This past Tuesday, the Executive Presbytery of the Assemblies of God announced that Brad Kesler will succeed Donna Barrett as general secretary of the Fellowship. Kesler's first day in office is January 1, 2026. He will serve the remainder of Barrett's unexpired term. Kesler has been an ordained AG minister since 2000. He has served as a youth pastor in Sitka, Alaska, and a senior pastor in Juneau. For 15 years, he worked as business administrator in the Alaska Ministry Network and nine years as...
Nov 20, 2025•35 min•Ep. 406
The goal of the Church Health Partners is clear. "To foster healthy, vibrant churches by equipping pastors and their teams with the tools, strategies, and support they need to lead effectively and fulfill their unique calling. We want to see a healthy church in every community, led by empowered and passionate leaders, making a lasting impact for the Kingdom of God." In Episode 405 of the Influence Podcast , I talk to Gerad Strong about what a healthy church is, why churches become unhealthy, and...
Nov 13, 2025•37 min•Ep. 405
"In many Christian theological circles, especially in Pentecostal circles, the person who has the role of pastor is the one who is supposed to have the spiritual answers, and so this [spiritual and social] shutdown [due to trauma] is counterintuitive to the position they hold," writes Dale Sanger. "The challenge for Pentecostal pastors is that they have an underlying theology of glory which does not appropriately consider personal trauma." In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Dale...
Nov 06, 2025•43 min•Ep. 404
"How did you go bankrupt?" one character asks another in Ernest Hemingway's The Son Also Rises . "Two ways," the other character responds. "Gradually and then suddenly." But as Mark Batterson points out in his new book, "That's also how you get out of debt. That's how you start a business, write a book, or run a marathon — and a thousand other things." "Regardless of craft or career, dreams don't become reality overnight," he writes. "Reverse engineer any success story, and I daresay it happened...
Oct 30, 2025•26 min•Ep. 403
Which way are American young adults going when it comes to religion? Pew Research Center's Religious Landscape Survey reports that only 45% of Americans 18–29 years old identify as Christians, compared to 54% of those aged 30–49, 72% of 50–64, and 74% of 65+. Barna Group's State of the Church initiative reports that young adults are leading "a resurgence in church attendance." Gen Z (born 1999–2015) and Millennials (born 1984–98) attend church 1.9 and 1.8 weekends a month, respectively. By contr...
Oct 23, 2025•41 min•Ep. 402
The Preamble to the Assemblies of God "Statement of Fundamental Truth" says: "The Bible is our all-sufficient rule for faith and practice. This Statement of Fundamental Truths is intended simply as a basis of fellowship among us …. The phraseology employed in this statement is not inspired or contended for, but the truth set forth is held to be essential to a full-gospel ministry. No claim is made that it contains all biblical truth, only that it covers our need as to these fundamental doctrines...
Oct 09, 2025•39 min•Ep. 401
"Christians are called to be 'in the world' and 'not of the world'," says a new Assemblies of God position paper, citing John 17:11–16. "We must embrace our identity as Christian citizens, as public witnesses, and as salt and light," it continues, "Believers must also maintain their Christian character while engaging in politics. We prioritize our calling in Christ and do not condone the demonization of fellow citizens with whom we disagree. Such negative conduct can detract from the mission of ...
Oct 02, 2025•45 min•Ep. 400
"The Assemblies of God was founded as a cooperative fellowship that honors the calling and gifting of all Spirit-filled believers, not as a clerical hierarchy," says a new Assemblies of God position paper. "As we seek to cultivate healthy spiritual leadership," it continues, "we must resist any drift toward positional superiority and instead affirm diverse models of leadership found throughout the global church. To walk in step with the Spirit, we must honor the voices of those God has raised up...
Sep 11, 2025•49 min•Ep. 399
What is the center of Paul's theology? Traditionally, Protestants taught that justification by faith was the center. More recently, scholars proposed reconciliation, union with Christ, and transformation as the center. In The Affections of Christ Jesus , Nijay K. Gupta proposes love as the center. "The language of love in one form or another occurs over one hundred times in the Pauline corpus," he writes. "Furthermore, every single letter contains love language — that cannot be said for other co...
Sep 04, 2025•56 min•Ep. 398
"Christian ministry includes fully supported church workers, those bivocational only out of financial necessity, and those who have chosen to serve covocationally. All should be honored, but one's attitude makes a difference." So writes Richard D. Oliver in his new book, A Covocational Attitude: Sharing the Motivational Convictions of the Apostle Paul . In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Oliver regarding the apostle Paul's attitude to receiving financial support, and how the apo...
Aug 28, 2025•32 min•Ep. 397
"Churches in North America face an uncertain future," writes Joseph Lear. "Seventy percent of churches have an average weekly attendance of under 100 people, which means that should nearly three-quarters of the churches in America lose a few families, they'd face a financial, volunteer, and leadership crisis." "God is not done with the small church," he writes. "The kingdom of God is still present, which means there's a path forward for renewal. It's not going to come with marketing campaigns an...
Aug 21, 2025•33 min•Ep. 396
Doug Clay is the 13th general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, which explains the title of his most recent book — 13: Leadership Is More than Luck . The book explores leadership principles and stories from Clay's predecessors in that office. "As I studied the lives of our past general superintendents, I was inspired by their timeless insights and timely sensitivity to the Lord. Though each faced his own set of challenges, placing hope and trust in the Lord was a hallmark of each former l...
Aug 07, 2025•32 min•Ep. 395
"Few would argue against the proposition that Paul's letter to the Romans is his magnum opus ," writes Glen Menzies. "Romans is an exceedingly important book. The impact it has made is literally incalculable, for it is impossible to imagine how Christianity would have developed without it." In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Menzies about how to interpret Romans. We start with introductory issues about the letter and its recipients before moving on to points of debate about Roma...
Jul 31, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 394
"According to research, approximately 61 percent of U.S. teenagers never read the Bible, and 74 percent don't attend church regularly. That means well over half of middle and high school students in our nation aren't disciples and likely haven't put their faith in God. As followers of Jesus, what are we going to do about this?" asks Lee Rogers. He goes on to say: "Today in our nation there are over thirty-three million students in over sixty-nine thousand middle and high schools. Only 23 percent...
Jul 24, 2025•41 min•Ep. 393
"My college basketball coach, Coach High, used to talk about two types of pain — the pain of discipline and the pain of regret . In basketball (as well as life and ministry), pain is inevitable. No one can avoid it, even if we try. But in some cases, you can determine the pain you will live with," writes Steve Svoboda. He goes on to say: "When it comes to your life as a minister, choose the pain of discipline. Live a life devoted to becoming the best version of you possible, because the greatest...
Jul 17, 2025•42 min•Ep. 392
"It behooves us as Christians to think theologically and ethically about what it means to live as humans in the age of AI and about the potential opportunities and challenges that may arise from its widespread adoption, both in the short-term and long-term future," writes Todd Korpi. "Contrary to popular belief, technology is not acultural, neutral in its orientation, or immune from pitfalls that can harm vulnerable populations. We therefore must think ethically about technology from a Christian...
Jul 11, 2025•50 min•Ep. 391
"There are no seasons at the feet of Jesus. There are no age barriers when the fire of Acts 2:4 Pentecost falls. And when the Holy Spirit stirs us as men and women of God, at any age, to speak His words in strategic moments, we sill have a treasured opportunity to trust Him and simply use our voices and obey," writes Beth Grant. In this episode of the Influence Podcast , I talk to Grant about how she has made the most of the opportunities God has given her to use her voice for good. I'm George P...
Jul 03, 2025•46 min•Ep. 390
"We don't have to look far to realize there's a void of godly voices in modern youth culture. When we look around and see students struggling with self-harm, gender identity, as well as depression and anxiety, to name a few, we can see the void of godly voices," writes Ashton Peters. "There's a void of Christ-honoring love, biblical discipleship, and authentic mentorship. There's a void of spiritual mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, who deeply love a generation and want them to be all t...
Jun 05, 2025•49 min•Ep. 389
In Episode 383 of the Influence Podcast, I talked to Allen Tennison about the good news of Christ's death and resurrection. The biblical narrative doesn't end with Christ rising from the dead, however. Consider Acts 2:32–36, for example, where Peter says: "God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and...
May 29, 2025•1 hr 5 min
This summer marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, which promulgated the Nicene Creed. Along with Catholics and the Orthodox, many Protestant churches affirm the theology of the Nicene Creed, whether or not they use it in their liturgy or formal theological statements. But what about Pentecostals? What should we make of the creed? That's what I ask Frank Macchia in this episode of the Influence Podcast . I'm George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Fra...
May 22, 2025•59 min•Ep. 387
"I am a survivor of child abuse," writes Samantha Rose Jones. "The abuse impacted every aspect of my humanity — physically, emotionally, socially, mentally, and spiritually. All the instances were in a severe category, and the evil I faced was unfathomable. My starting point is bleak, but my current story is miraculous. I am a miracle because I am a child of the living Miracle Worker — God." In this episode of the Influence Podcast , I talk to Jones about her journey from the pain of abuse to th...
May 08, 2025•42 min•Ep. 386
"As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success." That is what 2 Chronicles 26:5 says about Uzziah, king of Judah in the early eighth century B.C. According to Warren D. Bullock, this verse is key to understanding Uzziah's success as a king, as well as his ultimate failure. "When [Uzziah] prayed, all went well; he had amazing success," Bullock writes. "When he failed to seek the Lord, he acted out of pride, violated the boundaries of his calling, and was cursed with leprosy." What lessons d...
May 01, 2025•35 min•Ep. 385
April is Autism Acceptance Month. According to the website, Autism Speaks , autism or autism spectrum disorder refers to "a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 36 children and 1 in 45 adults in the United States today." How should Christian churches minister to people with autism? Just as importantly, how should they facili...
Apr 24, 2025•33 min•Ep. 384
In 1 Corinthians 15:1–2, the apostle Paul wrote: "Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain." We typically interpret Paul's gospel in terms of the doctrine of justification by faith, with good reason. In Romans 1:17, for example, Paul wrote, "For in the gospel the righteousness of God...
Apr 17, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 383
Jesus asked His disciples an important question in Matthew 16:15: "Who do you say I am?" Ligonier Ministries surveyed Americans in 2022 about how they perceived Jesus. Responses to three statements in particular are worth highlighting. First, 54% of Americans and 80% of American evangelicals strongly agreed with the statement, "There is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit." This statement summarizes the doctrine of the Trinity. But 40% of all Ameri...
Apr 10, 2025•50 min•Ep. 382
If you could travel back in time and share life lessons with your younger self, what would they be? That's the premise of Doug Clay's new book, Conversations with My Younger Self . "If I could go back in time," he asks, "what mistakes would I correct? What choices would I change? What words would I say or leave unsaid? What path would I take?" Clay answers those questions by drawing on his personal experiences as well as the biblical stories of Samuel, Saul, Jonathan, and David. I talk to Clay a...
Apr 03, 2025•30 min•Ep. 381
"The future is coming, and you're not in it." That's what Rear Admiral Chester Cain (played by Ed Harris) says to Captain Pete Mitchell (played by Tom Cruise) in Top Gun: Maverick . Cain's reasoning? Mitchell will be replaced by AI. "These planes you've been testing, Captain, one day, sooner or later, they won't need pilots at all." Technological advances initiate a process of creative destruction, in which old ways of doing things give way to new ways, in the process displacing people who do th...
Mar 27, 2025•46 min•Ep. 380
Some time ago, a pastor called Chris Sonksen and confessed, "Our church is stuck, and I feel empty. I don't know what to do. I don't know how much longer I can keep doing this." A lot of pastors feel this way. One Lifeway Research study found that six in 10 Protestant churches are plateaued or declining. More than half of churches saw fewer than 10 converts in the previous year. Another Lifeway Research study reported that more than 60% of pastors say that stress weighs heavily on them, with at ...
Mar 13, 2025•34 min•Ep. 379
"The best days of the church are ahead," write Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Raymond Chang. "Don't get us wrong. We are under no illusion that churches have it easy in this season. These days the church can feel … So fractured, So distracted. So divided and politicized. So exhausting. So hard to lead. Like everything is an uphill battle." So why are these authors confident about the future of the church? That's the question I ask Kara Powell in this episode of the Influence Podcast . I'm George ...
Mar 06, 2025•34 min•Ep. 378
"God could have spoken the heavens and earth into existence with a single word on a single day," writes Rick DuBose. "He did not need seven days in which to do His work." "But that is not how Genesis records it. God, for all His creative power, intentionally chose to work through seven days of creation. God worked in seven creative stages. Our world exists because of that process. And it's in that process you can begin to better understand how God continues to work in your life." In this episode...
Feb 27, 2025•43 min•Ep. 377
