Ed Stetzer

Pastors, if your church is approaching 200 people and you’re feeling stretched thin, the answer may not be to work harder. It may be to equip more people for ministry. Personal relationships are a gift in a smaller church. But as a congregation grows, one pastor cannot carry every relationship, provide all the care, and make every decision. Leadership matters. We depend on the Spirit’s power while faithfully developing leaders, equipping the congregation, and keeping evangelism central. The goal is more people reached with the gospel and more believers participating in God’s mission. I explore this leadership transition in my latest article for Outreach: Breaking the 200 Barrier. buff.ly/UezLT2t

Usha Reifsnider joined me to talk about muted voices in the church, and she said, "I think the gospel was always meant to be one of movement." Catch the whole conversation here: buff.ly/uQAjqGd

The cat is out of the bag. We are coming to Nashville with a full seminary program!

So great meeting with pastors and ministry leaders in Nashville to talk about Scripture, spiritual formation, culture—and launching our Talbot Embedded location in Nashville! We’re excited to bring seminary classes to Middle Tennessee. You can earn your full seminary degree through in-person modular courses taught by our world-class faculty, learning alongside a local cohort while continuing in your job and ministry. Interested in joining us? Email [email protected] for more information. And we’re working toward these same opportunities in Chicago, NYC, the Inland Empire, Seattle, the SF Bay Area, Honolulu, Boise, and more. Reach out to learn what’s coming near you!

JP Pokluda told me that studying spiritual warfare left him with more faith: “I didn't grow more fearful. I think through the project, I actually grew more faithful, full of faith, I would say.” Join the whole conversation: buff.ly/G9Qq0R9

I voted. I hope you did (or will) as well. Voting isn’t hard these days, and it matters. (I voted by mail—fast, easy, and safe.) Here’s what the Assemblies of God had to say about voting choices back in 1984. (Pentecostal Evangel, October 14, 1984) It still seems pretty wise-- those Pentecostals know stuff. Vote your conscience.

It was great to see our faculty and staff gathered around tables at our retreat, working together on how we can better connect with and serve the church. That's why we do what we do at @TalbotTheology—for the mission and for the church. #FacultyStaffRetreat

Picard at Tenagra. His eyes closed.

"This is a message from the California Secretary of State on behalf of Orange County Registrar of Voters. Your ballot for the November 3, 2026, General Election was received and will be counted. Thank you for voting!" Hope you will join me.

Great spending time with my friend Mitch Glaser, who leads the Feinberg Center for Messianic Jewish Studies. It’s our Talbot Seminary extension site in Brooklyn, in partnership with @ChosenPeople ministries. Grateful for leaders like Mitch and excited about what’s ahead as we continue equipping men and women for the church and for God's mission.

I loved hanging out with my friend Abraham Joseph, Senior Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in New York. Please pray for them as they do important Kingdom work in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus to the men and women in their city.

I’m excited about what’s happening at Talbot Seminary–Phoenix! With cohorts across the Valley and both online and in-person classes, we’re making theological education accessible to pastors and ministry leaders right where they live and serve. Interested in what's happening? Click here for more information: buff.ly/fEl5P44

Here in the Thousand Oaks–Westlake Village area, northwest of LA, meeting with pastors and leaders, as we work toward launching our Talbot Embedded cohort here. Seminary without leaving your job or community. Headed to Nashville tomorrow for the same-- still time to join us. Email us at [email protected] for more information about our modular, cohort, hybrid classes here... ...and in Chicago, NYC, Inland Empire, Seattle, SF Bay Area, Honolulu, Boise, and more!

What a great gathering of pastors and ministry leaders at Talbot Seminary Phoenix for the Sacred Tasks Conference! Grateful to hear from Alistair Begg, Matthew Bingham, and Luke Simmons—and encouraged by the excitement about Talbot’s growing presence in Phoenix. We’re thrilled to be in the Valley and for the Valley! Our desire is to come alongside local churches, equip faithful leaders, and invest in the next generation of gospel-centered ministry throughout the region. We’d love for you to be part of what God is doing! If you’re a pastor, ministry leader, prospective student, or someone passionate about theological education and the local church, let’s connect. We want to hear your hopes for the Valley, explore opportunities to partner, and discover how Talbot can serve you and your church. Let’s build something meaningful together—for the church and for the Valley!

With all the Hugh Hefner news today, I was today years old when I learned I’m quoted in his Wikipedia article. The article quotes me reflecting on his destructive legacy—one that began with what many treated as an almost mainstream “girlie magazine,” whose pages featured celebrities and even an interview with a future president. But as I said then, and as is becoming increasingly clear, the reality was much darker: "It's hard to fathom that anyone would have known what this would have turned into. Parents growing up today are fighting to keep their children pure. Spouses are fighting to keep their marriages intact. And many enslaved and trapped in the adult entertainment industry have been figuratively and literally stripped not only of their clothes, but their very value as people made in the image of God. If this does not concern us, what will?"

The new and improved Talbotron 3000 has arrived in Phoenix and we are excited about gathering pastors and ministry leaders together for our Sacred Truths conference and several Equipped Together gatherings. Click here for more information: buff.ly/1Ejvmo8