A baldy American pastor and a baldy Irish pastor walk into a church building...no this isn&#39;t the opening line of a joke. This is every week at Blurton Baptist, Stoke on Trent. Matt and Alan get together to discuss how the gospel impacts every part of life.

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/6/22/14/143c2089-7746-45f5-9ad1-41b9a2c1609a_deacons_part_10__final_.mp3

Matt and Alan finish up the deacons series by looking at some practical areas. How does a church select deacons, and what do deacons do in a 21st Century church? A booklet on all of this material is available on the Baldy Bishops website.

103. Practicalities (Deacons 10)

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/6/18/15/e983a6d1-aefd-4d6b-9d25-6c706a180d9a_deacons_part_9.mp3

There are some rewards and warnings in general for those who serve God. Matt and Alan talk about how they apply to the office of a Deacon. There are also some specific rewards for those who serve well as Deacons.

102. Warning and Reward (Deacons 9)

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/6/16/10/8366d868-b3b0-40f7-bdb6-e150efd7c012_deacons_part_8.mp3

Matt and Alan take a look at the lives of two of the men chosen to Serve Tables in Acts 6.

101. Stephen and Philip (Deacons 8)

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/5/13/15/14d10d92-2aee-454c-8b49-527046faa2ec_deacons_part_7.mp3

What happens when a church gets Spirit-filled deacons? Matt and Alan look again at Acts 6 to answer that question.

100. Result (Deacons 7)

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/5/6/15/978930a1-9ebd-4d26-a517-674827b6809e_deacons_part_6.mp3

Matt and Alan dig into 1 Timothy 3 and consider what it has to say about the character of a deacon.

99. Character 2 (Deacons 6)

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/4/30/13/ee64e2bb-bfc0-4298-9583-251ac91f7f75_deacons_part_5.mp3

Matt and Alan look at Acts 6 again and discuss what the church was called to look out for in the men they chose to do this essential work.

98. Character 1 (Deacons 5)

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Matt and Alan take a look at Acts 6 to see how the principle of two complimentary ministries there can be seen in the local church today.

97. Serving Tables (Deacons 4)

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Matt and Alan take a look at how Jesus&#39; teachings about greatness flips everything and how that applies to the office of a Deacon.

96. How to Be Great (Deacons 3)

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Matt and Alan continue the series on Deacons. It&#39;s so important to focus on the character of a person, rather than skill, talent or big personality. We talk about how following Jesus means serving others like he does.

95. Following Jesus (Deacons 2)

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/3/25/14/318aded1-eb29-4f41-b810-9495a4fa93f6_deacons_part_1.mp3

Matt and Alan begin a new series on Deacons. Blurton Baptist recently installed new Deacons. Before we did, we took the church through a 10 part series on the office of a Deacon. Here, we share what we&#39;ve learned and taught.

94. The Word for Deacon (Deacons 1)

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Matt and Alan finish up the series on Vulnerability as they explore two final ways we can listen poorly; Changing the Conversation and Silence.

93. Vulnerability (Part 5)

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Matt and Alan continue chatting about how poor listening can hinder a culture of vulnerability. Today they talk about distractions and interruptions.

92. Vulnerability (Part 4)

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Matt and Alan take a look at 5. Minimising and 6. Gossip as ways that can destroy a culture of vulnerability with one another.

91. Vulnerability (Part 3)

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Matt and Alan continue talking about the barriers in the way of vulnerability. This time they talk about responding to someone with 3. Judgement and 4. Story Matching.

90. Vulnerability (Part 2)

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Matt and Alan look at the first two common ways we can hinder a culture of vulnerability in the church; lecturing and rebuking.

89. Vulnerability (Part 1)

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2026/1/28/11/71dc0107-3034-4657-8641-4af30a8ec6ee_vulnerability_intro.mp3

Matt and Alan begin a new series as they explore a healthy culture of vulnerability within a gospel community.Vulnerability is a must. But so too is how we respond to the vulnerability of others. Vulnerability involves risk. It’s a privilege when someone entrusts their sin and suffering to us. If we don’t listen well, or if we respond carelessly, we make vulnerability harder for each other.When people talk to you about what’s hard, when they open up about hurts, we should treat it with great care. And the truth is, this doesn’t come naturally to many of us. We’re not naturally great listeners. We don’t naturally treat the vulnerability of others with care.Our hope is that this series will show us how our poor listening can discourage vulnerability, and how growing in love through listening can create a culture where it is safe to be known.

88. Vulnerability (Intro)

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Matt and Alan finish up the series on why we gather9. It Proclaims Christ10. It Points Forward

87. Why We Gather (Part 4)

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Matt and Alan continue the series on why the church gathers.7. It Allows Pastors to Shepherd8. It Encourages Pastors

86. Why We Gather (Part 3)

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Matt and Alan continue the short series covering why the church gathers together. This time they cover reasons 4-6.<ul><li>It&#39;s the Early Church Model</li><li>It&#39;s What We Need</li><li>It Blesses Our Church Family</li></ul>

85. Why We Gather (Part 2)

https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/pod-public-media-files/2025/8/21/10/af2fb54c-17ae-4f15-8628-b998d2a80533_why_we_gather__part_1_.mp3

In a world of livestreamed services, podcasts, and endless digital connection, it’s easy to wonder: Does gathering with God’s people still matter?Join us as we explore why the church gathers, and why it’s still as life-giving, beautiful, and essential as ever.Over three episodes, we’ll unpack ten biblical reasons for gathering: who we are, what Christ died for, what God commands, and how coming together blesses, shapes, and prepares us for eternity.Whether you’re new to church or have been faithfully attending for years, this series will help you see Sunday not as a duty, but as a joyful gift.Let’s rediscover together why gathering truly matters.

84. Why We Gather (Part 1)

A baldy American pastor and a baldy Irish pastor walk into a church building...no this isn't the opening line of a joke. This is every week at Blurton Baptist, Stoke on Trent. Matt and Alan get together to discuss how the gospel impacts every part of life.