of+god%2Caps%2C204&sr=8-1

‘Reading Black Books’ by Claude Atcho- https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Black-Books-American-Literature/dp/1587435292/ref=sr_1_1?crid=NO158T5HDI4I&keywords=reading+black+books&qid=1689717448&sprefix=reading+black+books%2Caps%2C209&sr=8-1

Michael sits down with Rev. Dr. Kimberly Majeski, Executive Director of Christian Women Connection, Professor at Anderson University, and Founder of Stripped Love and Preacher Girl School. Kimberly shares her ministry history and calling and speaks about the impact of women in ministry throughout Church of God history. She also talks about the causes that have led to fewer women in ministry today and briefly responds about 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2 as it relates to women in ministry.

Connect with Kimberly at http://www.kimberlymajeski.com/

Christian Women Connection Link- https://christianwomenconnection.org/about/

Arise Academy Link- https://ariseacademy.mykajabi.com/

Stripped Love Link- http://www.kimberlymajeski.com/stripped-love.html

Michael sits down with Mike McDonald, Chief Strategic Relations Officer with BibleProject. Mike provides an overview of BibleProject, shares his own journey of meeting Jesus in Turkey, provides perspective and encouragement for ministry in our current culture, and gives examples of these amazing BibleProject resources:

- BibleProject Explainer Videos- https://bibleproject.com/explore/

- BibleProject Podcast- https://bibleproject.com/podcasts/the-bible-project-podcast/

- BibleProject Classroom- https://bibleproject.com/classroom/

- BibleProject App- https://bibleproject.com/app/

Mike invites pastors to connect with him to explore ways to partner with BibleProject resources as they connect their people to the Bible. You can reach Mike at mike@bibleproject.com

Michael interviews Bob Rognlien, Director of 3DM West, Founder of Footsteps of Jesus and Footsteps of Paul, author of numerous books, and friend of the Movement. You can find more out about Bob here (https://www.bobrognlien.com/)

They talk about Bob's many connections to the Church of God and his recent ministry partnership with Joseph Ibrahim in the Middle East. You can find Joseph on Facebook here (https://www.facebook.com/joseph.ead)

They also talk about doing ministry in a Post-Christian, Post-Pandemic context by examining the Ways of Jesus.