My home church, Crossroads Presbyterian has been doing literal interviews over the last month with church members who listen to podcasts.
Here’s my instalment:
In our final week of interviews with podcast listeners (and to promote our own Crossroads podcasts -available on iTunes or app), Mikey shares his recommendations, PLUS in this bumper interview, he explains why he took up podcasting about a favourite leisure activity…
In what ways are podcasts helpful to you?
Entertaining, educating, encouraging.
Could you recommend a few podcasts for others at Crossroads to check out?
The Briefing by Albert Mohler has 30 minutes every day of interaction with articles from newspapers from around the world from a Christian worldview. Mohler is pretty American, right wing and conservative, so occasionally I find myself going ‘Wait… WHAT now?’… but most of this is excellent.
Holy Hacks is started by an AFES staff person in Queensland. Short handy hints for Christian life and ministry, with a bit of theological content too.
First Things is a conservative American Roman Catholic podcast, that has all sorts of intelligent stuff from a right wing conservative Catholic point of view.
Short & Curly is a secular ethics podcast for late primary/early high school kids. Our kids love it.
BBC History Extra has really engaging academic stuff on world history.
Plato’s Cave is excellent film criticism, of both arthouse and mainstream films.
I could go on…
What do you think makes a good podcast?
I have to like spending time with the person. If I don’t enjoy the company of the host I lose interest.
Can’t be too heavily produced in a commercial TV sort of way.
I tend to prefer things with a dominant host, rather than anthology type stuff (This American Life) or interview heavy stuff (Richard Fidler), where I have to readjust every time to a new thing.
Why did you take up podcasting?
Firstly, to get sermons online…. but I always delegate the podcasting setup to others on my staff team (Uni Fellowship podcast here).
I started the Mad Beef Rollerblading Podcast at the start of last year for a couple of reasons…
— partly to learn how to do it, so I can use it for ministry just in case
— partly to ‘give back’ to this sporting community in a way that is relatively easy for me (I talk for a living, so yeah)
— partly as a way to potentially build relational connection with other people in the rollerblading world (which worked: I have friends around Australia and the world now!)
— not a big thing… but I knew I’d weave in Christian stuff off and on when it came up naturally
— and if I get enough Patreon patrons… maybe it can help cover some of the costs of my skate equipment? Or maybe I might get some freebies from time to time? 😛
