Dial In with Jonny Ardavanis

Blockbuster had 9,000 stores and was worth $9 billion. Today, only one location remains. What happened — and what does it have to do with the church?
In this episode, Pastor Scott Ardavanis sits down with his son Jonny for a father-son conversation on what actually makes a church healthy. Is it true that churches need to "change with the times or die," like Blockbuster and Kodak failed to do? Or are there timeless, transcendent principles every healthy church must hold onto regardless of culture?
This episode is brought to you by our ministry partner Accountable2You. Join thousands living in freedom with nothing to hide, and visit https://accountable2you.com/dialin. Use our unique code DIALIN to get 25% off your first year of an Accountable2You Personal or Family Plan
Together they unpack 8 marks of a healthy church, including:
1. A High View of God
2. A High View of Scripture (expository preaching & sound doctrine)
3. Every Member Ministry (every believer serving, not just watching)
4. A Commitment to Holiness & Discipleship
5. Christ-Centered, Spirit-Filled Worship
6. A Devotion to Prayer
7. A Gospel-Centered Focus (local & global)
8. Qualified Biblical Leadership (elders & deacons)
Whether you're a pastor, church leader, or simply trying to find a healthy church home, this conversation will help you understand what to look for — and why the church doesn't need a new strategy so much as faithfulness to God's Word.
🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on the church, pastoral ministry, and biblical leadership.
📌 Part 2 coming soon: What is a biblical elder, and how do you know if your church has qualified leadership?
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro: Blockbuster, Netflix & the Church
04:47 Pillar 1: A High View of God
07:51 Pillar 2: A High View of Scripture & Preaching
13:16 Pillar 3: Every Member Ministry
15:19 Pillar 4: Holiness & Discipleship
18:51 Pillar 5: Christ-Centered Worship
23:24 Pillar 6: A Commitment to Prayer
25:13 Pillar 7: Gospel-Centered Focus (Local & Global)
27:57 Pillar 8: Qualified Biblical Leadership
29:16 Why This Matters for Every Believer

What does the Bible actually say about exercise, fitness, and taking care of your body?
In this conversation, a Desiring God pastor and author David Mathis unpacks a biblical theology of exercise — covering the six-layer biblical story of the human body (creation, the fall, the incarnation, the indwelling Holy Spirit, obedience, and future glorification), how to think about 1 Timothy 4:8 ("bodily training is of some value"), and why sedentary modern life and body-idolatry are two ditches to avoid.
This episode is brought to you by our ministry partner Accountable2You. Join thousands living in freedom with nothing to hide, and visit https://accountable2you.com/dialin. Use our unique code DIALIN to get 25% off your first year of an Accountable2You Personal or Family Plan
Topics covered:
• Why exercise matters for the mind, will, joy, and love of others
• Bodily discipline and Christian stewardship of the body
• The connection between physical exercise and mental clarity (John Ratey's "Spark")
• Competition, sports, and a Christian view of winning and losing
• Practical advice for sedentary Christians who want to start exercising
• How pastors and knowledge workers can build sustainable fitness habits
• A theology of the body: from creation to resurrection Great for anyone interested in Christian living, biblical theology, faith and fitness, health and wellness from a Christian worldview, or building sustainable exercise habits for the long term (a "ten-year plan," not a quick fix).
📖 Learn more and find the book at DesiringGod.org

In this episode, we walk through the most common rebuttals to the biblical view of homosexuality — not to win arguments, but to equip believers with Scripture and point people toward the truth in love.
This episode is sponsored by The Master's University. To learn more about how you can invest in a college education devoted to Christ & Scripture, visit https://www.masters.edu
We cover:
• Did Paul only condemn exploitative relationships — not committed gay couples?
• Was "homosexual" added to the Bible in 1946?
• Doesn't Jesus never mention homosexuality?
• Isn't God just a God of love — who accepts everyone as they are?
• What about the shellfish and mixed-fabric objections?
• Is same-sex attraction itself sinful, even if never acted on?
• What do you say to someone genuinely struggling with SSA?
This is part two of a two-part series. Part one lays the full biblical foundation from Genesis to 1 Corinthians.
📖 Key passages: Romans 1:24–27, 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, Matthew 19:4–6, Leviticus 18:22, Hebrews 4:15, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Isaiah 56:3–5
🔔 Subscribe and drop your questions in the comments — we read them all.

In this episode, we walk through what the Bible says about homosexuality from Genesis to Romans — not to condemn, but to teach truth with clarity and care.
This episode is brought to you by our ministry partner Accountable2You. Join thousands living in freedom with nothing to hide, and visit https://accountable2you.com/dialin. Use our unique code DIALIN to get 25% off your first year of an Accountable2You Personal or Family Plan
We cover:
• God's original design for marriage and sexuality (Genesis 1–2)
• The sin of Sodom and what it actually reveals (Genesis 19, Jude 7)
• The Levitical holiness code — Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13
• Deuteronomy on gender distinction
• Romans 1 and the "wrath of abandonment"
• 1 Corinthians 6:9–11 — the vice list AND the good news
• Is there hope for the homosexual? Absolutely.
This is part one of a two-part series. Part two addresses common rebuttals: shellfish objections, what type of homosexuality Paul condemned, and more.
📖 Key passages: Genesis 1–2, Genesis 19, Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Deuteronomy 22:5, Romans 1:18–32, 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, 1 Timothy 1:8–15
🔔 Subscribe and leave your questions or rebuttals in the comments — we'll address them in the next episode.

What does the Bible actually say about dating? And why does the church barely talk about it?
This episode is sponsored by The Master's University. To learn more about how you can invest in a college education devoted to Christ & Scripture, visit https://www.masters.edu
We brought in Greg Gifford — biblical counselor, professor, and author — to give us a theology of dating that applies whether you're 22 or 45. This is one of the most practical and honest conversations we've had on the show.
Topics covered:
• Acquaintance → Friend → Best Friend: the 3 stages of a dating relationship
• How to communicate at each stage (and what oversharing too early costs you)
• How to define the relationship (DTR) without being weird about it
• Online dating: sin or Christian liberty?
• Evaluating spiritual maturity — and why it's not about reading John Calvin
• Why technology since 2007 has made relationships harder If you've ever felt like no one's giving you real, biblical guidance on dating — this episode is for you.
📍 Find Greg: The Force Institute Podcast