Bryan Stecker shares his journey from business to ministry, why the Lutheran voice matters online, and how the sacraments and entrepreneurial spirit can shape the future of the church. Plus, how do we stay both confessional and missional as a church body. To learn more about the podcast or access the show notes, visit www.redletterpodcast.com.

Today’s episode is brought to you by our partner Child Beyond International. 

Thanks to this week’s sponsor: Child Beyond International (CBI), a ministry dear to my heart. Based in Guatemala, CBI transforms the lives of orphaned, abandoned, and abused children by offering a Christ-centered new beginning. A dedicated team of caregivers, doctors, and social workers provides round-the-clock care, faith lessons, and prayer. Children are later reunited with safe relatives or adopted into loving Guatemalan families, with ongoing support beyond their time at CBI.

For only $40 a month, you can help change a child’s life. Because of the intensive care, it takes 20 people to fully sponsor one child. This season, we’re using our podcast platform for good—we want Season 9 to sponsor a child through Red Letter Living. Could you be one of the 20? Visit www.childbeyond.org/rll. Jesus said it is more blessed to give than receive—this is a chance to experience that joy.

Resources mentioned in the episode

• Red Letter Living resources
• On The Line Podcast: https://ontheline.net
• Lutheran Institute of Theology: https://lutheraninstitute.org
• The Lutheran Confessions (Small Catechism, Large Catechism, Formula of Concord)
• Jordan Peterson
• Bishop Robert Barron
• Pints with Aquinas
• Byran Wolfmueller
• Voices of the LCMS Videos

Key insights from the episode

•  “I grew up as a pastor’s son, and in high school and college, that was the last thing I wanted to do. But within six to eight weeks, I knew God was calling me into ministry.” – Bryan Stecker
  
  
• “We should have something like Pints with Aquinas in the Lutheran church. If we do this right, it can be a front door for people to learn theology and connect with local churches.” – Bryan Stecker
  
  
• “Young people are really latching onto the sacraments, especially under 35. Being able to articulate them with depth is essential, and it’s very attractive to this generation.” – Bryan Stecker
  
  
• “Healthy churches shouldn’t pit confessional against missional—every pastor should want to be both.” – Bryan Stecker
  
  
• “I think what we need is to be confessionally rooted, and then entrepreneurial. How do we improve it? How do we do things in the best way?” – Bryan Stecker
  
  
• “The LCMS is actually very good at evangelism—we just tend to evangelize other Christians who are looking for deeper theology.” – Bryan Stecker
  
  
• “Young people are looking for stability. They’re tired of everything shifting like a leaf in the wind, and Lutheran theology offers that rootedness.” – Bryan Stecker
  
  
• “If your time is spent tearing others down instead of building something up for the Gospel, that’s a spiritual issue.” – Bryan Stecker
  
  
• “We need to stop talking about splits in the Synod. Fragmentation is a recipe for disaster—the world needs a unified witness of Christ.” – Bryan Stecker
  
  
• “If you want to have a strong outreach, it needs to be beautiful. Truth needs to be wrapped in beauty.” – Bryan Stecker

Bryan Stecker’s Challenge of the Week

Add one spiritual discipline into your weekly rhythm. It could be prayer, fasting, or something else. Start small, be consistent, and see how God uses it to shape your discipleship.

Are you following Jesus? 

Many want to be greater followers of Jesus but don’t know how. We extensively studied everything Jesus commanded of us and located five key targets to which Jesus invited His followers. The five targets are Being, Forgiving, Serving, Giving, and Going.

In partnership with LifeWay Research, we created a Red Letter Challenge Assessment that will measure you according to these five targets. And the best news of all: it’s free! You will get results back immediately and be presented with the next steps to help you become an even greater follower of Jesus.

You can take the FREE Red Letter Challenge Assessment here.