Holy Roast Podcast

S3E6 - John Randolph

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. John Randolph. John is the pastor of Genesis UMC and Crescent Hill UMC in Louisville, KY.
Rev. John Allen Randolph is a lifelong Louisville native and graduate of DuPont Manual High School and the University of Louisville, where he studied Justice Administration with a minor in Pan-African Studies. Licensed to preach in 2013 and ordained in 2022 at Bates Memorial Baptist Church under Rev. Dr. F. Bruce Williams, John holds a Master of Divinity in Black Church Studies from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, where he co-founded the Gayraud S. Wilmore Society of Black Seminarians.
In this episode, we explore the experience of pastoring in two unique congregations, highlighting the cultural, historical, and spiritual differences that shape ministry in each context. It reflects on how preaching adapts, or remains rooted, across these spaces, and lifts up the wisdom and practices of the Black church that could deepen congregational life. The discussion also names the challenges of navigating dual contexts, the resilience required to sustain such work, and the ways the United Methodist connectional system can both support and complicate cross-cultural ministry.
You can check out John’s Substack here.

Holy Roast S3E5 - Jabe Largen

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Jabe Largen. Jabe is the Senior Pastor of Pinehurst United Methodist Church in Pinehurst, NC, where he has served since 2021. He is ordained in the United Methodist tradition as an Elder and a native of Pulaski, VA. Jabe is the author of the memoir "They Call Me Jabe" published near the end of 2025.
In this Episode, Jabe talks about telling the truth the church often polishes over—addiction and recovery, Appalachian faith, depression in the pulpit, and what it means to preach grace without sentimentality. We dig into incarnational justice, the cost of honest storytelling, and the false hopes pastors may need to let die in order to proclaim a gospel that’s actually good news.

S3E4 - Zach Lambert

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Zach Lambert. Zach is the Lead Pastor and co-founder of Restore. Born and raised in Austin, he holds a Bachelors of Science in Communication, a Masters of Theology, and is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Ministry at Duke Divinity School. Zach is also the author of the book, Better Ways to Read the Bible, which is all about transforming the Bible from a weapon that condemns, oppresses, and excludes into a tool that liberates.
In this Episode, Zach shares what led him to plant Restore, how it is “a church for people who have struggled with church,” why he and Restore are becoming a United Methodist Church, how other UMCs can be inspired by Restore’s journey of radical welcome, and practical wisdom for churches considering a major shift (like a merger, re-planting, or denominational affiliation.

S3:E3 - Martha Christian

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Martha Christian, the Worship Minister at the Melrose Campus of Broadway United Methodist Church in Bowling Green, KY. Martha has been leading worship in various capacities in the local church since she was a young girl, noting it as an early way the church made room for her to lead as a youth. She describes herself as a singer/songwriter with a passion for inspiring others to see worship as a way of life, not just something we “do” on Sunday.
In this episode, Martha shares more about her theology of worship, what she looks for when choosing worship songs, her team process for Advent design and preparation, and what she believes the world needs to hear this Advent and Christmas. Join us for this conversation and check out the show notes below for more tips from Martha to help you in your worship design and leadership!
Resources: • Our UMC Website - https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning (we often start here to see what the Church is doing)
• Worship Together - https://www.worshiptogether.com/(Helpful for finding new songs) • Song Select - https://songselect.ccli.com/ (Helpful for looking for what the Church is singing and finding songs based on themes and for making sure we're reporting song usage to honor the writers and producers of the songs we sing) My Advent Faves:
• Song to sing with everyone with charts - "Prepare Him Room" by Dave Fournier | Rebecca Elliott https://sovereigngracemusic.com/music/songs/prepare-him-room/ • Song to remind me how very much God is with us - "I'll Find a Way" by Jason Gray | Andy Gullahorn - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kISA6hhVh8&t=17s
• Practice to keep away the dark - The Advent Wreath - https://leslieannjones.com/blog/2015/11/18/a-simple-advent-wreath-devotional-for-families-free-printable
• Song to break open Christmastide - "Ring the Bells" by Cindy Morgan | Mark Ford Hammond | Ronnie Freeman | Tony Wood - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgW2rMQYa2w&list=RDBgW2rMQYa2w&start_radio=1 For more about Martha Chrisitan:
• Christmas Album - "All Will Be Well" by Martha Christian - https://open.spotify.com/album/1ikNK9UjlR0JTHjazkecHC • Other info - https://linktr.ee/marthachristian

S3E2 - Tami Coleman

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Tami Coleman, the Chief Ministry Officer for the Kentucky Annual Conference. Over her 27 years in ministry, Tami has served in local churches in Georgia and Kentucky, on conference staff with Connectional Ministries, and now serves as the acting Assistant to the Bishop in this new position as our Chief Ministry Officer.
In this episode, Tami shares more about her vision for healthy clergy and churches, the power of telling the story of the gospel today, the importance of sharing good news across our connection, and her hope for the Kentucky Annual Conference.
Listen along and share some good news from your local context in the comments!

S3E1 - Amy-Jill Levine

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Dr. Amy-Jill Levine, a scholar in New Testament and Jewish Studies known for her groundbreaking work in biblical studies.
Amy-Jill holds the Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professorship at Hartford International University and is Professor Emerita at Vanderbilt University. Amy-Jill Levine’s books include The Difficult Words of Jesus, Entering the Passion of Jesus, Signs and Wonders, Short Stories by Jesus, Toward the Kingdom of Heaven, and The Bible With and Without Jesus, among many others. Additionally, she co-edited the influential Jewish Annotated New Testament, establishing her reputation as a leading voice in both academic and religious circles.
AJ is passionate about teaching from her Jewish identity and helping Christian readers better understand Jesus’ Jewish context. In this episode, AJ addresses how Christian leaders can preach and teach the scriptures more faithfully and better lead in our time of great polarization.

Holy Roast - Live from Annual Conference

In this month’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Rev. Eliza Love. Eliza serves as the Director of the The Wesley at EKU and Associate Pastor at Richmond First UMC.
This was a Live Recording at the Kentucky Annual Conference! Thanks to The Creme Coffee House for hosting us and thanks for all those who came out to enjoy the night with us.
In this episode, Eliza talks about ministry with young people, what she’s learned in her first year of full-time ministry, how the local church can be in ministry with young people, and more!
To learn more about The Wesley at EKU, check out https://www.ekuwesley.org/.
To learn more about World Council of Churches Ecumenical Institute at Bossey in Switzerland, check out https://www.oikoumene.org/bossey.

S2E9 - Bishop David Graves

n this week’s episode, Rob and Rachel sit down with Bishop David Graves. Bishop Graves serves as the Bishop for the Kentucky, Tennessee-Western Kentucky, and Central Appalachian Missionary Conferences.
It has been seven months since we sat down with Bishop Graves, so we thought it was a good time to check back in and see what he’s been up to!
In this episode, Bishop Graves talks about some of the biggest surprises he’s seen in the last year, his heart behind the discipleship priorities and how they have affected our conference, what he’s most excited about for his first Kentucky Annual Conference next month, how Kentucky can stay rooted and hopeful in this season, and what he would love to see God do among us in Kentucky.
We also put in some new “Holy Roast Speed Questions” as the end, so be sure to check it out!