Jesus in the Upper Left

Multiply PDX
  • 5.0 (10)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

"Jesus in the Upper Left" is a Portland-based, thought-provoking podcast that explores the unique challenges and opportunities of ministry, church planting and Gospel multiplication in the Pacific Northwest. Packed with inspiration, ideas, and connections, each episode delves into topics like racism, the history of movements and renewal, mistakes made, lessons learned, creative ideas and more.  With a focus on personal stories and honest conversations, "Jesus in the Upper Left" offers a fresh look at what it's going to take to saturate our region with the love and community of Jesus. Whether you're a leader, a learner or a skeptic, this podcast will challenge you to engage with the culture around you in a more intentional and compassionate way.BONUS CONTENT: Don't miss the behind-the-scenes, raw comments & extras at https://www.togetherpdx.org/multiplypdx.

  1. Jul 25

    Why Most Pastors Can't Reproduce Disciples

    Send us Fan Mail Tim Osborne started asking one question in every lead pastor interview: "Who's mentored you?" The answers shocked him enough to keep asking, and keep being disappointed. That question sits at the center of this conversation with Naomi Federiuk, Director of Discipleship Training for Expand Network. Naomi's team has identified a specific gap in local churches: the gathering works, small groups work, but one-on-one life-on-life discipleship barely exists as a culture. Most Christians agree they should be making disciples but feel completely unqualified to start, largely because no one ever did it for them. The conversation covers what Expand is seeing work in Uganda (where 500 inmates have come to faith across 11 prisons in four months and they're now solving for discipleship at scale inside prison walls), why busyness signals unavailability to the very people looking for mentors, and how Discovery Bible Study gives everyday Christians a reproducible tool simple enough to use next week. Naomi breaks down the DBS format step by step: retelling, application, the uncomfortable "I will" statement, and the built-in multiplication question of "who will you share this with?" This one's for pastors who suspect they're unintentionally blocking the thing they preach, for empty nesters who don't think they're qualified, and for anyone who's wanted to disciple someone but didn't know the first practical step. Naomi Federiuk, Director of Discipleship Training, Expand Network Tim Osborne, Dean of Portland Seminary Gabe Kolstad, Lead Pastor, Westside Community Church Subscribe and hit notifications so you don't miss a single episode. Find bonus content, resources, and ways to connect with others doing this work across the city at UpperLeftShow.com

    Why Most Pastors Can't Reproduce Disciples

  2. Jun 19

    There Is One Church in This City — Lessons from 30 Years of Gospel Saturation | Nick Harding

    Send us Fan Mail What would it look like to actually reach every man, woman, and child in your city with the gospel? Not as a slogan — as a strategy. Nick Harding has spent 30 years trying to find out. As the leader of KX City Reaching in Liverpool, UK, he's been building unity, breaking down barriers, handing off leadership, and watching God move in ways that are starting to look a lot like what Portland might be on the edge of. Tim and Gabe sat down with Nick during his visit to Portland to hear what the UK has learned — and what the Pacific Northwest can take from it. In This Episode You'll Discover What "gospel saturation" actually means — and what it looks like to pursue it across an entire city regionHow Nick built 30 years of trust among Liverpool's pastors — and why vulnerability was the turning pointThe "one church in Liverpool" mantra that changed everythingWhy Nick spent five years intentionally reaching out to Nigerian-led churches — and what it cost to get thereWhat it looks like to hand off leadership well and why timing matters more than most leaders realizeHow micro churches and Alpha are fueling a wave of curiosity and conversion in the UK right nowWhy Nick believes the UK has moved from post-Christian to pre-Christian — and what that means for PortlandWhat Bible sales in the UK going up 134% in one year tells us about where the West is headedHow KX City Reaching is partnering with cities across the UK — and how Portland leaders can get involvedIf this conversation encouraged you, subscribe for more honest conversations about church planting, leadership, and following Jesus in the Pacific Northwest. Resources 🌍 KX City Reaching — https://www.kairosconnection.org/city-reaching 📧 Nick Harding — nick@kairosconnection.org 🤝 Multiply PDX — https://www.togetherpdx.org/multiplypdx #CityReaching #GospelSaturation #ChurchPlanting #PacificNorthwest #Portland #Liverpool #NickHarding #JesusInTheUpperLeft #UpperLeftPodcast #MicroChurch #AlphaCourse #ChurchUnity

    There Is One Church in This City — Lessons from 30 Years of Gospel Saturation | Nick Harding

  3. May 30

    The Bar Pastor: How Matt Bowen Stopped Hiding Behind the Pulpit | Matt Bowen Pt. 2

    Send us Fan Mail What does it look like to actually live the mission you preach — not just talk about it from a stage? In part two of our conversation with Matt Bowen, lead pastor of Emmaus Church in Beaverton, we get into the real work of building something healthy from the ground up — the elder formation process, the search for a building, and the moment Matt realized he didn't have a single consistent friendship with someone outside the faith on his calendar. Not aspirationally. Actually. What he did about it became one of the most honest and compelling parts of his story. In This Episode You'll Discover How Matt built an intentional elder formation cohort — and why only 1 of 9 made it through the first roundWhat books and practices shaped Emmaus's elder culture from the beginningWhy Matt worked hard to de-center himself as the go-to voice for everything at the churchHow Emmaus ended up in their current building — and the prayer God answered on day two of paintingWhat it actually looks like to be incarnationally present in a neighborhood as a pastorWhy Matt started pouring beer at Wildwood Taphouse two days a week — and what it's done for his preachingHow the Emmaus Road story continues to shape everything the church doesWhat healthy church building really looks like when no one's watchingIf 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 #EmmausChurch #Beaverton #GospelMultiplication #ChurchLeadership #JesusInTheUpperLeft #UpperLeftPodcast #BarPastor

    The Bar Pastor: How Matt Bowen Stopped Hiding Behind the Pulpit | Matt Bowen Pt. 2

  4. May 22

    He Nearly Quit Ministry — Then Built a Church from the Wreckage - Matt Bowen

    Send us Fan Mail Matt 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 Beaverton If 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

    He Nearly Quit Ministry — Then Built a Church from the Wreckage - Matt Bowen

  5. May 16

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

    Send us Fan Mail What 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.

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

  6. May 1

    Called Back to Portland: How Imago Dei's New Lead Pastor Stepped Into a 25-Year Legacy

    Send us Fan Mail What 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

    Called Back to Portland: How Imago Dei's New Lead Pastor Stepped Into a 25-Year Legacy

  7. Apr 11

    From a 50-Year Sentence to Pastor | Clifford Jones’ Story of Redemption

    Send us Fan Mail Pastor 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.

    From a 50-Year Sentence to Pastor | Clifford Jones’ Story of Redemption

  8. Mar 28

    Church Planting, COVID Shutdown, Pastoral Isolation & the Cost of Multiplication with Cameron Heger

    Send us Fan Mail Cameron 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. 🙏

    Church Planting, COVID Shutdown, Pastoral Isolation & the Cost of Multiplication with Cameron Heger
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

"Jesus in the Upper Left" is a Portland-based, thought-provoking podcast that explores the unique challenges and opportunities of ministry, church planting and Gospel multiplication in the Pacific Northwest. Packed with inspiration, ideas, and connections, each episode delves into topics like racism, the history of movements and renewal, mistakes made, lessons learned, creative ideas and more.  With a focus on personal stories and honest conversations, "Jesus in the Upper Left" offers a fresh look at what it's going to take to saturate our region with the love and community of Jesus. Whether you're a leader, a learner or a skeptic, this podcast will challenge you to engage with the culture around you in a more intentional and compassionate way.BONUS CONTENT: Don't miss the behind-the-scenes, raw comments & extras at https://www.togetherpdx.org/multiplypdx.

Information

  • Creator
    Multiply PDX
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    108
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Jesus in the Upper Left
  • Show Website
    Jesus in the Upper Left

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