Church Unfiltered with Dr. Anthony Cobbs

Hiring the right staff is an important part of any organization. For a church, it is important that individuals not only have the right skill set but fit the culture.Eight years ago, William Vanderbloemen launched a search firm that helps churches find the right people for staff roles. Today, the Vanderbloemen Search Group is the premier source of connecting churches and candidates. Episode 32 of Church Unfiltered Podcast offers a candid conversation with the CEO and founder of this group that has placed more than 2,000 people in the right ministry context. We also discussed pastoral succession and how pastors can prepare for retirement long before the time comes.

Should believers get involved in politics and social issues? What is the connection the church has to Capitol Hill?Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner has served in the political arena for decades. She is one of the most respected names in Washington and works to bring awareness to issues of the marginalized.This episode is a discussion of her faith and political journey and how the two work together for the betterment of all. 

Whether an Assistant or Executive Pastor, COO or VP, the second in charge at a church or business has a tremendous responsibility to be both leader and follower.On this episode of Church Unfiltered Podcast, I sat down with two of the most effective “seconds” in ministry. Rev. Jewel M London, the Pastoral Assistant at The Church Without Walls in Houston and Dr. Kelvin Cochran, Chief Operations Officer at Elizabeth Baptist Church in Atlanta. If you are in the second seat or aspire to be, or you are a pastor seeking the right kind of help, you don’t want to miss this candid conversation about humility, calling, and the divine assignment of leading while following.

2 Brothers. 2 Pastors. 2 Thriving ministries in the same city.Pastors Ray Brown and Pas Michael Steve Brown are the senior pastors of dynamic churches in San Antonio, their hometown. Resurrection Church and TRUE VISION CHURCH both have two locations each, ministers to thousands of people, and are thriving even during a pandemic. This episode is a candid conversation on how these two brothers were able to defy the odds and build ministries in the city they grew up in and parallel to their sibling.

Those who work in a ministry role face loss like everyone else. The truth is we are often expected to carry on and continue pouring out even though we need time to recover.Jo Angelia Waters is the former First Lady of Antioch Baptist Church in San Antonio. She stood by her husband’s side as he fought cancer yet insisted on attending and serving in church.Nickcole Byrd is an intricate part of the staff at the thriving, fast-paced Higher Dimension church in Houston. She is the one people called to pray for them but her world was shook when suddenly her husband fell ill and passed away.Last year, at one of the busiest times of Resurrection Church history, I had to bury my mother after she grew ill and never recovered.Each of us were back to serving in some way as soon as we possibly could.Episode 28 of Church Unfiltered Podcast features these dynamic guests sharing their stories of loss and how they were able to “Minister While Mourning”.

Pastor YPJ is a dynamic man of God, pastor, and a prophetic voice that influences actors, musicians, young people and believers across the world.He has hundreds of thousands of followers on social media and his teaching clips have gone viral time and time again.We talked about building a platform that glorifies God, understanding the times we are in and how to minister to millennials and Gen Z. 

Effective leaders are readers. This episode is a list of books that are on Dr. Cobbs' personal library as well as books recommended by our listeners.

Each month we take questions from listeners across the country. Three listeners’ questions we are answering in this episode:1. What are determining factors for reopening churches?2. What is the hardest part of ushering in change to a traditional church?3. What is the biggest difference between secular staff supervision and church staff?

“Apologetics” is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse.Studies show that many people who claim to be Christians are unable to explain what they believe and why. This episode of Church Unfiltered Podcast I sat down with  Lisa Fields, founder of Jude 3 Project and editor of the book “Through the Eyes of Color: A Contextualized Guide to Help You Know What You Believe and Why”. We discussed the importance of knowing how to defend the faith. 

Covid-19 changed the way church is done in many ways. One particular way is the adjustment worship leaders and musicians had to adjust to social distancing and safety concerns. We asked three dynamic worship leaders, Danielle Gulley of Now Word Church, Ananias Montague from Salem Baptist Church, and Jay Terrell from Resurrection Church to discuss how this unusual season has impacted their ministry and how they manage to keep it together while leading us in worship.