Very fun episode today! We are literally… switching things up. Inside Redemption’s very own host is instead the guest today. Luke Simmons is being interviewed by Aaron Dailey (Redemption Alhambra). Luke is the Lead Pastor of Redemption Gateway. He also wears a few hats in helping to lead Redemption Arizona.

So much of Redemption’s culture is bred from genuine friendships between leaders - and that’s exactly what you’ll hear in this interview. Also happens to be one our funniest episodes yet.

During this episode we talk about:

• his family, upbringing, and church background
• meeting Tyler Johnson in high school
• coming to faith in Jesus
• the significant role sports played in his life, faith, and family
• the transition from pursuing professional baseball to working in ministry
• his wife, Molly, and their four kids - and his favorite things about them
• being a part of East Valley Bible Church (now Redemption Gilbert) and their Training Center
• planting Second Mile (now Redemption Gateway)
• the beginning of Redemption Church Arizona
• his favorite things about Redemption Gateway
• why are we doing “this Redemption thing”? why are we better together?

Today we’re joined by the Redemption Arcadia Worship Team:

Tyler Thompson (Pastor of Communities and Worship)

Caleb Wiseman (Worship Director)

Malia Rodgers (Worship Director)

In August 2021, the worship staff from Redemption Arcadia began writing songs together. Through this process Arcadia Worship was formed as they experienced the Lord moving in these songs even as they were being written and recorded.

Their debut album will release this year and is intended to capture what God has done specifically at Redemption Arcadia through this season. You can find their first singles on Spotify or Apple.

During this episode we talk about:

• tensions between contemporary worship music and church traditions around music
• the beauty of differences on worship team
• different ways to gauge a “successful” Sunday when it comes to worship
• what makes a good song?
• the process of writing a good song
• should worship music sound like the popular music in culture?

Today we’re talking to Josh Watt, the Lead Pastor of Redemption North Mountain. Watt was the Next Generation pastor at Redemption Gateway and planted Redemption North Mountain which launched January 2021.

During this episode we talk about:

• growing up in Arizona
• the spiritual temperature of his childhood home
• finding out he’s adopted and being told the Gospel by his birth mom
• how his parents’ divorce shaped him
• Grand Canyon University, Baylor University and being a teacher
• meeting his wife, Aubrey, at college group at Redemption Gilbert (formerly East Valley Bible Church)
• his transition from being a math teacher to a pastor including moving from Texas back to Arizona
• leading students at Redemption Gateway and somehow convincing new volunteers to commit to student ministry for seven years
• starting the process of planting the next Redemption congregation
• how the decision to plant in North Phoenix came to be
• planting a church at the start of the 2020 pandemic
• what has been hard, surprising and good about church planting