Shows
The Reformed DeaconThe Importance of Having DeaconsWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, David Nakhla welcomes Pastor Mark Winder of Wolf River OPC in Collierville, TN, for a compelling conversation about the vital role of deacons in the life of the church.It's not uncommon for church plants to go several years without deacons, often due to the challenges of identifying, training, and overseeing qualified men during the early stages of organization. Pastor Mark shares how installing deacons brought transformative change to...
2025-12-0155 minThe Reformed DeaconShort-Term Missionary NeededWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.OPC Foreign Missions is looking for a short-term missionary to attend to diaconal needs in Uganda! The OPC Uganda Mission in Karamoja is in need of a facilities manager to fill a short-term need while current missionary Travis Emmett and his family are in the States for medical leave early next year. Please consider how you may be able to help!In this episode of The Reformed Deacon, host David Nakhla speaks...
2025-11-0130 min
OPC Ruling Elder PodcastSpiritual Life and Mental HealthPastor Shane Lems talks about his recent Ordained Servant review of John Swinton’s book Finding Jesus in the Storm: the Spiritual Lives of Christians with Mental Health Challenges. (Eerdmans, 2020). Shane is pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church (OPC) in Hammond, Wisconsin.Read the review and read the book. The review can be found here.The Ruling Elder Podcast on Prescription Medication with Jason Poquette (Season 2, Episode 6, June 2024) is available here.Shane’s book recommendationsLost Connections by Johann Hari (Bloomsbury USA, 2018)The Wonderful Works of God by Herman Bavinck (Westminster Seminary Press...
2025-10-1530 minThe Reformed DeaconThe Widow's Mite: Financial Giving From the HeartWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, host Chris Cashen (pastor at Trinity OPC, Lanham, MD) is joined by pastor John Shaw and deacon Bob Keys from Grace OPC in Columbus, Ohio for a conversation on the financial needs of the church and the importance of encouraging generosity. Drawing from the example of the widow’s mite in Luke 21, they reflect on how this passage shapes our understanding of giving, particularly in the context of diaconal ministry....
2025-10-0145 minThe Reformed DeaconEncouraging the Solo DeaconWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, David Nakhla is joined by seasoned deacons John Stahl (Emmanuel OPC, Wilmington, DE), Jared Grigg (Acacia Reformed OPC, Manassas, VA), and Dan Barnes (Trinity Reformed OPC, Lanham, MD) for a conversation on the unique challenges faced by solo deacons in their ministries.The work of a deacon is vital to the life of the church. Deacons demonstrate Christ’s mercy by caring for the physical needs of the congregation. By...
2025-09-0136 minThe Reformed DeaconMinistering to the WidowWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, host, deacon Tim Hopper (Shiloh OPC, Raleigh, NC) is joined by Becky Haney, a member of New Hope OPC in Bridgeton, New Jersey, to share her experience following the sudden passing of her husband Dave Haney—a man well-known and loved by many in the OPC—who died unexpectedly at age 56 in 2019.Caring for widows lies close to the heart of diaconal work. Scripture is clear that God’s people...
2025-08-0138 minThe Reformed DeaconMinistering to Those Struggling with AddictionWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, David Nakhla speaks with Dr. Jim Berry, an elder at Reformation OPC in Morgantown, West Virginia, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry at WVU’s Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. He’s joined by Mr. Rob Guss, an elder at Calvary OPC in Glenside, Pennsylvania, who shares his powerful testimony of God’s grace in delivering him from addiction.Addiction brings with it deep brokenness. It can...
2025-07-0152 minOPC Ruling Elder PodcastMental Health, Faith, and Caring Well (Part 2)In this episode the Rev. Adrian Crum speaks about mental health and faith with the Rev. John Fikkert, a mental health counselor and Director of the OPC Committee on Ministerial Care, and his wife, Dr. Lindsay Fikkert, a psychologist at Pella Counseling.This episode is the second part of a republication of the recent Reformed Deacon podcast, (with their kind permission). We have divided the original podcast into two parts. Mental health is a tender thing. An episode or a chronic mental health illness can be distressing for the person, their family, and congregations. ...
2025-06-1544 minThe Reformed DeaconProviding Hope in UkraineWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, host David Nakhla speaks with Elder Mark Agarkov of Kharkiv Presbyterian Church and OPC missionary Heero Hacquebord to get an update on the situation in Ukraine, now three years into the war. Mark shares about the ongoing suffering in the eastern region of Kharkiv—just 20 miles from the front lines—the support they've received from generous U.S. donors, and the deep sense of care they've experienced amid hardship. He also refl...
2025-06-1148 minThe Reformed DeaconReal World Cases: Unique Financial CircumstancesWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, host Tim Hopper (Shiloh OPC, Raleigh, NC) is joined by fellow seasoned deacons Lynne Hunter (Harvest OPC, Wyoming, MI) and Bob Keys (Grace OPC, Columbus, OH) to wrestle through several thought-provoking real-world scenarios.Consider what you might do if your church had a budget surplus or a woman visits your church asking for rent money for her motel stay; what the proper process is when a charity approaches your...
2025-06-0138 minOPC Ruling Elder PodcastMental Health, Faith, and Caring WellIn this episode the Rev. Adrian Crum speaks about mental health and faith with the Rev. John Fikkert, a mental health counselor and Director of the OPC Committee on Ministerial Care, and his wife, Dr. Lindsay Fikkert, a psychologist at Pella Counseling.This episode is a republication of the recent Reformed Deacon podcast, (with their kind permission). We have divided the original podcast into two parts. Part 2 will be published next month. (D.V.)Mental health is a tender thing. An episode or a chronic mental health illness can be distressing for the person, their...
2025-05-1547 minThe Reformed DeaconHelping Those Struggling with Mental HealthWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode of The Reformed Deacon, host Rev. Adrian Crum speaks with Rev. John Fikkert, a mental health counselor and Director of the OPC Committee on Ministerial Care, and his wife, Dr. Lindsay Fikkert, a psychologist at Pella Counseling. Together, they offer deep and compassionate insight into how deacons—and entire congregations—can come alongside those facing mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression, and grief. This conversation is rich with practical suggestions and...
2025-05-011h 29OPC Ruling Elder PodcastEncouraging Covenant YouthThe Ruling Elder Podcast talks with Roger Wagner and David Winslow about ruling elders encouraging covenant youth. One of the tasks of ruling elders, as set out by BCO X:3, is that ruling elders should "nourish and guard the children of the covenant”.Rev. Roger Wagner, now a retired minister, was ordained to the ministry in 1973, serving ten years at Sonora, then he became pastor of Bayview OPC in Chula Vista, California in 1983 where he served for the next forty years until his retirement. Ruling Elder David Winslow has served as a ruling elder for over forty yea...
2025-04-1552 minThe Reformed DeaconFlood InsuranceWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, host Peter Haines, elder at Concho Valley OPC in Concho Valley, AZ, leads a discussion with Brian Tilton, deacon at Trinity OPC in Hatboro, PA, and co-owner of Millham Companies, a personal and business insurance firm in Pennsylvania. Together, they explore the topic of flood insurance—its importance, how it works, and its role in our responsibility as stewards of what God has entrusted to us. They also discuss how deacons ca...
2025-04-0122 minOPC Ruling Elder PodcastElders and women's ministryAnneke Fesko and Laurie Tricarico discuss how elders can encourage women in the church.Anneke currently serves the OPC as Care Coordinator for Ministers’ Wives and works for the OPC Committee on Ministerial Care. (Committee of Walking Hugs) She is married to John, an ordained OPC minister and theology professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. They have three children, two sons in high school and a daughter in elementary school, and live in Madison, Mississippi.Laurie serves as the coordinator of the Crisis Care Team at New Life OPC in Williamsport PA, where sh...
2025-03-1542 minThe Reformed DeaconHelping Your Congregation Understand a Deacon's RoleWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, host John Stahl (deacon at Immanuel OPC, Wilmington, DE) leads a discussion with Shiloh OPC, Raleigh, NC Deacon Tim Hopper and Harvest OPC in Wyoming, MI Associate Pastor of Youth and Evangelism Adrian Crum to consider practical ways to help your congregation understand that a deacon's role extends beyond taking the offering and performing building maintenance.Referenced in this episode:The Letters of John Newton (Hardcover Banner of T...
2025-03-0137 minOPC Ruling Elder PodcastChristian Education and Ruling EldersDanny Olinger, General Secretary of the CCE, talks about ruling elders and Christian Education. The OPC cherished the work of Christian Education and quickly developed specific principles of Christian education and pedagogy to guide its work. Those principles are available here and will provided a stimulating starting point for the continuing importance of Christian Education in the churches.Danny’s three book recommendation for ruling elders are,R. B. Kuiper, The Glorious Body of Christ, (Banner of Truth)Edwin H. Rian, The Presbyterian Conflict.John Calvin, The Institutes of Christian Religion.A Program For Ch...
2025-02-1143 minThe Reformed DeaconFinding the Next DeaconWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, Revs. Chris Cashen and Bill Shishko consider how churches might identify men called to the office of deacon, drawing from 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Many congregations and church plants either lack deacons entirely or may not have enough to meet their needs. How can a church discern and recognize those whom God may be calling to this vital role? Join seasoned pastors Bill and Chris as they offer thoughtful guidance on following the...
2025-02-0144 minThe Reformed DeaconPractical Disaster ResponseWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, host David Nakhla talks with three men: one whose family suffered damage to their home through regional flooding, one whose family suffered devastating property loss as a result of a fire, and one who has aided in a variety of disasters over the years. They share with us from the recipient's perspective in order to aid deacons and church families understand and gain some practical tips for aiding those in crises...
2025-01-0157 minThe Reformed DeaconThinking Outside the BoxWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, host David Nakhla talks with two deacons, David Pendergrass, Covenant Reformed OPC in West Plains, MO, and Greg Harrison, Second Parish OPC, Scarborough, ME, who have, through the Lord's leading, found their professional calling largely based in the ministry of mercy. These two unique examples of thinking outside the box may not represent the Lord's calling for everyone, but David and Greg encourage deacons to look for ways in their lives t...
2024-12-011h 12The Reformed DeaconListener Questions: 1 Timothy 5What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, host, David Nakhla is joined by deacon John Stahl (Immanuel OPC, Wilmington, DE), deacon John Voss (Covenant OPC, Orland Park, IL) and pastor Adrian Crum (Harvest OPC, Wyoming, MI) to discuss our fist set of listener questions, from Caleb in Phoenix, Arizona, all related to I Timothy 5:3-16. This is an insightful, yet complex passage regarding widows and how they are to be regarded and provided for by the church.
2024-11-1535 minOPC Ruling Elder PodcastEncouraging the Pastor's WifeIn this podcast Anneke Fesko talks about how ruling elders can encourage a pastor’s wife. Anneke was hired a little over two years ago for the newly created position of Care Coordinator for Ministers’ Wives and works for the OPC Committee on Ministerial Care. (Committee of Walking Hugs)Anneke is the wife to John, an ordained OPC minister and theology professor at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. They were married 22 years ago while John was a church planter for the OPC. They have three children, two sons in high school and a daughter in elementary scho...
2024-11-1559 minThe Reformed DeaconHow Deacons Can Care for Their PastorWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.It's the start of season 4!In this episode, pastor Chris Cashen, Trinity Reformed OPC, Lanham, MD and deacon Tim Hopper, Shiloh OPC, Raleigh, NC, propose and discuss some different ways for deacons to care for their pastors. From forming friendships, to periodic check-ins, to helping them wade through the complicated maze of choosing an home, car, insurance plan and completing taxes, Tim and Chris see many opportunities for serving the pastor and...
2024-11-0145 minThe Reformed DeaconHow CDM and CMC Support Local DeaconsWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, hosts Chris Cashen, a CDM member and pastor of Trinity Reformed Church in Lanham, MD, and Tim Hopper, a CDM member and deacon at Shiloh OPC in Raleigh, NC, welcome guests John Fikkert, Director of the OPC Committee on Ministerial Care, and David Nakhla, Administrator of the OPC Committee on Diaconal Ministries. Together, they explore the origins and missions of these committees, the work being done in diaconal ministries, and how...
2024-10-0151 minThe Reformed DeaconReal World Cases: Long-Term Dilemmas Part 2What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, the four deacons from Part 1 (John Stahl, Immanuel OPC, Wilmington, DE; Bob Keys, Grace OPC, Columbus, OH; Jared Grigg, Acacia OPC, Manassas, VA; Lynne Hunter, Harvest OPC, Wyoming, MI) continue discussing two more scenarios: a year-long intern is having car trouble and empty nesters who are struggling to pay their bills. This episode is particularly helpful with suggestions for approaching the family members of those who are needing help. T...
2024-09-2622 minThe Reformed DeaconReal World Cases: Long Term Dilemmas Part 1What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, host John Stahl, deacon at Emmanuel OPC in Wilmington, DE, and member of the CDM, leads a discussion with three fellow deacons: Lynne Hunter from Harvest OPC in Wyoming, Michigan; Bob Keys from Grace OPC in Columbus, Ohio; and Jared Grigg from Acacia OPC in Manassas, Virginia. The group explores dilemmas with significant long-term implications. They first address a situation involving a member who, due to an accident, requires extensive assistance...
2024-09-1635 minOPC Ruling Elder PodcastRuling Elders and Better Preaching What can ruling elders do to promote better preaching?On this issue of the Ruling Elder podcast, John Currie, OPC pastor and Professor and Dean of Pastoral Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, discusses why this is so important and gives practical suggestions on how and when to do it, and, just as importantly, how not to do it.The OPC Form of Government says “[Ruling Elders] should have particular concern for the doctrine and conduct of the minister of the Word and help him in his labors.” (Fg. X.3)Several resources are also available onlin...
2024-09-1550 minThe Reformed DeaconThe Heart of a DeaconWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode host, Pastor Chris Cashen talks with Elder Jeremy Huntington and Deacon Scott Cormier from Covenant OPC, New Bern, NC to discuss Matthew 15:21-28—where we find Jesus modeling true compassion and how that example can help shape the heart of a deacon. Chris, Jeremy and Scott look at this passage about a Canaanite woman who comes to Jesus crying for help for her daughter who is demon-possessed. The discussion is...
2024-09-0146 minOPC Ruling Elder PodcastRuling Elder Spotlight: David Watson, EPC (Ireland)David Watson is a ruling elder in Ballyclare Evangelical Presbyterian Church, in Co. Antrim, N. Ireland. The EPC, (Ireland), is a church with which the OPC has full ecclesiastical fellowship. Stephen Tracey grew up in that congregation and is delighted to talk to this faithful and beloved friend and mentor as he reflects on eighty years of life in one congregation, and current issues in church life in N. Ireland. In the podcast reference is made to a short book, A Good Work, Reflections on the Eldership in Everyday Life and Ministry. This book is not available in...
2024-08-1542 minThe Reformed DeaconA Committee to Care for the Elderly: Harvest OPCWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, Rev. Adrian Crum, associate pastor at Harvest OPC in Wyoming, MI sits down with two of his deacons, Lynne Hunter and Cameron Brown to talk about the why and how of Harvest's newly constructed Elderly Committee or HARPs Group (Harvest Association of Retired Presbyterians.)Lynne says, "Part of it was that we had, or have, a number of elderly folk that have no family and we were getting called i...
2024-08-0142 minOPC Ruling Elder PodcastCovenant TheologyRyan McGraw talks about his new book, What Is Covenant Theology?: Tracing God's Promises through the Son, the Seed, and the Sacraments.Ryan is the Morton H. Smith Professor of Systematic Theology at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and serves as Teacher at Covenant Community OPC, Taylors SC.Are Israel and the Church Two Distinct Peoples of God?Ryan’s recommended readingJohn Owen, Communion with God. The full title is “Of Communion with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Each Person Distinctly, In Love, Grace, and Consolation; or The Saints’ Fellowship with t...
2024-07-1537 minThe Reformed DeaconPersonal Insurance: Help for DeaconsWhat did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, Peter Haines, an elder at Concho Valley OPC in Concho, Arizona talks to two elders—Kris Lehner, an elder at Immanuel OPC in Medford, NJ and David Drake, an elder at Trinity OPC in Hatboro, PA. Each offer guidance to deacons, based on their expertise in the field of personal insurance in order to strengthen the understanding of "people-based insurance". Kris and David touch on risk management—a complicated topic for which...
2024-07-0133 minThe Reformed DeaconReal World Cases: Policies and Procedures Part 2What did you think? Text us by clicking here! We are unable to reply on this app, so include phone # or email address.In this episode, Part 2 of "Policies and Procedures", we'll dive into the case of Sam, a candidate with great potential but some rough edges, and discuss the importance of knowing candidates for officers in the church by walking side by side with them. The second scenario, the four deacons tackle the sensitive topic of allowing non-members, particularly same-sex couples, to use church facilities for weddings, and the importance of establishing clear policies aligned with...
2024-06-2520 min