In this episode, we respond to a recent seminary podcast discussing residential training and pastoral formation.

WATCH THE PODCAST HERE

While we deeply respect our seminaries and their leaders, we ask the hard questions many pastors and church leaders are already thinking:

Why are pulpits still empty?
Why are churches closing?
And are we training pastors in a way that actually meets today’s mission?

Stay up to date by Joining the LCMS Current!
(LCMS Current Events Newsletter)
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent

We'll break down:

The real strengths of residential seminary
Where the current model may be falling short
The rise of hybrid and local training approaches
Why EQ (not just theology) matters more than we admit
The urgent need for church planting and scalable leadership pipelines

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In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit down with Texas District President Jon Braunersreuther to discuss:

• The growing pastor shortage in the LCMS
• The debate surrounding SMP pastoral formation
• Why the size of the harvest should change how we think about leadership
• How First Article Gifts (reason, leadership, strategy) can be faithfully used in the church
• Leadership lessons from Jim Collins’ Good to Great

Stay up to date by Joining the LCMS Current!
(LCMS Current Events Newsletter)
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent

With 30 million people in Texas and an estimated 22 million far from Jesus, the question becomes unavoidable:

Is the church preparing enough workers for the harvest?

This conversation challenges pastors, church leaders, and lay leaders to think bigger about mission, leadership, and the future of the church.

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The latest LCMS nomination results may reveal far more than just who might become the next president.

Stay up to date by Joining the LCMS Current!
(LCMS Current Events Newsletter)
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent

In this episode of LEAD TIME, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg break down what the vote totals could mean for the future trajectory of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Looking beyond the surface, they explore the deeper story behind the data: institutional stability, declining participation, leadership pipelines, and the growing pastoral shortage facing the church.

Is the LCMS signaling a desire to preserve the status quo? Or are deeper structural challenges forcing change in the decades ahead?

Tim and Jack discuss five major implications emerging from the nomination data—including why participation matters, why leadership networks may shape the future more than elections, and what this means for pastors, congregations, and mission in the years ahead.

This conversation is candid, thoughtful, and ultimately hopeful about how God continues to work through faithful congregations and leaders across the LCMS.

If you care about the future of the church, this is a conversation you don’t want to miss. And if you got something out of this, share It with a friend.

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What is the “American Interim” — and is the Church compromising its identity?

In this episode of LEAD TIME, Pastor Tim Ahlman sits down with Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Kloha (Dean for the Center for Missional & Pastoral Leadership) to thoughtfully respond to Rev. Karl Hess's presentation, “Pastoring Under the American Interim.”

See the video here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0IizshrQn9E

Together they explore:
- What is a Lutheran hermeneutic?
- Is Enlightenment liberalism replacing Christianity?
- Is equality a false god?
- Did the Church surrender during COVID?
- How should Christians think about slavery in Scripture?
- Are we soaking in secular assumptions without realizing it?

Rather than reacting emotionally, this conversation returns again and again to the central question:

How do we interpret Scripture faithfully in our cultural moment?

Dr. Kloha reminds us that our context may look less like 16th-century Europe and more like the world of the New Testament — pluralistic, politically complex, and spiritually contested.

And in that world, what did the apostles do?

They preached Christ.

This episode is not about winning political arguments.
It’s about guarding the gospel.
It’s about understanding narrative vs. prescription in Scripture.
It’s about loving neighbor while remaining faithful to Christ.

If you’ve wrestled with these tensions in your congregation, this conversation will equip you with clarity, charity, and courage.

Stay up to date by Joining the LCMS Current!
(LCMS Current Events Newsletter)
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent

Support the show

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What is God’s mission? Sounds like a simple question.

In this episode of LEAD TIME, Tim and Jack sit down with veteran missiologist, Rev. Dr. Bob Scudieri to unpack the theology, history, and controversy surrounding mission in the LCMS.

From the early church to Walther and Grabau, from Constantine to today’s debates about the priesthood of all believers, this conversation goes deep.

Is the mission of God (Missio Dei) central to the church—or does emphasizing mission threaten doctrinal clarity? Why has fear sometimes replaced boldness? And what would it look like for the LCMS to truly reflect Matthew 28 in 2050?

Bob shares decades of experience in parish ministry, national leadership, church planting, and ethnic outreach—along with practical wisdom for congregations ready to step into courageous mission.

If you care about doctrine, discipleship, and reaching the nations next door, this episode is for you.

Stay up to date by Joining the LCMS Current!
(LCMS Current Events Newsletter)
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent

Support the show

Visit uniteleadership.org

Are we unintentionally losing relational leadership in the LCMS?

In this episode of LEAD TIME, Tim sits down with DCE Jonathan Zellar to unpack the ideas behind Rare Leadership by Jim Wilder — and why joy, emotional intelligence, and relational connection may be the missing ingredients in many of our leadership conversations.

Concerned about what is happening in the wider LCMS?
Check this out: http://amazon.com/Confessing-Jesus-Mission-Pastors-Prayer-ebook/dp/B0FZW7MSTV

This episode isn’t about lowering doctrine. It’s about embodying it relationally.

If we can remain relational, act like ourselves, return to joy, and endure hardship well — we may find a healthier path forward together.

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Please excuse the internet issues experienced during today's episode.

Is Concordia Seminary embracing “Seminex 2.0”?

Does modern linguistic theory make Scripture meaningless?
Can Christians interpret the Bible “objectively”?

In this episode of LEAD TIME, Pastor Tim sits down with Jim Voelz, longtime professor at Concordia Seminary, to respond directly to recent critiques surrounding his books:

- What Does This Mean?
- Principles of Biblical Interpretation for Everyone

This conversation tackles some of the most important theological questions facing the LCMS right now: hermeneutics, authority, objectivity, and confession.

If you care about faithful biblical interpretation, Lutheran theology, and the future of our church — this episode is for you.

Concerned about what is happening in the wider LCMS?
Check this out: http://amazon.com/Confessing-Jesus-Mission-Pastors-Prayer-ebook/dp/B0FZW7MSTV

Support the show

Visit uniteleadership.org

What happens when churches stop listening to their people—and what becomes possible when they do?

In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman sits down with Ryan Ermeling, founder of Parent Pulse and the newly launched Church Voice, to explore why feedback often feels threatening in church leadership—and why avoiding it can quietly erode trust, unity, and mission.

👉 Learn more about Church Voice at https://www.churchvoice.io/

Together, they unpack the difference between feedback and insight, how real-time listening can prevent families from slipping away unnoticed, and why humility—not fear—is the posture faithful leadership requires. The conversation also tackles healthy conflict, trust within the LCMS, and how leaders can listen without surrendering theological conviction.

If you’re a pastor, church leader, or ministry decision-maker navigating complexity, disagreement, or change, this episode offers a grounded, hope-filled framework for leading with clarity, courage, and care.

Care about what is happening in the wider LCMS? Check this out:
http://amazon.com/Confessing-Jesus-Mission-Pastors-Prayer-ebook/dp/B0FZW7MSTV

Support the show

Visit uniteleadership.org