What Happened at First

What Makes a Sermon "Good"? - On Leading Teams - EPISODE 5

In this episode of What Happened at First Baptist, Pastor Heath Lambert and Pastor Spencer Harmon unpack what makes an excellent sermon. Drawing on his article and experience, Pastor Heath outlines…

Navigating Classic Landmines of Ministry Teams - On Leading Teams - EPISODE 4

In this episode, Spencer Harmon and Heath Lambert discuss the “landmines” ministry leaders face: personal weaknesses, confusing preferences with principles, and the proper use of authority. They…

The Silent Killer of Ministry Teams - On Leading Teams - EPISODE 3

In this episode of the What Happened at First Baptist podcast, our pastors dive into one of the hardest realities of ministry—broken relationships, bitterness, and gossip. They discuss the surprising…

How To Have Hard Conversations in Ministry - On Leading Teams - EPISODE 2

In this episode, Pastor Spencer talks with Pastor Heath on how almost every problem in ministry leadership traces back to communication, and why bridging the unavoidable “leadership gap” requires…

Loving People While Excelling At Your Job - On Leading Teams - EPISODE 1

Welcome back to the What Happened at First Baptist podcast. In this episode, we reflect on God’s kindness in carrying us through difficult years and how He’s now using our story to help pastors,…

Blooper Reel

An Interview with Heath and Lauren - Episode 8

Thank you so much for listening to the What Happened at First Baptist Podcast! We hope this has been a blessing to you and please enjoy this bonus episode of Pastor Heath and his wife Lauren.

Q+A - Episode 7

This episode will include:- How much of what happened at First do you attribute to spiritual warfare? How important is it to recognize Satanic opposition in ministry?  - We hear a lot of people…

Will You Take a Stand? - Bonus Episode 7

This episode will feature:- First Corinthians 16:13-14 says, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.”- In order to lead well in a…

Stand - Episode 7

This episode will feature:- By the fall of 2022, by and large, First Baptist was on the other side of the hardships of change with a renewed sense of joy in the church.- However, cultural…

Q+A - Episode 6

This episode will include:- During the hard days, there were a lot of personal attacks on you, some of the most heartbreaking parts of the podcast; however, are when you talk about the impact on your…

What Mistakes Did I Make - Bonus Episode 6

This episode will feature:- In leadership, it is inevitable that your plans will change, and failures will happen around you that are outside of your control. This was true for FBC as COVID hit in…

Stay - Episode 6

This episode will feature:- In the spring of 2020, the complex changes at First Baptist were made even more difficult as the global impact of COVID affected all the plans for revitalization. - Yet…

Q+A - Episode 5

Here are the questions asked in this episode:- How can the narrative be taken control of by a small group of people to spread lies like this?- One listener wrote in and asked about another rumor they…

Why Do People Tell Lies? - Episode 5

- In the trial of Jesus, many people brought numerous false accusations which ultimately led to his crucifixion.- During the midst of change and transition, there will be those who will seek to…

Lies - Episode 5

This episode will feature:- People lied about Jesus during his ministry, and people will lie about the leaders of his church, especially in the midst of change and transition.- Dr. Lambert will share…

Q+A - Episode 4

- One of the main themes of this episode is about people leaving our church.- There are people listening to this podcast who are in churches going through painful change. They are thinking about…

How You Can Prepare Your Church For Pain? - Bonus Episode 4

This episode will feature:- Change comes with loss and pain, and there are no guarantees that your plans will work.- There is a need to focus on the long game in a way that looks through the details…

Pain - Episode 4

This episode will feature:- Change is necessary, but it is going to hurt.- First Baptist Jacksonville needed to make some drastic changes or the church was going to die. Yet those changes were made…

Q+A - Episode 3

Here are the questions asked in this episode:- One reality that overwhelmed me during this episode was the amount of things that needed to change at First Baptist. You list them in the episode.…