The CGN Podcast

Justin Thomas is the president of Calvary Chapel Bible College in Twin Peaks, California. Prior to leading the Bible College, Justin was the founding pastor of Calvary: The Hill in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington.  In this discussion, Nick Cady and Brian Brodersen speak with Justin about how the topic of cultural engagement. How should Christians and ministry leaders think about and relate to the surrounding culture in the place where we live? Is it possible to overemphasize the need for cultural understanding and engagement? How has Calvary Chapel approached this topic in the past?   Justin will be teaching one of the main sessions at this year’s CGN International Conference, happening June 23-26, 2024 at Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa. You can find more information and register at conference.calvarychapel.com

Dan Kimball is the Founding Pastor of Vintage Faith Church in Santa Cruz, CA. He is also the Vice President of Church Mission and Strategy at Western Seminary, and he is someone who is passionate about the Bible and equipping the next generation to rightly divide God’s Word. In this discussion, Dan shares about his involvement in the early days of the Emerging Church movement, and what caused him to leave that movement and distance himself from it. He also shares about what he sees as the most pressing needs for church leadership today. Dan will be speaking at this year’s CGN International Conference, happening June 23-26. We’d love for you to be there; you can find more information and register at conference.calvarychapel.com Check out Dan's most recent book: How (Not) to Read the Bible Send us your feedback on these episodes at CGN@calvarychapel.com

Doug Sauder is the Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale. In this episode, Doug shares about how he and the church navigated the moral failure of their founding pastor, how the church weathered that storm, and what they learned through the process that other churches can benefit from. Doug also shares about Church United, a coalition of churches working together in South Florida to reach their community with the Gospel. We discuss how churches can partner together without losing their unique calling and identity.  New episodes will be released every two weeks, on Wednesday mornings. Make sure to subscribe, and new episodes will be delivered to you as soon as they are released. Register here for the CGN International Conference (June 23-26, 2024) Send us your feedback on these episodes at CGN@calvarychapel.com

Welcome to the new season of the CGN Podcast! In this first episode, Nick Cady speaks with Brian Brodersen about his changing role at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, and what that means for his involvement in Calvary Global Network. Nick and Brian also discuss the importance of God's calling in ministry leadership, and CGN's renewed focus on its identity as a Calvary Chapel movement. Finally, they discuss a new initiative called "Leadership Collective" and what is on the horizon for CGN. New episodes will be released every two weeks, on Wednesday mornings. Make sure to subscribe, and new episodes will be delivered to you as soon as they are released. Send us your feedback on these episodes at CGN@calvarychapel.com

The new season of the CGN podcast begins on May 8th, 2024. The CGN Podcast is the official podcast of the Calvary Global Network (CGN). This season, we will be talking about what's new at CGN and what's on the horizon for us as a network. We will also be joined by guests to talk about topics related to ministry, such as handling pastoral transitions, training resources, engaging the culture with the gospel, and other topics related to theology, church planting and preaching. Episodes will be released every two weeks on Wednesdays. Subscribe today, and keep an eye out for new episodes coming soon.

Brian Brodersen, uniquely qualified to speak about Chuck Smith's approach to ministry, discusses Pastor Chuck's humility, practical biblical teachings, and love for God's word. They share personal stories about meeting Chuck and winning his approval, as well as his reliance on the work of the Lord and his willingness to give opportunities to young individuals. The chapter also explores Chuck's preaching style and sermon structure, his approach to ministry including steps of faith and entrustment of responsibility, and his attitude towards theological diversity. Additionally, they discuss Chuck's impression of Kelsey Grammer and the portrayal of Chuck in the movie.

In this final episode of Season 4, Brian Brodersen and Nick Cady speak with Clay Worrell. Clay is the Executive Director of Calvary Global Network since 2022. Prior to that, he planted and pastored a church in Waterford City, Ireland, and more recently, he pastored a church in the Bay Area of California. In this discussion, Clay shares what it was like coming back to the United States after years in Ireland and how different cultural contexts shape the way you do ministry. Additionally, they discuss the merits of short-term mission trips and how to make them effective and successful for long-term fruitfulness. We would love to hear feedback from you on these episodes. You can email us at CGN@calvarychapel.com.

This season, on Mission & Methods, we are getting to know members of the CGN Executive Team. Brian Kelly is the pastor of WestChurch in Bradenton, Florida. Prior to planting WestChurch, Brian and his wife Lynne spent several years as missionaries and church planters all over the world. In this episode, Brian shares how God led him to places as diverse as Africa and New Zealand, and the blessings and challenges of ministering in those places. He also discusses the work he is currently doing with Cultivate to encourage and equip new church planters and missionaries, and what he’s excited about for the future of CGN. We’d love to hear feedback from you on these episodes. You can email us at CGN@calvarychapel.com

Manolo Matos is the pastor of Calvary Lima, in Lima, Peru. In this episode, Manolo talks with Brian Brodersen and Nick Cady about how he became the pastor of the church in which he became a Christian and was baptized. Additionally, Manolo shares about the unique role that Calvary Chapel churches can play in Latin America as a movement that is focused on teaching the Word of God. He shares what makes ministry in South America unique, and about open doors for ministry both in the urban context of Lima, and the diverse rural context of other parts of Peru. We would love to hear feedback from you on these episodes. You can email us at CGN@calvarychapel.com

This season, on Mission & Methods, we are getting to know members of the CGN Executive Team. Mike Neglia is the pastor of Calvary Cork, in Cork, Ireland. Mike also leads the Expositors Collective training initiative, which equips people to study and proclaim God’s Word, and he is the host of the Expositors Collective podcast. In this episode, Mike talks about how God led him to Ireland, where he came as a missionary 20 years ago, and he talks about being the father of a child with disabilities, and how that has shaped him as a person, and as a pastor. We’d love to hear feedback from you on these episodes. You can email us at CGN@calvarychapel.com