In All Things

Episode 63: Business ownership, stewardship of EPC resources with Earla Bethel

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Earla Bethel, Ruling Elder for St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Kirk in Nassau, Bahamas, and Chair of the NEPC National Leadership Team Finance Committee. The two discuss her faith journey, as well as how St. Andrew’s and Lucaya Presbyterian Church in Freeport, Bahamas, came to the EPC from the Church of Scotland. Bethel also describes how she applies the principle of Luke 12:48 as a business owner. The two also discuss the background behind the EPC funding formula conversion from Per Member Asking (PMA) to Percentage of Income (POI), and how the Office of the General Assembly stewards those resources.

Episode 62: Developing flourishing churches and pastors with Dana Allin

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Dana Allin, Synod Executive with ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. The two discuss some of the fundamental principles for how churches flourish, areas of collaboration between ECO and the EPC, how ECO’s Flourish Institute of Theology meshes theological education with practical application, and how ECO is defining itself as a church for its second decade and beyond.

Episode 61: Inclusive leadership with Kim Wells

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Kim Wells, Executive Director of Executive Education and the Center for Career Excellence at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The two discuss how inclusive leadership does not necessarily mean racial diversity but is the discipline of seeking information from a variety of sources, listening, pausing, and then reflecting.

Episode 60: EPC Chaplaincy ministry with Mark Ingles

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Mark Ingles, the EPC’s Chaplain Endorser. The two discuss the various ministry opportunities for chaplains in both the military and civilian institutions, as well as his how his role as Chaplain Endorser helps facilitate those pursuing chaplaincy ministry in the EPC. Ingles also recounts his path as the son of an Army father to his own calling as an Air Force chaplain.

Episode 59: Discipleship and discipleship culture with Nate Dreesmann

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Nate Dreesmann, Executive Director of Ecclesiastical Support with ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians. The two discuss discipleship in the post-pandemic church, as well as the importance of the members of a congregation understanding theology. Dreesmann also provides insights on developing a discipleship program and discipleship culture in light of research that reveals 90 percent of American churches are experiencing a decline in attendance.

Episode 58: New Year’s challenge from Brad Strait

This week, EPC National Leadership Team Chairman Brad Strait offers a challenge for 2023 from Psalm 46.

Episode 57: Christmas devotional from Dean Weaver

This week, EPC Stated Clerk Dean Weaver shares a brief Christmas devotional from chapters 1 and 15 of John’s gospel.

Episode 56: From suicide try to serving Christ with Cathy Flores

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Cathy Flores, Benefits Administrator for EPC Benefit Resources, Inc. (BRI). The two discuss her journey from three suicide attempts while growing up with an alcoholic mother to being a teenaged unwed mother herself to committing her life to Christ as an adult. Flores also recounts her experiences during a recent mission trip to Cuba in which she led two marriage conferences.

Episode 55: EPC author and former Mormon Lisa Brockman, Part 2

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, continues a conversation with Lisa Brockman, Ruling Elder for First Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Florida. In the conclusion of a two-week dialogue, the two discuss how her path from a devout Mormon childhood to accepting Christ affected her relationships with Mormon family members—especially after she wrote her book, Out of Zion: Meeting Jesus in the Shadow of the Mormon Temple.

Episode 54: Devout Mormon to Evangelical Christian with Lisa Brockman, Part 1

Dean Weaver, EPC Stated Clerk, welcomes Lisa Brockman, Ruling Elder for First Presbyterian Church in Orlando, Florida, and author of Out of Zion: Meeting Jesus in the Shadow of the Mormon Temple. In part one of a two-week conversation, the two discuss her path as a sixth-generation Mormon—including her childhood dream of a temple marriage—to accepting Christ as a student at the University of Utah. She recounts how her spiritual journey was influenced by Josh McDowell, Larry Crabb, and James Spencer. She also describes coming to the realization that the biblical God is the only God who will not abuse His authority.