Influence Podcast

“The Assemblies of God was founded as a cooperative fellowship that honors the calling and gifting of all Spirit-filled believers, not as a clerical hierarchy,” says a new Assemblies of God position paper. “As we seek to cultivate healthy spiritual leadership,” it continues, “we must resist any drift toward positional superiority and instead affirm diverse models of leadership found throughout the global church. To walk in step with the Spirit, we must honor the voices of those God has raised up from within, not just those with titles. The nature of spiritual leadership listens, learns, and leads in discernment within community.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Allen Tennison about “Misuse of Spiritual Leadership” (also in Spanish), a new position paper adopted by the General Presbytery of the Assemblies of God during its August 2025 meeting. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Allen Tennison is theological counsel of the General Council of the Assem

What is the center of Paul’s theology? Traditionally, Protestants taught that justification by faith was the center. More recently, scholars proposed reconciliation, union with Christ, and transformation as the center. In The Affections of Christ Jesus, Nijay K. Gupta proposes love as the center. “The language of love in one form or another occurs over one hundred times in the Pauline corpus,” he writes. “Furthermore, every single letter contains love language — that cannot be said for other contenders for the so-called center of Paul’s thought.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Gupta about what love is and why it may be “the bull’s-eye center” of Pauline theology. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Nijay K. Gupta is Julius R. Mantey Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He is editor of Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (2nd ed.), The State of Pauline Theology, and most recently, The Affections of Christ Jesus: Love at the Heart of Paul’s T

“Christian ministry includes fully supported church workers, those bivocational only out of financial necessity, and those who have chosen to serve covocationally. All should be honored, but one’s attitude makes a difference.”  So writes Richard D. Oliver in his new book,  A Covocational Attitude: Sharing the Motivational Convictions of the Apostle Paul. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Oliver regarding the apostle Paul’s attitude to receiving financial support, and how the apostle’s attitude should influence our own. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influencemagazine and your host. Richard D. Oliver is an ordained Assemblies of God minister with five decades of experience as a bivocational pastor in Michigan, Indiana, and Missouri. A Covocational Attitude draws on research from his Doctor of Ministry project at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri. ————— This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of 30 Under

“Churches in North America face an uncertain future,” writes Joseph Lear. “Seventy percent of churches have an average weekly attendance of under 100 people, which means that should nearly three-quarters of the churches in America lose a few families, they’d face a financial, volunteer, and leadership crisis.”  “God is not done with the small church,” he writes. “The kingdom of God is still present, which means there’s a path forward for renewal. It’s not going to come with marketing campaigns and managerial ingenuity. It’s going to come when small congregations get back to the basics of worshipping in Spirit and truth.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk with Lear about what he calls “slow burn revival.” I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Joseph Lear is pastor of theology and preaching at Resurrection Assembly of God in Iowa City, and director of theology and global church ministries at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. He is author of Resurrect

Doug Clay is the 13th general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, which explains the title of his most recent book —13: Leadership Is More than Luck. The book explores leadership principles and stories from Clay’s predecessors in that office. “As I studied the lives of our past general superintendents, I was inspired by their timeless insights and timely sensitivity to the Lord. Though each faced his own set of challenges, placing hope and trust in the Lord was a hallmark of each former leader,” Clay writes. “We have been called by God for this moment. If we will have the humility to learn from our history and the faith to press ahead, we will see the Lord’s favor and anointing upon our Fellowship for decades, until he comes,” Clay concludes In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Clay about leadership principles and stories from his book, but also about the state of the Assemblies of God. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. ————— This episode of the Infl

“Few would argue against the proposition that Paul’s letter to the Romans is his magnum opus,” writes Glen Menzies. “Romans is an exceedingly important book. The impact it has made is literally incalculable, for it is impossible to imagine how Christianity would have developed without it.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Menzies about how to interpret Romans. We start with introductory issues about the letter and its recipients before moving on to points of debate about Romans specifically and Pauline theology generally. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Glen Menzies is an ordained Assemblies of God minister. For 27 years, he served as professor of New Testament and Early Christianity and dean of the Institute for Biblical and Theological Studies at North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is now retired. He is author of A Pentecostal Commentary on Romans, published by Wipf & Stock. ————— This episode of the Influence Podcast is bro

“According to research, approximately 61 percent of U.S. teenagers never read the Bible, and 74 percent don’t attend church regularly. That means well over half of middle and high school students in our nation aren’t disciples and likely haven’t put their faith in God. As followers of Jesus, what are we going to do about this?” asks Lee Rogers. He goes on to say: “Today in our nation there are over thirty-three million students in over sixty-nine thousand middle and high schools. Only 23 percent of those schools are known to have a campus missionary or a gospel-sharing club present. That leaves over fifty-three thousand schools with no known gospel-sharing presence. As Spirit-empowered witnesses, what are we going to do about this? In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Rogers about how to train students to evangelize their peers. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Lee Rogers is director of Student Evangelism for Assemblies of God Youth Ministries and is gen

“My college basketball coach, Coach High, used to talk about two types of pain — the pain of discipline and the pain of regret. In basketball (as well as life and ministry), pain is inevitable. No one can avoid it, even if we try. But in some cases, you can determine the pain you will live with,” writes Steve Svoboda. He goes on to say: “When it comes to your life as a minister, choose the pain of discipline. Live a life devoted to becoming the best version of you possible, because the greatest version of you will inevitably have the greatest impact in the Kingdom.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Svoboda about how to develop the right disciplines in five key areas of life. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Steve Svoboda is director of Strategic Partnerships for Called, an Assemblies of God ministry to help discover and equip young people with a call to vocational ministry. He is author of Rhythms, forthcoming from Gospel Publishing House. ————— This

“It behooves us as Christians to think theologically and ethically about what it means to live as humans in the age of AI and about the potential opportunities and challenges that may arise from its widespread adoption, both in the short-term and long-term future,” writes Todd Korpi. “Contrary to popular belief, technology is not acultural, neutral in its orientation, or immune from pitfalls that can harm vulnerable populations. We therefore must think ethically about technology from a Christian perspective.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Korpi about how to think Christianly about AI. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Todd Korpi is missiologist at OneHope, dean of digital ministry programs at Ascent College, assistant professor of Christian leadership Fuller Theological Seminary, and director of Digital Ministry Consortia at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. He is author of AI Goes to Church, published by InterVarsity Press. ————— This episo

“There are no seasons at the feet of Jesus. There are no age barriers when the fire of Acts 2:4 Pentecost falls. And when the Holy Spirit stirs us as men and women of God, at any age, to speak His words in strategic moments, we sill have a treasured opportunity to trust Him and simply use our voices and obey,” writes Beth Grant. In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Grant about how she has made the most of the opportunities God has given her to use her voice for good. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Beth Grant is an ordained Assemblies of God minister, longtime missionary to India, cofounder of Project Rescue, and the first woman to serve on the executive presbytery of the Assemblies of God. She is author of Leading with a Whisper, coming out this September from Charisma House. ————— This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards. Strengthen your family’s relationship

“We don’t have to look far to realize there’s a void of godly voices in modern youth culture. When we look around and see students struggling with self-harm, gender identity, as well as depression and anxiety, to name a few, we can see the void of godly voices,” writes Ashton Peters. “There’s a void of Christ-honoring love, biblical discipleship, and authentic mentorship. There’s a void of spiritual mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, who deeply love a generation and want them to be all that God calls them to be.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Ashton Peters about why youth ministries need to fill that void with good adult mentors, and how they can best do so. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Ashton Peters is national Fine Arts coordinator for the Assemblies of God and author of The Third Voice, forthcoming from Gospel Publishing House. ————— This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of the I

In Episode 383 of the Influence Podcast, I talked to Allen Tennison about the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection. The biblical narrative doesn’t end with Christ rising from the dead, however. Consider Acts 2:32–36, for example, where Peter says: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’ Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” Pentecostals rightly emphasize the second half of verse 33 about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. But we often overlook the first half of that verse, which alludes to Christ’s ascension and enthronement at God’s right hand. This episode releases on May 29, 2025, which happens to be Ascension

This summer marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, which promulgated the Nicene Creed. Along with Catholics and the Orthodox, many Protestant churches affirm the theology of the Nicene Creed, whether or not they use it in their liturgy or formal theological statements. But what about Pentecostals? What should we make of the creed? That’s what I ask Frank Macchia in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Frank Macchia is professor of systematic theology at Vanguard University of Southern California and associate director of the Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies at Bangor University in Wales. He is author of Tongues of Fire: A Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith, published by Cascade Books, and of Introduction to Theology: Declaring the Wonders of God, published by Baker Academic. ————— This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of Open When . . . Parenting

“I am a survivor of child abuse,” writes Samantha Rose Jones. “The abuse impacted every aspect of my humanity — physically, emotionally, socially, mentally, and spiritually. All the instances were in a severe category, and the evil I faced was unfathomable. My starting point is bleak, but my current story is miraculous. I am a miracle because I am a child of the living Miracle Worker — God.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk to Jones about her journey from the pain of abuse to the miracle of love and joy. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Samantha Rose Jones is a grant writer for Evangel University. A credentialed Assemblies of God minister, she copastors Lifehouse Assembly of God in Cadillac, Michigan, with her husband Keith. She is author of God and Trauma: The Lessons I’m Learning ————— This episode of the Influence podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of the Ignite Parenting Conversation Cards. Strengthen your family's relatio

“As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success.” That is what 2 Chronicles 26:5 says about Uzziah, king of Judah in the early eighth century B.C. According to Warren D. Bullock, this verse is key to understanding Uzziah’s success as a king, as well as his ultimate failure. “When [Uzziah] prayed, all went well; he had amazing success,” Bullock writes. “When he failed to seek the Lord, he acted out of pride, violated the boundaries of his calling, and was cursed with leprosy.” What lessons does Uzziah’s example of both prayerfulness and prayerlessness teach spiritual leaders today? That’s the question I ask Bullock in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influencemagazine and your host. Warren D. Bullock is a veteran Assemblies of God minister with six decades of experience as a pastor, superintendent of the Northwest Ministry Network, and General Council executive presbyter. He is author of Seven Life-Changing Words: The Power of Persevering Prayer, published by

April is Autism Acceptance Month. According to the website, Autism Speaks, autism or autism spectrum disorder refers to “a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 36 children and 1 in 45 adults in the United States today.” How should Christian churches minister to people with autism? Just as importantly, how should they facilitate ministry by people with autism? Those are the questions I ask Ron Sandison in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Ron Sandison is a speaker and teacher specializing in autism issues, a credentialed Assemblies of God minister, and author of several books on autism, including A Parent’s Guide to Autism, Views from the Spectrum, and most recently, Adulting on the Spectrum, published by Kregel Publications. He is also author of the article, “M

In 1 Corinthians 15:1–2, the apostle Paul wrote: “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.” We typically interpret Paul’s gospel in terms of the doctrine of justification by faith, with good reason. In Romans 1:17, for example, Paul wrote, “For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed — a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” And yet, in 1 Corinthians 15:3–7, Paul focused on what happened to Jesus Christ — His death and resurrection, not on what happened through Jesus Christ. Christ’s death and resurrection are the cause, and our justification — including our own resurrection from the dead — is the effect. As we approach the holiest days in the Christian calendar — Good Friday and Easter — I want to devote a podcas

Jesus asked His disciples an important question in Matthew 16:15: “Who do you say I am?” Ligonier Ministries surveyed Americans in 2022 about how they perceived Jesus. Responses to three statements in particular are worth highlighting. First, 54% of Americans and 80% of American evangelicals strongly agreed with the statement, “There is one true God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.” This statement summarizes the doctrine of the Trinity. But 40% of all Americans and 48% of evangelicals strongly agreed with the statement, “Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.” This statement is a Christological heresy known as Arianism, not to mention an implicit rejection of the Trinity. Finally, 31% of all Americans and 29% of evangelicals strongly agreed with the statement, “Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God.” How 80% of evangelicals can affirm the Trinity but 29% deny Jesus’ deity is an unsolvable math problem. But it’s a solvable problem for Christian disc

If you could travel back in time and share life lessons with your younger self, what would they be? That’s the premise of Doug Clay’s new book, Conversations with My Younger Self. “If I could go back in time,” he asks, “what mistakes would I correct? What choices would I change? What words would I say or leave unsaid? What path would I take?” Clay answers those questions by drawing on his personal experiences as well as the biblical stories of Samuel, Saul, Jonathan, and David. I talk to Clay about what he would say to his younger self in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Doug Clay is general superintendent of the Assemblies of God, a U.S. fellowship with nearly three million adherents, 13,000 churches and 38,000 ministers. He is author of Conversations with My Younger Self, forthcoming from Gospel Publishing House. ————— This episode of the Influence Podcast is brought to you by My Healthy Church, distributors of The Holy Spirit i

“The future is coming, and you’re not in it.” That’s what Rear Admiral Chester Cain (played by Ed Harris) says to Captain Pete Mitchell (played by Tom Cruise) in Top Gun: Maverick. Cain’s reasoning? Mitchell will be replaced by AI. “These planes you’ve been testing, Captain, one day, sooner or later, they won’t need pilots at all.” Technological advances initiate a process of creative destruction, in which old ways of doing things give way to new ways, in the process displacing people who do things the old way. The Luddites, for example, were weavers whose livelihoods were threatened by the adoption of automated weaving machines. The concern with AI is not merely that it will replace people’s jobs, but that it will fundamentally redefine what it means to be human. How should pastors respond to this concern? That’s the question I ask Paul A. Hoffman in this episode of the Influence Podcast. I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influence magazine and your host. Paul A. Hoffman is  senior pastor of Evangelica