In this episode of More to the Story, I sit down with Brad Edwards, author of the award-winning The Reason for Church. Brad offers a compelling vision for why Christian institutions still matter in an age marked by individualism and skepticism toward organized religion. Drawing on his experience as a church planter, he explains how many today are open to God but hesitant about the church itself.

Brad challenges the assumption that institutions are inherently restrictive, arguing instead that they provide the “durable and formative structures” necessary for faithful Christian life together. The conversation also explores the rise of consumerism in church culture, the weakening pipeline for pastoral leadership, and the need for long-term, faithful institution-building. This episode will help pastors and leaders recover a biblical vision of the church as the people of God—formed through shared practices, worship, and community.

Youtube - https://youtu.be/h4J3I8TXYqU

Audio - https://andymilleriii.com/media/podcast

Apple - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/more-to-the-story-with-dr-andy-miller/id1569988895?uo=4

Get Brad’s book here - https://a.co/d/06i8oYdZ

If you are interested in learning more about my two full-length video-accompanied courses,

Contender: Going Deeper in the Book of Jude and

Heaven and Other Destinations: A Biblical Journey Beyond this World , visit andymilleriii.com/courses

And don’t forget about my most recent book, Contender, which is available on Amazon!

Five Steps to Deeper Teaching and Preaching - Recently, I updated this PDF document and added a 45-minute teaching video with slides, explaining this tool. It's like a mini-course. If you sign up for my list, I will send this free resource to you. Sign up here - www.AndyMillerIII.com or Five Steps to Deeper Teaching and Preaching.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Wesley Biblical Seminary. Interested in going deeper in your faith? Check out our certificate programs, B.A., M.A.s, M.Div., and D.Min degrees. You will study with world-class faculty and the most racially diverse student body in the country. www.wbs.edu

If this episode resonated with you, share it with a friend and leave a review! For more from Andy Miller III, visit andymilleriii.com or follow @andymilleriii on X.

Thanks too to Phil Laeger for my podcast music. You can find out about Phil's music at https://www.laeger.net