When Rev. Seth Davidson arrived at St. John Lutheran Church in Athens, Texas, the congregation averaged around 30 worshipers, had an average age of 71, struggled to make payroll, and appeared to be approaching the end of its ministry. Today, the church is welcoming young families, celebrating baptisms and confirmations, and running out of room.

What changed? Seth joins Tim Ahlman to share how patient teaching, courageous leadership, community service, hospitality, and a willingness to challenge congregational idols helped revitalize this rural LCMS church.

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Ask Tim or Jack a question directly by joining our growing community of LCMS lay leaders and pastors: click here.

What actually makes worship Lutheran? Is it Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions—or must Lutheran churches also use the same hymnal, liturgy, music and ceremonies?

Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg examine the CTCR document Unity in Doctrine and Uniformity and Variety in Practice and confront one of the most persistent tensions in the LCMS: the difference between doctrinal unity and uniformity in worship. They explore the Jerusalem Council, Luther’s response to the radical reformers, the Formula of Concord and the danger of turning beneficial traditions into measures of righteousness.

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To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org

Ask Tim or Jack a question directly by joining our growing community of LCMS lay leaders and pastors: click here.

Do you think hard conversations that we have publicly on Lead Time are harmful to Christian unity?

Tim Ahlman, Tania Hilton, and Jack Kalleberg discuss why laypeople need a meaningful voice in the church, how leaders can create healthier feedback loops, and whether publicly questioning authority violates the Eighth Commandment—or represents necessary Christian accountability.

This is an honest conversation about authority, women, institutional preservation, provocative podcasting, and a healthier future for the LCMS—one in which difficult conversations produce greater clarity and unity rather than further division.

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To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org

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Drawing from 36 years of leadership at Procter & Gamble and his book Kingdom Leadership, Ron Kelleher joins Tim and Jack to explore how Jesus reshapes the way Christians lead. They discuss servant leadership, integrity, humility, compassionate accountability, stewardship, discernment, prayer, and perseverance—and why these principles produce stronger organizations rather than weaker leaders.

Whether you lead a business, ministry, team, classroom, or family, this conversation offers practical guidance for embodying Christ wherever you live, work, and play.

Get Ron's Book:
https://www.amazon.com/Kingdom-Leadership-Marketplace-Transformative-Faith-Driven/dp/B0GQ3XVLTY

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To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org

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Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg welcome Dylan Owens, manager of the Bulldog Fan Shop and shooting sports coach at Concordia University, Nebraska. Dylan shares his journey from a Southern Baptist and charismatic background into the Lutheran Church, including the questions about Baptism and Communion that initially challenged him—and ultimately helped him discover the assurance and sacramental gifts of confessional Lutheranism.

The conversation then turns toward one of the LCMS’s greatest untapped opportunities: identifying, discipling, and empowering gifted laypeople to serve alongside their pastors. Dylan describes how leaders with experience in finance, law, nonprofit development, administration, and other fields helped prepare his congregation to receive a new pastor without placing the entire operational burden on his shoulders.

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To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org

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Rev. John Kunze has served Messiah Church and School in Lincoln, Nebraska, for more than 25 years. In this candid conversation, he explains why large congregations face unique ministry challenges—and why he believes their experience, ideas, and missional perspective are often missing from Synod-wide conversations.

John, Tim, and Jack discuss representation at LCMS conventions, the growing complexity of Synod governance, pastoral formation through the SMP program, and the financial and relational realities of leading a large church and school. John also shares a remarkable story of reconciliation with a pastor who once publicly criticized his ministry—offering a hopeful picture of what confession, forgiveness, trust, and genuine unity could look like across the LCMS.

The episode ultimately asks a much bigger question: Can the LCMS stop fighting over ministry differences long enough to learn from one another and reach more people with the Gospel?

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Care about the future of the LCMS?
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To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org

Stay up to date by joining the LCMS Current!
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What if your congregation doesn’t need to manufacture more missionaries—but simply learn to recognize the people God has already placed there?

Tardelli Voss joins Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg to share what is happening through the Lutheran Mission Society San Diego. In just three years, the society has begun working with more than 50 everyday missionaries and helped launch over 20 ministries across San Diego and Tijuana. These aren’t all traditional church plants. They include ministries emerging in neighborhoods, jails, military communities, immigrant communities, and even a potential karate-and-catechism class.

Learn more about the Lutheran Mission Society San Diego and support its work at https://www.sdlutherans.org/

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Why are faithful families quietly leaving the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod—even when their children still love Jesus, worship faithfully, and raise their own families in the Christian faith?

Former LCMS President Rev. Dr. Jerry Kieschnick joins Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg for a candid conversation about the future of the LCMS. Jerry shares the message he prepared—but was not given the opportunity to deliver—at the 2026 LCMS Convention. It begins with the story of one LCMS family whose four adult children remain committed Christians, yet none will attend an LCMS congregation.

Can the LCMS remain deeply confessional while becoming more relational, charitable, and missionally focused? Join the conversation—and help us pursue courageous, faithful dialogue for the future of the church.

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To learn more, visit uniteleadership.org