Lead Time

In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman welcomes back Jim Sanft, former President and CEO of Concordia Plans, for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, trust, Lutheran education, lay leadership, LCMS bureaucracy, and what it means to steward faithfully in a changing church.

This conversation is honest, hopeful, and deeply practical for pastors, school leaders, commissioned ministers, lay leaders, and anyone who loves t...

The LCMS presidential election is heading to a runoff — and the numbers are impossible to ignore.

President Matthew Harrison received 43.8% on the first ballot. Dr. Joel Biermann received 39.0%. For the first time in this election cycle, the Synod is now moving into a second round of voting, and the future direction of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is very much in the balance.

In this special joint ep...

In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit down with Philip Meinzen, a longtime LCMS educator and creator of The Grace Formula, for a powerful conversation about stewardship, generosity, tithing, debt, vocation, and the mission of the local church.

Philip argues that the church has often allowed the culture to disciple Christians in money, resources, debt, and scarcity — while Scripture gives us a ...

In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman talks with Jim Simpson, a retired higher education leader with decades of experience in curriculum development, administration, accreditation, and student success. Together, they explore what higher education has learned about adult learners, hybrid models, mentorship, internships, and competency-based formation — and what those lessons might mean for Concordia seminaries and pastoral ...

In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman sits down with Coach Patrick Daberkow, head football coach at Concordia University, Nebraska. Together, they talk about what makes a healthy team culture, why football still matters in an age of individualism, how young men are formed through accountability and hardship, and why faith cannot simply be one priority among many — it has to shape the whole life.

This conversation is...

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod loves its history. But what if we have forgotten one of the most important parts of it?

In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman talks with Pastor Mark Brandt about the story of St. Lorenz Lutheran Church in Frankenmuth, Michigan, the missionary vision of Wilhelm Loehe, the early tensions between mission and doctrine, and what today’s LCMS can learn from its own complicated begi...

Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller returns to Lead Time for a conversation that begins with the Prodigal Son… and ends up exposing something much closer to home.

Most Christians know the story of the younger son who runs away, wastes everything, and comes home in shame. But what if Jesus’ sharpest warning is actually aimed at the older brother — the faithful, obedient, religious one who cannot rejoice when mercy is ...

A major LCMS convention overture could reshape the way the Concordia University System functions — but many everyday Lutherans may not understand what is being proposed, why it matters, or what questions still need to be answered.

In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit down with Dr. Bernard Bull, President of Concordia University, Nebraska, to discuss Overture 7-01, the future of the Concordia ...

Most Lutherans do not get excited about bylaws — but sometimes a bylaw change can have real consequences for local ministry.

In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit down with Jim Saalfeld, CEO of the Church Extension Fund, to discuss LCMS Overture 9-06 and proposed changes related to Bylaw 1.5. While part of the overture appears to create new structures for entities like LCEF and Concordia Plans...

What happens when public accusations of heresy are made without clear evidence?

In this urgent Lead Time conversation, Rev. Dr. Jim Voelz and Rev. Dr. Mark Hoehner join Tim Ahlman to discuss ethics, truth, the Eighth Commandment, public criticism, and the responsibility Christians have when making serious accusations inside the church.

The conversation centers on recent criticisms of Dr. Voelz’s work, including ...

The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod is heading into a significant season. With convention conversations ahead, questions around pastoral formation, membership decline, congregational vitality, and the future of Lutheran mission are all on the table.

Today, We sit down with presidential nominee Rev. Brady Finnern for a wide-ranging conversation about Lutheran identity, the heart of the Gospel, congregational decline, con...

In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman sits down with two longtime Concordia Seminary professors, Dr. Andy Bartelt and Dr. James Voelz, for a wide-ranging conversation on time, aging, biblical literacy, seminary history, SMP, distance education, churchmanship, and the future of pastoral formation in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

Dr. Bartelt and Dr. Voelz bring decades of experience teaching future pastors, shaping theo...

What’s really happening inside the LCMS right now?

In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman and Jack sit down with Dr. Lyman Stone—demographer and creator of the Lutheran Religious Life Survey—to unpack the most surprising data trends in the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

What trends are you seeing in your church?

From church growth myths to preaching styles… from traditional wor...

What happens when Christians take each other to court… or when marriages fall apart long before anyone asks for help?

In this episode of Lead Time, Tim and Jack sit down with Christian attorney Colin Hoffman to unpack the reality of Christian family law, divorce, and what the Bible actually says about conflict between believers.

From 1 Corinthians 6 to real-life legal cases, this conversation dives into:

A special episode of Lead Time responding to a recent decision from LCMS leadership denying our request to host a booth at the upcoming LCMS Convention.

Want to stay up to date on LCMS Happenings? Sign up here:
https://www.uniteleadership.org/thelcmscurrent

We share the full context behind the decision, read the official response, and unpack what this moment reveals about conversation, trust, and unity within the ...

Today, We sit down with presidential nominee Dr. Joel Biermann to talk about the current state—and future—of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS).

What are the real strengths of the LCMS? Where are we struggling?
And what must change if we want to see a thriving, unified church for the next generation?

We dive into:

- The growing divisions within the LCMS
- The debate around “Luther...

In this episode of Lead Time, we respond to the “Giving Crescendo” conversation and break down what’s really happening beneath the surface: an aging church body, a historic wealth transfer, and a short window of opportunity that could either fuel mission—or accelerate decline.

Here’s the reality: money won’t save the church. In fact, it may expose just how unprepared we are.

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇...

In this episode, we respond to a recent seminary podcast discussing residential training and pastoral formation.

WATCH THE PODCAST HERE

While we deeply respect our seminaries and their leaders, we ask the hard questions many pastors and church leaders are already thinking:

Why are pulpits still empty?
Why are churches closing?
And are we training pastors in a way that actually meets today’s mission...

In this episode of Lead Time, Tim Ahlman and Jack Kalleberg sit down with Texas District President Jon Braunersreuther to discuss:

• The growing pastor shortage in the LCMS
• The debate surrounding SMP pastoral formation
• Why the size of the harvest should change how we think about leadership
• How First Article Gifts (reason, leadership, strategy) can be faithfully used in the church
• Leadership lessons from J...