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Ep. 162: Mike Cosper On “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill”

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On today’s mid-week “Extra” episode I’m pleased to have on the program Mike Cosper, the producer and host of the podcast phenomenon “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill.” By virtually any measure, “The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” has set a new standard for podcasters in the Christian world. Its episodes have had more than 14-million downloads, frequently ranking at the top of the charts on Stitcher and iTunes. But perhaps more importantly, the podcast has truly moved the needle regarding how Christians relate to megachurches, platform-building, and what I have been calling the “Evangelical Industrial Complex.”

Mike Cosper is a former pastor. He spent 16 years as one of the executive pastors at Sojourn Church, watching it grow from 12 people in an apartment to 4,000 people in four locations across the city of Louisville. In 2016, he started Narrativo, a company that serves individuals and brands by developing longform podcasts. In 2020, he joined the staff at Christianity Today to further develop their podcast network.

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The producers for today’s program are Rich Roszel and Ben Warwick. We get database and other technical support from Cathy Goddard, Stephen DuBarry, Emily Kern, and Casey Sudduth.

I’m Warren Smith, and – until next time – May God bless you.

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Warren Cole Smith

Warren previously served as Vice President of WORLD News Group, publisher of WORLD Magazine, and Vice President of The Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He has more than 30 years of experience as a writer, editor, marketing professional, and entrepreneur. Before launching a career in Christian journalism 25 years ago, Smith spent more than seven years as the Marketing Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

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