South Hill Podcast Echoes Past the Pulpit
South Hill Church has found a new way to share messages that resonate with members of their community.
By Isaac Meythaler
Upper Columbia Conference communications coordinator
Stephen Carlile and John Roney, South Hill Church pastors, started a podcast in September 2024 to “explore how God’s grace and love echo through our lives.”
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The South Hill Echoes podcast features interviews with members of the church community as well as discussions diving deeper into the Bible in a conversational setting between co-hosts Carlile and Roney. New episodes are released each week and are typically around 25 minutes long.
The podcast is a new avenue to connect with members of the community throughout the week. Outside the time spent together during worship services and church events, the podcast lets members get to know their pastors better, as well as fellow church members, at whatever time they can fit into their schedule.
The podcast has been well received by South Hill Church members according to Carlile. “It’s a great conversation starter,” he said.
While the podcast focuses on South Hill Church and its members, it also reaches outside the church.
“We’re trying to be inclusive,” said Carlile. “We’re interviewing our church family, but we are thinking of an outward audience as well and trying to give context into the Adventist Church.”
The first two episodes of the podcast expounded on recent sermons, which covered the first three chapters of Ephesians, delving into topics such as the assurance of salvation, how to forgive after being hurt and the importance of prioritizing inward transformation rather than a focus on outward behavior.
A podcast allows for in-depth discussions on topics that are more difficult to apply. “Taking a sermon and going deeper into the spiritual aspect of people’s lives is the overall goal of the podcast while connecting with our audience,” said Carlile.
The format of the podcast also comes with added accessibility for community members who are unable to attend in-person services but still wish to remain connected with their church family.
Podcasting is nothing new for Carlile, who previously recorded his own podcast, The Pastor Stephen Podcast, for more than two years. When Carlile joined South Hill Church, he said, "There was immediate interest and support for having a podcast. The church leaders asked what all I needed to get a podcast up and going, and we got to work right away.”
If you’d like to hear more for yourself, South Hill Echoes can be found online at substack.com/@southhillchurch
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