Podcast
The Profile
Hosted by Premier Christianity magazine · EN
Find out what makes influential Christian leaders tick! Hear the faith stories of a huge range of church leaders, musicians, preachers and more, as they share how God has led and guided them through both valleys and mountain-top experiences.
The Profile brings you in-depth interviews to help you learn from the wisdom and experiences of people who have gone all-in for God.
Past guests include church leaders such as HTB’s Nicky Gumbel, the world renown DJ Moby, Bible teachers Joyce Meyer and John Mark Comer, missionary Jackie Pullinger, Gospel superstar Fred Hammond and worship leaders Martin Smith and Tim Hughes. New episodes are published every Friday, PLUS check out bonus episodes every Wednesday, where our resident leadership expert Andy Peck interviews a range of pastors, preachers and practitioners on the topic of Christian leadership.
The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. If you enjoy The Profile you’re sure to love Premier Christianity magazine which will help you understand the changing culture around us and what God is doing through his Church today, read for free now at premierchristianity.com.
28episodes
Episodes
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Theologian Joel Muddamalle on identifying spiritual warfare
6d ago00:54:17Tap to summarizeHow do you know whether you are being whispered to by the evil one? Spiritual warfare and the unseen battle for our soul has always fascinated theologian Dr. Joel Muddamalle. He was brought up in a strong Christian household in India and says his grandparents were arguably the strongest influences on his life. As missionaries, he saw first hand how hard you had to work to reach people in marginalised rural communities and the level of joy when you did: "there was a passion for the ministry." Later his parent moved to America, with him becoming a "Chicago kid, through and through." He went on to study theology, completing his PhD in the subject of St Paul's household language in Ephesians and how it referred to the Old Testament. Spiritual warfare is a topic that has always interested him and in this interview Muddamalle takes a deep theological dive into how the enemy seeks to trick us. His latest work: The Unseen Battle: Spiritual Warfare, the Three Rebellions, and Christ's Victory Over Dark Powers is about just that. As well as his life as an author, Muddamalle also works with Proverbs 31 Ministries, a non-denominational, non-profit Christian organization women's ministry. In this interview with Premier Christianity magazine editor Sam Hailes, Muddamalle talks about the negative influence of celebrity culture in social media, how the devil likes to trick us and the impact his missionary grandparents had on his understanding of The Gospel. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Enjoy thought-provoking Christian content, including the latest news, inspiring interviews, and exclusive commentary on all that God is doing in the world today. Grab the next 3 issues for just £6. Subscribe today at premierchristianity.com/subscribe.
Transcribe →Makoto and Haejiin Fujimura the artist and lawyer on the relationship between beauty and justice
1w ago01:01:16Tap to summarizeHusband and wife Makoto and Haejiin Fujimura are a couple who have blended their two passions and found a deep connection between them. Makoto is a Christian artist born in the US to Japanese parents. His scientist father instilled in him a deep appreciation for beauty and creativity from childhood and after spending his formative years in Japan, he later began to pursue traditional Japanese painting at Tokyo University of the Arts. Fujimura encountered Christ in his late twenties. The poems of William Blake became instrumental in his conversion, helping him reconcile his newfound Christian faith with his artistic expression. Today, Fujimura is recognised as one of the most significant contemporary Christian artists, creating stunning abstract works while advocating for the role of beauty and art in culture, faith, and renewal. Haejin Shim Fujimura is a Lawyer and Justice Advocate who was born in South Korea and immigrated to the United States during her teenage years. She pursued a career in law, bringing her Christian faith into her professional calling. Today, she is a seasoned attorney with over 20 years of experience and the founder and managing partner of Shim & Associates, P.C., a firm founded on the vision of cultural renewal within the legal industry. Her Christian conviction animates her work as a human trafficking advocate. She is the co-founder and CEO of Embers International, a global NGO dedicated to protecting, restoring, and empowering victims of injustice. She also serves as the NYC Area Leader of International Justice Mission, the world's largest anti-slavery organization. Together with her husband Makoto, their joint missional work is around the transformative movement of beauty and justice, exploring how Christian principles of justice and redemption apply across every sector of society which has resulted in their latest book: Beauty and Justice: Creating a Life of Abundance and Courage. In this edition of The Profile they talk to Deputy Editor of Premier Christianity magazine Emma Fowle about how their professions have informed their practice of restoration, justice and beauty, how it is not the job of the Christian to 'end' evil and the impact of being a 9/11 survivor. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Enjoy thought-provoking Christian content, including the latest news, inspiring interviews, and exclusive commentary on all that God is doing in the world today. Grab the next 3 issues for just £6. Subscribe today at premierchristianity.com/subscribe.
Transcribe →Leadership Special Martin Saunders: ‘Starting a Summer Youth Event’
1w ago00:27:27Tap to summarizeAndy Peck talks with founder of the Satellites Youth Event, and deputy director of Youthscape about the extraordinary events surrounding the call to run a youth event following the closure of Soul Survivor in summer 2019. They discuss stories of how God gave both a green light and a red one, and what is unique and fresh about this Youth Event running for its fifth year in 2026. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Check out the latest offers at premierchristianity.com
Transcribe →Remembering the former Bishop of Oxford Lord Richard Harries
2w ago00:27:29Tap to summarizeIn this week's edition of the Profile we remember the late Lord Richard Harries, who was one of the most beloved and influential voices in British Christianity of his generation. Born on 2 June 1936, he served briefly as a British Army officer before answering the call to ordained ministry in the Church of England. He was consecrated Bishop of Oxford in 1987, a role he held until his retirement in 2006, when he was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Harries of Pentregarth. Harries was a gifted theologian, broadcaster, and writer and authored 26 books on Christian ethics, prayer, art, and faith in the public square. For more than fifty years he was a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4's Thought for the Day, where he brought The Gospel into everyday life with warmth, clarity, and humility. He was a long-standing contributor to the Church Times and a tireless advocate for interfaith dialogue, particularly between Christians and Jews. Lord Harries died peacefully on 29 April 2026, aged 89, after a short illness. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Enjoy thought-provoking Christian content, including the latest news, inspiring interviews, and exclusive commentary on all that God is doing in the world today. Grab the next 3 issues for just £6. Subscribe today at premierchristianity.com/subscribe.
Transcribe →Leadership Special Marcus Culverwell : ‘Influencing the Next Generation’
2w ago00:26:10Tap to summarizeAndy Peck talks with a retired head teacher about what he’s learned from several decades leading Reigate St Mary’s Preparatory and Choir School. What parts of his role has he warmed to, what Christian influence does he think he has been able to have and what are the transferable principles for leaders in other walks of life? The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Check out the latest offers at premierchristianity.com
Transcribe →Mark Batterson — The Pastor Who Turned Washington D.C. Into His Church
3w ago00:44:55Tap to summarizeBest known for leading the multi-site National Community Church (NCC) in Washington, D.C., Pastor Mark Batterson has also authored nearly 30 books, most notably The Circle Maker, a guide to persistent prayer which has sold over a million copies. Batterson came to Christ at the age of five after watching a Billy Graham film and describes himself as a "congregational mutt" going Church to Church in his early years, not settling on a particular tradition. That sense of being something of an outsider must surely have led to his inventive approach to Church planting that would eventually follow. At the age of 24, having abandoned a Church plant in the Chicago area, he spotted an ad in a Christian magazine for a role at the Urban Bible Training Center and went on to found National Community Church, famously transforming a former crack house into the largest coffeehouse on Capitol Hill and converting an abandoned apartment building into a community centre. Today, NCC owns and operates Ebenezer's Coffeehouse, The Miracle Theatre, the DC Dream Center, the Capital Turnaround, and Culture House, a portfolio that reflects his idea that Church belongs in the marketplace. In this interview with Premier's AJ Gomez he talks about his business successes and failures, taking the long-term approach and why he takes his shoes off when he writes. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK's leading Christian magazine. Enjoy thought-provoking Christian content, including the latest news, inspiring interviews, and exclusive commentary on all that God is doing in the world today. Grab the next 3 issues for just £6. Subscribe today at premierchristianity.com/subscribe.
Transcribe →Leadership Special Ann-Marie Wilson: ‘When a cause forces you to lead’
3w ago00:26:57Tap to summarizeAndy Peck talks with the founder of ‘28 Too Many’ about her work helping raise awareness of the downsides of FGM (female genital mutilation) in African nations and the diaspora and her progress since the work started in 2010. How have local churches responded to the campaign, which nations have seen a reduction in the practice and what would she say to younger leaders who have a similar passion to see change? The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Check out the latest offers at premierchristianity.com
Transcribe →Rich Johnson - Leading New Wine England and the challenges of keeping things fresh
4w ago00:53:20Tap to summarizeRich Johnson wears two hats quite comfortably. On the one hand he's an archetypal parish vicar working out of a parish in Worcestershire, and, on the other, he is the leader of New Wine England a non-denominational charity supporting Christian leaders in their everyday work. Johnson grew up in Manchester and moved abroad with his family where he was educated in Belgium and Hamburg. He went on to study Geography at Cambridge and through a college chaplain was introduced to Jesus. He describes his conversion as 'intellectual' with the Holy Spirit coming in later and he realised quite quickly that he wanted to become a vicar. He now ministers at the 'dreamy church' of All Saints in Worcester which he took over in 2009, a place for and by families. Stewardship of New Wine came later. The organisation has made a name for itself primarily through its summer festival in Bath - a hit for those who like loud worship and family focussed seminars. "What is new wine?" he answers, "it's about renewal." In his latest book Holy, Healthy Humble he invites the reader to a smaller more authentic vision of Christian leadership in a world saturated with look-at-me celebrity and explores the idea of what the Lord is doing in the Church right now. In this edition of The Profile he talks to Premier Christianity Editor Sam Hailes about his happy but non-Christian upbringing, how everyone needs therapy and how to keep new wine 'new.' The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Enjoy thought-provoking Christian content, including the latest news, inspiring interviews, and exclusive commentary on all that God is doing in the world today. Grab the next 3 issues for just £6. Subscribe today at premierchristianity.com/subscribe.
Transcribe →Christian singer songwriter Philippa Hanna: "The music industry objectifies what is sacred"
4w ago00:55:54Tap to summarizePhilippa Hanna, the British Christian singer-songwriter, is best known for her heartfelt vocals that bridge worship and mainstream music and which have made her a familiar face at large-scale Christian festivals for the last two decades. Hanna was born in Sheffield in the mid-80s and grew up in musical family, influenced by her Irish father, who was a touring performer. As well as her own musical success, her brothers Stuart is the former bassist of the band Jamiroquai, and, as discovered in 2025, Peter Cunnah, the lead singer of 90s band D:Ream Hanna discovered song writing aged 10. After a turbulent teenage period she met a Christian musician who introduced her to church and the concept of Jesus and was later saved at a worship event. Understandably she is passionate about music and its spiritual effects and is protective and outspoken about how the traditional music industry 'objectifies' it for profit. Through her multiple albums such as: Through the Woods, Speed of Light, Come Back Fighting, and the worship-focused Stained Glass Stories her music has taken her beyond Christian festivals into wider audiences and she has performed alongside major artists such as Lionel Richie, Little Mix, Marti Pellow, Lulu, and Anastacia. In this episode of The Profile she talks to deputy editor of Premier Christianity Magazine Emma Fowle about the responsibility she feels as a mentor to young women, the surprise and joy of finding out she had a half brother and how she copes with unsolicited parenting advice. The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Enjoy thought-provoking Christian content, including the latest news, inspiring interviews, and exclusive commentary on all that God is doing in the world today. Grab the next 3 issues for just £6. Subscribe today at premierchristianity.com/subscribe.
Transcribe →Leadership Special Kathryn Segal: ‘Leading through vulnerability’
4w ago00:27:41Tap to summarizeIn a repeat of a classic episode Andy Peck chats with Kathryn Segal about how God led her to share her challenges with depression on social media, and how she saw so many helped by her revelations. As a pastor’s wife in Canterbury, they look at the value in a leader sharing their weakness. There must be limits to what and how you share? The Profile is brought to you by Premier Christianity, the UK’s leading Christian magazine. Check out the latest offers at premierchristianity.com
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