Episodes
2 days ago
2 days ago
This week we continue the series "It Matters More Than You Think," in which we consider topics that could go unnoticed by many churchgoers but will actually have great impact on our spiritual lives. Today we ask why it matters to everyone (not just those in ordained ministry) that pastors pursue a seminary education. In today's episode we are joined by Pastor Patrick Anthony of Immanuel CRC in Ripon, California.
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.
Friday Mar 22, 2024
Friday Mar 22, 2024
There are many things in the life of the Church that matter far more than many Christians typically realize, but which are still of very great importance. In this week's installment of this new series, Pastor Mark and Pastor Zac embark on the journey by turning some attention to the topics of church architecture and expository preaching, as they consider how the Reformed tradition tends to approach these subjects and why they matter "more than you think".
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.
Friday Mar 15, 2024
What's the "Ideal" Church Size? - Episode 154
Friday Mar 15, 2024
Friday Mar 15, 2024
Who knew such a simple question could require such a long answer? In this week's episode pastors Mark and Zac try their best to tackle a perennial question in the life of the Church: what's the ideal size of a local congregation? While their answers (spoil alert!) aren't exactly set in stone, the question opens up pandora's box of important things to consider about what it means to be a church. We hope that despite the length of this week's question, you will find some food for thought on the topic of congregational size.Article on congregational statistics mentioned in this week's episode: https://worshipleader.com/leadership/worship-in-the-average-church-in-america/
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
What Is Christianity For? - Episode 153
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
Thursday Mar 07, 2024
As C.S. Lewis warns us in his famed Screwtape Letters, we must always be alert to the temptation to love Christianity not for the sake of Christ, but for the sake of using it for our own purposes and ends, whatever they may be. Thus we must ask, What is Christianity for? In this week's episode Zac and Mark dive into this weighty question, trying to tease out the Bible's teaching on the matter. Along the way, words of warning are offered both for those on the left and the right, with the aim of helping God's people better recognize the ways in which they too might sometimes love the Christian faith for all the wrong reasons.
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.
Friday Mar 01, 2024
Learning to Love the CRC - Episode 152
Friday Mar 01, 2024
Friday Mar 01, 2024
In today's world, with the panoply of so many great Christian conferences, resources, books, podcasts, blogs, and parachurch ministries, it has become all too tempting for Christians of all denominations to place less and less value on their denominational identities all while, in turn, placing more emphasis on a certain kind of theological eclecticism. And so in this week's episode, Mark and Zac dive into how this temptation plays out particularly among conservatives in the CRC who can at times feel alienated from the life of the denomination, and how we may all learn to better love and appreciate it as both a institution and family of churches.
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.
Friday Feb 23, 2024
Toothpaste & Ministry Decisions - Episode 151
Friday Feb 23, 2024
Friday Feb 23, 2024
Anyone who's ever studied Church history, including the development and transmission of the Reformed tradition, has probably noticed that some fairly important things have changed in church life and practice over the millennia. Sometimes these changes are for the better, and yet other times it seems they're for the worse. In this week's episode, Mark and Zac aim to make the case that our churches ought to strive to make ministry decisions, even the seemingly insignificant ones, according to Reformed biblical and theological principles first and foremost, as opposed to ease, convenience, and pragmatism.
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Our Vision for the CRC - Episode 150
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
We may know our story and the contours of our tradition, but as the CRCNA today, who are we really? And more importantly, who are we going to be? In the midst of our ongoing denominational identity crisis, Pastor Mark and Pastor Zac spend time in this week's episode casting a vision of sorts for the CRC as a denomination who seeks always the glory God in our doctrine, cultural engagement, and piety.The article mentioned by Pastor Zac from Dr. Michael Allen may be found here: https://journal.rts.edu/article/the-central-dogma-order-and-principles-for-reformed-catholicity/
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.
Thursday Feb 01, 2024
Ordination Exams - Episode 149
Thursday Feb 01, 2024
Thursday Feb 01, 2024
With classis season right around the corner, one of the perennial subjects on many people's minds is the upcoming ordination examinations that are coming up for prospective ministers and other servants of the church. So in this week's episode, Pastor Mark and Pastor Zac sit down for a discussion about what kinds of exams take place, how they should be conducted, why they're important, and how classis delegates should approach them. While this is a subject of special interest for those in church office, it may also be illuminating for those who are simply curious about the process that pastors must go through in order to be ordained.
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Church Membership - Episode 148
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
Wednesday Jan 10, 2024
What does it mean to be a member of a church? Is membership biblically valid? And how should we go about becoming members, and pastorally caring for members? And when do we "lapse" members versus "excommunicating" them? All these questions and more are the topic of this week's episode of Reformed Podmatics.
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.
Friday Jan 05, 2024
The Fall of Rome? - Episode 147
Friday Jan 05, 2024
Friday Jan 05, 2024
On December 18th, one week before Christmas, the Roman curia released a document titled Fiducia Supplicans which gave permission, under specific circumstances and conditions, for Roman Catholic priests to perform blessings of same-sex couples. While there is no shortage of debate within the Roman church as to what this means and doesn't mean, the aim of this episode is to consider this document from a Reformed Protestant perspective and discuss what it might mean for the rest of us, especially in the Western part of the world.Carl Trueman's essay in First Things Magazine:https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2023/12/the-pope-same-sex-blessings-and-protestants?fbclid=IwAR1JNdjx4LFzmdPKyNgN5KVkVqpFdAWQyX2u7BhrRNYjpVwg__0j0BBoa00#Paul VanderKlay's episode on Fiducia Supplicans:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qo9aU6NwQU
Visit www.almondvalley.org for information about Almond Valley Christian Reformed Church in Ripon, CA.
Music by Jonathan Ogden used with permission.