Why Most Church Failures Have Nothing to Do With Theology — with Tammy Dunahue

Send us Fan MailMatt Bowen didn't set out to plant a church. He didn't think he had the gifts for it. He wasn't the big personality. He just felt God say it was time to go — and said yes.What followed was one of the more remarkable stories you'll hear from a pastor in the Pacific Northwest.In This Episode You'll Discover:- Why Matt resisted church planting for years — and what finally changed- How fear and comfort can quietly become the biggest barriers to obedience- What it looks like to plant within a multi-congregational network model- How the Colossae network was built, multiplied, and ultimately collapsed- What Matt learned about shepherding people through organizational crisis and leadership failure- Why he nearly quit ministry in early 2021 — and what kept him in- How Emmaus Church was born out of the ashes of one of the hardest seasons of his life- What the Emmaus road story has to do with planting a church in BeavertonIf this conversation encouraged you, subscribe for more honest conversations about church planting, leadership, and following Jesus in the Pacific Northwest.Resources🏠 Emmaus Church — https://www.emmauspdx.org/🤝 Multiply PDX — https://www.togetherpdx.org/multiplypdx#ChurchPlanting #PacificNorthwest #Portland #Emmaus #GospelMultiplication #ChurchLeadership #JesusInTheUpperLeft #UpperLeftPodcast

Send us Fan MailWhat actually causes pastors and churches to fall apart? After 20 years of denominational leadership and more interventions than she wants to count, Tammy Dunahue has a clear answer — and it's probably not what you'd expect.In this conversation, Tim and Gabe sit down with Tammy Dunahue, Executive Dean of Portland Seminary at George Fox University and a 40-year veteran of church planting, revitalization, and movement leadership. Tammy and her husband Gary co-planted and multiplied churches across California and Arkansas, helped shape Foursquare's national church planting infrastructure, and now invest in forming the next generation of kingdom leaders.The conversation covers a lot of ground: what it actually looks like to plant with a multiplication mindset from day one, how complementary gifting and team building fuel church health, what it means to contextualize the gospel in a new region, and why the Pacific Northwest's biggest barrier to gospel movement might be the church's own thinking.Tammy also shares a compelling vision for Portland — a candle in every neighborhood — and why she believes wherever there's enough darkness, a birthday candle will do.If you lead a church, plant churches, or care about what God is doing in the Pacific Northwest, this one is worth your full attention. 

Send us Fan MailWhat does it look like to follow a founder — especially one who built something that shaped an entire city?Chris Nye  is the lead pastor of Imago Dei Community in Portland, Oregon. In this conversation, he shares the unlikely story of how a kid born less than a mile from the church he now leads came to faith in the suburbs, felt the pull of the city for decades, and eventually received a casual text from Rick McKinley that changed everything.Tim Osborn and Ahshuwah Hawthorne  dig into what a healthy pastoral transition actually looks like from the inside — the trust required, the staff challenges, the financial pressure, and why Chris believes 90% of the success comes down to what the predecessor does. They also talk about something surprising: a noticeable shift in Portland's spiritual climate, with people showing up to church half-converted, surrendering tarot cards, and waking up at 2am sensing they need to find a church.The conversation closes with a powerful reflection on what Imago Dei has meant to Portland — and what Chris believes the church must hold onto going forward: that the gospel is not something the church owns and distributes, but something declared upon the church first.If you lead a church, plant a church, or care about the future of the gospel in the Pacific Northwest, this one is worth your full attention.Find Imago Dei Community online at IDCPDX.com

Send us Fan MailPastor Clifford Jones shares an unforgettable testimony of meeting Jesus while serving a 50-year sentence in Louisiana State Penitentiary, one of the most violent prisons in America. What followed was a radical transformation, seminary training behind bars, pastoral ministry in prison, and eventually a calling that brought him all the way to the Pacific Northwest.In this episode of Jesus in the Upper Left, Clifford tells the story of how God changed his life, opened prison doors he never expected to walk out of, and led him to Oregon to serve men and women impacted by incarceration, homelessness, and brokenness through Light My Way Ministry.We talk about redemption, mentoring men, real discipleship, prison ministry, reentry, and what it means to be the church for people that many others overlook.If this episode encouraged you, subscribe, share it with someone, and help more people hear what God is doing in the Pacific Northwest.Discover:Prison testimony and radical conversionHow Clifford met Jesus in Louisiana State PenitentiaryFrom a 50-year sentence to pastoral ministryWhy prison ministry and reentry work matter so muchHow Light My Way serves people before, during, and after incarcerationWhat it looks like to disciple men with truth, respect, and relationshipSubscribe, share this episode with a friend, and visit https://www.upperleftshow.com for bonus content, resources, and ways to connect.

Send us Fan MailCameron Heger moved from Arkansas to Portland with no ministry plan — just a seminary enrollment and a love for the city. After years embedded at Door of Hope, he felt called to plant a new church. Door of Hope sent him with a core team of 100 adults, a building, and a spirit of generosity. Door of Hope Northeast held its first gathering on March 1, 2020. Its second on March 8. There was no third — the world shut down.In this conversation, Cameron shares what it was like to lead a brand-new church through a global crisis, the season of painful fallout that followed, and the moment his wife told him nobody actually knew him anymore. He talks honestly about pastoral isolation, the temptation to perform strength while falling apart inside, and what it looked like to finally open up.He also shares practical wisdom for anyone considering church planting in Portland — why embedding in the city matters more than launching fast, what it means to experience church as a family and not just a project, and why the cost of multiplication is always worth it.Themes covered: church planting through multiplication, launching into crisis, pastoral vulnerability and isolation, the Door of Hope family-of-churches model, embedding before planting, small church identity, and the cost of sending.Subscribe, share this episode with a friend, and visit https://www.upperleftshow.com for bonus content, resources, and ways to connect.Welcome to Jesus in the Upper Left, where we're talking about gospel multiplication in the Pacific Northwest. We've been praying for a spiritual climate change in Portland, Oregon for decades, and we're excited to see it happening. This episode offers a new perspective on engaging in gospel conversation within our communities. 🙏

Send us Fan MailNew research on Portland reveals something most church leaders wouldn't guess — the city is far more spiritually open than its reputation suggests. Missiologist Ed Stetzer joins Tim Osborne and Gabe Colstatt to unpack major findings from a mixed-method study of the Portland-Vancouver metro area conducted in partnership with Come Near and 7 Cents. The data shows striking curiosity about meaning, the supernatural, and even Jesus himself — alongside deep distrust of institutions and an uncertain civic mood after 2020.For those interested in pursuing the Portland Talbot cohort visit this site: https://go.biola.edu/register/?id=1dbf4894-ba85-4c21-8f09-f9ed47c1cd5e&_gl=1*oof8le*_gcl_au*MjAzMTM3MzkxNC4xNzY3NjMxNjIxLjEzMjc3NjIzNjIuMTc3MDc1NDg0Ni4xNzcwNzU0ODg5*_ga*MTc4Njg5ODA0MC4xNzExNTU1ODIz*_ga_YFBWBXLQJ7*czE3NzM4NDU4NzQkbzc2NyRnMSR0MTc3Mzg0NjA3NyRqNjAkbDAkaDAEd breaks down what he calls a "chastened city," why neighborhoods and proximity matter more than ever for gospel work here, and why church planters need sober expectations — not conference hype — to stay faithful for the long haul. The conversation also covers Talbot School of Theology's upcoming Portland extension site launching in fall, with 50% scholarships for the inaugural cohort.Whether you're a pastor, church planter, or someone trying to understand what God is doing in the Pacific Northwest, this episode will reframe how you see Portland.The full 200+ page Portland research report is available here: https://willamette.cc/un-fracturedSubscribe, share this episode with a friend, and visit https://www.upperleftshow.com for bonus content, resources, and ways to connect.

Send us Fan MailWhat happens when men stop sitting on the bench and start showing up for each other?In this episode of Jesus in the Upper Left, Tim sits down with three Men’s Alliance leaders from Westside Community Church (Aloha, Oregon): Steve Barker (“Scout”), Brady Cook (“Blueprint”), and Devin Masak (“Mr. Ratchet”). They talk about why so many men drift into isolation, how brotherhood builds real spiritual leadership, and why the “tribal, rugged, real” environment of Men’s Alliance is producing healthier husbands, fathers, and leaders.You’ll hear how it works (workout + devotion + fire), why it’s not “toxic masculinity,” and why doing hard things together—surrounded by brothers who want you to win—creates the kind of growth most men are starving for.Find a tribe (or start one): MensAllianceTribe.comLearn more + connect: UpperLeftShow.comSubscribe so you don’t miss an episode, and share this with a man who needs community, purpose, and a next step.

Send us Fan MailWhy do so many men hesitate to step into spiritual leadership, even when they want to? In Part 3 of our Men & the Gospel in the PNW series, we sit down with psychologist and coach Nancy Castile to talk about the internal barriers men face, including unworthiness, emotional shutdown, shame, performance pressure, and isolation.We also unpack practical “unlocks” like building real community, creating space for awareness, and learning to name what’s actually happening under the surface so men can lead with health, humility, and wholeness.Connect with Nancy: [email protected], share this episode with a friend, and visit UpperLeftShow.com for bonus content, resources, and ways to connect.

Send us Fan MailWhat does it actually mean to be a man who follows Jesus in the Pacific Northwest?In this episode of Jesus in the Upper Left, we continue a multi-part conversation on men, masculinity, and the gospel. Drawing from Scripture, cultural observation, and decades of pastoral experience, we explore why confusion around masculinity matters for discipleship, families, and gospel multiplication in our region.This conversation introduces four biblical guardrails for manhood and why recovering a Jesus-centered vision of masculinity is essential for the health of churches and cities like Portland.Subscribe for the rest of this series as we continue unpacking men, leadership, and spiritual formation in the PNW.Find bonus content + ways to connect: UpperLeftShow.com#JesusInTheUpperLeft #PortlandChurch #BiblicalMasculinity #Fatherhood #GospelMultiplication

Send us Fan MailIn this new-year episode of Jesus in the Upper Left, Gabe, Tim, and Ahshuwah unpack a pattern Brilliant Labs keeps seeing across Portland: the majority of ministries serving “downstream” needs are serving at-risk women and children.So what’s upstream?They talk honestly about the crisis of masculinity, fatherlessness, and what changes when men actually walk with Jesus—learning sacrifice, purpose, servant leadership, and healthy responsibility in marriage and fatherhood. The conversation also touches on Portland’s spiritual history, why “flourishing” is the goal, and how the church can respond with both conviction and compassion.Resources mentioned:The Toxic War on Masculinity (Nancy Pearcey)Raising a Modern-Day Knight (Robert Lewis)Upstream (book illustration referenced)If this encouraged or challenged you, share it with a friend—and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.Find bonus content + ways to connect: UpperLeftShow.com#JesusInTheUpperLeft #PortlandChurch #BiblicalMasculinity #Fatherhood #GospelMultiplicationWelcome to Jesus in the Upper Left, where we're talking about gospel multiplication in the Pacific Northwest. This episode focuses on the importance of finding fulfilling work and maintaining a joyful family life, offering a new perspective on balancing these crucial aspects. Our discussion provides practical career advice for those seeking to integrate their faith into their daily vocations, ultimately encouraging making disciples in all areas of life.