Formation with John Ortberg

Become New

Formation is a podcast for leaders, seekers, and lifelong learners at the intersection of theology, psychology, and lived wisdom. Hosted by John Ortberg, PhD, each episode explores the science and soul of spiritual flourishing: what shapes us, what changes us, and what it means to be fully human. Topics include:- Spiritual formation- Contemplative practice- The psychology of transformation and habit change- Leadership, character, and the inner life- Theology in dialogue with modern science- Emotional health, resilience, and purposeLearn more by visiting formationpodcast.com

  1. 10 hr ago

    11. This Ancient Creed Can Rescue Us From Spiritual Homelessness ft. Glenn Packiam | 011

    This year the Nicene Creed turns 1,700 years old, and Glenn Packiam thinks it might be the most important thing the modern church has forgotten how to use. In this conversation, John and Glenn talk about the difference between hope and comfort, how the ancient world considered hope a weakness, and why the Creed's insistence on saying "we believe" instead of "I believe" might be the most countercultural thing a Christian can do today. ABOUT THE GUEST Glenn Packiam is the Lead Pastor of Rockharbor Church in Costa Mesa, California, and a Senior Fellow at Barna Group. He is the author of several books, including his newest, What's a Christian, Anyway?, which explores how the Nicene Creed can guide a confused and fractured church back home.Leave us a review for a chance to ask John a question on an upcoming episode. To enter, follow the podcast, leave your review, take a screenshot of it, and email it over with your question to editors@formationpodcast.com. One question per person; screenshot required. WHAT THIS CONVERSATION EXPLORES Why the ancient Stoics considered hope a moral weakness, and why the resurrection flips that on its headThe difference between hope and comfort, and why John and Glenn think the church has confused the twoWhat the boat metaphor for faith reveals about setting down your oars without losing your place in the crewWhy the Creed says "we believe" instead of "I believe," and what that costs a culture built around personal validationWhy only 48 percent of people say they trust pastors, and how Glenn thinks the church should respondThe King Charles coronation story that reframes what it means to swear allegiance to JesusWhy "deconstruction" isn't really about doctrine, but about a whole story and communityGlenn's answer to the question, "What does Jesus see about the church that you don't?" RESOURCES MENTIONED What's a Christian, Anyway?, Glenn Packiam - The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard - On B******t, Harry Frankfurt - N.T. Wright CONNECT WITH GLENN glennpackiam.com Formation is a podcast that explores the science and soul of spiritual formation. Each episode brings together the ancient wisdom of the contemplative tradition and the best of modern research. John Ortberg sits down with some of the most rigorous and honest thinkers working at the intersection of faith and human flourishing for extended, unhurried conversations about how we are being shaped. New episodes every other week, wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow Formation at formationpodcast.com and @formationjohn.Formation is produced by Become New, a community dedicated to helping you grow spiritually, one day at a time. Subscribe for daily teaching from John Ortberg at becomenew.com/subscribe. Would you do us a favor? Make sure you're following the podcast. (It helps the show reach more people.)

  2. 2 Sept

    10. A Systems Theory Expert on the Anxiety Running Your Team ft. Steve Cuss

    What happens when the person managing everyone else's anxiety is the most anxious one in the room? Steve Cuss joins John for a conversation that starts in a childhood home in Western Australia and ends up inside the emotional wiring of every leader, marriage, and church staff meeting. Steve talks candidly about growing up in a household run by unpredictable anger, the confidence he built on a foundation of fear, and the hospital chaplaincy that stripped all of it away. What emerges is a working theology of anxiety: how false needs hijack good intentions, how reactivity spreads through a room sometimes before it's even known, and why the most important thing any leader can offer their people is a well self. What this conversation explores • How Steve's childhood shaped a lifelong pattern of enmeshment, and how confidence can be built entirely on top of fear • What hospital chaplaincy taught Steve about false needs, and why the ones that feel most real in the moment are the most dangerous • The difference between reactivity and response, and how to take your own pulse before walking into a hard room • Edwin Friedman's idea of a differentiated self, and what it looks like to be close to someone without absorbing their anxiety • Why every false need has its own gospel, and why none of them can ever deliver freedom, peace, or love • How churches and leaders can offer differentiation instead of certainty in a polarized culture • Why Steve calls a well self the greatest gift any Christian leader can offer Resources mentioned • Managing Leadership Anxiety by Steve Cuss • The Expectation Gap by Steve Cuss • A Failure of Nerve by Edwin Friedman • Thomas Wingfold, Curate by George MacDonald • Formation Podcast episode with Gary Haugen, referenced by Steve as a formative conversation About Steve Cuss Steve Cuss is a pastor and the founder of Capable Life, where he trains leaders to manage stress and improve relationships. He is also the author of Managing Leadership Anxiety and The Expectation Gap. https://stevecusswords.com AMA opportunity Leave us a review for a chance to ask John a question on an upcoming episode. To enter, follow the podcast, leave your review, take a screenshot of it, and email it with your question to editors@formationpodcast.com. One question per person, screenshot required. About Formation Formation explores the science and soul of spiritual formation, bringing together the ancient wisdom of the contemplative tradition and the best of modern research. John Ortberg sits down with some of the most rigorous and honest thinkers working at the intersection of faith and human flourishing for extended, unhurried conversations about how we are being shaped. New episodes every other week. https://formationpodcast.com Would you do us a favor? Make sure you're following the podcast. (It helps the show reach more people.)

  3. 19 Aug

    AMA01. Predestination, Soul Care, Navigating Church Hurt, and Healing Childhood Wounds

    Since Formation launched, we've talked about giving our listeners the chance to have their questions answered by John. This is that episode. No guest this time, just John and Creative Director, Jackson, working through the questions you sent in when you left a review, on everything from predestination to spiritual abuse to what AI is doing to his own attention span. Want your question answered for the next one? Leave us a review for a chance to ask John anything about spiritual formation or life with God. To enter, follow the podcast, leave your review, take a screenshot of it, and email it over with your question to editors@formationpodcast.com. One question per person; screenshot required. WHAT THIS CONVERSATION EXPLORES How John reconciles predestination in Romans and Ephesians with passages that affirm God's desire for all to be savedWhy God's omniscience doesn't mean God always chooses to know everything, and what that has to do with honoring our agencyWhat historic Christian writers understood about the unconscious mind long before Freud made it popularWhy the language of "spiritual formation" replaced "Christian education," and what that shift says about how people actually changeThe anxiety John has noticed in himself as AI makes more and more instantly possibleWhat spiritual abuse actually looks like, and the difference between confession as a healthy spiritual practice and confession used as a tool of coercionHow to keep trusting God when you can't control what happens to the people you love mostJohn's advice for Christians who feel politically alienated from their own churchWhy John believes the local church and parachurch ministries cannot survive without each otherA first look at John's next book, on living beyond a culture of contemptRESOURCES MENTIONED Dynamics of Spiritual Formation, Richard LovelaceDopamine Nation, Dr. Anna LembkeThe Body Keeps the Score, Dr. Bessel van der KolkAgnes SanfordLeanne PayneTyler VanderWeele and the Human Flourishing Program at HarvardJoni and FriendsBecome NewFormation is a podcast that explores the science and soul of spiritual formation. Each episode brings together the ancient wisdom of the contemplative tradition and the best of modern research. John Ortberg sits down with some of the most rigorous and honest thinkers working at the intersection of faith and human flourishing for extended, unhurried conversations about how we are being shaped. New episodes every other week, wherever you listen to podcasts. Follow Formation at formationpodcast.com and @formationjohn. Formation is produced by Become New, a community dedicated to helping you grow spiritually, one day at a time. Subscribe for daily teaching from John Ortberg at becomenew.com/subscribe. Would you do us a favor? Make sure you're following the podcast. (It helps the show reach more people.)

  4. 5 Aug

    009. Everything You Need to Know About the Next Generation ft. Kara Powell

    About the Guest Kara Powell leads the Fuller Youth Institute as its Executive Director, where for more than twenty years her team has tracked how young people are changing across three generational cohorts, from Millennials to Gen Z to Gen Alpha. She holds a PhD in Practical Theology and has helped shape some of the most widely used research on the next generation. AMA Opportunity Leave us a review for a chance to ask John a question on an upcoming episode. To enter, follow the podcast, leave your review, take a screenshot of it, and email it over with your question to editors@formationpodcast.com. One question per person, screenshot required. What This Conversation Explores What has mostly stayed the same about young people across two decades of research, and what's vastly differentWhat Gen Alpha needs from adults, and how their faith formation is taking shapeWhether the data points to a genuine revival among young people, or something more nuancedScreen time and what it’s doing to our kidsWhether teens today take fewer risks than past generationsWhat kind of intergenerational relationships Gen Alpha is actually looking for and how they’re a benefit to allHow to have more formative conversations with the young people in your life (and the scripts to get you there)What it's like to study faith formation for a living, and how it has shaped Kara's own spiritual lifeWhether some of the anxiety adults feel about this generation is really about the adults' own viewpoints How Kara is being formed personally Resources Mentioned Fuller Youth Institute: fulleryouthinstitute.org/subscribeThe Anxious Generation by Jonathan HaidtGrowing Young — Fuller Youth InstituteFuture Focused Church — Fuller Youth InstituteFree Gen Alpha report — fulleryouthinstitute.orgLike Dew Your Youth by Eugene PetersonChap Clark — the 5-to-1 ratioDallas WillardDietrich Bonhoeffer — the "chief sinner" ideaDave Wang, Fuller Theological SeminaryAbout Formation Formation is a podcast that explores the science and soul of spiritual formation. Each episode brings together the ancient wisdom of the contemplative tradition and the best of modern research. John Ortberg sits down with some of the most rigorous and honest thinkers working at the intersection of faith and human flourishing for extended, unhurried conversations about how we are being shaped. New episodes every other week, wherever you listen to podcasts. Connect with Formation formationpodcast.com  @formationjohn Formation is produced by Become New, a community dedicated to helping you grow spiritually, one day at a time. Subscribe for daily teaching from John Ortberg at becomenew.com/subscribe. Would you do us a favor? Make sure you're following the podcast. (It helps the show reach more people.)

  5. 22 Jul

    008. As the World Gets More Synthetic, the Church Must Get More Human ft. Carey Nieuwhof

    In this episode of Formation, John Ortberg sits down with Carey Nieuwhof to talk leadership, fame, faith, and what it means for the church to stay human as the world turns synthetic. Carey Nieuwhof has spent the last decade in a chair few people occupy: hundreds of conversations a year with pastors, CEOs, authors, and public thinkers, watching up close what success does to a person's character. In this conversation with John Ortberg, recorded in the redwoods of Northern California, that vantage point turns into something more personal, a wide-ranging talk about leadership, fame, faith, and the strange new terrain of artificial intelligence. The two friends trade stories before they trade ideas: a Wendell Berry "fan email" that turned out to be an AI scam, the surreal experience of gifting Scott Galloway a Bible after an emotional conversation about faith, and what it was like for Carey to sit across from Tim Keller weeks before the world shut down in 2020. From there the conversation opens into Carey's real preoccupations: why dogmatism is usually fear in disguise, why nobody at the top actually has it figured out, and why he worries that platforms now grow faster than character can keep up. The back half is Carey's sharpest territory: the book he's been living inside for two years, on AI and the church. He lays out both the utopian and the dystopian cases, from cured diseases to a possible "white-collar bloodbath," and lands on a single, disarming thesis. As the world becomes more synthetic, the church's job gets simpler, not harder. It has to become more human. Along the way, he and John wrestle with AI companionship, AI grief, and what happens to resurrection, prayer, and preaching when a chatbot never has a bad day and never runs out of answers. Resources Mentioned Leadership Is an Art by Max De PreeAmusing Ourselves to Death by Neil PostmanRange by David EpsteinThe Algebra of Wealth by Scott GallowayTides of Mind by David GelernterIf Anyone Builds This, Everyone Dies (on artificial superintelligence risk)Her (2013, dir. Spike Jonze), the AI-companionship film Carey calls prescientSermon Central, the sermon-sharing platform discussed in the context of AI-era plagiarism About Carey Nieuwhof Carey Nieuwhof is a former lawyer and pastor who now hosts one of the most-downloaded leadership podcasts for church leaders, with over 800 episodes and 40 million-plus downloads. He is writing a forthcoming book on AI and the church. Formation is hosted by John Ortberg. New episodes at https://www.formationpodcast.com Would you do us a favor? Make sure you're following the podcast. (It helps the show reach more people.)

  6. 8 Jul

    007. Quadriplegia, Despair, and Learning to Truly Live ft. Joni Eareckson Tada

    Joni Eareckson Tada became a quadriplegic at seventeen after a diving accident that severed her spinal cord. In the nearly six decades since, she has written dozens of books, founded a global disability ministry, survived two bouts of cancer, and woken up every single morning asking Jesus to get her through the day. This is a conversation about what it means to receive suffering with both hands: the anger, the prayers that didn't get answered the way she hoped, the agony, and what gets faithfully built through it all. About the Guest Joni Eareckson Tada became a quadriplegic at seventeen after a diving accident that severed her spinal cord. In the decades since, she has become one of the most recognized voices on suffering, disability, and faith in the world. She is the founder and CEO of Joni and Friends, a global ministry serving people with disabilities in over 100 countries. Her memoir, Joni, has sold more than five million copies. She is an artist, author, and speaker who has shared platforms with Billy Graham and appeared on programs from the Today Show to venues around the world. She and her husband, Ken, live in California. AMA Opportunity: Enter for a chance to ask John a question on an upcoming episode. All you need to do is follow the podcast, leave a review, take a screenshot, and email it with your question to connect@becomenew.com. One question per person; screenshot required. What This Conversation Explores The diving accident, the hospital room, and the slow realization that nothing was going to changeWhat it took to move from wanting to die to learning to give thanksA 17-year-old boy with a Bible and a verse from 1 Thessalonians and how he changed everythingHow a passage in Mark 1 reframed what Jesus actually came to doWhat Joni discovered about sin that she couldn't have learned on her feetThe prayer she prayed three months before her accident and what she makes of it nowWhat the cross has to do with finding God in sufferingJoni and Friends: wheelchairs, Bibles, and changing the disability culture of entire countriesDisability ministry as disability discipleshipTwo bouts with cancer, a radiation machine named after Jael, and what it means to press into ChristWhat to say to someone who is in pain right nowResources Mentioned Joni — Joni Eareckson TadaJoni and Friends — joniandfriends.orgWheels for the World — Joni and Friends wheelchair delivery programEverything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves — Kate BowlerWilliam Law — quote on receiving suffering with both handsDorothy Sayers — on God wrenching good from evilDallas Willard — on the heart, behavior, and the Sermon on the Mount2 Corinthians 4:8, Philippians 4:13, 1 Kings 19 — Scripture discussed About Formation Formation is a podcast that explores the science and soul of spiritual formation. Each episode brings together the ancient wisdom of the contemplative tradition and the best of modern research. John Ortberg sits down with some of the most rigorous and honest thinkers working at the intersection of faith and human flourishing for extended, unhurried conversations about how we are being shaped. New episodes every other week, wherever you listen to podcasts. Connect with Formation Website: formationpodcast.comFollow John: @formationjohnWrite to us: editors@formationpodcast.comFormation is produced by Become New, a community dedicated to helping you grow spiritually, one day at a time. Subscribe for daily teaching from John Ortberg at becomenew.com/subscribe. Would you do us a favor? Make sure you're following the podcast. (It helps the show reach more people.)

  7. 24 Jun

    006. A Silicon Valley Pastor on the Spiritual Cost of a Distracted Life ft. Jay Kim

    What does it take to find peace in a culture engineered for distraction? In this episode of Formation, John Ortberg sits down with a Silicon Valley pastor whose pursuit of attention, rest, and spiritual formation was interrupted by a panic attack — and reshaped by an ancient prayer practice, the problem with multitasking, and the rise of AI. Jay Kim is a pastor, author, and podcaster who serves at WestGate Church in the heart of Silicon Valley. He's thought deeply about what it means to pursue spiritual formation in one of the most distracted, driven, and technologically saturated cultures in the world. And a few years ago, sitting in his car in a strip-mall parking lot after dropping his kids at school, a panic attack made all of that very personal. That moment became an invitation to stop striving, to examine his life more honestly, and to rediscover an ancient practice that has become one of the most formative disciplines of his days. It's the heart of his latest book, The Pace of Peace, and the heart of this conversation. A note for listeners: this episode includes a personal account of a panic attack and references to anxiety and mental health. If you're struggling, please reach out to someone you trust or a mental health professional. Also in This Episode • Why the word "multitasking" was coined to sell mainframe computers • How the engineers building today's most advanced AI openly admit they don't actually know how it works • Why the ancient church called distraction demonic and why a Silicon Valley pastor thinks they were right A Few Lines Worth Sitting With "There is no multitasking human.""I do not have my finger very accurately on the pulse of my inner life most of the time.""Peace actually ushers you into the fray." About Jay Kim Jay Y. Kim is the lead pastor of WestGate Church in Silicon Valley, a Fuller Seminary graduate, and the author of Analog Church (winner of The Gospel Coalition's First-Time Author Award), Analog Christian, Listen, Listen, Speak, and his latest, The Pace of Peace — the book at the heart of this conversation. He hosts the Digital Examen podcast and co-hosts the ReGeneration Podcast. He has pastored for over 20 years, all in the Bay Area, and lives with his wife Jenny and their two young children. Resources Mentioned • Domestic Monastery — Ronald Rolheiser • Soul Feast — Marjorie Thompson • Letters by a Modern Mystic — Frank Laubach • Against the Machine — Paul Kingsnorth • Jonathan Haidt — research on social media and adolescent mental health • Gloria Mark — neuroscience research on multitasking and attention • Curt Thompson — work on shame and confession • Steve Cuss — Managing Leadership Anxiety and writing on pastoral anxiety • Rankin Wilbourne — Broom Tree ministry for pastors in difficulty • The Daily Examen — Ignatian spirituality • The hedonic treadmill — concept from Brickman & Campbell (1971) About Formation Formation is a podcast that explores the science and soul of spiritual formation. Each episode brings together the ancient wisdom of the contemplative tradition and the best of modern research. John Ortberg sits down with some of the most rigorous and honest thinkers working at the intersection of faith and human flourishing for extended, unhurried conversations about how we are being shaped. New episodes every other week, wherever you listen to podcasts. Connect with Formation www.formationpodcast.com/subscribe @formationjohn If this conversation gave you something to think about, we'd be grateful if you shared it with someone else who thinks intentionally about the things that matter most.

  8. 10 Jun

    005. The Hidden Spiritual Cost of How We Work ft. Gary Hamel

    What does it mean to treat people as ends in themselves rather than instruments to get things done? Gary Hamel joins John for a conversation about work, dignity, and the quiet crisis inside most organizations. One of the world's most influential business thinkers, Gary has spent decades asking why so few workplaces actually unleash the people inside them, and what it would look like if they did. This is a conversation about agency, meaning, and why the biblical vision of every human being made to reign with God has profound implications for how we build institutions. About Gary Hamel Gary Hamel is one of the world's most influential and iconoclastic business thinkers. He has worked with leading companies across the globe and is a dynamic and sought-after management speaker. Hamel has been on the faculty of the London Business School for more than 30 years and is the director of the Management Lab. AMA Opportunity Leave us a review ahead of our launch for a chance to ask John a question on an upcoming episode. Here's how: follow the podcast, leave a review, take a screenshot, and email it with your question to editors@formationpodcast.com. We'll answer selected questions in a future episode. One question per person; screenshot required. What this Conversation Explores Why most organizations treat people as semi-programmable robots and what we stand to lose if we don't change that The only three reasons someone actually needs to be managed, and why none of them require layers of hierarchy to solveWhat a 16,000-person Dutch healthcare company with almost no managers can teach us about trust, accountability, and human potentialThe biblical vision of dominion and kingdom, and why John argues it is the deepest possible framework for thinking about work and dignityWhy the question is not how to outperform your peers but how to outperform expectations, and what that shift does to a person over timeThe four force multipliers Gary has observed in ordinary people who do extraordinary things: courage, contrarianism, community, and compassionDallas Willard's vision of job discipleship, and what it looks like to do your work together with Jesus rather than merely alongside himHow Gary thinks about faith, suffering, and the preponderance of evidence for belief in a world that has grown increasingly nihilisticResources Mentioned The Death of Common Sense — Philip K. HowardThe Utopia of Rules — David GraeberMan's Search for Meaning — Viktor FranklThe Management Lab — mlabgroup.comConnect with Gary Hamel Website: garyhamel.com About Formation Formation is a podcast that explores the science and soul of spiritual formation. Each episode brings together the ancient wisdom of the contemplative tradition and the best of modern research. John Ortberg sits down with some of the most rigorous and honest thinkers working at the intersection of faith and human flourishing for extended, unhurried conversations about how we are being shaped. New episodes every other week, wherever you listen to podcasts. Connect with Formation Website: formationpodcast.com Newsletter: formationpodcast.com/subscribe Socials: @formationjohn If this conversation gave you something to sit with, we would be grateful if you shared it with someone else who thinks intentionally about the things that matter most. Formation is produced by Become New, a community dedicated to helping you grow spiritually, one day at a time. Subscribe for daily teaching from John Ortberg at becomenew.com/subscribe.

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About

Formation is a podcast for leaders, seekers, and lifelong learners at the intersection of theology, psychology, and lived wisdom. Hosted by John Ortberg, PhD, each episode explores the science and soul of spiritual flourishing: what shapes us, what changes us, and what it means to be fully human. Topics include:- Spiritual formation- Contemplative practice- The psychology of transformation and habit change- Leadership, character, and the inner life- Theology in dialogue with modern science- Emotional health, resilience, and purposeLearn more by visiting formationpodcast.com

Information

  • Creator
    Become New
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Formation with John Ortberg
  • Show Website
    Formation with John Ortberg

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