106: Tim Ahlman on Being Silenced, Misunderstood, and Spiritually Formed — What He Told President Harrison and What Sabbatical Taught Him

Tim Ahlman shares lessons from his sabbatical, why leadership rhythms matter, and how local churches and institutions can build trust together for the future of the LCMS. He also talks deeply and personally about what it was like to be silenced on his own podcast, how it feels to be misunderstood, and what he said to LCMS President Matthew Harrison. To learn more about the podcast or access the show notes, visit www.redletterpodcast.com.

Today’s episode is brought to you by our partner Child Beyond International. 

Thanks to this week’s sponsor: Child Beyond International (CBI), a ministry dear to my heart. Based in Guatemala, CBI transforms the lives of orphaned, abandoned, and abused children by offering a Christ-centered new beginning. A dedicated team of caregivers, doctors, and social workers provides round-the-clock care, faith lessons, and prayer. Children are later reunited with safe relatives or adopted into loving Guatemalan families, with ongoing support beyond their time at CBI.

For only $40 a month, you can help change a child’s life. Because of the intensive care, it takes 20 people to fully sponsor one child. This season, we’re using our podcast platform for good—we want Season 9 to sponsor a child through Red Letter Living. Could you be one of the 20? Visit www.childbeyond.org/rll. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than receive—this is a chance to experience that joy.

Tim’s Challenge

Disciple one and be discipled by one. Find a Timothy you can pour into, and a Paul who can pour into you.

Are You Following Jesus?

Many want to be greater followers of Jesus but don’t know how. We extensively studied everything Jesus commanded of us and located five key targets to which Jesus invited His followers. The five targets are Being, Forgiving, Serving, Giving, and Going.

In partnership with LifeWay Research, we created a Red Letter Challenge Assessment that will measure you according to these five targets. And the best news of all: it’s free! You will receive your results immediately and be presented with the next steps to help you become an even greater follower of Jesus.

You can take the FREE Red Letter Challenge Assessment here. 

Watch the Entire Season on YouTube

We upload every episode of The Red Letter Disciple on our YouTube channel. Subscribe here.

Resources Mentioned in the Episode

• Christ Greenfield Lutheran Church: christgreenfield.church
• Unite Leadership Collective: uniteleadership.org
• Confessing Jesus Mission (forthcoming book, 2026)
• Lead Time Podcast
• The Tim Ahlman Podcast
• Gospel DNA by Mike Newman
• Unstuck Group (Paul Alexander)
• Serving Challenge by Zach Zehnder
• Voices mentioned: President Matthew Harrison, President Tom Egger, Brian Wolfmueller, Mike Gibson, Ryan Barlow

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