Shows
Catechizing ConversationsCampus Discipleship In A Secular Age: An Interview with Micah Natal of Disciple MakersSend a textWhat happens when a former atheist returns to the college campus with the Gospel? We sit down with Micah Natal of DiscipleMakers to unpack how clear doctrine and real community take root in a place often defined by slogans, polarization, and noise.Micah traces his story from hearing a professor call the Bible “half myth,” to Micah's preaching in a house church, to the providential leading that led him into full-time campus work. Along the way, he learned the practices that now shape his work with students: slow, careful Bible study; resisting “what d...
2026-02-1054 min
Catechizing ConversationsHealthy Churches Grow: A Conversation with Pastor and Author, Tucker YorkSend a textHealthy Churches Grow with Tucker YorkTired of constantly putting out fires while the mission of the church stalls? In this episode, we sit down with pastor and author Tucker York to discuss the core ideas behind his book, Healthy Churches Grow: The Pastor’s Guide to Reducing Chaos, Creating Momentum, and Leading His Church to Health. Drawing directly from the framework of the book, Tucker offers a grounded and practical vision for church health that outlasts trends, respects a congregation’s real context, and frees pastors from the pressure of d...
2026-02-0444 min
Catechizing ConversationsMobilizing Churches To Care For Vulnerable Children In Pennsylvania: An Interview with Matt StohrerSend a textWhat would it take for every child entering foster care in our county to land in a safe, loving, gospel-shaped home? That question drives our conversation with Matt Stohrer of Keystone Family Alliance. Matt’s family has fostered 23 children and adopted nine, and he now helps churches turn conviction into action in caring for vulnerable children in Lebanon county. We trace his journey from military service to foster care and explore how structure, teamwork, and faith create sustainable ministry for vulnerable kids.Matt outlines three practical pathways any church can begin right aw...
2026-01-2742 minCatechizing ConversationsWhy Your Chief End Is To Glorify God And Enjoy Him Forever (WSC 1)Send a textStart the year by aiming at what matters most. We explore the opening line of the Westminster Shorter Catechism—“to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever”—and turn it from a memorized phrase into a lived way of seeing time, work, and desire. With 1 Corinthians 10:31 as our grounding, we unpack how ordinary moments like eating, resting, and doing our jobs can be offered as worship, and we push back on the myth that joy depends on comfort or prosperity.I share four simple practices for shaping a God-centered year: set your intentio...
2026-01-2222 min
Catechizing ConversationsInterview with Max Myers, Director of the Lebanon Men's Rescue MissionSend a textIn this episode of Catechizing Conversations, we sit down with Max Myers, Director of the Lebanon Men's Rescue Mission, to discuss gospel ministry among some of the most vulnerable men in our community.Max shares the mission and vision of the Lebanon Men’s Rescue Mission, offering insight into how Christ-centered mercy ministry addresses not only physical needs like shelter and food, but also the deeper spiritual needs of the heart. We explore how the gospel shapes their approach to addiction recovery, homelessness, discipleship, and long-term restoration.This conversation highlights th...
2026-01-1543 minCatechizing ConversationsConfessing What the Bible Teaches: The Origin of the Westminster StandardsSend a textWhy does the Westminster Catechism exist?In this episode of Catechizing Conversations, Pastor Cisco Victa offers a brief and intentionally elementary overview of the historical and pastoral context that gave rise to the Westminster Assembly and its catechisms.Set against the backdrop of the English Reformation, persecution under Mary Tudor, the rise of the Puritans, civil war, and the calling of the Westminster Assembly, this episode explains why the church needed clear confessions and catechisms—not to replace Scripture, but to confess what Scripture teaches.This episode is de...
2026-01-1317 minCatechizing ConversationsIs Confessionalism Exclusionary? Part 2: Facing the Fear of BoundariesSend a textIn Part Two of our series on confessional Christianity, host Cisco Victa explores why merely identifying as a "Calvinist" falls short in today's evangelical landscape. Drawing on insights from historical Reformed theology, the episode critiques the rise of popular Calvinism as a "brand" detached from robust confessional orthodoxy. Through discussions on doctrinal consumerism, the myth of "unimportant" doctrines, and the protective role of confessions like the Westminster Standards, Cisco argues for a return to confessional fidelity. Addressing common objections to "sola Scriptura" and highlighting the dangers of individualism and private interpretations, the episode emphasizes...
2025-12-2213 minCatechizing ConversationsIs Confessionalism Exclusionary? Part 1: Facing the Fear of BoundariesSend a textIn Part 1 of this two-episode exploration on Catechizing Conversations, host Cisco Victa delves into the challenging question: If confessional Christianity draws boundaries, is it inherently exclusionary—and is that a bad thing? We examine our culture's deep-seated aversion to exclusion, rooted in historical atrocities, and contrast it with Scripture's call to clarity and conviction. Drawing from biblical examples like John 14:6 and Galatians 1:8–9, Cisco shows how even Jesus and the apostles set firm lines. The discussion uncovers the universal truth that every belief system excludes, using real-world illustrations like Unitarian churches versus the Athanasian Creed. Fina...
2025-12-1016 minCatechizing ConversationsWhy Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms Don't Make You Roman CatholicSend a textWhy do we confess the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene Creed in worship? Doesn’t that make us Roman Catholic?In this episode of Catechizing Conversations, we dismantle the common misconception that creeds and confessions belong to Rome. By walking through the Reformation debate on Scripture and tradition—especially Luther’s critiques—we show why Protestants have always been a creedal people.We explore the Didache and early church catechesis, Carl Trueman’s three foundational assumptions for confessional Christianity, and the rich world of biblical creeds found in both the Old and New...
2025-12-0114 minCatechizing ConversationsWhy We Need Confessions and Catechisms: Everyone Has a CreedSend a textTitle: “Why We Need Confessions and Catechisms: Everyone Has a Creed”Brief Description: In this inaugural episode of Catechizing Conversations, Cisco introduces the purpose of the podcast and explains why confessions and catechisms are essential for the Christian life. Drawing from the early church, the Middle Ages, and the Reformation, he shows that catechesis is deeply rooted in Christian history—and that every believer already has a creed, whether written or not. Confessions and catechisms provide clarity, unity, protection, and faithful summaries of biblical truth...
2025-11-2516 min