The Cranmer Fellows Podcast

This week we're talking about being famous. No - not how we're famous... we have a bit of a ways to go yet. We're talking about the desire to be famous that most (all?) pastors struggle with. There's something in our flesh that makes us desire to be known - even when we get up to preach to 20 people.

Why is our culture uniquely inclined toward celebrity pastors? And why is fame such a temptation for pastors in particular?

And we talk about Mark Driscoll.

In Christ,

The Cranmer Fellows

In this episode we are listening to one of Matt's sermons preached almost 10 years ago. The sermon is taken from 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 and explores what our new bodies will be like after Jesus' second coming.

We pray the sermon will encourage you this Eastertide.

In Christ,

The Cranmer Fellows

Today we are talking about leaving a church.

There are times, of course, when you may need to leave a church due to moving from one city to another. But is there ever a time where you should leave your church to attend another one?

In the West we sure like our choices. Churches are often seen as different products on a shelf - you get to pick which one you like. If the one you picked turns out not to be exactly what you wanted - that's fine! Leave and try something else out.

But is that the Biblical way of thinking about the church? Should you leave a church because the music isn't to your liking, Billy in the third pew down from you is a jerk, or the "Associate Pastor" is a bit cringe? The Bible doesn't seem to think so.

However, there are appropriate times to leave a church. In fact, there are necessary times to leave. What are good reasons for leaving a church? And if you sense there is a good reason to leave a church, how do you proceed?

If you are a pastor: how do you handle someone leaving a church? What are some pitfalls you should watch out for once a parishioner says those fateful words, "Pastor, we need to talk"?

We hope this episode is insightful and encouraging for you. Please rate the show and share with your friends and family!

In Christ,

The Cranmer Fellows

Today Matt and I answer an email we received from a listener about some of the differences between us and Anglo-Catholics.

What distinguishes Anglo-Catholics from High Church Anglicans? Where did Anglo-Catholicism originate, and what was/is its purpose and role in the larger Anglican tradition? We also discuss how we think the 39 Articles should be interpreted and what it means for Scripture to be "prime" authority.

We're working backwards from talking about preaching and the sacraments to the importance of going to church in general. In this episode we discuss

- what happens to you when you go to a local church,

- why going to church and listening to a sermon is different (and more important) than listening to a sermon from years ago

- how movie theater churches have changed people's thinking about the church (in a bad way)

- the "marks of a true church"

- and why saying, "we are the church" is not a reason to stop going to an actual church

Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review!

Matt and Jon were not able to meet together this week, so here is a wonderful sermon on serving God's people through tribulation. We hope it's encouraging for you in your ministry!

We are finally finishing our discussion on the Lord's Supper! If you haven't listened to episode 35, then go ahead and give it a listen, because it introduces our topic and walks through the various views of what happens at communion.

In part 2 we discuss what it means to partake of the Lord's Supper in a worthy manner, why we believe baptized children of believers should be allowed at the table, and why some Anglicans call the "table" an "altar."

If you like this episode, please leave us a review and share this podcast with your friends and family - especially those you know who may be thinking about pastoral ministry.

Here is a recording of our continuing series on the 39 Articles. This week Matt looks at Articles 16-18 on human free will, predestination, and election.

This week Matt and Jonathan leave the typical format of the pod and respond to the current controversy surrounding Alistair Begg's advice to a grandmother to attend the wedding of her grandson and his transgender partner. We discuss Begg's original comments and then his recent sermon doubling-down on his counsel to this woman. 

Is there any context that allows a Christian to attend an LGBTQ wedding? How can you continue to be a witness to your friends and family if they feel like you reject them? Are there only two options: either go to the wedding or cut your family off forever? In this episode we do our best to offer a grace-filled yet biblically consistent answer to these questions. The fact of the matter is this: Alistair Begg, though a wonderful pastor, has not clarified the issue for Christians. Rather, he has blurred the subject and, perhaps, unwittingly confused already conflicted Christians.

In this episode we continue our walk through the 39 Articles. We are working through Articles 13: Of Works before Justification, 14: Of Works of Supererogation, and 15: Of Christ alone without Sin.

Covenant Theology is concerned with the promises God has made to all people for all time. This week Matt and Jon sit down to discuss these promises that God laid down before the foundation of the world. We discuss God's plan of salvation and whether or not God has any distinct plans between physical Israel and the church.

Matt and Jonathan have a busy week, so this episode is this past Sunday's sermon on Acts 13:42-52.

Enjoy!

In this episode, Matt and Jonathan are joined with Bishop William Love to discuss his call to ministry and his experience in the Episcopal Church - including his discipline for not complying with TEC's teaching on same-sex marriage.

In this episode Matt and Jonathan discuss what authority a pastor has in the church, how a pastor is to carry his authority, and where the pitfalls might be that could lead to a pastor abusing his power.

If you like the pod, please leave us a review and share it with your friends and family - especially those you know who are considering pastoral ministry.

Welcome back to the podcast!

This week Matt and Jonathan sit down to discuss how Anglicans govern the church. What is different about Anglican church governance from congregational-led or elder-led churches? Where do we Anglicans get the idea of the threefold order of ministry (bishop, priests, and deacons)? And what are the upsides and potential downsides to Anglican polity?

Reach out to us at cranmerfellowship@gmail.com, or you can follow and DM us on Instagram @cranmerfellows.

This week is a sermon from the Rev. Matt Kennedy on James 5:13-20. We pray that it will encourage you in your faith!

This week Matt walks us through Articles 11 (Justification by Faith) and 12 (Good Works) in the 39 Articles of Religion.

Are you currently wrestling through how justification and good works fit together? Do you need help in how to explain to your church the distinction between justification and sanctification?

We pray that this episode is both enlightening and encouraging for you!

This week is a sermon by Matt Kennedy on Genesis 11:1-9.

In this week’s podcast we look at Articles 9 and 10 of the 39 Articles of Religion. Matt spends most of his time working through Article 9 - Of Original or Birth-Sin, and then ends on a discussion regarding the next article - Of Free Will.

These are no small topics, and they tend to invite much debate in the church. These articles succinctly and confidently define the historical Anglican belief.

We hope this episode is edifying and insightful for you.

In this episode we continue our walk through the 39 Articles by looking at Article 8: Of the Three Creeds.

Do Christians today need creeds? Don't we just need our Bible? Isn't it too ritualistic to recite creeds in church?

You can probably guess what we think...

This is a recording of Good Shepherd's Christian Education hour. This particular study was led by Bishop Julian Dobbs of the Diocese of the Living Word.

[Be advised: the sound of the recording at first is a bit loud, but it levels out as it continues]

This week, Jonathan is joined by The Rev. John Onstott who serves as the Rector of St. Michael and All Angels Anglican Church in Kerrville, Texas.

As pastors (or aspiring pastors) we can easily fall into the trap of thinking that the success of our ministry is connected to our Average Sunday Attendance. While numerical growth is a blessing from God, numbers cannot substitute for faithfulness on the part of us ministers. Success is determined by God, and He calls us to be faithful to our ministry - wherever we are placed.

Sometimes that placement is a small town with a small church.

The Rev. John describes what pastoring in a small, country church is like and offers some wonderful encouragement for anyone serving in a similar setting. Whether you are pastoring in a small or rural church, or you think you never could, John explains the importance of this task.

In today’s podcast, Jonathan sits down with a friend and fellow minister in the Anglican Diocese of the Living Word, The Rev. Clayton Hutchins.

Clayton serves as a vicar at Holy Cross Anglican Church and hosts a podcast with The Rev. Steven Wedgeworth, called the BCP Propers Podcast. Clayton and Steven discuss the Sunday proper readings appointed in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, and you can find them on all major platforms.

In this episode, we discuss Clayton’s denominational journey from Baptist, to Presbyterian, to Anglican. This discussion then forms our larger conversation on the foundational elements of Anglicanism: the formularies. We discuss the importance of the formularies (the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, The 39 Articles of Religion, The Ordinal, and The Homilies) and their use for the Anglican minister today.

If you like this podcast, please consider subscribing and leaving us a review!

We'll be off in June.

We will return with new episodes in July!

In Christ,

The Cranmer Fellows

This week's episode is a sermon by Matt given a couple weeks ago. The text is John 15:1-5. We pray that you are comforted and built up by the gospel!

If you like this podcast, please consider subscribing and leaving us a review.

This week we are continuing our walk through of the 39 Articles. Today Matt works through:

Article 6: Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation

Article 7: Of the Old Testament

Have you ever wondered what place the Apocrypha has and why, for Protestants, it is not considered Scripture? Or what about the Old Testament - specifically the Law... Should Christians still consider the Old Testament as God's word to them today?

Matt covers all of these questions and many more.

In today's episode we continue our walk through the 39 Articles of Religion. In this recording, Matt looks at the following Articles:

Article 3: Of the Going Down of Christ into Hell

Article 4: Of the Resurrection of Christ

Article 5: Of the Holy Spirit

There is a lot to take in here, but we pray that this episode helps you think through these very important theological topics.

In this episode, Jonathan is joined by Father Ife Ojetayo - Church of the Holy Trinity (Syracuse, NY).

Ife shares his journey to pastoral ministry, his experience at Westminster Theological Seminary, and some of his joys and struggles in ministry. He and Jonathan also discuss the importance of preaching God's word as the method in which we make disciples. "What you win people with is what you win them to," as someone somewhere said at sometime. And it is true. We want to win people to Christ - so we preach Christ and only Christ... all the time.

If you like this podcast - or if you are a Christian - please consider subscribing to the pod and leaving us a review!

In this episode, Jonathan is joined by Jerry Shriver - pastor of St. Andrews in Endicott, NY.

Jerry shares his journey in following God's call to pastoral ministry and the struggles along the way. A call to ministry is not often cut and dry, and it's rarely a "mountaintop experience." Rather, through the ordinary events of life, God takes men by the hand and leads them step by step to where He wants them.

Jerry and Jonathan touch on the uncertainty and anxiety that is often felt in obeying God's call, and they open up about some of their own insecurities in ministry. Serving Christ and his Church is no walk in the park, but with God's help it can be done.

If you like the podcast, please consider subscribing and leaving us a review.

We are back, and we have a long episode for you!

Matt is on his way to the Global Anglican Futures Conference (GAFCON), so Jonathan is joined today by the Rev. Tyler VanFossen.

Tyler is a deacon in the ACNA and teaches Humanities and Bible at a Classical Christian school in South Carolina. He and Jonathan catch up on the work he is doing down in SC and discuss the importance of liturgical worship.

In this episode we explore:

- how liturgical church refashioned both of our perspectives of worship

- the Book of Common Prayer and its approach to worship

- how a good many people today are looking for a structure to life and worship that is deeper than the average Non-denom fair (though we do not beat up on our non-denom friends)

- and much more!

If you find this podcast insightful or helpful, please consider subscribing and sharing with your friends and family. Also, pray and fast about whether or not you should leave us a review - it'll help us get this podcast out to more people!

How is it that Jesus was both God and Man? Why did God have to take on flesh anyway? Was Jesus really forsaken by the Father on the cross? How does the Lord's Supper fit into all of this?

Well, if you've asked these questions before, you're in luck - because that's exactly what we are talking about today.

In this episode we are going back to Matt's teaching series on the 39 Articles, where he will be leading us through Article 2: Of the Word or Son of God, which was made very Man.

This is a recording from a class Matt taught in 2021. In this class Matt introduces the 39 Articles of Religion - the doctrinal statement of the Anglican Church. In this episode Matt will walk us through the historical backdrop of the 39 Articles and dive into Article 1: On the Trinity.  

If you like this podcast, please consider subscribing and leaving us a review! 

In this episode, Matt and Jonathan discuss the foundations of the English Reformation. 

We hope you enjoy the podcast! If you do, please consider subscribing and leaving a review!

You can also reach out to us via email at cranmerfellowship@gmail.com

This is a sermon that Matt preached on Ash Wednesday in 2020. Whether you observe Ash Wednesday or not, and whether or not you believe the church should impose ashes on this day, the gospel is still preached here for weary sinners. We pray that this Ash Wednesday and Lent you will keep your eyes focused on Jesus Christ who bled and died for you. 

As always, if you have found this podcast at all interesting or helpful, please consider subscribing and leaving us a review! 

This week Matt and Jonathan discuss what it means to be a pastor. In this episode they navigate topics such as:

- What kind of man is the pastor supposed to be?

- What does a pastor do all week?

- What do some of the odd Anglican terms like "vicar," "rector," and "priest" mean?

- Why, in Anglicanism, can only priests and bishops administer the Lord's Supper?

- First steps to take for anyone thinking about entering into pastoral ministry, and much more!

If you found this podcast at all interesting or helpful, please consider subscribing, leaving us a review, and sharing it with your friends and family. And thank you for listening!

This is a long lost episode, dug up now for (we hope) your benefit. This is the first part of a discussion that Jonathan, Matt, and Tyler had a couple years back. In this episode we discuss how Church of the Good Shepherd began making pastoral training a priority, and we dive into some history of the Anglican church. 

If you found this episode helpful, please consider subscribing and leaving us a review! 

In this episode, Jonathan and Matt discuss the pastorate, sermon writing, and how making the Sunday service welcoming is not the same as fashioning the entire service around the desires of the outsider. 

If you found this podcast helpful, please subscribe and leave us a review!