In All Things

Episode 86: Ministry to abused and trafficked women

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Bonnie Gatchell, Teaching Elder in the Presbytery of the East and Executive Director of Route One Ministry in Boston, Massachusetts. The two discuss how God led her to begin a ministry to strip club dancers in Boston, and Route One Ministry’s efforts to train church leaders on how to minister to victims of trafficking, trauma, and abuse. Gatchell also describes the qualities of a “safe church” and some of the resources on trauma and abuse that Route One Ministry provides.

Episode 85: Rural ministry and local history

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Stephen Morefield, Pastor of Christ Covenant Church in Leoti, Kansas. Morefield discusses his spiritual path as a covenant child of the EPC to urban church planting to rural church ministry. He also describes some of the joys and challenges of serving as an introverted solo pastor in a rural setting, how “falling in love with the community” is essential to rural outreach, and how writing the historical novel But the Blood: A Novel Based on the True Story of America’s Bloodiest County Seat Battle based on events in the town in the 1880s has built bridges for ministry in the community.

Episode 84: The EPC in the American Presbyterian story

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Don Fortson, Professor of Church History and Pastoral Theology at the Charlotte, N.C., campus of Reformed Theological Seminary. The two discuss how Fortson’s most recent book, Reformed and Evangelical, fills a need for a comprehensive, current Presbyterian history, as well as how it traces the symbiotic relationship between Presbyterians and evangelicals. In addition, Fortson describes the Presbyterian heritage of evangelistic renewal, and how the EPC may be uniquely positioned to respond to revivals, such as what occurred in early 2023 at Asbury University in Kentucky. Fortson also describes how gifts of the Spirit and the ordination of women are examples of how the EPC lives out its motto of “In Essentials, Unity; In Non-Essentials, Liberty.”

Fortson is the author of numerous books on Presbyterian history, including Reformed and Evangelical Across Four Centuries: The Presbyterian Story in America, and Liberty in Non-Essentials: The Story of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.

Episode 83: Dean Weaver and Michael Davis 43rd General Assembly reflections

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, and Michael Davis, Assistant Stated Clerk, reflect on the EPC 43rd General Assembly / Gospel Priorities Summit—the “tornado Assembly”—held June 20-22 at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

Episode 82: Training leaders among the least-reached with Mike Kuhn

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Mike Kuhn, Director of the International Theological Education Network (ITEN) of EPC World Outreach. The two discuss how Kuhn’s spiritual heritage of a missions passion growing up in North Carolina led to several decades serving in Morocco and Egypt among Muslim-background believers, as well as in Jordan during the Syrian refugee crisis. He also describes how his experience in the Middle East illustrated the biblical definition of hospitality as “loving the other,” as well as how ITEN trains Christian leaders among least-reached peoples.

Episode 81: Pastoring a growing rural church with Aaron White

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Aaron White, Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in South Charleston, Ohio. The two discuss the joys and challenges of pastoring a growing church in a rural community and how White intentionally harnessing the cycles of the year for discipleship. White also previews his General Assembly sermon from 1 Corinthians 12, and highlights the GA presentations of the Westminster Society, an EPC networking group that seeks to promote confessional churchmanship in the denomination.

Episode 80: How an East Texas vineyard models John 15 with Shelley Kral

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Shelley Kral, Associate Pastor for Longview Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Longview, Texas. The two discuss her path to ministry from Southern California to a Lutheran college in the Pacific Northwest to Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando to Longview in East Texas. Kral also describes a vision she and her husband had for a pastoral retreat center eventually resulting in the creation of Enoch’s Stomp Vineyard & Winery near Longview. She also explains how the vineyard illustrates the truths of John 15.

Episode 79: Sharing the gospel in dissimilar contexts with Curt Taylor

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Curt Taylor, Pastor of Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado—host church for the EPC’s 43rd General Assembly / Gospel Priorities Summit, June 20-22, 2023. The two discuss Cherry Hills’ excitement in hosting this year’s Assembly. Taylor also describes his path to Colorado and the EPC from Texas, including some of the challenges and opportunities in sharing the gospel in those two culturally different parts of the country. He also relates some ways the church can address division in culture.

Episode 78: Learnings from serving as Moderator with Rosemary Lukens

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Rosemary Lukens, Moderator of the 42nd General Assembly and Ruling Elder for Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church in Gig Harbor, Washington. The two discuss how serving as Moderator has strengthened her faith, as well as encouraged women across the EPC to be involved in the life of the church. Lukens also reflects on her enthusiasm for accessible theological education in an ever-changing vocational ministry pipeline landscape, funding for the mission of the larger church, and the importance of building relationships in ministry leadership.

Episode 77: Church Planting as an evangelism strategy with Dave Strunk

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Dave Strunk, planting pastor of Church of the Redeemer in suburban Knoxville, Tennessee. The two conclude a 5-episode series on Church Planting by discussing Strunk’s journey to the EPC from a Baptist background, including how he started Church of the Redeemer and how church planting is a viable evangelism strategy for established churches. In addition, Strunk reflects on his service on the EPC’s National Leadership Team from 2019-2023 and how trust serves as a form of leadership currency.