Forefront Podcast

Sacraments of the Church | Anointing of the Sick

Rev. Josh explores the history, theology, and modern-day implications of the sacrament of anointing the sick. This sacrament started as a counter-cultural practice of extending love and grace to hurting and forgotten people in a Roman culture where the sick or sinners were isolated from the community. What if we embodied the spirit of this sacrament by showing up and acknowledging we often can’t take someones suffering away but we sit with them in their divorce, diagnosis, depression.

Sacraments of the Church | Holy Orders

Rev. Josh explores the history, impact and modern day relevance of the sacrament of Holy Orders. What if part of ushering in the next 500 years of Christianity means we commit to expanding holy orders to all? What if it means having a healthy respect for pastors while equally valuing the voices and giftings of everyone at Forefront? What might this type of church look like?

Sacraments of the Church | Marriage

Our Sacraments Sermon Series begins with a spotlight on marriage. Rev. Venida talks about the history of marriage, how it has evolved over time, and how we can reposition our ideas about marriage to further incorporate Jesus’s words to love God, ourselves, and others. This can start with marriage partners focusing on the love they have for each other, and then extending that love to intentionally work as agents of change through God’s love, so that double the lives can become recipients of Jesus’s love, healing, power, and joy.

Forefront Conversations with Jonathan Williams

The last time you heard Jonathan Williams on this podcast, he was lead pastor of Forefront Church; now, he's just a dad who raised two kids in the church trying to offer some sage advice to a new dad grappling with questions about raising kids in the church. For many of us who grew up in the church, what we were raised to believe went out the window a long time ago, so despite what we may say, do, or espouse to our kids, there will always be a question lingering in the back of our minds: what if my kids don't believe what I do similar to how I no longer believe what my parents did? This is the theme of the conversation that brings Jonathan back to the Forefront Podcast, where he sheds some light on his own upbringing, why things changed, and what it's like to be a parent bringing a child to church when carrying doubt or questions.

ABOUT JONATHAN
The co-founder and former lead pastor of Forefront Church, Jonathan is a popular writer who covers religion and spirituality, current trends, and LGBTQIA inclusion and justice. Jonathan has written for the Huffington Post, Faithfully Magazine, The Christian Standard, and more. Jonathan has been featured in The New York Times, The Christian Post, and Rebel Storytellers. He's also the author of "She's My Dad," a book that offers a unique perspective for family members of transgender persons, capturing the complex relationship between a son and his transgender parent, while navigating the feelings of loss and trauma that can occur even in the most LGBTQ-affirming households.

Parables | Are Trees Persons?

Kai Ngu speaks on a parable of Jesus on farmers and seeds, and the Hebrew Bible to show us how our Scriptures encourage us to relate to nature - land, animals, plants, stars - as persons and beings full of agency, emotion, and willpower. Understanding this animistic, and arguably indigenous, paradigm is essential towards building an anti-capitalist, anti-colonial ethos.

Parables | A Different Perspective – Seeing with New Eyes

Mary Obasi explores why it is hard to change even when our circumstances have in the parable of "The Rich Man and Lazarus".

Parables | The Parable of the Sower

God has lavishly showered on us messages of abundance and hope. Unfortunately, the cares of this world can sometimes be overwhelming and cause us to fall into despair and doubt who we are and our purpose in life. In a continuation of The Parables sermon series, Rev. Venida reminds us of the importance of investing and nurturing those things, again and again, that will allow us to constantly bear good fruit.

Parables | Discovering Your Light

Sometimes we're met with moments that speak to our character and defines us as individuals. Then there are moments that show the light within us! In this exciting sermon, Preacher bootcamp alum, Theon Freeman explores the Parable of the Lamp and what it looks like to discover God's light.

Parables | Sheep and the Shepherd

Rev. Josh queers the parable of the shepherd and the sheep in John 10 by connecting how we can often be led astray like new sheep to believe dehumanizing theologies. However, we can attune our ears to the tender and loving voice of The Good Shepherd who leads us to greener pastures amidst confusion and disillusionment.

Parables | The Unjust Judge

Rev. Venida continues our sermon series with the Parable of the Unjust Judge. This sermon allows us to reflect upon who the heartfelt pleas for justice all around us and how we can answer the call.