Mark Mulder served as vice principal in John Calvin Christian school in the Perth area of Western Australia. In this fascinating interview, we learn how Mark and his wife Liz exchanged their comfortable suburban life for a life in a foreign mission field. They sold all they had to follow the Lord's calling. Mark was urged by several friends to appl…

If you know your church has great potential to impact its community and you believe you need a mission and vision statement written down before you get started, then this episode is for you. Winston and Bill pick the brain of marketing agency owner Chris vanPopta to explore the question: Does a church need a mission or vision statement to be on mis…

Winston and Bill speak with Ben Westerveld to discuss the role of the seminary in promoting a missional mindset in the training of future pastors. Ben Westerveld is the new professor and principal of Farel, an institute for theological training to serve the ERQ (Église Réformée du Québec). How and should seminary training be adapting to our post-mo…

Our guests today are accomplished musicians. Tim is a member of a jazz band, and Kent is a principal participant of an annual “Reformed Strings Camp”. Both have a love for Reformed worship and liturgy and lead the singing in their local church. Bill and Winston explore the intersection between music and the missional call of the church. What kind o…

Pastor Randall Visscher and two leaders of the relatively new Refuge Church, in Langley BC are the guests on Tyrannus Hall. Mike Vandergugten and Jerome Lenkeek joined those who had a vision for a missional church. Launched in July 2020, in the middle of Covid restrictions and lockdowns, the Lord has blessed this new congregation with fields ripe f…

In this episode we meet John Siebenga, a retired Christian school teacher and principal, a licensed Christian counsellor, and journeyman carpenter. He and his wife are members of Houston Canadian Reformed Church in British Columbia. They were wondering where they might be engaged in God’s kingdom work in their retirement years. They considered volu…

Our guest today is Pastor Greg Davidson. Greg very recently became co-pastor at Blessings Christian Church working with Tyrannus Hall co-host Bill de Jong. Greg was the pastor at Central Presbyterian, a Presbyterian Church in Canada congregation in downtown Hamilton. While he still has many friends in the wider church, Greg shares some of his conce…

Is the Great Commission correctly used as foundational to the theology of missions? Our guest, Kristen Johnson is Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, where she holds the G.W. and Edna Haworth chair for Education, Ministry, and Leadership. Kristen has done extensive research on Matthew 28…

Pastor John van Popta, retired pastor of Fellowship Church in Burlington is our guest (John is the producer/director of Tyrannus Hall and does much of the background research and organization for our podcasts). Our hosts, Bill and Winston, interview John about how best to welcome guests on “Communion Sundays.” Who should participate? Who should be …

Request for Help: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tyrannus-hall-podcast-annual-fundraising We have opened a GoFundMe campaign with the goal of raising $3500 to cover ongoing software expenses and our planned hardware upgrades. If you find Tyrannus Hall to be a benefit to you and your church community, we would ask you to prayerfully consider helping us …

Request for Help: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tyrannus-hall-podcast-annual-fundraising We have opened a GoFundMe campaign with the goal of raising $3500 to cover ongoing software expenses and our planned hardware upgrades. If you find Tyrannus Hall to be a benefit to you and your church community, we would ask you to prayerfully consider helping us …

Support Tyrannus Hall Podcast here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tyrannus-hall-podcast-annual-fundraising Welcome to Season 2 of Tyrannus Hall Podcast. We’re starting the season by asking the question: “Is being a conservative church harming the spread of the gospel in your city? Can a biblically conservative church really reach the broader community…

Donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/tyrannus-hall-podcast-annual-fundraising Christ commissioned his Church to do great things in his name! Yet, too often we’ve caught ourselves thinking of “church” as a place, rather than as a congregation of Christians on a mission. Tyrannus Hall Podcast exists to take the mystery out of how to live the great…

Join Winston in a fascinating discussion with Richard Bultje and his wife, Yukyung. Richard is a pastor in the URCNA, and has been called by the local URCs to plant a church in Niagara Falls. Richard and Yukyung are experienced in reaching the lost after working for many years in downtown Hamilton at Streetlight, a Canadian Reformed mission. Richar…

Mariia Alekseevskaia emigrated to Canada from Russia. While still in her homeland, she discovered Dutch Reformed Theology and how its adherents have a passion for Christian Schools. Mariia studied sociology at the University of Ottawa and wrote her PdD thesis on Canadian Reformed schools and education (link below). Though her study of Canadian Refo…

Pastor Paul Murphy discusses how he started a lunch-time Bible study on Wall Street, how his congregation began providing spiritual care at a downtown hospital, how they started an ESL class for parents of students at a public school using the Gospel of Mark as the textbook. Pastor Paul explains how Reformed theology is an asset for evangelism. The…

Stephen Bray is a church planter in St. John’s Newfoundland, one of the least “churched” cities in Canada (Only 1% of the city’s population attends worship services on Sundays.) Stephen is associated with Mile One Mission. M1M is a group of men and women who hold a deep conviction to see Gospel-centred churches raised up and supported amongst the p…

Tim DeVos runs a recovery house for men who have serious life challenges: drugs, alcohol, depression and other serious problems. Tim discusses the struggles to get volunteers and financial partners to join him in launching and opening a Christian “discipleship house.” Pindari House is more than a rehab house; it's a home for troubled men, founded o…

Can a smaller church provide a community that is closely engaged in prayer and fellowship? A new Canadian Reformed Church in Abbotsford, BC is trying to create a vibrant congregation. After several years of planning, a steering committee received support from the Abbotsford church council. The Abbotsford church had over 550 members when Pathway Chu…

Among Reformed and other Christian business leaders there is a growing hunger for "something more." The is a new realization that the Christian message is not just about information, but that the gospel message leads to transformation: the transformation of the whole person. Darren Bosch introduces DeliberateU, which provides Christian, gospel-cent…

Eric Watkins recounts his life before faith in Jesus, and his journey from being a “Deadhead”, following the Grateful Dead, a psychedelic rock band, to following Jesus. He tells of how his growing conviction of the truth of Reformed theology led him to become an OPC pastor and church planter. His testimony is marked by a desire to disciple his chil…

For many years, among the members of the Winnipeg congregations of the Canadian Reformed Church there was a growing desire for establishing a “mission church.” But what would that mission look like? Where should a new church be planted? Who would lead it? What kind of model would be used for oversight? Listen to Bill and Winston engage Pastor Joe P…

How can the male leadership of the church provide meaningful pastoral care to the women? What role can women have in caring for and discipling members of the church? Sarah Vandergugten co-hosts this episode. She, together with Winston, interviewed Andrea Kampen, one of the principals involved in planning and setting up Flourish: The Women’s Resourc…

“The world is going to hell!!” So begins Rob Joustra’s book, How to Survive the Apocalypse pointing to the prevalence of apocalyptic narratives — cataclysmic destruction and nightmarish end-of-the-world scenarios — in contemporary entertainment. Robert Joustra is Associate Professor of Politics & International Studies at Redeemer University in Hami…

How can the missional church care for some of the most vulnerable and mistreated members of our society? Should the church be interested in helping women and children caught up in the sex trade? Was the Lord Jesus interested and concerned with those considered to be “sinners” by his contemporaries? This episode features two people who strive to emu…

How can today's missional churches learn from the past? Should current mission-minded Reformed Churches in Canada (and the USA) reflect on lessons learned and taught in American Prestbyterian churches 40 and 50 years ago? Can we apply those lessons today in our gospel out-reach to our pluralistic post-Christian culture? This episode features Ron Lu…

Is it a given that missional churches will neglect long time and life long members? Is there a stark contrast between "missional" and more traditional models of Reformed churches? Bill Boekestein is the pastor of Immanuel Fellowship Church in Kalamazoo, MI. He has authored several books and is a sought-after speaker and has been keynote speaker and…

How can Christians and the church be effective in being "salt and light to the world"? The Bible gives several metaphors to describe the Christian life: pilgrim, sojourner, soldier, ambassador. Ray Pennings is executive vice president of Cardus. "Cardus" means main street. Cardus is a Christian think tank which interacts with our society in the pub…

Bruce Ashford is Fellow in Public Theology at the Kirby Laing Centre for Public Theology and a columnist for First Things Magazine. For many years, he was also Provost and Professor of Theology & Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He co-authored One Nation Under God: A Christian Hope for American Politics (with Chris Pappalardo) …

Abortion is common in our society-- even in the church. How does the church remain steadfastly pro-life without alienating their neighbors and hurting those who are suffering? This is a very polarizing topic, yet one that is crucial to understand so we can love our neighbours for Christ. Tabitha Ewert is a lawyer with WeNeedALaw, a political action…

Reverend George Sinclair is a pastor in the Church of the Messiah in Ottawa. His congregation left the Anglican Church over the blessing of same-sex marriage and his congregation was a founding member of the Anglican Network in Canada, an evangelical Reformed movement among the Anglicans. Pastor George speaks clearly and cogently about preaching th…

Ben and Jen Joliffe live in Ottawa, where Ben Pastors a PCA church plant. Ben and Jen began the work of planting a church six or seven years ago. Resurrection Church was “particularized” (or instituted) three years ago. Our hosts, Winston and Bill engage Ben and Jen in a lively and stimulating discussion about their work of planning and planting th…

Phil and Joy Grotenhuis live in Phoenix Arizona, where Phil pastors the United Reformed Church. The Phoenix URC strives to reach the community they live in. One of the ways they do this is in their outreach at Christmas. Using Christmas as a “bridge” they reach their neighbours with the gospel in a Christmas Lessons and Carols service. Agnostic and…

Sarah Vandergugten is a child of God, a woman created in God’s image, a member of Christ’s church. She is a teacher (retired), writer, and public speaker sought after by women’s conferences. She taught Senior Bible and Comparative Religions at Credo Christian High School for 20 years, where she also served as a counselor. Sarah has been in a blesse…

Jean Zoellner is a 40-year veteran church-planter, missionary, and theological teacher in Quebec. Tyrannus Hall invited Jean to a conversation about "contextualization." To Jean, contextualization is not a big theological word describing the intersection of cultural studies and the Gospel but contextualization is about living dynamic relationships …

This is the second of 3 episodes where we investigate how the church, in its mission in the world, can learn anew its calling to care for the vulnerable and the weak; that the church must more and more become a place where the weak, the vulnerable, the defenceless and the exploited can find refuge and safety, and become a supportive loving communit…

Danielle, a youth worker at Streetlight Christian Church in Hamilton ON talks about Streetlight's unique history within the Canadian Reformed federation as an urban mission post/church plant that has existed for over 20 years in an ever-changing city. Because of their context, the congregation and staff and volunteers have many roles to play, but u…

Should we all be singing from the same songbook? Should we sing more hymns? Are the metrical Psalms christological enough? What about singing "a new song"? Listen to this fascinating discussion! www.tyrannushallpodcast.ca www.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcastTyrannus Hall Podcast

Tim Challies discusses the strengths of a Canadian Reformed legacy and the challenges facing Evangelical and Reformed churches in Canada today. www.tyrannushallpodcast.ca www.facebook.com/tyrannushallpodcastTim Challies

Bill and Winston have a conversation with Julius van Spronsen. Julius has served as a pastor in Smithers BC, which worked in an active mission in town and in Ft. Babine, reaching First Nations' people. He then spent 8 years in Brazil as a missionary. He now pastors an established church in Edmonton. In cooperation with neighbouring churches, his co…

The Place of the Church in the World: Reflections on K. Schilder. A conversation with Dr. Marinus De Jong, pastor of the Oosterpark Church, Amsterdam. Marinus recently published his dissertation, The Church is the Means; the World is the End. This dissertation is a historical theological examination of Klaas Schilder's theology on the "place of the…

Winston discusses the missional model of Blessings Church in West Hamilton and its church plant, Mercy Church in East Hamilton with two of its pastors, Bill and Ian. (Bill is normally one of our co-hosts!) First, they discuss the concept of “missional church” and follow up with some of the practical joys they experience and some of the challenges t…

A conversation with Dr. Arjan DeVisser: Missiology professor at the Candian Reformed Theological Seminary. Bill and Winston discuss with Arjan the mission courses and internships available at CRTS, as well as Arjan’s thoughts on the “missional church” and recent developments in local missions in Canadian Reformed thought and practice Arjan's articl…