The Pillar Network

This is the official podcast of the Pillar Church Planting Network. This podcast will typically be hosted by Nate Akin, with content provided by other Pillar staff, board members, and network pastors. In this podcast, we will discuss Pillar’s mission, history, DNA, doctrine, information pertinent to pastors, and more.

Ep. 86 - A Conversation on Closed Membership with Nate Akin, Dave Kiehn, & Liam Garvie

Nate Akin, Dave Kiehn, and Liam Garvie discuss how Pillar values closed membership. They address the practice of open membership, the importance of baptism, conscience dilemmas, regenerate church membership, what historic Baptist confessions have to say, teaching patiently on membership, and more. 

12-10
38:01

Ep. 85 - Meaningful Christian Friendships with Daniel Gillespie, Kurt Gebhards, & Eric Bancroft

Dave Kiehn talks with Daniel Gillespie, Kurt Gebhards, & Eric Bancroft about the importance of building deep and meaningful Christian friendships among men, including the contrast with modern male friendships that lack depth, friendships that go beyond superficial interests, encouraging spiritual growth, and more.

12-03
30:23

Ep. 84 - Fieldstone Counseling with Joseph Hussung and Dave Kiehn

Dave Kiehn talks with Joseph Hussung from Fieldstone Counseling about the importance of counseling in the church, particularly for pastors. They also discuss biblically based counseling, the balance between counseling and discipleship, and more. Learn more at fieldstonecounseling.org.

11-26
27:51

Ep. 83 - Associations & Collaborative Church Planting with Brandon Langley & Liam Garvie

Brandon Langley talks with Liam Garvie about his chapter of Churches Planting Churches on how associations can foster collaborative church planting, including the biblical precedent and value of associations, formalizing associations, teaching congregations about partnership and more. 

11-19
43:15

Ep. 82 - A Conversation on Revitalization & Perseverance Through Suffering with Keith Crosby

Dave Kiehn talks with Keith Crosby about his journey to faith and pastoral ministry, the long game of revitalization, and his testimony of God’s grace throughout trials and suffering. Keith is a member of our network and the Lead Pastor of Hillside Church in San Jose, California.

11-12
31:45

Ep. 81 - Planting Parkside: One Year Later with Andy Davis, Andy Winn, & Chase Jenkins

Dave Kiehn talks with Andy Davis, Andy Winn, & Chase Jenkins about the journey to planting Parkside Baptist Church in Durham, NC. They discuss the reasons for planting, the joys and challenges of the first year, raising up a team to plant, challenges for the sending church, and more. 

11-05
32:15

Ep. 80 - Funding a Church Plant with Phil Newton, Nathan Baumgartner, & Brandon Langley

Brandon Langley, Phil Newton, and Nathan Baumgartner talk about how to fund a church plant from chapters 11 and 12 of "Churches Planting Churches." They discuss budgeting, vision casting, dedicated funds for planting, church documents and policies, and more.

10-29
38:03

Pillar Women Ep. 9 - Women’s Discipleship with Sarah Rogers

Sarah Rogers gives a talk on discipling women in the local church, including the importance of sound doctrine, older believers teaching younger believers, teaching a distinctly Christian home life and character, and more. This talk was originally given at the 2025 Thrive Women's Conference. 

10-23
46:17

Ep. 79 - Developing a Healthy Church Planting Team with Matt Rogers & Brandon Langley

Brandon Langley and Matt Rogers talk about developing a healthy leadership team for a plant from chapters 7 and 8 of "Churches Planting Churches." They discuss why to send a team rather than an individual planter, recruiting from sending churches and partner churches, clear communication and expectations, and more.

10-22
44:51

Ep. 78 - "Walking in Christ" with Clint Darst

Clint Darst gives a talk on walking in Christ from Ephesians 4:1-5:21. This talk was originally given at the 2025 Pillar International Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.

10-15
43:18

Ep. 77 - Where to Plant & Where to Find a Planter with Brandon Langley, Dave Kiehn, & Matt Rogers

Brandon Langley, Dave Kiehn, and Matt Rogers talk about two of the chapters in Pillar's upcoming book, "Churches Planting Churches." They discuss how to find planters, where to plant a church, trusting God's providence in the church planting process, and more.

10-08
41:17

Ep. 76 - A Conversation with a Church Planter in Ethiopia

Vic Carpenter interviews Nigussie Yadete about his journey to faith in Christ, good ecclesiology, the path to planting a church in Ethiopia, and more. Nigussie is a member of our network and the Lead Pastor of Christ Community Baptist Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Vic is also a member of our network and the Teaching Pastor of Redeemer Bible Church in Spotsylvania, VA. 

10-01
37:57

Ep. 75 - Churches Planting Churches with Brandon Langley, Nate Akin, & Matt Rogers

Brandon Langley, Nate Akin, and Matt Rogers talk about Pillar's upcoming book 'Churches Planting Churches.' They discuss the purpose and goal of the book, building churches that multiply, biblical foundations for church planting, and more. 

09-24
32:13

Pillar Women Ep. 8 - Friendship in Ministry

Jenna DiPrima and Sarah Rogers talk about friendship in ministry, particularly for pastors' wives. They discuss the unique challenges in forming and maintaining friendships within the church, discernment in what to share, taking initiative in friendship, and more.

09-18
34:39

Ep. 74 - A Conversation with Alistair Begg

Nate Akin interviews Pastor Alistair Begg. They talk about the development of his theological convictions, his time at Charlotte Chapel in Scotland, longevity in ministry and marriage, personal evangelism, and more. They also discuss the viral moment of Begg's sermon about "The Man on the Middle Cross" and the upcoming book inspired by that message. Alistair began in pastoral ministry in 1975 and served as senior pastor at Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio from 1983 until 2025. He is also the Bible teacher at Truth for Life. 

09-17
29:30

Ep. 73 - 'Every Member Matters' with Josh Wredberg & Matt Capps

Dave Kiehn talks with Josh Wredberg and Matt Capps about their new book, 'Every Member Matters.' They discuss the importance, meaning, and expectations of church membership, the collaborative writing process, and more. Matt is the Lead Pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Apex, NC. Josh is the Lead Pastor of Redeemer Community Church in Fuquay-Varina, NC.

09-10
22:21

Ep. 72 - Pastoral Rhythm, Rest, and Sabbaticals with Phil Newton, John Sarver, and Rich Shadden

Phil Newton talks with Rich Shadden and John Sarver about how to navigate rhythms, rest, and sabbaticals in pastoral ministry. They talk about some of the challenges that make rest difficult, planning time for rest and vacation, and more. This discussion is from a recent Memphis, TN regional gathering of Pillar churches.

09-03
51:13

Ep. 71 - Partnering to Plant: Coram Deo Baptist Church

Dave Kiehn talks with Matt Capps, Josh Wredberg, and Neal Thornton about churches partnering together to plant Coram Deo Baptist Church in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. They discuss regional cooperation among churches, building a culture of generosity and church multiplication, pastoral maturity and competency for planting, and more.

08-27
31:40

Pillar Women Ep. 7 - Cultivating a Spiritually Rich Women's Ministry with Sarah Rogers & Jenna DiPrima

Sarah and Jenna talk about the role of women's ministry in the local church, including grounding women's ministry in Scripture, pastoral oversight and support, resources available for women's ministry leaders, and more. 

08-21
36:31

Ep. 70 - “Are You a Christian?” with Phil Newton & Brandon Langley

Brandon Langley and Phil Newton talk about Phil's booklet "Are You a Christian?" They discuss interviewing prospective church members, distinguishing between struggling believers and those who may not be true believers, the role of spiritual maturity in pastoral care, and more. Click here to order the book on Amazon. Discounts for bulk purchases are available through eknies@baptistcourier.com.

08-20
43:42

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