Holy Roast Podcast

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Jabe Largen. Jabe is the Senior Pastor of Pinehurst United Methodist Church in Pinehurst, NC, where he has served since 2021. He is ordained in the United Methodist tradition as an Elder and a native of Pulaski, VA. Jabe is the author of the memoir "They Call Me Jabe" published near the end of 2025. In this Episode, Jabe talks about telling the truth the church often polishes over—addiction and recovery, Appalachian faith, depression in the pulpit, and what it means to preach grace without sentimentality. We dig into incarnational justice, the cost of honest storytelling, and the false hopes pastors may need to let die in order to proclaim a gospel that’s actually good news.

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Zach Lambert. Zach is the Lead Pastor and co-founder of Restore. Born and raised in Austin, he holds a Bachelors of Science in Communication, a Masters of Theology, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry at Duke Divinity School. Zach is also the author of the book, Better Ways to Read the Bible, which is all about transforming the Bible from a weapon that condemns, oppresses, and excludes into a tool that liberates. In this Episode, Zach shares what led him to plant Restore, how it is “a church for people who have struggled with church,” why he and Restore are becoming a United Methodist Church, how other UMCs can be inspired by Restore’s journey of radical welcome, and practical wisdom for churches considering a major shift (like a merger, re-planting, or denominational affiliation.

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Martha Christian, the Worship Minister at the Melrose Campus of Broadway United Methodist Church in Bowling Green, KY. Martha has been leading worship in various capacities in the local church since she was a young girl, noting it as an early way the church made room for her to lead as a youth. She describes herself as a singer/songwriter with a passion for inspiring others to see worship as a way of life, not just something we “do” on Sunday. In this episode, Martha shares more about her theology of worship, what she looks for when choosing worship songs, her team process for Advent design and preparation, and what she believes the world needs to hear this Advent and Christmas. Join us for this conversation and check out the show notes below for more tips from Martha to help you in your worship design and leadership! Resources: • Our UMC Website - https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning (we often start here to see what the Church is doing) • Worship Together - https://www.worshiptogether.com/(Helpful for finding new songs) • Song Select - https://songselect.ccli.com/ (Helpful for looking for what the Church is singing and finding songs based on themes and for making sure we're reporting song usage to honor the writers and producers of the songs we sing) My Advent Faves: • Song to sing with everyone with charts - "Prepare Him Room" by Dave Fournier | Rebecca Elliott https://sovereigngracemusic.com/music/songs/prepare-him-room/ • Song to remind me how very much God is with us - "I'll Find a Way" by Jason Gray | Andy Gullahorn - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kISA6hhVh8&t=17s • Practice to keep away the dark - The Advent Wreath - https://leslieannjones.com/blog/2015/11/18/a-simple-advent-wreath-devotional-for-families-free-printable • Song to break open Christmastide - "Ring the Bells" by Cindy Morgan | Mark Ford Hammond | Ronnie Freeman | Tony Wood - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgW2rMQYa2w&list=RDBgW2rMQYa2w&start_radio=1 For more about Martha Chrisitan: • Christmas Album - "All Will Be Well" by Martha Christian - https://open.spotify.com/album/1ikNK9UjlR0JTHjazkecHC • Other info - https://linktr.ee/marthachristian

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Tami Coleman, the Chief Ministry Officer for the Kentucky Annual Conference. Over her 27 years in ministry, Tami has served in local churches in Georgia and Kentucky, on conference staff with Connectional Ministries, and now serves as the acting Assistant to the Bishop in this new position as our Chief Ministry Officer. In this episode, Tami shares more about her vision for healthy clergy and churches, the power of telling the story of the gospel today, the importance of sharing good news across our connection, and her hope for the Kentucky Annual Conference. Listen along and share some good news from your local context in the comments!

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, a scholar in New Testament and Jewish Studies known for her groundbreaking work in biblical studies. Amy-Jill holds the Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professorship at Hartford International University and is Professor Emerita at Vanderbilt University. Amy-Jill Levine’s books include The Difficult Words of Jesus, Entering the Passion of Jesus, Signs and Wonders, Short Stories by Jesus, Toward the Kingdom of Heaven, and The Bible With and Without Jesus, among many others. Additionally, she co-edited the influential Jewish Annotated New Testament, establishing her reputation as a leading voice in both academic and religious circles. AJ is passionate about teaching from her Jewish identity and helping Christian readers better understand Jesus’ Jewish context. In this episode, AJ addresses how Christian leaders can preach and teach the scriptures more faithfully and better lead in our time of great polarization.

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Eliza Love. Eliza serves as the Director of the The Wesley at EKU and Associate Pastor at Richmond First UMC. This was a Live Recording at the Kentucky Annual Conference! Thanks to The Creme Coffee House for hosting us and thanks for all those who came out to enjoy the night with us. In this episode, Eliza talks about ministry with young people, what she’s learned in her first year of full-time ministry, how the local church can be in ministry with young people, and more! To learn more about The Wesley at EKU, check out https://www.ekuwesley.org/. To learn more about World Council of Churches Ecumenical Institute at Bossey in Switzerland, check out https://www.oikoumene.org/bossey.

n this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Bishop David Graves. Bishop Graves serves as the Bishop for the Kentucky, Tennessee-Western Kentucky, and Central Appalachian Missionary Conferences. It has been seven months since we sat down with Bishop Graves, so we thought it was a good time to check back in and see what he’s been up to! In this episode, Bishop Graves talks about some of the biggest surprises he’s seen in the last year, his heart behind the discipleship priorities and how they have affected our conference, what he’s most excited about for his first Kentucky Annual Conference next month, how Kentucky can stay rooted and hopeful in this season, and what he would love to see God do among us in Kentucky. We also put in some new “Holy Roast Speed Questions” as the end, so be sure to check it out!

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Matt Miofsky. Matt is the Lead Pastor of the Gathering United Methodist Church in Saint Louis, Missouri. Since Matt founded The Gathering in 2006, it has grown into a thriving multi-site congregation with four locations scattered throughout St. Louis. With over 1500 in worship a weekend, The Gathering was recently named the 3rd fastest growing large United Methodist Churches. Matt is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis where he majored in mathematics then completed his Master’s of Divinity at Emory University in Atlanta. Matt is passionate about church planting, connecting with new generations, and multi-site ministry. Matt is the co-author of "Eight Virtues of Rapidly Growing Churches" (Abingdon, 2018), “Happy? What It Is and How to Find It” (Abingdon Books, April 2017), “Fail: What to Do When Things Go Wrong” (Abingdon Books, 2017), a contributor to Disciple Fast Track: Into the Word, Into the World (Abingdon, 2017), “Flipping Church: How Successful Church Planters Are Turning Conventional Wisdom Upside-Down” (Discipleship Resources, 2016), and the “Ask: Faith Questions in a Skeptical Age” DVD project (Abingdon, 2015). In this episode, Matt talks about the story of The Gathering, how a church can be both inclusive and evangelical, how to relate to other UMCs that may differ in certain areas from yours, the tension of preaching toward justice but fear decline, how to reach those who are 18-29, and his hope for the future of the UMC.

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Mizari Suárez and Rev. John Gallaher. Suárez is the Executive Director of Neighbors Immigration Clinic and Gallaher is the Pastor at Embrace UMC. Suárez has a community-organizing background with deep connections to the immigrant rights movement on a local and national level. As a previously undocumented immigrant, Mizari knows firsthand the importance of affordable immigration legal services and culturally competent outreach to immigrant communities. Suárez is a facilitator and community organizer/connector. Neighbors, an affiliate of the United Methodist Immigration Law and Justice Network, ****is to provide low-cost legal services to our immigrant neighbors, educate our community on the immigration journey, and advocate for immigrant rights. In this episode, Suárez and Gallaher reflect upon the story of Neighbors, what services they provide, success stories from their clinic, common misconceptions about the immigration process, current immigration policies that church leaders should be aware of, the role of faith in immigration advocacy, and practical ways that pastors and church leaders can get involved. To learn more about Neighbors Immigration Clinic, head to their website here. Check out an article about Neighbors here.

In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Dr. Perzavia Praylow. The Reverend Dr. Perzavia Praylow, PhD is an ordained minister of Word and Sacrament ordained in The Presbyterian Church (USA). She is currently the Director of Black Church Studies and Assistant Professor of Practical Theology at Louisville Seminary where she teaches courses in Black Church Studies and Practical Theology. Dr. Praylow is a historian, practical theologian and teacher-scholar called to serve at the intersection of teaching, scholarship, and pastoral leadership. Her credentials include: Drew University, BA; The University of Illinois, MA in Education Policy Studies, MA in History, PhD in History; Columbia Theological Seminary, MDIV; Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, STM In this episode, Dr. Praylow talks about her call to ministry, the intersection of faith and education, key themes of the Black church, how pastors and church leaders can learn from those different than them, how churches can take a tangible step towards justice and reconciliation, and more! For more information about Louisville Seminary, check out www.LPTS.edu!

In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Jim Savage. Jim is the Kentucky Conference and Eastern Kentucky Disaster Response Ministry Director. In this episode, Jim talks about his role in disaster relief efforts, some of the biggest challenges of disaster relief, logistics of helping those in immediate need, how local churches can get involved in relief efforts, and how the connection of the UMC is alive through the Kentucky Conference, UMCOR, UMVIM, and more! Click here for more information about Kentucky Conference Disaster Response Ministry. For more information about training opportunities, contact Jim Savage, the conference Disaster Response Coordinator, at jsavage@kyumc.org or 270-993-8908.

In this week’s episode, Rob and sits down with Dr. Marcia McFee to talk about creative worship planning! Dr. McFee is a professor, worship designer, author, preacher and ritual artist. Drawing on a first career in professional dance and musical theater and equipped with a Master's in Theology and a PhD in Liturgical Studies and Ethics, she understands the role of any worship artist in the church as that of creating extraordinary portals through which communities journey with the Spirit. In this episode, Dr. McFee talks about why she is passionate about worship planning and resourcing local churches, how preachers and worship leaders can maintain creativity throughout the year, how we can approach this Advent with fresh insight, energy, and excitement, and if she was planning worship in Advent this year, what she would focus on. This episode is full of great resources as well! Find out more about the Worship Design Studio and Dr. Marcia McFee at www.worshipdesignstudio.com Want to try a fully-scripted Advent/Christmas series? Check them out at use discount code **Donkey20 ****for $20 off. Watch this “Let’s Get Ready for Advent/Christmas” webinar for help with discerning content direction: https://youtu.be/cwsdvMCd1bI Want to sign up for a full year subscription? Use discount code Kentucky100 (through the end of 2024) for $100 off, making the full year $199 for access to ALL series! Download free “Do Unto Others” worship resources (works after the election as well): www.worshipdesignstudio.com/kindness Set up a free account in the Worship Design Studio interactive website at http://worship-design-studio.mn.co Get Dr. McFee’s book on worship design: www.thinklikeafilmmaker.com

In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Dr. Amanda Henderson. Director of the Institute for Religion, Politics, and Culture at the Iliff School of Theology, where she leads research exploring the relationship between religion and politics. She is the author of “[Holy Chaos, Creating Connections in Divisive Times](https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Chaos-Creating-Connections-Divisive/dp/0827215150#:~:text=Village%3A Building Community-,In Holy Chaos%2C interfaith leader%2C activist%2C and pastor Amanda,and our families and friendships.)” and hosts the Complexified podcast. Amanda lives in Littleton, Colorado, is a parent to three young adults, enjoys adventures with her husband, and finds joy running trails and growing things: dogs, chickens, gardens, and creative projects of all kinds. In this episode, Dr. Henderson defines Christian nationalism, talks about the history of American religiosity, what local churches should know about Christian nationalism, how religion and politics can coexist peacefully, and what role religious leaders should play in advocating for policy changes.

In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Bishop David Graves. Bishop Graves serves as the Bishop for the Kentucky, Tennessee-Western Kentucky, and Central Appalachian Missionary Conferences. Bishop David Graves’ passion is sharing Jesus, seeing the overlooked, joining God in transforming lives, and changing the world one person at a time. His study of leadership permeates all his work as a pastor, district superintendent and bishop. He has been an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church for over 35 years. Bishop Graves is a native of Knoxville, Tennessee, and graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, with a Master of Divinity. In this episode, Bishop Graves talks about his call to ministry, formative times as a pastor in the local church, his favorite part about being a bishop, his favorite things about the state of Kentucky, his priorities for clergy health, and what gives him hope for the future of the UMC.

In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Laura Hamrick. Laura serves as Clergy Engagement Coordinator for both the Clergy Health Initiative and the Religion and Social Change Lab. A graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill and Wesley Theological Seminary, Laura is a second career pastor who worked in the field of group health insurance prior to entering seminary. An ordained elder in the Western NC Annual Conference, she served churches of various sizes in urban, suburban, and rural settings for seventeen years prior to entering ministry beyond the local church. Prior to joining the team at Duke, she served with Life Around the Table, where she helped to design and lead creation-based Sabbath retreat experiences for ecumenical groups of clergy in North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. In her current role, Laura connects with UMC clergy and denominational leaders to offer support and evidence-based resources developed through our research in order to support their flourishing in life and ministry. In this episode, Laura talks about the Duke Clergy Health INiative, how pastors can prepare themselves against burnout and mental health, ways local churches can help with their clergy’s health, and info about the upcoming event, “Flourish.” Registration is now open for Flourish: A Day Away for Clergy Care. All clergy serving KYUMC churches and extension ministries are invited to join the Board of Pensions nad the Board of Ordained Ministry on October 22 to connect with leaders and resources on practicing mindfulness, your physical wellbeing, and rediscovering self-care in ministry. Join us also on Monday, October 21 for dinner, fellowship, and trivia hosted by Louisville Trivia! All events on October 21 and 22 will be at the Kentucky Conference Office located at 7400 Floydsburg Rd, Crestwood, KY. Register by September 22 to be entered into a drawing for a $100 Amazon gift card. Deadline to register is October 15. This event is FREE and all clergy are encouraged to attend. Register here.  

Welcome to our Holy Roast Annual Conference Special! This recording is our special bonus episode, Live from Annual Conference, where Rachel and Rob sat down with Rev. Caleb Wheat.  In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Caleb Wheat. Caleb is the Pastor at Antioch UMC, a new church start in Northern Kentucky. In this episode, Caleb will talk about his call to church planting, the story of Antioch UMC, some initiatives throughout the Kentucky Conference, and what every local church should be doing in this season.

In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Tami Coleman and Rev. Dr. Jay Smith to talk about General Conference. Tami was our lead Clergy Delegate (and the Pastor at Hanson UMC) and Jay was a Clergy Alternate Delegate (and the District Superintendent of the Owensboro District.) In this episode, Tami and Jay will talk about their experience at General Conference. They will talk about how it felt to be in the room during GC, what gives them hope for the future of the UMC, the biggest questions they’ve received from Kentucky United Methodists about GC since returning him, how to worship and get along with people who may not agree with us on important subject matters, and more.   This podcast is for Traditionalists, Centrists, and Progressives in the Kentucky Annual Conference. If you found the episode to be helpful, please be sure to share with with other pastors, church members, and friends.

In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Rachel Gilmore. Rachel is the Director of New and Vital Faith in the Desert Southwest Conference of the UMC. Rachel graduated magna cum laude from Duke Divinity School as a Distinguished Leader after serving for two years in the Peace Corps in Bulgaria.  She is the author of Expanding the Expedition Reach with Missional Communities and a contributor to Launching a New Worship Community: a Practical Guide for the 2020s (Upper Room, 2021). Rachel is married to Rev. Brandon Gilmore, a pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Phoenix, Arizona where they are creating a new faith community while revitalizing the existing congregation. In this episode, Rachel talks about the common myths about church planting, how to measure the impact and effectiveness of churches including church plants, how all local churches need to be church innovators, how to overcome the challenges of fostering community in our current social context, best practices that churches can take to reach new people in their community, and some current trends in church planting that she finds promising.

In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Bishop Will Willimon. The Reverend Dr. William H. Willimon **is Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry at the Divinity School, Duke University. He served eight years as Bishop of the North Alabama Conference of The United Methodist Church. For twenty years prior to the episcopacy, he was Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Christian Ministry at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Willimon is a graduate of Wofford College (B.A., 1968), Yale Divinity School (M.Div., 1971) and Emory University (S.T.D., 1973). He is the author of roughly one hundred books. Willimon’s articles have appeared in many publications. In this episode, Bishop Willimon discusses his hopes for what will happen at General Conference, his dream for the future of the UMC, how pastors can create change in a denomination that is often slow to adapt, the role of the Bishop in the UMC, pressing challenges the UMC is facing today, and advice he would give to young people. To learn more about Bishop Will Willimon, you can head to his website here: https://willwillimon.com/.

In this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Dr. Jean Hawxhurst. Rev. Dr. Jean G. Hawxhurst serves as an Ecumenical Staff Officer for the United Methodist Council of Bishops.  Her responsibilities include general ecumenical engagement with organizations and groups, grants and scholarships, and leadership development.  She has served in this ministry position since 2015.  Dr. Hawxhurst holds a BA degree in mathematics and education from the University of Richmond, an MDiv degree in theology from Lexington Theological Seminary, and a DMin degree from Louisville Seminary, with a focus on theological diversity.  She also holds a certificate in ecumenical studies from the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Institute at Bossey.  She is an ordained elder in the Kentucky Annual Conference, and prior to this appointment served three local congregations and as a District Superintendent.  She is married to Rev. Dr. Jerry Cappel, a priest in The Episcopal Church USA.  They have two adult children and four grandchildren.   In this episode, Rev. Dr. Jean Hawxhurst reflects upon her calling in her current role, how she has met two different Popes, how she navigates theological differences between various Christian traditions, the evolving role of pastors in an ecumenical future, challenges she has faced, and some helpful ways that local churches and pastors can embrace ecumenism and foster greater unity among Christians of different denominations.