Craft & Character

Knowledge often produces hubris, not humility, which is why Joel Muddamalle is such a refreshing theological voice. As the Director of Theology and Research for Proverbs 31 Ministries, and a preaching pastor at Transformation Church in South Carolina, his passion is to show how theology can be lived out in everyday life. With grandparents who were missionaries in India, and parents who immigrated to the U.S., Joel grew up learning how to toggle between two social-ethnic worlds. He...

Back by popular demand, author and therapist Aundi Kolber shares about her forthcoming book, Strong Like Water. This book debunks stoic, soul-depleting platitudes like “No pain, no gain,” instead showing that healing from trauma is only possible through freedom, safety, and compassion. Aundi masterfully integrates psychology, neurology, and theology, and explains to Steve Carter three categories of strength: situational, transitional, and integrated. Steve and Aundi also reflect on how Jesus...

UPDATE: Audio has been updated from the previous version. So, if you were only able to listen to the first 7 minutes, now you can hear the entire episode. For Ricky Jenkins, lead pastor at Southwest Church in Indian Wells, CA, preaching is “an exchange between heaven and earth.” He explains how diligent prep overlaps with sensitivity to the Spirit during the sermon一just as jazz music riffs freely while still submitting to the key to a song. Growing up in the black church taught him how to...

Some people transport us beyond our blind spots and comfort zones一introducing us to a chorus of diverse voices echoing across God’s kingdom, from both church history and our own age. Jared Alcantara is one of those guides. Growing up in a bi-cultural home in a diverse low-income neighborhood, and now as Professor of Preaching at Truett Theological Seminary, his homiletics classes prominently feature Black, Latino(a), and Asian North American preachers. He’s written two books on one of his...

In this special episode, Steve Carter talks to one of his mentors, Dr. Joe Grana, a longtime professor and dean at Hope International University, and currently a teaching pastor at The Refinery Christian Church in Arizona. Dr. Grana explains the importance of hermeneutics (the process of interpreting Scripture) and how it rescues teachers from the highly subjective “reader’s response” approach to Bible study. Rather than shoehorning a passage into what we think it means, preachers can...

“Ministry to men is on their time, their turf, and their agenda.” Steve Sonderman first heard those words from a mentor, and after pastoring at Elmbrook Church in Wisconsin for 34 years, serving as a chaplain for the Milwaukee Brewers, and launching No Regrets Men’s Ministry, he’s spent over three decades equipping the church to effectively disciple men. He currently serves as the president of No Regrets full-time, and this year marks the 30-year anniversary of the organization’s annual...

What topic is on every page of the Bible? The answer is MISSION: God’s heart to seek and save those who are not yet a part of his family. This mission is not just something we read about in Scripture一it’s happening right now, and you can be a part of it! In this final episode of 2022, Steve Carter, along with his friends at Food For the Hungry (FH), ask you to donate to the severe famine impacting 36 million people in Africa. Every 36 seconds, someone will die from hunger-related causes. As...

Most communicators know the agony of staring at scattered notes, wondering how to shape them into a compelling message. Enter Jarrett Stevens, lead pastor Soul City Church in Chicago, who has spent 25 years honing his writing and outline process into what he now affectionately calls the “funnel of love.” Rather than a predictable formula, the funnel is like a trellis, undergirding messages with a thoughtful structure, while also letting them thrive in the freedom of the Spirit. Steve Carter...

For a lot of people, the holidays are physically frenetic, emotionally overwhelming, and spiritually distracting. Few slow down long enough to ponder what’s happening in their own souls, or to give more than a passing thought to the significance of this season: God coming to earth. That’s why Steve Carter is excited to introduce you to an incredible Advent devotional, written by his good friend Vanessa Stricker, who is the Pastor of Peacemaking and Justice at One Life City Church in...

The 2022 midterm elections, like most political events in our age, will undoubtedly spark new fires of division in our country一not only in the nation at large, but sadly, within the church. Enter Paul A. Hoffman, the lead pastor of Evangelical Friends Church in Newport, Rhode Island, and co-author of a new book: Preaching To A Divided Nation: A Seven-Step Model for Promoting Reconciliation and Unity. Steve Carter asks Paul to walk through the seven crucial steps every Christian can take to...

In his new book, Fan the Flame: Let Jesus Renew Your Calling and Revive Your Church, Jim Cymbala distills the Spirit-fueled, Bible-saturated ethos of his 50+ years in ministry. As Steve Carter affectionately quips, "Jim is like a firehose of passion and wisdom." In this episode, Jim explains why Acts 20 is the “spiritual selfie” every pastor should aspire to. He pushes back against the church growth movement一which is consumeristic in its mission and methods一instead imploring pastors to...

Erwin McManus has spent decades honing his skill as a communicator, at Mosaic (the church he founded in Hollywood, CA), at conferences around the world, and in living rooms filled with a handful of friends. Wherever he goes一even in places where he doesn’t speak the native language一he’s able to communicate in a profound way. Why? Erwin explains to Steve Carter that it’s all about “frequencies,” a concept he unpacks in his recent MasterClass titled “The Art of Communication.” Frequencies are...

This episode is packed with insights from Luke Norsworthy, pastor of Westover Hills Church in Austin, Texas, and author of God Over Good and Befriending Your Monsters. His conversation with Steve Carter meanders through all sorts of topics: How to put yourself into sermons without being narcissistic. Why Luke uses a checkmark system to track sermon writing progress. How the sobering but hope-filled journey of an Afghan family is shaping Luke’s church. How Luke receives sermon feedback before...

“I can’t do another meeting. I don’t want to preach another sermon. Lord, help me!” Two years into his pastorate, Max Lucado offered this prayer as a last-ditch effort to stay in ministry. God answered him, and now decades later, he’s written a new book that offers hope and wisdom to others feeling burned out and wiped out. The book is called Help Is Here: Finding Fresh Strength and Purpose in the Power of the Holy Spirit. Like all of Max’s writing, this book masterfully tills the hardened...

In Christian circles, thinking about yourself is often labeled selfish. Psychologist and theologian Dr. Alison Cook pushes back on this assumption, explaining why caring for yourself is actually the best way to care for others. It’s the oxygen mask principle you always see in airplane safety videos: Put on your own mask so you can assist those around you. With jolting clarity, Dr. Cook debunks the narratives we use to justify self-neglect: We tell ourselves it’s all about them, but actually...

In this episode, Steve Carter chops it up with four recipients of the 2022 Preaching Today Biblical Preaching Award: Ryan Roach (Western Seminary, Portland, OR), Abby Stuckle (George W. Truett Seminary, Baylor, TX), Rachel Koch (Denver Seminary, Denver, CO), and Christian Schmitt (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Hamilton, MA). This award is given on the basis of faithful biblical exposition, clear and simple structure, creativity, pastoral application to daily life, and urgency in...

In this special episode of Craft and Character, Steve Carter shares why humility is the key to growing as a preacher一a reflection sparked by a conversation he had with Nancy Beach. Communicators give many reasons for neglecting their own development, but as 1 Timothy 4:14-15 reveals, honing our craft is a matter of stewardship, not just excellence. Steve gives three practical ways to embrace humility and grow as a preacher: Development Coaching Feedback This is a timely reminder that, to...

Like many of us, Jay Kim often feels that involuntary urge to reach for his phone. As the lead pastor at Westgate Church in San Jose, CA, he knows firsthand that modern people crave guidance for using devices well. Jay’s new book, Analog Christian, explains how Christians can respond to the values of the digital world一not by abandoning technology一but by faithfully stewarding it. Jay also shares with Steve Carter some valuable leadership practices, like pausing email while he’s on vacation,...

“Ken, if the ship sinks now, everyone will blame you.” It wasn’t the ideal pep talk for a pastor in his first few days on the job, especially at a church that had gone through 20 pastors in 20 years. But when someone spoke those words to Ken Shigematsu, he stuck it out. 25 years later, he’s still leading Tenth Church in Vancouver, Canada. Steve Carter asks about his sermon prep process, and Ken explains how a tidbit from preaching legend Haddon Robinson transformed his method from...

The modern world is a relentless waterfall of information一sound bytes and images flood our minds and trouble our hearts. Enter Jeanne Stevens, whose recent book, What’s Here Now?, unpacks the power of presence and how it offers peace so many ache for in our frenzied age. Steve Carter asks Jeanne to unpack her book’s punchy tagline: How to stop rehashing the past, and rehearsing the future, and start receiving the present. Presence begins with an awareness of your body, emotions, and...