The Alisa Childers/Josh Howerton Debate: Who’s Right About Leadership?
Roys Report
14,244 views
After hearing pastors Josh Howerton and Josh McPherson claim on a podcast that their job is to “govern, not pastor” — and that accountability makes them “nervous” — podcaster Alisa Childers, took them to task.
Childers claimed the men had expressed a “defining feature of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)” — that the pastor, or “apostle,” hears directly from God and then directs the church.
Then she warned: “Friends, if you are in a church that is led this way, you are in a very spiritually dangerous situation.”
In response, Howerton claimed Childers took him out of context. And his buddy, Mercy Culture Church Pastor Landon Schott, said anyone who doesn’t like Howerton is “evil” and “religious scum.”
On this podcast, Lance Ford and Julie Roys examine what Howerton and McPherson communicated in the full context of their podcast.
Did Childers simply misunderstand their leadership model? Or did she understand correctly? And is the model dangerous?
This program was released on October 2, 2026, as a transcript and audio podcast:
https://roysreport.com/podcast/here-t...
THE ROYS REPORT is a media outlet dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. If you value this podcast, please consider financially supporting this ministry at: https://www.roysreport.com/donate
Chapters:
0:00 - The Church Leadership Controversy
2:27 - Were the Clips Taken Out of Context?
3:47 - Alisa Childers Challenges the Model
6:38 - Josh Howerton Responds
10:17 - Building a “Wartime” Church Board
12:28 - Are Church Boards a Threat?
15:14 - Church Unity or Forced Conformity?
20:38 - Dismissing Critics as Online Mobs
27:12 - The “You Weren’t in the Room” Defense
32:59 - Who Hears From God?
39:30 - Shared Discernment or Rubber Stamp?
44:44 - “Govern, Not Pastor”: Is It Biblical?
47:46 - When Accountability Becomes a Threat
54:20 - Does God Anoint a Man or a Body?
56:28 - Should Churches Be Run Like Businesses?
1:00:46 - Can Church Governance Lack Compassion?
1:04:18 - When “Mob-Proof” Means Survivor-Proof
1:08:43 - Who Gets to Critique the Pastor?
1:12:30 - What the Full Context Reveals
1:14:32 - Public Teaching Needs Public Scrutiny
1:15:41 - Beyond the NAR Label
1:17:18 - Jesus’ Model of Church Leadership
1:22:24 - Support The Roys Report
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Credits: Music:
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ASLC-50418967-FEE3F643AD for "Dark Cinematic Bass"
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The Alisa Childers/Josh Howerton Debate: Who’s Right About Leadership?
Roys Report
14,244 views
After hearing pastors Josh Howerton and Josh McPherson claim on a podcast that their job is to “govern, not pastor” — and that accountability makes them “nervous” — podcaster Alisa Childers, took them to task.
Childers claimed the men had expressed a “defining feature of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR)” — that the pastor, or “apostle,” hears directly from God and then directs the church.
Then she warned: “Friends, if you are in a church that is led this way, you are in a very spiritually dangerous situation.”
In response, Howerton claimed Childers took him out of context. And his buddy, Mercy Culture Church Pastor Landon Schott, said anyone who doesn’t like Howerton is “evil” and “religious scum.”
On this podcast, Lance Ford and Julie Roys examine what Howerton and McPherson communicated in the full context of their podcast.
Did Childers simply misunderstand their leadership model? Or did she understand correctly? And is the model dangerous?
This program was released on October 2, 2026, as a transcript and audio podcast:
https://roysreport.com/podcast/here-t...
THE ROYS REPORT is a media outlet dedicated to reporting the truth and restoring the church. If you value this podcast, please consider financially supporting this ministry at: https://www.roysreport.com/donate
Chapters:
0:00 - The Church Leadership Controversy
2:27 - Were the Clips Taken Out of Context?
3:47 - Alisa Childers Challenges the Model
6:38 - Josh Howerton Responds
10:17 - Building a “Wartime” Church Board
12:28 - Are Church Boards a Threat?
15:14 - Church Unity or Forced Conformity?
20:38 - Dismissing Critics as Online Mobs
27:12 - The “You Weren’t in the Room” Defense
32:59 - Who Hears From God?
39:30 - Shared Discernment or Rubber Stamp?
44:44 - “Govern, Not Pastor”: Is It Biblical?
47:46 - When Accountability Becomes a Threat
54:20 - Does God Anoint a Man or a Body?
56:28 - Should Churches Be Run Like Businesses?
1:00:46 - Can Church Governance Lack Compassion?
1:04:18 - When “Mob-Proof” Means Survivor-Proof
1:08:43 - Who Gets to Critique the Pastor?
1:12:30 - What the Full Context Reveals
1:14:32 - Public Teaching Needs Public Scrutiny
1:15:41 - Beyond the NAR Label
1:17:18 - Jesus’ Model of Church Leadership
1:22:24 - Support The Roys Report
VISIT ONLINE -
https://www.roysreport.com
FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM -
/ reachjulieroys
LIKE ON FACEBOOK -
/ reachjulieroys
FOLLOW ON X -
/ reachjulieroys
FOLLOW ON THREADS -
@reachjulieroys
#roysreport #churchaccountability
Credits: Music:
LICENSING INFO:
ASLC-50418967-FEE3F643AD for "Dark Cinematic Bass"
https://roysreport.com/tag/josh-howerton/
https://roysreport.com/tag/josh-mcpherson/
https://roysreport.com/tag/new-apostolic-reformation/