The Future of the Church and the Rise of Decentralized Voices: A Conversation with Matt Carter

How the rise of Christian podcasting is reshaping spiritual conversation, decentralizing church authority, and creating new spaces for voices questioning megachurch systems, leadership cultures, and what's next for the American church. Mike and Andy sit down with Matt Carter—musician, podcast pioneer, and co-founder of Bad Christian Media—for an unfiltered and energizing exploration into how podcasts like Bad Christian are redefining what it means to lead, disciple, deconstruct, and push the church forward.

Matt details his journey from performing in a Christian punk band to becoming one of the most compelling progressive voices challenging Christian institutional norms. They unpack the creative power of podcasting as a medium that allows for nuance, truth-telling, and disruption, all of which are deeply needed in current church culture. From megachurch fatigue to decentralization, misinformation, and a longing for authentic spiritual community, this conversation is an honest and hopeful look at what might be coming—and what's crumbling.

Key Takeaways: • The Power of Unfiltered Voices – How podcasting allows real-time, honest conversations that church stages and religious institutions often censor or avoid. • The Megachurch Expiration Date – Why gigantism in church culture echoes the dinosaur effect: large, unsustainable, and vulnerable to collapse. • Community over Celebrity – Why decentralizing church leadership may be necessary for long-term spiritual health and resistance to abuse. • Post-Mars Hill Landscape – What collapses like Mars Hill teach us about the dangers of charismatic leadership, institutional dependence, and commodified faith. • Creating Space Instead of Systems – Why Matt sees himself not as building an institution but clearing wilderness paths so others can build better faith communities.

Guest Highlights: Matt Carter – Founding member of the band Emory and co-creator of the Bad Christian Podcast and media network. Known for combining sharp insight, satire, and openness, Matt unpacks the failures of church leadership models and advocates for more democratized, organic, and participant-led spiritual spaces.

Resources Mentioned: • Bad Christian Podcast & Media Network – badchristian.com • Matt Carter on Twitter – @ZodCarter • Emory (the band) – emerymusic.com • Barna Group Church Attendance Data – barna.com

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Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

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