You Tube Theology

Derek Rishmawy and Alastair Roberts host Jake Meador for a wide-ranging conversation on why evangelical institutions struggle with leadership transitions and long-term succession. They explore how evangelicalism's emphasis on discontinuity, charismatic personality-driven leadership, and brand-over-institution thinking undermines durability. The discussion touches on the boomer generational bottleneck, the producer-consumer framework shaped by technology, and what healthier models—like RTS or long-tenured churches—might teach us about building things that outlast their founders.

—

Mere Fidelity is a podcast from Mere Orthodoxy and is listener-supported. If you would like to support this work, become a Mere Orthodoxy Member today at http://mereorthodoxy.com/membership.

Get 30% of the Baker Book of the Month, R30 Key Moments in the History of Christianity: Inspiring True Stories from the Early Church Around the World, by going to: http://bakerbookhouse.com/pages/mere-fidelity

Apply for a full-tuition scholarship for Beeson Divinity School's M.Div program that begins Fall 2026 here: https://bit.ly/beesonscholarships

—

Chapters

• 00:00 – Introduction & Framing the Problem

• 02:48 – Evangelicalism's Built-In Bias Toward Discontinuity

• 06:34 – Charisma, Personality, and the Exoskeleton Problem

• 08:46 – Brands vs. Institutions

• 11:22 – RTS as a Positive Case Study

• 15:24 – Market Forces and Media Adaptability

• 17:33 – Long-Tenured Churches and the Mold vs. Platform Distinction

• 24:18 – The Boomer Generational Cliff

• 30:16 – Carson, Piper, Keller, and Golden Age Expectations

• 39:23 – Evangelical Anxiety About Institutional Betrayal

• 43:31 – Technology, Formation, and the Performing Self

• 51:26 – Birth Rates, Legacy, and Thinking About Succession