In this episode of the Pastor’s Office Podcast, Travis sits down with elder and ministry leader Jordan Cross (Chief of Staff, Great Commission Ministries) to tackle one of the most urgent problems facing the modern church: the rise of consumer Christianity, church shopping, and a generation that’s deeply resistant to spiritual authority. Jordan opens up about his own story — the season he ignored his pastor’s counsel, moved across the country, and watched his life fall apart. What brought him back? Two words from Pastor Ken Graves in a parking lot. Together, they react to a viral “church shopping” video, unpack the dangerous trend of treating God’s church like a Yelp review, and make the case for why submitting to pastoral authority isn’t a threat to your freedom — it’s the source of it.
Then they react.
Texas Senate candidate James Talarico — Harvard educated, seminary trained — is on the campaign trail using the Bible to argue that God was non-binary, that homosexuality isn’t clearly condemned in Scripture, and that Jesus never spoke to the issue. Travis and Jordan break down exactly where his argument falls apart, why an M.Div. doesn’t equal biblical authority, and why this is precisely the moment pastors cannot stay silent. If your congregation can’t tell the difference between a man rightly dividing the Word and a politician reverse-engineering it to win votes — that’s a pastoral failure.
In this episode:
⚫️ What actually makes something a church (and what doesn’t)
⚫️ “Death by committee” — why some church structures can’t disciple
⚫️ The real problem behind “church hurt”
⚫️ Church promiscuity vs. the covenant of marriage
⚫️ James Talarico reacted: Seminary degree or Scripture twisting?
⚫️ Should pastors endorse candidates and speak on politics?
⚫️ The Reformation roots of pastoral authority
Referenced in this episode:
⚪️ Pastor Ken Graves — Calvary Chapel Bangor
⚪️ Pastor Josh Lawrence — Great Commission Ministries
⚪️ 1 Timothy 3:15 | 2 Timothy 4:2 | 1 Thessalonians 5:12 | John 15:1-2
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