Experiencing Scripture Like Dallas Willard, with Dave Ripper (Ep 120)

"We must read scripture for the ultimate purpose of encountering God ourselves." (Dallas Willard)

January 22, 2026

by Karl Vaters

Don’t we all desire to read, meditate, and teach from the Bible in a richer, deeper way? That’s the basis of my conversation with Dave Ripper.

Dave is the lead pastor of Crossway Christian Church, a multicongregational church in southern New Hampshire, focused on spiritual formation. He’s also the author of Experiencing Scripture as a Disciple of Jesus: Reading the Bible like Dallas Willard.

Dave and I explore who Dallas Willard was, and what his way of reading the Bible can do for us, including:

How to let God speak to the church instead imposing your ideas into the text or onto the congregation
Willard’s four steps on how to read the Bible
A five-step outline for meditating on a text
The IMMERSE method
Preaching out of the overflow

And more.

BONUS CONTENT

Three Warnings from Dallas Willard about How Not to Read the Bible, with Dave Ripper

In this subscriber-only bonus material, I talk with Dave Ripper about why Bible readers should avoid the following:

Bible roulette
The “It’s all in the Bible” View
Bible deism

Bonus Content for this and other episodes is available on our YouTube channel for financial partners and newsletter subscribers. Click either button to get started.

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Credits

Producer: Veronica Beaver

Editor: Phil Vaters

Music: Composed and performed by Jack Wilkins

Logo: by Solomon Joy

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Author

Karl Vaters

Karl Vaters produces resources for Helping Small Churches Thrive at KarlVaters.com.

He's the author of five books on church leadership, including his newest, De-Sizing the Church: How Church Growth Became a Science, Then an Obsession, and What's Next. His other books include The Grasshopper Myth and Small Church Essentials.

Karl also hosts a bi-weekly podcast, The Church Lobby: Conversations on Faith & Ministry, featuring in-depth interviews about topics that concern pastors, especially those who minister in a small church context. He has served in small-church ministry for over 40 years, so he speaks and writes from decades of hands-on pastoral experience.

You can follow Karl on Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, and LinkedIn, or Contact Karl to inquire about speaking, writing, and consultation.

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