PODCAST · religion
Lead Time
by Unite Leadership Collective
Lead Time is a podcast of the Unite Leadership Collective, hosted by Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg. The ULC envisions a future in which all congregations fully equip the priesthood of all believers through world-class leadership development at the local level. Lead Time taps into biblical wisdom for practical solutions to today's burning issues. Each podcast confronts real-time struggles facing the local church in a post-Christian culture. Step into the action with the ULC. This is Lead Time
Episodes
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The LCMS Giving Crisis: What We Missed | David Fiedler
Care about the future of the LCMS? Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter) Where does LCMS giving actually go—and how can it strengthen your local church for generations? LCMS Foundation President David Fiedler joins Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg to revisit our conversation about...
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What Are We Afraid Of? An Honest LCMS Conversation
Join Lead Time+, to discuss topics like these with our growing community of pastors and lay leaders Pastor Anthony Celia joins Tim Ahlman for an honest conversation about pastoral formation, burnout, and trust in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Now serving St. Paul Church and School in...
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LCMS: Overlooked Resources into Lasting Ministry Impact
Care about the future of the LCMS? Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter) What opportunities could your church be missing—in the building it already owns, the generosity of its members, and the plans nobody has started? Patrick Carlove of Legacy Deo joins Tim Ahlman and Jack...
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Is there a Gap Between LCMS Seminary and Parish Life?
Join Lead Time+, to discuss topics like these with our growing community of pastors and lay leaders. What does it take to prepare a pastor for the realities of parish ministry? Pastor Ryan Roehrig joins Tim Ahlman to share what ten years of ministry in Iowa—and four years supervising vicars—have...
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This Lutheran School Nearly Closed—Then Grew 240%
Tim Ahlman sits down with Sam Seefeld to explore the turnaround at Trinity Lutheran School in Freistadt, Wisconsin—and what churches and schools across the LCMS can learn from it. Sam shares how building a joyful, Jesus-centered culture, empowering leaders, and expanding services for students…
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New LCMS Survey Reveals Two Very Different Visions for the Church | Zach Zehnder
The conversation doesn’t end with this video: In our Lead Time+ continuation, Zach Zehnder gets more direct about the LCMS’s future leadership, the divisions reflected in the survey, and how pastors and laypeople can speak up and participate. Join Lead Time+ to watch the full extended…
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Should the LCMS Take Bitcoin Seriously? | Jacob Klug
What does Bitcoin have to do with your local church? For Jacob Klug, the conversation starts with families struggling to make ends meet, church workers facing rising housing costs, and ministries trying to fund their mission. Tim Ahlman welcomes Jacob, a lifelong LCMS member and former parish...
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Did an LCMS Book Get the Trinity Wrong?
What happens when a teaching about Jesus raises questions inside a church committed to doctrinal faithfulness? Pastor Doyle Theimer joins Tim Ahlman to discuss the “eternal subordination of the Son”—and why he believes it conflicts with the church’s confession of the Trinity. Doyle recounts his...
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Why the Same People Do Everything at Your Church
Care about the future of the LCMS? Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter) What if some of the leaders your church needs are already sitting in the pews—waiting for someone to ask? Tim Ahlman welcomes Todd Hornsby, governing board chair at Cornerstone Lutheran Church in Carmel,...
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You Don’t Need a Pulpit to Make a Difference | Scott Yakimow
What if some of your church’s greatest opportunities for ministry are sitting in the pews—with the skills to repair a roof, wire a building, or help a struggling neighbor? Rev. Dr. Scott Yakimow joins Tim Ahlman to discuss how the church can recognize and encourage the everyday callings through...
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New Research on LCMS Pastors Reveals a Surprising Result
Care about the future of the LCMS? Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter) Dr. Bruce Hartung joins Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg to unpack new Wellspring research examining the health of senior pastor–associate pastor relationships across the LCMS—and some of the findings are...
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The 9/11 Prayer That Changed the LCMS | Dave Benke
The conversation doesn’t end with this episode: In our Lead Time+ continuation, Dave Benke and Tim explore LCMS elections, the United List, divisions over worship, and who shapes the Synod’s direction—and discuss what it could take to rebuild trust and unity. Join Lead Time+ to watch the full...
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How a Rural LCMS Church Grew from 30 to 105
When Rev. Seth Davidson arrived at St. John Lutheran Church in Athens, Texas, the congregation averaged around 30 worshipers, had an average age of 71, struggled to make payroll, and appeared to be approaching the end of its ministry. Today, the church is welcoming young families, celebrating...
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Has Liturgy Become a Test of Lutheran Identity in the LCMS?
Ask Tim or Jack a question directly by joining our growing community of LCMS lay leaders and pastors: click here. What actually makes worship Lutheran? Is it Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions—or must Lutheran churches also use the same hymnal, liturgy, music and ceremonies? Tim Ahlman and…
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Can Public Disagreement be Helpful in the LCMS?
Ask Tim or Jack a question directly by joining our growing community of LCMS lay leaders and pastors: click here. Do you think hard conversations that we have publicly on Lead Time are harmful to Christian unity? Tim Ahlman, Tania Hilton, and Jack Kalleberg discuss why laypeople need a meaningful...
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70% of Christians Don’t Know How to Bring Faith into Work!?
Stay up to date by joining the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter) Drawing from 36 years of leadership at Procter & Gamble and his book Kingdom Leadership, Ron Kelleher joins Tim and Jack to explore how Jesus reshapes the way Christians lead. They discuss servant leadership, integrity,...
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Pastors Can’t Do It All: The Biblical Leadership Role the LCMS Needs
Join Lead Time Plus and support honest, hopeful, Christ-centered conversations for the future of the Church: https://app.echometric.org/go/lead-time-plus-audio Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg welcome Dylan Owens, manager of the Bulldog Fan Shop and shooting sports coach at Concordia University,...
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Why Large LCMS Churches Feel Ignored by Synod
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ Join Lead Time+ to continue the conversation ⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️ Rev. John Kunze has served Messiah Church and School in Lincoln, Nebraska, for more than 25 years. In this candid conversation, he explains why large congregations face unique…
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The LCMS Is Full of Missionaries—So Why Aren’t We Sending Them?
Stay up to date by joining the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter) What if your congregation doesn’t need to manufacture more missionaries—but simply learn to recognize the people God has already placed there? Tardelli Voss joins Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg to share what is happening...
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Why Faithful Families Are Quietly Leaving the LCMS | Jerry Kieschnick
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️ Join Lead Time+ to continue the conversation ⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️ Why are faithful families quietly leaving the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod—even when their children still love Jesus, worship faithfully, and raise their own families in the...
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Lead Time Removed Its CUAA Interview with Casey Salminen | Tim Ahlman Responds
Lead Time was asked to remove our recent conversation with Casey Salminen concerning Concordia University Ann Arbor. We have done so. In this personal response, Tim Ahlman addresses the decision, acknowledges what he does and does not know, and reflects on the sadness of conflict and litigation...
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Millions Were Given to CUAA. Was the Donor’s Intent Honored? | Casey Salminen
Lead Time was asked to remove this conversation with Casey Salminen concerning Concordia University Ann Arbor. We have done so. In this personal response, Tim Ahlman addresses the decision, acknowledges what he does and does not know, and reflects on the sadness of conflict and litigation among...
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What “Preach” Actually Means...& More! | Rev. Dr. Mike Middendorf
Stay up to date by joining the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter) What if words Christians use every week—like law, preach, prophecy, confess, obey, sanctification, and sacrament—do not always mean what we assume they mean? Rev. Dr. Mike Middendorf joins Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg…
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This Story Simply MUST Be Shared… | The Carter Nath Story
Join Lead Time+ to continue the conversation This story simply must be shared. Carter Nath was already serving his rural Iowa congregation when its pastor announced his approaching retirement. As two neighboring Lutheran Church Missouri Synod churches searched for a path forward, Carter was…
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The Culture War Won’t Save Us: Faithful Ministry in Post-Christian America
Join Lead Time+ to continue the conversation: https://app.echometric.org/go/lead-time-plus-audio Learn more about Lead Time+: https://www.uniteleadership.org/support/leadtimeplus In a hyper-political, post-Christian culture, what is the church actually called to do? Should Christians retreat from...
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LCMS Pastor Shortage Continues to Grow. What Has to Change?
Join Lead Time+ to continue the conversation Learn more about Lead Time+: https://www.uniteleadership.org/support/leadtimeplus The LCMS needs more pastors—but can it expand the pastoral pipeline without sacrificing theological depth? Rev. Dr. Andrew Bartelt and Rev. Dr. James Voelz join Tim…
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The Convention Pushes Back | Elections, Worship & Lutheran Identity
Join Lead Time+ Learn more about Lead Time+ One of the clearest moments of pushback at the LCMS Convention came when the body rejected a proposal that would have moved the Synod presidential election to the convention floor—choosing instead to preserve and strengthen the broader congregational...
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Unity or Uniformity? What the 2026 LCMS Convention Is Revealing (Day 4)
Join Lead Time+ Learn more about Lead Time+: https://www.uniteleadership.org/support/leadtimeplus Recorded on location at the 2026 LCMS Convention, Jack sits down with Joe Beran for an immediate and honest reflection on what the convention floor is revealing about the direction of the church…
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600+ Empty Pulpits—What Is the LCMS Plan? | Convention Day 2 and 3 Debrief
Join Lead Time+ Learn more about Lead Time+: https://www.uniteleadership.org/support/leadtimeplus Recorded across two days at the LCMS Convention in Phoenix, this 2 part special Lead Time episode captures the conversation both before and after one of the convention’s most consequential debates.…
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Is $20M at Risk? The Last-Minute LCMS Concordia Debate
Join Lead Time+: https://www.skool.com/leadtimeplus/about Learn more about Lead Time+: https://www.uniteleadership.org/support/leadtimeplus Just days before the 2026 LCMS Convention, the debate over the future of the Concordia University System has reopened. Concordia University, Nebraska…
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The Plan That Could Have Saved Concordia Ann Arbor
Join Lead Time+: https://www.skool.com/leadtimeplus/about Learn more about Lead Time+: https://www.uniteleadership.org/support/leadtimeplus Could a Lutheran medical school have changed the future of Concordia University Ann Arbor—and strengthened the entire Concordia system? In this special 2026...
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LCMS Convention: Kingdom or Castle? What Every Lutheran Should Know
Join the Lead Time Plus! The LCMS Convention is almost here—and the decisions being made are about more than resolutions, bylaws, and floor committees. They reveal a deeper question facing our church body: Are we building the Kingdom, or are we building the castle? In this special Lead Time...
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Is the LCMS Too Strict? Closed Communion, Pastor Shortage & Confessional Courage
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter) Stay up to date. Is the LCMS too strict — or is it simply trying to be faithful? In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit down with Pastor Ben Hollingsead, a former LCMC...
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Should the LCMS Stop Selling Off Church Property?
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter) Stay up to date. Resolution 9.11 may sound like a technical bylaw issue — but it could have major implications for the future of mission, ministry, property, insurance, and institutional trust…
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The CMPL Controversy in the LCMS | Dr. Jeff Kloha Responds
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter) Stay up to date. Dr. Jeff Kloha joins Tim Ahlman for a timely Lead Time conversation in the middle of a heated LCMS convention season. They discuss the Center for Missional Pastoral Leadership,...
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A Conversation with CUWAA Leadership About Concordia Ann Arbor
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter) Stay up to date. In this special Lead Time conversation, Tim Ahlman sits down with Rev. Dr. Erik Ankerberg, President of Concordia University Wisconsin and Ann Arbor, and Rev. Dr. Aaron...
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Did the LCMS Give Up on Concordia Ann Arbor Too Soon?
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent Join the LCMS Current! (LCMS Current Events Newsletter) The Concordia Ann Arbor story continues to raise painful questions for many in and around the LCMS. In this episode, Tim Ahlman sits down with Paul Pollatz from Ann Arbor City on a Hill to talk...
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The LCMS Election Is Down to 14 Votes | Round 3 Could Change the LCMS
The LCMS presidential election has moved into historic territory. After two rounds of voting, President Harrison’s lead has narrowed from 228 votes to just 14 votes, while hundreds of eligible voters still have not cast a ballot. In this special timely edition of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman is joined…
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Is LCMS Bureaucracy Holding Back Ministry?
In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman welcomes back Jim Sanft, former President and CEO of Concordia Plans, for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, trust, Lutheran education, lay leadership, LCMS bureaucracy, and what it means to steward faithfully in a changing church. This…
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LCMS Runoff Shock: Can Biermann Beat Harrison?
The LCMS presidential election is heading to a runoff — and the numbers are impossible to ignore. President Matthew Harrison received 43.8% on the first ballot. Dr. Joel Biermann received 39.0%. For the first time in this election cycle, the Synod is now moving into a second round of voting, and...
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The Future of the LCMS: Generosity and Tithing
In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit down with Philip Meinzen, a longtime LCMS educator and creator of The Grace Formula, for a powerful conversation about stewardship, generosity, tithing, debt, vocation, and the mission of the local church. Philip argues that the…
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The LCMS Pastor Pipeline Problem
In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman talks with Jim Simpson, a retired higher education leader with decades of experience in curriculum development, administration, accreditation, and student success. Together, they explore what higher education has learned about adult learners, hybrid…
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Why Culture Can’t Be Faked
In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman sits down with Coach Patrick Daberkow, head football coach at Concordia University, Nebraska. Together, they talk about what makes a healthy team culture, why football still matters in an age of individualism, how young men are formed through…
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The LCMS Forgot This Part of its Story...
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod loves its history. But what if we have forgotten one of the most important parts of it? In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman talks with Pastor Mark Brandt about the story of St. Lorenz Lutheran Church in Frankenmuth, Michigan, the missionary vision of…
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The Pharisee Living Inside Every Lutheran
Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller returns to Lead Time for a conversation that begins with the Prodigal Son… and ends up exposing something much closer to home. Most Christians know the story of the younger son who runs away, wastes everything, and comes home in shame. But what if Jesus’ sharpest warning…
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Before LCMS Convention: The Future of the Concordias
A major LCMS convention overture could reshape the way the Concordia University System functions — but many everyday Lutherans may not understand what is being proposed, why it matters, or what questions still need to be answered. In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit…
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The LCMS Bylaw Change Most Lutherans Aren’t Watching
Most Lutherans do not get excited about bylaws — but sometimes a bylaw change can have real consequences for local ministry. In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit down with Jim Saalfeld, CEO of the Church Extension Fund, to discuss LCMS Overture 9-06 and proposed changes...
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The LCMS Ethics Crisis Behind Public Heresy Accusations | Dr. Jim Voelz & Dr. Mark Hoehner
What happens when public accusations of heresy are made without clear evidence? In this urgent Lead Time conversation, Rev. Dr. Jim Voelz and Rev. Dr. Mark Hoehner join Tim Ahlman to discuss ethics, truth, the Eighth Commandment, public criticism, and the responsibility Christians have when…
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What Should the LCMS Do About Decline? (From Presidential Nominee Brady Finnern)
The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is heading into a significant season. With convention conversations ahead, questions around pastoral formation, membership decline, congregational vitality, and the future of Lutheran mission are all on the table. Today, We sit down with presidential nominee…
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Two Seminary Legends on the Future of the LCMS
In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman sits down with two longtime Concordia Seminary professors, Dr. Andy Bartelt and Dr. James Voelz, for a wide-ranging conversation on time, aging, biblical literacy, seminary history, SMP, distance education, churchmanship, and the future of pastoral…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Lead Time is a podcast of the Unite Leadership Collective, hosted by Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg. The ULC envisions a future in which all congregations fully equip the priesthood of all believers through world-class leadership development at the local level. Lead Time taps into biblical wisdom for practical solutions to today's burning issues. Each podcast confronts real-time struggles facing the local church in a post-Christian culture. Step into the action with the ULC. This is Lead Time
HOSTED BY
Unite Leadership Collective
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How many episodes does Lead Time have?
Lead Time currently has 439 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Lead Time about?
Lead Time is a podcast of the Unite Leadership Collective, hosted by Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg. The ULC envisions a future in which all congregations fully equip the priesthood of all believers through world-class leadership development at the local level. Lead Time taps into biblical wisdom...
How often does Lead Time release new episodes?
Lead Time publishes regularly with 439 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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You can listen to Lead Time 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 Lead Time?
Lead Time is created and hosted by Unite Leadership Collective.
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