What does faithful leadership look like when you’re not the one in charge?

Want to stay up to date on LCMS Happenings from Pastor Tim?
Join the LCMS Current:
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent

In this episode of the Tim Ahlman Podcast, Tim sits down with Emily Phoenix, Program & Communications Director at KINDLE and host of Cultivating Second Chair Leaders, for a wide-ranging and honest conversation about leadership, identity, and faithfulness in today’s church.

This episode isn’t about winning arguments — it’s about cultivating gentleness, courage, and Christ-centered leadership in a polarized age.

Whether you’re a pastor, commissioned worker, lay leader, or simply someone longing for healthier conversations in the church, this episode invites you to slow down, listen well, and refocus on the mission of Jesus.

Support the show

Watch Us On Youtube!

What voices are shaping your leadership—encouraging courage, or quietly reinforcing shame?

In this episode of the Tim Ahlman Podcast, Tim sits down with pastor, coach, and author Jeff Meyer to explore the concept of your Internal Board of Directors—the inner voices that guide (or derail) your decisions, identity, and spiritual resilience.

Jeff shares vulnerably about a dark season that exposed the power of negative self-talk, the theology of shame, and how leaders—especially pastors—often become their own harshest critics. Together, Tim and Jeff unpack how law and gospel shape our inner dialogue, why isolation is so dangerous for leaders, and how grace reshapes both our brains and our leadership.

This conversation weaves together neuroscience, pastoral theology, Luther, Scripture, and practical habits for cultivating healthier internal leadership—anchored in baptismal identity and the Spirit of Truth.

Want to stay up to date on LCMS Happenings from Pastor Tim?
Join the LCMS Current:
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent

Support the show

Watch Us On Youtube!

In this episode of TAP, Tim Ahlman is joined by pastor, author, and theologian Carl Lehenbauer for a wide-ranging and deeply human conversation about ministry longevity, marriage, discipleship, and the fire of God’s love that holds it all together.

Carl shares his journey from associate pastor to senior pastor—and now into a discipleship-focused role—reflecting honestly on burnout, self-awareness, delegation, and the quiet faithfulness that sustains long-term ministry. From there, the conversation moves into the heart of Carl’s new book, Fire and Song, a rich exploration of the Song of Songs as God’s love song to His people.

Together, Tim and Carl explore:

- Why love—not programs—is the foundation of a healthy church
- How God’s love fuels marriage rather than asking couples to manufacture it
- The connection between the Song of Songs, Pentecost, and the Holy Spirit
- Why admiration and commitment still matter in a distracted culture
- How marriage forms us into people who look more like Christ

This episode is honest, theological, pastoral, and hopeful—a reminder that God’s love is not only proclaimed, but sung over His people.

Want to stay up to date on LCMS Happenings from Pastor Tim?
Join the LCMS Current:
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent

Support the show

Watch Us On Youtube!