Lead Time
Lead Time is a podcast of the Unite Leadership Collective, hosted by Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg. The ULC envisions a future in which all congregations fully equip the priesthood of all believers through world-class leadership development at the local level. Lead Time taps into biblical wisdom for practical solutions to today's burning issues. Each podcast confronts real-time struggles facing the local church in a post-Christian culture. Step into the action with the ULC. This is Lead Time
Episodes
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What does faithful mission look like in today’s fractured, post-Christian culture?
In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman is joined by Pastor Brandon Boos, missions pastor at Faith Lutheran Church (Oakville, MO) and one o...
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In this episode of LEAD TIME, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit down with Pastor Scott Kirchoff to explore one of the most defining — and often misunderstood — aspects of Lutheran identity: the centrality of the Sacraments.
Drawing from decade...
Stay up to date on what is happening in the LCMS!
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Many churches feel tired, conflicted, or stuck—but can’t quite explain why.
In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit down with Kurt Senske, longtime LCMS leader and governance expert, to talk about something most churche...
Stay up to date on what is happening in the LCMS!
(weekly newsletter covering relevant LCMS topics!):
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent
In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman sits down with theologian and PhD candidate Will Fredstrom to explore AI through the lens of Christian theology, vocation, and embodied life.
This is not a fear-based conversation — it’s a thoughtful, hopeful, and deep...
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What does faithfulness look like when the culture around the Church changes?
In this episode of LEAD TIME, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit down with ATK Ministry founder Josh Atkinson, whose Christ-centered hip hop ministry on the north side of Mi...
What happens when faithful Christians disagree—and refuse to caricature one another?
In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit down with Pastor David Bukes for an honest, brotherly conversation about some of the most sensitive and debated issues in the Lutheran Church—without turning it into a fight.
This is not a debate episode.
It’s a listening episode.
Together, they explore:<...
Learn More about the Songwriter Initiative:
https://www.cui.edu/academicprograms/christcollege/center-for-worship-leadership/songwriter
Music from the Songwriter Initiative
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd3R1O9BFY1fGEI6aoZfNFfB8eEYxp2-F&si=0a8D71hlAmDZCFFg
In today’s episode, Tim and Jack sit down with Kip Fox, director of the Songwriter Initiative at Concordia University Irvine. Kip’s research in...
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In this special episode of Lead Time, Pastor Tim Ahlman sits down with Pastor Jeff Sutherlin to walk through the LCMS Pastoral Formation Committee’s newly released SMP policy requirements—including the widely debated 40-year-old minimum age, the restrictions on SMP placements, and the implicati...
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Is pastoral formation reform in the LCMS really a “threat to the Synod”?
Pastor Joe Beran joins Tim Ahlman for an honest, thoughtful conversation about fear, change, seminary pathways, SMP restrictions, and why this topic has become so emotionally charged across Lutheran circles.
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Dr. Mychal Thom joins Tim and Jack for a powerful conversation about belonging, Lutheran identity, and the future of Lutheran schools. From his own story of adoption to his leadership at Concordia St. Paul—and now his upcoming role as President & CEO of Faith Lutheran in Las Vegas—Dr. T...
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Why do some LCMS churches thrive—and others decline?
Pastor Thomas Marcis, 36-year pastor of Zion in Bismarck and a Synodical Reconciler, joins Lead Time to talk about church health, conflict, rural ministry, next-gen engagement, and why pastors must get out of their bubble and into the...
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In this episode, Dr. Jamison J. Hardy, President of the Concordia University System, joins Tim to discuss the exciting progress being made across LCMS universities — from record growth in church work enrollment to new scholarship initiatives and strategic partnerships.
Dr. Hardy un...
Information and Registration:
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This special bonus episode of Lead Time features Rev. Dr. Mike Gibson, President of the Pacific Southwest District (LCMS), joining Pastor Tim Ahlman to announce a historic upcoming event — the Koinonia Gathering, January 7–8, 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Koinonia Gathering isn’t a debate. It’s a moment for honest, face-to-face convers...
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What if we could see how the LCMS is really doing — district by district?
Today, Pastor Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit down with Pastor Jonathan Buescher, who compiled a comparative data study on all 35 LCMS districts — revealing surprising insights about membership, budgets, schools...
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The LCMS is wrestling with a familiar question: are we keeping distinctions or breaking barriers?
What does healthy leadership look like in today’s church?
Dr. Ben Haupt, Global Executive Director of PLI (Pastoral Leadership Institute), joins Tim Ahlman to unpack th...
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The LCMS is wrestling with a familiar question: are we keeping distinctions or breaking barriers?
Pastor Tim Ahlman, Jack Kalleberg, and Pastor Jonathan Dinger return to one of Lead Time’s most popular conversations—this time reframed around access.
- What does it mean...
Pastor Andy Greer went from fundraising for the Nebraska Cornhuskers to preaching from the pulpit at Messiah Lutheran Church. His story shines a light on one of the most controversial discussions in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod: the Specific Ministry Pastor (SMP) program.
In this honest and hope-filled conversation, Tim and Andy tackle the ongoing tension between residential seminary training and SMP pathways, the ne...
Are emotions a weakness—or a vital part of faith?
💡 Grab Bill & Kristi’s new book, Deeply Loved, here:
👉 https://soulshepherding.org/deeply-loved-book
Also available wherever books are sold.
In this episode of Lead Time, Pastor Tim Ahlman sits down with Dr. Bill & Kristi Gaultiere, founders of Soul Shepherding and authors of the new book Deeply Loved: Receiving and Reflecting God’s Great Empathy ...
In this powerful Lead Time episode, Tim Ahlman sits down with Rev. Mark Brandt — pastor, coach, and longtime leader in the Michigan District of the LCMS. Together they tackle deep and timely questions: What do we do when our prayers feel unanswered? How do we trust God’s love in seasons of suffering? And what are the biggest temptations pastors face today?
Mark shares personal stories from family struggles, ministry in Fra...
Is the LCMS truly facing a pastoral shortage — or do we have too many pastors and too few people in the pews? In this bold Lead Time episode, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit down with Tim Wood (Ad Crucem, CSL Regent) to confront the uncomfortable realities shaping the Missouri Synod’s future.
They tackle:
- Why Lutheran churches have lost half their membership in 25 years.
- Whether our law/gospel preaching model...
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