Take Off With Thomas Clark

Send us Fan MailIn Season 7, Episode 2 of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark asks a needed question: How do we know whether disciple-making is actually happening? This episode challenges the scorecard many churches have inherited and argues that what we count reveals what we actually value. If we only measure attendance, visibility, and activity, we may feel successful while discipleship stays shallow. This conversation calls listeners to a better scorecard—one that measures formation, obedience, mission, and visible growth in Christlike maturity. Drawing from the seven markers of Organic Discipleship, Thomas shows that the right questions are not just who showed up, but whether people are engaging Scripture, growing in prayer, living on mission, and becoming more like Jesus in everyday life. This episode closes with a practical “I Will” statement to help listeners identify one marker of discipleship they need to strengthen and take one concrete step forward. Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan Mail In Season 7, Episode 1 of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark begins a new season focused on discipleship that reproduces by asking a foundational question: What kind of discipleship did Jesus actually practice? In this episode, Thomas explains that Jesus did not call spectators, consumers, or admirers at a distance—He called disciples. Drawing from the Gospels and the life of Jesus, this conversation challenges listeners to move beyond a version of Christianity centered on attendance, information, and passive listening, and instead embrace discipleship as relational formation, active obedience, and participation in the mission of Jesus. Thomas also introduces the need for a new scorecard—one rooted not in buildings, budgets, and bodies, but in spiritual maturity and missionary behaviors such as biblical engagement, prayer, worship, service, generosity, community, and outreach. This episode closes with a practical “I Will” statement to help listeners take one concrete step from passive learning to active obedience as they follow Jesus in everyday life. Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan Mail In Season 6, Episode 5 of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark brings the season to its final and practical conclusion by asking: What does it actually look like to live under the reign of Jesus? If Jesus is Lord, then His lordship cannot remain a statement we affirm without becoming a reality that shapes how we live. In this episode, Thomas explores how the reign of Jesus restores rather than crushes, brings order rather than domination, and gives life rather than exhaustion. He challenges listeners to reject the sacred/secular divide and recognize that every part of life—work, relationships, finances, decisions, time, and daily choices—must come under the authority of Christ. Drawing from Scripture and everyday life, this conversation shows that obedience is not bondage but freedom, because grace does not remove obedience—it empowers it. Thomas also emphasizes that lordship is not merely individual but communal, because Jesus forms a people whose shared submission becomes a visible witness to the world. This episode closes with a practical “I Will” statement to help listeners identify one specific area of life that needs to come under Jesus’ reign and take one concrete step of obedience. Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan Mail In Season 6, Episode 4 of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark explores what it really means to say, “Jesus is Lord.” If Jesus is Lord, then our allegiance cannot remain divided. It must be reordered. In this episode, Thomas shows that when the early church confessed Jesus as Lord, they were not making a private religious statement—they were declaring public loyalty to a different King. Drawing from the first-century context, this conversation challenges listeners to examine the competing allegiances that still shape our lives today, including comfort, reputation, political ideology, family expectations, career, safety, and self-direction. Thomas explains that discipleship begins where those rival loyalties are exposed and brought underneath the authority of Jesus. He also emphasizes that allegiance is not just individual but communal, because the Church is a people whose shared loyalty to Jesus reshapes identity, belonging, and culture. This episode closes with a practical “I Will” statement to help listeners take one concrete step of obedience and intentionally place one competing loyalty under the lordship of Christ. Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan Mail In Season 6, Episode 3 of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark explores a question many people feel but do not always know how to name: If Jesus is Lord, what does His power actually look like? In a world shaped by control, dominance, and the misuse of authority, this episode reframes power through the life of Jesus. Drawing from Mark 10, Philippians 2, John 13, Micah 6:8, and Matthew 5, Thomas shows that Jesus does not reject power—He transforms it. His authority is revealed through humility, service, love, justice, and restoration. This episode challenges listeners to examine where they may be tempted to use influence for self-protection rather than service, and calls the Church to reflect a kind of power that heals rather than harms. If Jesus is Lord, then power in His kingdom always moves downward in love, never upward in domination. Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailWhat does it actually mean for Jesus to be Lord of us? In this episode, Thomas Clark brings the confession “Jesus is Lord” out of the abstract and into everyday life—because lordship isn’t just theology, it’s formation. Many of us can affirm Jesus as Lord and still resist His leadership, and that contradiction reveals how we’ve been shaped by a version of faith where Jesus is personal but not authoritative. If Jesus is Lord, then He gets to define how we live—and surrender becomes the real invitation. You’ll explore why lordship feels costly, how identity precedes behavior, and how obedience is revealed most in ordinary places—not dramatic moments. You’ll also hear why community is essential for formation: salvation is personal, but it is never private. This episode ends with a simple “I Will” step to help you move from confession to concrete obedience, so the reign of Jesus can be seen in the places you live, work, learn, and play. In this episode: Confession vs. formation: why “Lord” can’t remain a word we say  Why surrender challenges autonomy—and where we quietly resist Jesus’ authority  Identity before behavior: obedience flows from belonging, not performance  Lordship in ordinary places: quiet faithfulness that advances the Kingdom  Lordship and community: why you can’t fully live under Jesus’ reign alone Reflection Question: Where am I resisting Jesus’ leadership because surrender feels risky? This week’s “I Will” statement: This week, I will identify one area where I’ve delayed obedience—and take one concrete step of surrender. Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn Season 6, Episode 1 of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark revisits one of the most familiar—and most misunderstood—confessions of the Christian faith: “Jesus is Lord.”What if this phrase was never meant to be casual, private, or devotional-only? What if it was always intended to disrupt, confront, and reorder everything?In this episode, Thomas explores how this early Christian confession carried real weight in the first century—directly challenging the dominant claim that Caesar is Lord—and why it still carries that same disruptive power today. Drawing from Scripture, history, and lived disciple-making experience, he addresses a critical shift in modern faith: how truth has been reduced to something “personal,” and how that shift has quietly reshaped how we understand Jesus, salvation, and discipleship.This conversation reframes the gospel from a private belief to a public reality. Jesus is not one lord among many—He is Lord over all. His reign is not limited to individual lives but extends to all creation, all authority, and every sphere of life.Listeners will be challenged to consider how competing “lords” still shape our world today, why self-rule remains the most subtle rival to Jesus’ authority, and how the cross and resurrection reveal a radically different kind of power.The episode concludes with a reflection question and a practical “I will…” invitation, helping you move from confession to lived allegiance in real, everyday life.Key takeaway: Salvation is personal—but it is never private. Jesus is not just Lord of our hearts—He is Lord of the world.🎧 Listen and take your next step in living under His reign.#TakeOffPodcast #JesusIsLord #DiscipleMaking #KingdomLiving #MissioDei #FaithInRealLifeSupport the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark explores what it truly means to move from faithful practices to multiplying people. Disciple-making movements don’t grow through models, programs, or personalities—they grow when ordinary followers of Jesus live reproducible lives in everyday places.Building on the foundations laid throughout the season—presence, rhythms, practices, and pathways—this conversation reframes multiplication not as a strategy to master, but as an identity to embrace. Thomas challenges the idea that discipleship should stop at formation and invites listeners to consider whether their lives can be imitated by others who want to follow Jesus.Through Scripture, lived experience, and movement wisdom, this episode highlights why multiplication flows from identity rather than obligation, why reproducibility is a key measure of health, and how letting go is essential for others to grow. Listeners are encouraged to think beyond addition and toward a way of life that can travel across kitchens, neighborhoods, workplaces, and communities.The episode closes with a reflective question and a season-defining “I will…” invitation, calling listeners to intentionally invest in others with the goal of helping them do for others what has been done for them.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailDisciple-making is not a short burst of passion—it’s a way of life sustained through shared rhythms. In this episode of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark explores how disciple-making movements are sustained not by intensity or events, but by simple, repeatable practices that shape everyday life.Building on the previous episode about relationships becoming pathways, Thomas asks an honest question: Why do so many disciple-making efforts start strong but fade over time? Drawing from Scripture, lived experience, and years of practicing disciple-making in real contexts, he explains how burnout often comes from passion without rhythm—and why movements endure when practices are embedded into daily life.Listeners are introduced to core disciple-making practices like prayer, listening, shared meals, service, Scripture engagement, reflection, and sending—framed through the B.L.E.S.S. practices and the simple “up, in, and out” rhythms seen in the life of Jesus. Rather than offering a formula, this episode highlights what has emerged faithfully over time: practices that travel with people, multiply naturally, and protect discipleship from burnout.The episode concludes with a reflection question and a practical “I will…” invitation, helping listeners identify which rhythms are shaping their lives—and which ones need to be reclaimed or simplified—so disciple-making can be sustained with faithfulness, not flash.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn Season 5, Episode 5 of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark builds on the last episode’s focus on persons of peace and takes the next step: What happens after peace is discovered? This conversation explores a movemental truth many believers miss—peace may open the door, but pathways move people forward.Thomas unpacks how God doesn’t just connect us to people of peace—He turns those relationships into disciple-making pathways, where spiritual formation can grow naturally through shared life. Drawing from the way Jesus walked with people over time, this episode names what has proven faithful in real contexts as The Launching Pad Worldwide has practiced release-based discipleship—equipping and releasing disciple-makers back into their everyday environments to make disciples where life already happens.You’ll hear why friendship alone isn’t the destination, why “niceness” can be confused with discipleship, and how intentionality creates movement without manipulation. Thomas introduces practical, reproducible examples of disciple-making pathways—walking together, sharing meals, prayer moments, Scripture conversations, serving side-by-side—and clarifies what pathways are not (not a class, not a curriculum-first process, not pressure-driven).The episode also addresses why many relationships never become pathways (fear of rejection, fear of being misunderstood, waiting for the “perfect time”) and offers gentle, simple “pathway starters” that honor trust while inviting growth. Ultimately, pathways emerge when we learn to walk at the speed of trust.The episode concludes with a reflection question and an “I will…” invitation to help you take a concrete next step:Reflection Question: Who has God already given me relational access to—and what step am I hesitating to invite them into? I Will Challenge: This week, I will intentionally invite ______ into a simple next step of shared life with me.Remember: Peace opens doors, but pathways build disciples—and discipleship is relational long before it is instructional.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark explores a crucial shift in disciple-making: God sends us to places, but He reveals His mission through people. Building on the previous conversation about being scattered on purpose, this episode moves from where God sends us to who God highlights as He sends us.Rather than offering a formula or strategy, Thomas names what has proven faithful over time within a disciple-making movement. He challenges the common question, “What should I do?”, and reframes it with a more biblical lens: “Who should I notice?” Disciple-making movements don’t begin with plans—they begin with discernment.Drawing from Luke 10 and the concept of persons of peace, this episode unpacks how movements grow through relationships, not programs; through attentiveness, not efficiency; and through people God has already prepared. Thomas shares lived examples that show how persons of peace—often unexpected and sometimes overlooked—become bridges for the gospel rather than bottlenecks.Listeners are invited to reflect on how program-driven ministry can unintentionally overshadow people-driven mission, why trust precedes teaching, and how mutuality transforms discipleship from a patron–client model into shared partnership on mission.The episode concludes with a reflection question and a practical “I will…” invitation, encouraging listeners to intentionally invest in the people God has already opened to them—right where they live, work, learn, and play.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark explores a vital discipleship truth: we are scattered on purpose and sent to specific places. While God gathers His people for formation, He intentionally scatters them for mission—not randomly, but with divine purpose. Drawing from Scripture and lived experience within a disciple-making movement, Thomas clarifies two common errors in the Church today: staying gathered and never going, or scattering without shared identity and purpose. This episode reframes scattering not as a weakness of the Church, but as God’s design for reaching His world.Thomas unpacks how Jesus formed His disciples before sending them, why the Church was never meant to be a place we “go to” but a people who are sent, and how our neighborhoods, workplaces, and everyday gathering spaces are commissioned mission fields. Listeners are invited to see geography as theology—recognizing that where we live, work, learn, and play is where God has already sent us. The episode concludes with a reflection question and a practical “I will…” invitation, challenging listeners to engage one specific place God has entrusted to them with intentional, faithful presence.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn Season 5, Episode 2 of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark explores a foundational truth for disciple-making movements: God does not send isolated individuals—He sends a people. Drawing from Scripture and lived experience, this episode challenges the deeply individualistic assumptions many of us carry and invites listeners to rediscover God’s design for mission as communal, shared, and embodied life together.Thomas unpacks the difference between crowds and community, audience and body, and shows how Jesus formed a people—not solo heroes—to live sent lives in real places with real problems. From the life of Abraham to the formation of the early church, we see that God’s mission has always moved through a collective shaped together in tension, trust, and shared obedience. This episode calls listeners to move from isolation to collaboration, to resist burnout disguised as faithfulness, and to embrace discipleship as a shared way of life.As always, the episode ends with a reflection question and a practical “I will…” invitation, helping you discern how God may be calling you to live His mission with others where you live, work, learn, and play.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn this opening episode of Season 5, Thomas Clark lays a foundation that quietly reshapes everything we believe about discipleship, mission, and the Church. On a “capital C” level, the Church of Jesus Christ does not have a mission—God has a mission, and the Church exists because of it. Thomas explains why phrases like “the church has a mission” or “we need to do more mission” can unintentionally make mission feel optional—like a department, a program, or an outreach night—when in reality mission flows from the very nature of God. Introducing the missio Dei (the mission of God), he walks listeners through the biblical storyline of creation, fall, redemption, restoration, and new creation, showing that God’s ongoing work is to restore humanity back into His shalom (peace) through Jesus Christ.Thomas then connects this to the sending nature of God: God sends Abram, Moses, Isaiah, and ultimately sends His Son. God doesn’t send ideas—He sends people. Jesus is the ultimate “sent One,” and in John 20:21 Jesus makes it clear that as the Father sent Him, He now sends His followers. This episode challenges listeners to stop thinking of mission as something we initiate or “take God” to, and instead to become discerners—joining God where He is already moving in everyday places. The episode ends with a tension-building question and an “I will” challenge to help listeners take a concrete next step toward living as sent disciples in their neighborhoods, workplaces, and third places.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan Mail"You may retire from employment, but you never retire from discipleship."In the conclusion of this two-part conversation, Thomas Clark and Ruth Price dive deep into the "Third Place"—those community hangouts like gardens, town halls, and local festivals where social momentum is built. Ruth shares her incredible journey of becoming "the church" at the Harambee Community Garden and beyond, proving that making disciples is about being present where life is already happening.In this episode, we explore:The Power of the Third Place: How a community garden or a local jazz show becomes a sanctuary for God’s peace.The B.L.E.S.S. Rhythms in Action: A practical look at how Ruth uses prayer, listening, eating, serving, and story-sharing to bridge the gap between neighbors.Assessment vs. Assumption: How to move past "guessing" what a community needs by using surveys, Google forms, and active listening at police district meetings.Overcoming Ethnocentrism: A candid, "funny" story from Ruth about a 200-year-old tree and the conscious choice to value a neighbor’s perspective over her own opinions.Movement thinking requires us to see that Christ is present 24/7. Whether Ruth is talking to a neighbor about a memorial or serving refreshments at a garden, she is "invading the world" with the shalom of God. This episode will challenge you to look for the "hidden gems" in your own community and ask: How can I be the presence of Jesus here?The B.L.E.S.S. RhythmsB - Be in PrayerL - Listen with IntentionalityE - Eat a MealS - Serve and Be ServedS - Share a Story about ChristEngage & SupportSubscribe: Join the movement! Subscribe on your favorite platform to get notified every time a new episode drops.Support & Access: For just $3/month, gain early access to episodes and join our Exclusive Monthly Live Q&A with Bishop Thomas Clark and guests.Your Challenge: How can you show up and address a specific need in your community this week?Your "I Will" Statement: "I will [Fill in the blank]." Share your commitment with someone who can hold you accountable!Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn the world of disciple-making, "watching" is a bad word. We don't watch—we engage.In this episode of this powerful series, Thomas Clark sits down with his long-time friend and "mission partner," Ruth Price. At 77 years young, Ruth is a living testimony that God’s call on your life doesn't have a retirement date. Operating out of the historical Austin neighborhood in Chicago, Ruth shares how she transitioned from simply being a resident to becoming a missional, incarnational presence on her block.In this episode, we explore:The Incarnational Impulse: What it means to be "enfleshed" with Christ in your first place—the neighborhood where you live.Breaking the "Castle" Mentality: Moving from seeing our homes as private fortresses to viewing them as outposts for the Kingdom.Technology as a Tool for Peace: How Ruth uses email and social media to connect over 80 neighbors, proving that tech is only as "good" or "evil" as the purpose behind it.Earning the Right to be Heard: The journey of inviting people into your life until they trust you enough to invite you into theirs.Every problem is a discipleship problem, and Christ transforms culture through His followers. Are you ready to stop waving from your car and start doing a "deep dive" into the lives of the people around you?****Engage & SupportSubscribe: Never miss an episode! Hit that subscribe button to stay updated on the latest in movement thinking.Join the Inner Circle: Support the podcast for as little as $3/month to get early access to episodes and an exclusive invite to our monthly Live Q&A with Thomas Clark.Your "I Will" Statement: Based on today’s conversation, what is one specific action you will take this week to bring peace to your neighborhood? Who will you share it with?Let’s Take Off!Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn Part 2 of my conversation with Timothy Bell, we continue exploring how a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) meets the real needs of real communities by showing up where people actually live, work, and gather. Timothy reflects on what it means to be incarnate among neighbors who face cultural tension, insecurity, and fear—especially in a community where he is one of only two non-Hispanic residents on his block. Together, we talk about how Jesus shows up through relationships, trust-building, and presence, and how seniors, children, and even the incarcerated—all often overlooked—remain image bearers who matter deeply to God. This episode highlights how Christ is already moving in these spaces and how disciples join Him, not by imposing solutions, but by listening, learning, and responding with compassion.We also unpack what it looks like to assess the real needs of a community rather than assuming them. Timothy shares practical stories—from seed-planting social momentums, to cross-cultural learning from neighbors, to listening sessions with coworkers and inmates—that reveal how being present leads to transformation. We discuss the difference between ethnocentrism and ethnography, why slowing down helps us discern what people truly need, and how servant leaders learn from the very people they serve. This episode invites you to see how Jesus uses ordinary disciples in everyday places to create a local theology, a local testimony, and a local expression of His presence. You will walk away challenged and encouraged to ask: Where is God already moving around me—and how can I join Him?Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of the Take Off Podcast, we continue our Season 4 series exploring how a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) helps meet the needs of the community. Thomas Clark welcomes Timothy Bell — a long-time friend, servant leader, husband, father, and now grandfather — to share how he lives as an incarnate presence of Jesus in his everyday context. Building on the foundation that Christ transforms culture through His followers, Thomas and Timothy discuss how disciple-making is inherently contextual. While the biblical foundation remains the same, the expression of disciple-making looks different depending on where each person lives. Through stories of neighboring, prayerful presence, and intentional engagement, this episode shows how ordinary disciples can make extraordinary impact when they show up in the flesh where God has placed them.Timothy shares his experience living in a predominantly Hispanic community, learning culture through relationships, identifying persons of peace, and building trust with neighbors through simple acts of love and consistency. He also speaks candidly about being incarnate in his workplace — a maximum-security correctional facility — where he brings the peace of Christ to both inmates and co-workers through compassion, prayer, and everyday conversations. From missional neighboring to social momentums to serving seniors in his third place, Timothy’s life demonstrates how DMM is lived out across real neighborhoods, real workplaces, and real challenges. This episode encourages listeners to see their own homes, jobs, and hangout spaces as mission fields where Jesus desires to show up through them.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn Part 2 of our conversation with Nicky Adams, we go deeper into how a Disciple-Making Movement (DMM) helps reveal and meet the real needs of a community—not just the surface ones we often assume. Nicky unpacks how she has learned to discern needs by being present, listening, engaging in real conversations, and honoring every person as God’s Imago Dei. She shares how offering food or clothing may be helpful at times, but often the deeper need is dignity, attention, safety, mental health support, or simply someone willing to care enough to stop and listen. From families anxious about losing government assistance, to youth disconnected from school, to neighbors overwhelmed by addiction and hopelessness, Nicky shows how needs assessment in a DMM is not about programs—it’s about people. And the more she treats those around her as image-bearers, the more her neighborhood begins to open, trust, and change.This episode also explores the importance of being ethnographic rather than ethnocentric. Nicky candidly reflects on moments from her past when she judged others through her own cultural lens—and how Christ corrected her toward humility, empathy, and understanding. As she shares stories from her block, her workplace, and her daily prayer walks, we see how incarnation builds safety, presence, and relational equity. Neighbors now know her name. People speak, look out for one another, and even the atmosphere on her street feels different. Nicky’s testimony is a powerful picture of what happens when ordinary disciples show up where they live, work, learn, and play—trusting that Christ is transforming culture through them. This episode challenges every listener to assess needs the way Jesus did, love people where they truly are, and step boldly into the mission field right outside their front door.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn this first conversation with Nicky Adams, Thomas Clark continues Season 4’s deep dive into how a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) helps meet real needs in real communities. Nicky shares powerfully about her journey toward becoming truly incarnate—showing up in the flesh where she lives, just as Christ shows up through His followers. She talks about learning to step outside her home, walk her neighborhood, talk with people, and listen long enough to discern their real needs. From singing with a woman on the street who desperately needed hope, to building trust with neighbors, to identifying missing resources like shelter, security, and a sense of hope, Nicky models how the peace of Christ becomes tangible through simple acts of presence, compassion, and courage. Her story reveals how DMM begins not with programs but with proximity—being present among the people God loves.Nicky also opens up about what incarnational ministry looks like in her second place—her workplace. She describes how Christ “hides Himself” in her job through her kindness, sincerity, prayerfulness, and the way she honors every coworker by name. From posting encouraging messages, to offering hugs, to listening with compassion, to sharing pieces of her own story of loss and healing, Nicky shows how the gospel becomes visible through everyday interactions. In her third place, the local Walgreens, she consistently meets the same people, including employees, neighbors, and unhoused individuals. There she practices spiritual attentiveness—offering food, encouragement, and dignity, planting gospel seeds in one of the community’s most ordinary-but-holy spaces. This episode beautifully demonstrates how a disciple making movement grows when ordinary believers live intentionally in their first, second, and third places, embodying the love and presence of Jesus in culturally relevant ways.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn Part 2 of “How a Disciple-Making Movement Helps Meet the Needs of the Community,” Thomas Clark continues his conversation with Stevyn and Juguana Bonner, pressing into what incarnational presence looks like in our third places—the everyday spaces we hang out. From youth sports stands where students know Stevyn as “Pops,” to spontaneous invitations for neighbors to join the family for bowling or golf, to simple conversations at the local ice-cream shop, the Bonners show how ordinary rhythms become on-ramps to relationship and peace. Thomas ties this to Luke 16:8 and a practical “needs assessment” mindset: rather than assuming what people need, we learn it by showing up near home, listening well, and building trust over time.The episode then gets honest about ethnocentrism vs. ethnography—moving from projecting our culture onto others to humbly learning people’s stories and serving from their vantage point. The Bonners share how this posture has birthed real community on their block (neighbors meeting neighbors, spiritual conversations starting naturally) and a friendlier atmosphere at work. Thomas frames it as glocal discipleship: serving a global Christ with a local theology in the places we live, work, learn, and play. You’ll be challenged to craft your “I will…” statement—how you will show up this week—and to share it with someone who will walk with you as you help others take their next step toward Jesus.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn Season 4, Episode 5 of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark welcomes Stephen and Juguana Bonner to continue our series on how a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) meets the real needs of a community. Together they unpack what it means to live incarnationally—to let Jesus show up through us in our first, second, and third places (where we live, work, learn, play, and hang out). From their block in Bolingbrook to everyday errands and front-yard conversations, the Bonners model simple, reproducible rhythms like 2×2×2 (worship/DBS, serving, and social momentum) that build trust, reveal needs, and invite neighbors into meaningful relationship. You’ll hear how “being present” and slowing the pace turns ordinary moments into sacred opportunities where Christ’s peace is both seen and felt.The episode then moves to the workplace, where Stephen and Joanna share honest, practical stories of representing Jesus with compassion—listening well, praying when invited, serving beyond expectations—and how small acts of kindness can open surprising doors. Thomas connects these moments to movement thinking: it’s a marathon, not a sprint; we invite people into our lives until they invite us into theirs. You’ll be encouraged to craft your “I will…” statement—what you’ll start or stop this week—and to share it with someone who will walk with you. Stay to the end for a sneak peek at the next conversation, where the Bonners show how casual, shared activities (golf, bowling, coffee) become natural on-ramps for disciple-making life together.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn Season 4, Episode 4 of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark continues his rich conversation with missional pastor and ICU nurse Nalisha Logan in Part 2 of “How a Disciple Making Movement Helps Meet the Needs of the Community.” Building on Part 1, this episode dives deeper into how we actually discern and address the real needs of the places where we live, work, learn, and play. Nalisha shares how simply being present, asking good questions, and listening well have helped her assess the needs of her neighborhood and workplace—from prayerful walks on her block to creative dog meetups that build social momentum with neighbors. Together, Thomas and Nalisha draw a powerful contrast between just “planting a church” and organically discovering what a community truly needs, so that we can show up in ways that are both culturally relevant and theologically sound.The conversation then moves into the crucial difference between being ethnocentric and being ethnographic—not forcing our culture on others, but learning to see and serve people through their own stories, cultures, and experiences. Through examples from Nalisha’s work in a diverse hospital setting and everyday life in her neighborhood and local Starbucks, listeners see what it looks like to care for the whole person and cultivate genuine, mutual relationships where Christ’s peace is felt. Thomas frames all of this as developing a “local theology and testimony”—a glocal faith that reflects a global Christ in a very local context. As always, the episode ends with a challenge: How will you show up to meet the needs around you, and what is your “I will…” statement as you live out disciple-making in your community?Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn this first part of a special series, Take Off with Thomas Clark explores how a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) helps meet the real and diverse needs of our communities. Thomas is joined by Nalisha Logan, a missional pastor at The Launching Pad Worldwide and ICU nurse, who shares her powerful journey of living missionally in every space she inhabits — from her neighborhood to her workplace and even her favorite coffee shop. Together, they unpack what it means to be incarnate — to show up as the presence of Jesus in the people of Jesus, everywhere, all the time. Through stories of prayer walks, intentional neighboring, and meaningful conversations, this episode demonstrates how everyday faithfulness opens doors for disciple-making and transforms ordinary places into sacred spaces.Listeners will be inspired by the practical and heartfelt ways Nalisha lives out her faith — proving that disciple-making isn’t confined to a Sunday gathering, but woven into the rhythms of everyday life. Thomas and Nalisha remind us that Christ calls us to invite others into our lives before ever inviting them into a building. This episode invites you to reflect on how you can meet the needs of your own community by being present, prayerful, and proactive. As always, it ends with a challenge: What’s your “I will…” statement this week — and who will you invite to walk alongside you as you live it out?Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn this episode of Take Off with Thomas Clark, listeners are invited to bridge the gap between believing in Jesus and living as His disciple in everyday life. Thomas challenges us to take the next step — not just in our personal growth, but in helping others follow Jesus as disciple-makers. Rooted in Acts 11:26, he reminds us that the early believers were first called “Christians” because Jesus was visibly living through them. The same call remains today: to embody Christ so fully that people encounter His presence through our words, work, and witness. Listeners will be prompted to consider how their priorities might shift to reflect empowered, movemental discipleship that extends beyond the walls of the church into the rhythms of daily life.Thomas explores how the life of Jesus is reproduced through His followers by the Holy Spirit, forming the essence of the church — the presence of Jesus in the people of Jesus, everywhere, all the time. Through Scriptures like 2 Corinthians 3, Titus 2, and 1 Thessalonians 1, this episode emphasizes that the gospel must be lived, not just taught. Discipleship is relational, reproducible, and deeply practical — from sharing a meal to serving a neighbor. Thomas encourages listeners to stop limiting faith to programs or events and instead live out the missio Dei through intentional imitation of Christ. This episode invites every listener to ask: What will it look like for Jesus to live through me today — and who will I help take their next step in following Him?Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailSeason 4 of Take Off with Thomas Clark launches with a powerful reminder: a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) requires and releases empowered disciples. In this first episode, Thomas unpacks what it really means to move beyond simply believing in Jesus to actively following Him — growing, maturing, and helping others do the same. Drawing from John 15, Genesis 12, and Matthew 28, he explores how Jesus calls us into covenant relationship and sends us out with kingdom responsibility. If you’ve ever wondered what “disciple making” looks like beyond church walls, this episode will help you think movementally, live missionally, and rediscover the joy of walking in obedience to Christ’s call.In A DMM Requires and Releases Empowered Disciples, Thomas challenges listeners to reflect deeply: Are we living as consumers of faith or as carriers of the Kingdom? You’ll be encouraged to embrace both the love and the challenge of Jesus — to be transformed and to become a transforming presence where you live, work, learn, and play. Tune in, take notes, and prepare to make your “I will…” statement as you learn to live out empowered discipleship in your everyday world.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn Season 3 of Take Off with Thomas Clark, we’re exploring how followers of Jesus can live with both power and humility, authority and compassion — what it means to embody the robust gospel in a world filled with outrage and imbalance. Episode 11, We Need Biblical Community, calls us back to the core rhythms that shaped Jesus’ own life: Up, In, and Out. He spent time up with the Father, lived in community with His followers, and moved out to serve those far from God. When any of these rhythms are missing, discipleship becomes lopsided and the Church loses her witness.This episode unpacks how those rhythms find their most natural and transformative expression in missional communities and microchurches—spiritual families, rooted in everyday life, where Jesus is King. These communities are not about size or programs but about a lifestyle that is simple, reproducible, and scalable. Through the lens of Micah 6:8, we’ll examine how to act justly (out), love mercy (in), and walk humbly with God (up), rediscovering what it means to be the Church in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools. The question isn’t just what you’ll learn — it’s what you’ll live. What is God calling you to start or join that helps you live the rhythms of up, in, and out?Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan Mail🎙️ Episode 10: A DMM Helps Remove Ministry Barriers and Limitations In this episode of Take Off with Thomas Clark, we explore how Disciple-Making Movements (DMMs) strip away the barriers and limitations that have long kept the church from multiplying as it did in its first 200 years—when there were no buildings, no budgets, and no big names, yet the Gospel spread like wildfire. What fueled that kind of exponential growth? Ordinary people living out the extraordinary truth that Jesus is Lord.We’ll talk about what happens when we stop protecting our castles and start expanding His Kingdom through microchurches and missional communities—spiritual families that live out the Gospel in everyday life. Along the way, we’ll uncover why so many are leaving traditional church spaces, what they’re longing for instead, and how authentic discipleship reclaims the heart of the Great Commission. This episode challenges you to wrestle with two simple but transformative questions: What is God saying? and What are you going to do about it?Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailWelcome to Take Off with Thomas Clark, where we equip everyday followers of Jesus to bring the peace of God into the places they live, work, learn, and play—all for His glory. Every problem is a discipleship problem, and being a disciple doesn’t exempt us from struggle—it equips us to face it with faith, wisdom, and courage. My conviction is that Christ transforms culture through His people, and that transformation begins when we stop spectating and start participating in His mission.In Season 3, we’re going back to the foundations of movement—power, authority, overcoming outrage, and the robust Gospel that shaped the first-century church. In Episode 9, Cultivate Contributors, Not Consumers, we explore how the early church grew from 20,000 to 2 million followers without buildings, budgets, or celebrity leaders—but with one unshakable truth: Jesus is Lord. God’s design is for every believer to contribute, not consume—to live out the priesthood of all believers in the harvest fields where He’s already moving. Drawing from Luke 10:1–2, Genesis, and voices like Alan Hirsch, Hugh Halter, and Matt Smay, we’ll rediscover what it means to live sent, reject spiritual consumerism, and cultivate contributors who carry Christ’s peace into every part of culture. #TakeOffWithThomasClark #DiscipleMakingMovement  #MissionalLiving #ChurchMovement #PriesthoodOfAllBelievers #JesusIsLord #APEST #KingdomLeadership #FaithInAction Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan Mail🎙️ Take Off with Thomas ClarkEpisode Title: Back to Basics Overview:For movement to happen, we must recover a local theology of a global Christ. In this episode, we go back to basics — rediscovering what it means to live with a missional incarnate impulse in the places we live, work, and play.Jesus didn’t stay distant; He showed up in the flesh. That’s our model for mission. We’re called to do the same — to bring His presence into our: 🏠 First Place: Our homes and neighborhoods, where God is already at work. 💼 Second Place: Our workplaces, where vocation becomes a mask of God’s hidden grace. ☕ Third Place: The spaces we gather socially, where trust is built and hearts are opened.To be incarnate means to live as if God is already there, waiting for us to join Him in His mission. As Martin Luther said, “Our vocation is a mask of God.” The ordinary becomes holy when it’s surrendered to Christ’s lordship.Through stories like Jesus walking with the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24) and His meal with the “sinful woman” in Luke 7, we’re reminded that the Church isn’t a spiritual gated community or a ghetto of moral righteousness — it’s an interrupted gathering of a beloved community.God’s mission is reconciliation — bringing peace to a hurting world through people willing to show up, listen deeply, share meals, and embody the Gospel where they are. That’s how movements are born. That’s how disciples are made. That’s how we take off — together.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailThe Church is a MovementChristendom is over. The days of cultural Christianity, where the church sat at the center of society’s power and influence, are fading. But this is not a loss — it’s an opportunity. For genuine movement to happen, the church must reclaim its identity as a people shaped by a local theology of a global Christ — rooted in the places we live, yet connected to God’s Kingdom mission across the world.Movements are born in liminality — those uncomfortable spaces where we are pushed beyond safety and into dependence on God and one another. It’s in the fire, with skin in the game, that communitas takes shape. Here, the vision is no longer my vision or your vision, but our vision. Together, inspired by the hope of a better world in Christ, we attempt something bold for the Kingdom. And in that attempt, a deeper trust, shared victories, and true fellowship emerge.When we share fresh testimonies of God’s work, we spark a fresh move of God among His people. This is why movements multiply: not through programs, but through stories of God’s power lived out in ordinary lives. Without this, fellowship remains shallow, victories belong to “them,” but never to “us.”True purpose is not found in what is comfortable, but in stepping into the pain we long to ease in others, even when it echoes the discomfort of our own story. It’s there that the Spirit moves, and it’s there that the Church truly becomes what Jesus intended: not an institution, but a movement of disciples making disciples, together on mission with Him.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailI have some good news!Too often, the Gospel gets reduced to “fire insurance” — a ticket out of judgment. But the Good News of Jesus is far richer than that. The robust Gospel is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham: redemption and restoration for all who submit to Christ, bringing us back into the shalom of God. This shalom isn’t just the absence of conflict — it’s justice, wholeness, and life the way it was always meant to be.The robust Gospel calls us to sow hope into the lives of others. It moves us beyond making ourselves the hero of the story, beyond a shallow forgiveness that ignores love, beyond covenant privilege without kingdom responsibility. It recenters everything on Jesus.This means we listen well, engage cultures with humility, and live vulnerably among others — not as salespeople, but as witnesses who embody Christ’s love and justice. The robust Gospel is not about power, but about presence. It’s about Jesus living through us.Join me in this episode of “I Have Some Good News!” as we unpack what it means to live, share, and embody the robust Gospel.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailThe Gospel is more than just the account of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Those events are central, but when the Gospel is reduced only to that, it becomes a truncated Gospel. As Dallas Willard pointed out, the Gospel is not simply the minimum entrance requirement to get into heaven. He was also critical of teaching that reduced it to ‘fire insurance.’A disciple-making movement embraces what Scot McKnight calls the robust Gospel. The robust Gospel addresses both the why and the what of Christ. It provides a foundation that exposes why Christian Nationalism is not from God. It also shows how Christ helps us face and overcome the dark history of Christianity’s role in slavery, discrimination, abuse, and other barriers that keep people in a post-Christian age from engaging with Christ and His Church.This episode will challenge you to confront injustice and abuses of power, but it will also equip you to use the robust Gospel to reach those who are far from Christ.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn a disciple-making movement, we do not wait for external factors or people to create the culture God has commissioned and empowered us to cultivate. Building on the discussion from the previous episode, we will discuss the idea that what we create helps make new things possible. If we truly want peace, it is essential to remember that as we cultivate Shalom and create new opportunities for it, we foster a culture of Shalom. This makes Shalom possible and the norm for the next generation. You will hear practical examples to help stimulate your imagination for ways God can use you in your context to make something out of the world He has entrusted to us.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailPeople sometimes say they wish that "things would get better." The reality is that culture does not improve on its own. We cannot  undo what has been done, but we can still create a culture that includes and reflects God and can be very good. In this episode, we will discuss how culture will only become worse because of sin and selfishness, but followers of Christ have been given the mandate, power, and permission to make something good out of the world God created. Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailThe best way to overcome outrage is to never give in to it in the first place, but that is sometimes challenging. Because we deal with people, knowing how to overcome outrage is essential. If there is a chance we may be hurt, upset, or outraged, it's probably going to be because of other people. Those who will be in and help begin a disciple-making movement need to overcome outrage so we can be embedded and fully show up and correctly represent Christ in the places we live, work, learn, and play. Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIf we are going to have disciple-making movement, it is important to let others know that they can participate in ways that are contextually relevant. All of us have realms of life in which we have influence and power. The key is to see how to include God as we exercise that power and begin by sharing it with others. This is one reason why we must lower the power distance and then share the power.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailThe book of Ephesians, from which (APEST) Apostolic Prophetic Evangelistic Shepherding Teaching is taken, is known as the Constitution of the Church of Jesus Christ. It is time to stop simply seeing the church as a place to learn (teacher) or be fed (shepherd) and understand that God’s mission is larger and more comprehensive than internal ministry. He wants to redeem the world. All of APEST is needed, and everyone within the Church has been gifted to help fulfill God’s mission. When APEST takes place at the discipleship level, it allows the entire church to become involved. Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailJesus is the archetype Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, and Teacher (APEST). N. T. Wright has stated that when Jesus ascended to heaven, He left a Jesus-sized hole that no one person will ever be able to fill. That is one reason why He sent the gifts back down to the entire church. Jesus showed that being an apostle is not about authority, but being missional/sent to promote new forms of church across cultures into new contexts. The power to transform is not limited to pastors or even people in particular offices, but is built into all who are part of the Christian church. In a disciple-making movement, we think APOSTOLIC, and not about someone being an apostle. Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailHow present are you in the places you live, work, learn, and play? What does peace look like in those places? Jesus did not just visit the earth; He resided among the very people He had been sent to disciple. As His disciples, we too must become embedded and show up in the flesh in all the places we find ourselves so that the mission will be lived. As followers of Christ, we do not just follow Him up the mountain to pray about the needs of the community; we also follow Him back into the valley to minister to the needs of the community. We can help transform the places we live, work, learn, and play for His glory when we are embedded into the places where we live, work, learn, and play. Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIt was always God’s intention to run the world through humans, but humans would not cooperate. This meant that a new king had to come and put us on track. This could not be just any king; it had to be a human king. Through Jesus, God did not just visit the earth; He became human and resided among the very people He had been sent to disciple. In Jesus, God became Immanuel – God with us.In a disciple-making movement, it is essential to remember that the kingdom of God takes root in people's lives and ultimately transforms a city by exiles living normal, everyday lives as citizens of the king in every neighborhood and public place that comprises a city. That is what Jesus did and that is what we will discuss in this episode.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailThere are several markers in the life of Jesus that can be used to help measure spiritual maturity. When we apply these markers to our lives as followers of Christ, they become our new scorecard, helping us see, evaluate, and measure our development in His mission. This becomes even more significant when we take on the responsibility of not only being a disciple of Jesus, but also of making disciples of others for Jesus.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn the book Organic Disciples, Kevin Harney provides seven markers of Organic Discipleship. All of the markers were found in the life of Jesus. He required His disciples to live them as well, and these markers can be used to help measure our spiritual maturity. Jesus got His disciples involved in His ministry from the beginning of their time with Him. This helped prevent them from falling victim to the alluring and pervasive temptation to be consumers. Discipleship, however, is not exclusive to the Kingdom of God. In fact, if we do not disciple people, the culture will. This will only lead to more consumerism.In this episode, we will discuss having a new scorecard for development. This scorecard does not measure budgets, buildings and butts. Yes, they matter, but they do not define our effectiveness or growth as mature disciples.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailToo many followers of Christ live with what is called ‘the secular and sacred divide’. That is, there are parts of our lives that are sacred or belong to The Lord, and parts that are secular, or reserved for us. When we truly know the place of Jesus in our lives, we will be on fire for Him. In this episode, we will discuss the significance and implications of not just saying, but living a life in which 'Jesus is Lord.'Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailMany people say, “Jesus is Lord.” But what does that mean? In the Shema, God told Moses to instruct Israel to always remember that God is Lord. To say Yahweh is Lord was not meant to declare Who God is, which is only propositional; it was instead a pledge of complete allegiance to Him, which is shown in our obedience, surrender, and actions. Jesus is Lord means that there should be no empty thrones in our lives.In order to begin a disciple-making movement, you must not only know that God sends people into His mission of reuniting fallen humanity back into the Shalom/peace we from which we fell because of sin, and that He wants to send you, you must also know that when you go, you are going in the authority of Jesus, who was sent to restore humanity back to where we were meant to be. This is what is missing in our broken world, and this is what you will be equipped to do.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailIn this episode, Stevyn Bonner joins me as we discuss the fact that followers of Christ do not do what we do in response to culture, but like Jesus, we are to go as obedient missionaries who have been sent by God and He will use us to help transform culture for His glory.Brad Brisco has stated that "Christians are not just the “called out,” we are the “sent out.” Because God is a missionary God, we must be a missionary people." For too long, the Church has seen itself through the lens of culture, so too many within the Church do not know who we are or what we believe. It is best to see ourselves in light of the mission of God. God is the Creator of culture. It was always His intention to run the world through humans. God sent Jesus and, in turn, sends us. The Church does not just send missionaries; the Church is the missionary. Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4

Send us Fan MailThis is Season 2. This season, we will lay the foundation for beginning a disciple-making movement. God’s mission is not inside of the Church; it is in the world. As such, He sends the followers of Jesus into the world to carry out His mission. The mission of God is seen in 5 stages: creation, Fall, redemption, restoration, and New Creation. His mission is what He initiated in the beginning and what He will ensure exists eternally.Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.Support the showTake Off is a disciple-making podcast designed to equip everyday followers of Jesus to live missionally where they live, work, learn, and play. Supporters help sustain this work and receive short bonus reflections each week that go deeper into the themes of the episode—offering additional insight, pastoral encouragement, and formation-focused teaching. Supporting is not about buying content, but partnering in the slow, faithful work of making disciples who make disciples.https://www.facebook.com/bishopthomas.clark/https://www.youtube.com/@taclark4https://www.taclark4ministries.com/https://x.com/TAClark4