In our first episode of this new season of the Worship/Theology podcast, called Kids in the Mix, Dr. Jeremy Perigo dialogues with Rev. Dr. Nelson Cowan on key ideas from his new book, Let the Children Lead. Cowan is the Director of the Center for Worship and the Arts at Samford University.

Together, they dive into a deep discussion about the importance of integrating children into corporate worship, exploring formative experiences in worship, and the need to unlearn transactional models of ministry. In this episode, Cowan emphasizes the role of children as leaders in worship, the significance of agency, and the biblical foundations for including children in worship. Their conversation also addresses the needed balance between excellence and participation in worship. Finally, they encourage worship leaders to start small and frame initiatives as experiments to foster engagement.

This season is produced by the Dordt Children's Worship Initiative.

In this special episode, guest host Dr. Kyle Dieleman, Associate Professor of Theology & History at Dordt University, gathers a panel of preachers and historians to explore how Church history can help us see the work of God in the long history of God's people, which can help preachers and churches better understand and proclaim the work of God in unique contemporary lives and contexts.

Joining Dr. Dieleman, Dr. David Komline (Professor of Church History, Western Theological Seminary, Holland, MI), Dr. Kenneth J. Woo (Associate Professor of Church History, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Pittsburgh, PA), and Pastor Gail Ashmore, Bridge of Hope Christian Reformed Church, Sioux Center, IA) explore issues including the obstacles that preachers face in trying to incorporate church history into their preaching and the practical steps for ministry leaders who desire to preach historically grounded sermons. Don't miss this unique episode exploring preaching as a central act of Christian worship.

In this episode, recorded live in Seattle, join Dr. Jeremy Perigo and Dr. Truls Åkerlund as they discuss Åkerlund’s recent scholarship around the Foucauldian understanding of discourse as it intersects with worship and ministry leadership. Dr. Åkerlund is Professor of Leadership at the Norwegian School of Leadership and Theology. He has authored numerous articles on ecclesial leadership and several books, including A Phenomenology of Pentecostal Leadership (2018) and his most recent work, Tråden heter trofasthet (2024).

Though pastors and worship leaders in independent churches and nondenominational networks may not have the same denominational power structures and pressures, powerful forces are still at work. Åkerlund argues that dominant discourse impacts how leaders set goals, engage in ministry, perceive their vocation, and measure ministry success. In this conversation, hear discussions on the need for reflexivity and beneficial critical discernment, which helps, not hinders, Christian leaders as they work to partake faithfully in the biblical story rather than dominant discourses. Join this thoughtful discussion, interacting with various topics on ministry leadership, including burnout, celebrity worship, faithfulness in ministry, cultural discernment, resting in liturgy, how to navigate criticism, and how worship is shaped by and shapes culture.