PODCAST · religion
Finding Healthy Church
by Michael Fleming & Barb Kjos
Church was God's big idea. The healthier it is, the better it (and every person in it) will fulfill God's purpose in the world. Mike Fleming and Barb Kjos have devoted their lives to the study and practice of the life of the church. This bi-weekly 30-minute conversational podcast will help every Christian, from those who don't participate to the highly influential, better understand what makes a church healthy so they can better function as the Body of Christ.If you're frustrated with your church experiences or simply want to live out God's big idea well, join them as they pursue finding healthy church together.
Episodes
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Ep. 31 - How Healthy Church Leadership Guides Decision-Making
One of the more difficult chapters in Paul's letters is a crucial moment of leadership, and his example gives great insight into leadership in the Kingdom of God. Join Mike and Barb as they take a look at Paul's example of standing on the foundational Christian principle of a shift in...
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Ep. 30 - What Jesus Said About Using Honorific Titles
Jesus says something to his disciples regarding authority that seems like it's largely ignored in churches today - that no one in the new community he's creating will call each other by honorific titles because all authority will be in The Way, The Truth and The Life. Join Mike and Barb as they...
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Ep. 29 - Where Authority Resides in a Healthy Church (and Home)
There are two major erroneous teachings about authority that people claim are in the Bible - that pastors and/or elders have authority over churches and that husbands have authority over wives. Join Mike and Barb as they look at a general picture of authority in the New Testament, discussing…
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Ep. 28 - The Root of All Problems with Church Leadership
Paul writes that you can look at how a human body functions to see how the Body of Christ was designed to function. It's one thing to understand this concept, but it's another to experience it and for it to be the environment that you're "raised" in. But it's foundational to the Christian life…
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Ep 27 - Why the Idea of a "Spiritual Covering" is Unhealthy
Some will call it "fathering" or "shepherding." It's the idea that everyone should be accountable to and submitting to a leader who provides wisdom, accountability and protection. While the idea's intention is good, it's not biblical the fruit of the practice is not good. Join Mike and Barb as…
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Ep. 26 - Does Scripture Teach to Obey Church Leaders?
It's common for humans to operate in systems of authority and submission where people are in charge of other people. But when Jesus was confronted by such a system, he gave a surprising response that revealed a different system in the Kingdom of God. Join Mike and Barb as they discuss how…
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Ep. 25 - The #1 Job of a Church Leader
Largely in the church today, being a leader is about being a little god or a prince or an official. It's about being in a needed position permanently. But you see something different in the biblical story. Join Mike and Barb as they discuss the primary job of a leader in the first churches based…
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Ep. 24 - The Meanings of "Deacon" and "Bishop" in the New Testament
There are many word used by the writers of the New Testament that have come to mean things different than what they originally meant. "Deacon" and "bishop" have come to mean positions in an organization rather than descriptions of the parts of a living organism. Join Mike and Barb as they discuss...
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Ep 23 - Why Apostles are First in the Church (and When They Truly Are)
1 Corinthians 12:28 says "And God has appointed in the church, first apostles..." So why are apostles first? There are two main ways to answer that question. Join Mike and Barb as they discuss this critical function in a church and how it contributes to a church being healthy.
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Ep. 22 - How the Body of Christ Is Designed to Function
It's common to hear people talking about how churches are the "Body of Christ." But what does that mean practically? What does it look like to actually function like that? Join Mike and Barb as they discuss how the image of the human body reveals how a church was designed to do life together, and...
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Ep. 21 - 3 Dangerously Mis-translated Words Regarding Church Leadership
There are words used in English Bible translations when it comes to the topic of church leadership that are misleading at best, and completely destructive at worst. But as we start to dig into the words the original authors used and their meanings, we find a consistency throughout the biblical...
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Ep. 20 - Where to Start Every Discussion About Church Leadership
You might have noticed something when it comes to Scriptures related to the topic of leadership - many of them seem to contradict each other. In one verse, Jesus says that his disciples don't "lord it over each other." But in another verse, the author of Hebrews writes "obey your leaders and…
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Ep. 19 - 21 Insights Into the Nature and Purpose of the Church
Finding healthy church starts with understanding the nature and purpose of the Church. Join Mike and Barb as they break down the insights they uncovered in their study of this topic through the first 18 episodes of the podcast to get back to the basics and discover some of the first principles of...
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Ep. 18 - What Makes a Church Truly Successful?
Isn't it ironic that the Church was more successful in a passionately pagan society where demands on converts were higher than in an at least nominally Christian society where demands are lower? Join us as we talk about the characteristics that made churches in the early centuries of the Jesus...
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Ep. 17 - 4 Physical Signs That a Church is Healthy
It takes knowledge and practice plus time for a group of people to be built together in agape love. The letters to churches in the New Testament give us a clear picture of this being the case. But when a church starts to naturally and consistently display certain characteristics of healthy...
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Ep. 16 - How Important Should the Church Be to a Jesus Follower?
Jesus said some pretty radical things about being his disciple; specifically that making the choice would divide families and re-prioritize our loyalty. Join us as we talk about how Jesus felt about where the Church belongs in his followers' lives and the dilemma this creates.
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Ep. 15 - What "Brothers" and "Sisters" Meant to the First Christians
Do you think primary loyalty belongs to a spouse (if married) or siblings? In the modern Western world, it's romantic love that generally wins. But in the ancient Mediterranean world, this wasn't true. Join us as we talk about why it's important to keep in mind what the first Christians meant…
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Ep. 14 - The Danger of a "Personal" Relationship with God
The world's identity comes from what you do, where you live, what you have, and what other people think of you. This is a unique approach of the modern Western world. In this episode, we'll talk about the consequences of this approach and what biblical authors meant when they said one's identity…
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Ep. 13 - This Mindset Leads to Church Hopping
People are seemingly unable to commit to or stay in close-knit shared-life Christian community. A main reason for this is a cultural mindset members of churches have adopted that contributes to this. In this episode, Mike and Barb discuss this mindset, common examples of it, and why it matters so...
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Ep. 12 - A Misunderstanding Of Church Structure That Fractures God's Family
There's a deceptive philosophy about church structure floating around the Christian world that is ultra-unhealthy. In this episode, Mike shares a story about encountering this philosophy in real life and sets the record straight about the true structure of God's household.
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Ep. 11 - What Makes For Healthy Church Structure?
Living things have to have structure to be able to function. A healthy church is a living thing because it operates by the Life of Christ. Therefore, it develops structure as it grows. But that structure will never be like the world's mechanical structure, which is great for relationships built…
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Ep. 10 - The Pattern of the Growth of God's Kingdom on Earth
Church growth isn't necessarily the growth of God's Kingdom. If a church's source is God's life, it will grow and reproduce the Kingdom of God on earth. In this episode, Mike and Barb discuss the pattern found in the biblical story of church growth that is also the growth of the presence of God's...
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Ep. 9 - How a Biblical Church Operates
Organizations that operate like businesses call themselves churches. But the biblical story paints a picture of churches operating like the human body. In this episode, we continue our conversation on the nature and purpose of the church by looking at how most modern-day churches operate like...
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Ep. 8 - A Biblical View of Church Demands THIS
In terms of mission, nothing has changed from when Jesus was in his first body to when he entered his second body. His mission is to bring the Kingdom of God back to the earth. So understanding the Kingdom of God is closely bound to understanding church. In this episode, we'll touch on what the...
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Ep. 7 - 5 Traditional Understandings of Church That Aren't Biblical
Traditional (as opposed to biblical) understandings of the church really dominate the Christian landscape, so much so that traditional views interpret the Bible in ways that make those traditions "biblical." In this episode, we talk about why it's important to distinguish between traditional and...
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Ep. 6 - 6 Things That Build Unity in a Church
God's purpose is to dwell in a temple made of "living stones" (human beings). But unless those stones are built together, they're just a pile of stones. Join us as we talk about 6 practical components to healthy church life that builds the living stones of humanity together into a temple in which...
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Ep. 5 - This Must Happen to Have Unity in a Church
There are many pictures of unity in the Bible, and they all have something in common. In this episode, we explore one specific picture of unity - living stones being built together into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). Join us as we talk about this picture and the insights it gives us into the...
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Ep. 4 - Why It's Difficult to Think and Act in Community
The account of the fall of mankind in the book of Genesis gives us insights into the nature and purpose of the Church. Mankind was created to live by divine life, which is a shared-life community. The serpent had something else in mind. Join us as we talk about what happened at "the Fall" and the...
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Ep. 3 - What God Wanted When He Created Mankind
The account of the creation of mankind in the book of Genesis gives us insights into the nature and purpose of the Church. By default, we've been trained to think one God created one human. But this is incomplete. Join us as we talk about God's purpose and how Jesus unlocked it once again on the...
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Ep. 2 - Where to Start Understanding Healthy Church Life
Alignment on the true nature and purpose of a church is foundational to it being healthy. And what you believe about the nature and purpose of God will determine what you believe about the nature and purpose of a church. Join us as we touch on God's nature and purpose and it will shape your...
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Ep. 1 - The Most Important Thing For a Christian To Do Well
Why are we doing a podcast on the topic of church? Because being an individual Christian and a corporate Christian aren't two separate entities. When it comes down to it, there's nothing more important to talk about and work to get right in life for the Christian. Join us as explore the meaning...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Church was God's big idea. The healthier it is, the better it (and every person in it) will fulfill God's purpose in the world. Mike Fleming and Barb Kjos have devoted their lives to the study and practice of the life of the church. This bi-weekly 30-minute conversational podcast will help every Christian, from those who don't participate to the highly influential, better understand what makes a church healthy so they can better function as the Body of Christ.If you're frustrated with your church experiences or simply want to live out God's big idea well, join them as they pursue finding healthy church together.
HOSTED BY
Michael Fleming & Barb Kjos
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Finding Healthy Church have?
Finding Healthy Church currently has 31 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Finding Healthy Church about?
Church was God's big idea. The healthier it is, the better it (and every person in it) will fulfill God's purpose in the world. Mike Fleming and Barb Kjos have devoted their lives to the study and practice of the life of the church. This bi-weekly 30-minute conversational podcast will help every...
How often does Finding Healthy Church release new episodes?
Finding Healthy Church has 31 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Finding Healthy Church?
You can listen to Finding Healthy Church on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Finding Healthy Church?
Finding Healthy Church is created and hosted by Michael Fleming & Barb Kjos.
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