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Formation with John Ortberg

Become New
Holy Spirit
Spiritual Formation
Center For Christianity and Public Life
Gary Hamel
Old Testament
Leadership
Workplace

Formation is a podcast for leaders, seekers, and lifelong learners at the intersection of theology, psychology, and lived wisdom. Hosted by John Ortberg, PhD, each episode explores the science and soul of spiritual flourishing: what shapes us, what changes us, and what it means to be fully human. Topics include:- Spiritual formation- Contemplative practice- The psychology of transformation and hab... more

PublishesTwice monthlyEpisodes12Founded5 months ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Religion & SpiritualityArts

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Artwork for Formation

Latest Episodes

What happens when the person managing everyone else's anxiety is the most anxious one in the room?

Steve Cuss joins John for a conversation that starts in a childhood home in Western Australia and ends up inside the emotional wiring of every leader,... more

Since Formation launched, we've talked about giving our listeners the chance to have their questions answered by John. This is that episode. No guest this time, just John and Creative Director, Jackson, working through the questions you sent in when ... more

About the Guest

Kara Powell leads the Fuller Youth Institute as its Executive Director, where for more than twenty years her team has tracked how young people are changing across three generational cohorts, from Millennials to Gen Z to Gen Alpha. Sh... more

In this episode of Formation, John Ortberg sits down with Carey Nieuwhof to talk leadership, fame, faith, and what it means for the church to stay human as the world turns synthetic.

Carey Nieuwhof has spent the last decade in a chair few people occ... more

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Recent Guests

Jay Kim
Pastor, prolific author, Fuller Seminary graduate
WestGate Church / Fuller Seminary
Episode: 006. A Silicon Valley Pastor on the Spiritual Cost of a Distracted Life ft. Jay Kim
Gary Hamel
Visiting professor and renowned business thinker on management, strategy, and leadership
London Business School (visiting professor); Hamel is an author and thinker on business strategy and leadership
Episode: 005. The Hidden Spiritual Cost of How We Work ft. Gary Hamel
Michael Wear
Founder, executive director, CEO of Center for Christianity and Public Life
Center for Christianity and Public Life
Episode: 004. How Politics Shapes Our Spiritual Formation ft. Michael Wear
Gary Haugen
Founder and CEO of International Justice Mission
International Justice Mission (IJM)
Episode: 003. Facing Humanity's Hidden Capacity for Evil ft. Gary Haugen
Tremper Longman III
Old Testament scholar, author, and co-author of works on reading the Old Testament
Westmont College (former faculty), The Story of God Commentary Series (editorial work)
Episode: 002. How to Read the Old Testament (and Still Have Faith) ft. Tremper Longman
Tyler Staton
Lead pastor at Bridgetown Church; author and speaker
Bridgetown Church
Episode: 001. How God Gets Our Attention and the Pace of Formation ft. Tyler Staton

Host

John Ortberg
Host of the podcast, guiding conversations with a focus on formation, spirituality, and leadership.

Reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars from 190 ratings
  • Exceptional, engaging conversations

    I feel like the Formation podcast is the best of what podcasting should be about: thoughtful, highly engaging important long form conversations. And John is an incredible conversation partner.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    stevecuss
    United Statesa month ago
  • Brilliant &Thoughtful

    I started following John on Wednesday evenings on Chicago. I really enjoy when he leans into teaching. I learned how to develop a personal relationship with Jesus through John’s well balanced teaching.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    kmaggard1
    United States2 months ago
  • God’s Work

    I started following John and his team on YouTube earlier this year, and have enjoyed every episode, and I can truly say I have grown in my walk with Jesus. When I heard John and Tim talk about Formation, I knew I was all in on following this podcast. I have been regularly listening and I was all caught up on episodes when the Joni Tada broadcast dropped. So now I am all caught up, and waiting patiently for the next show. Thank you John, Tim, Bucky, and the whole team for Become New and Formation... more

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    David Following Jesus
    United States2 months ago
  • Fruit of a lifelong process

    I want to send the first episode to everyone I love. Ortberg is answering every question we were too afraid to ask. This podcast is the perfect addition to Become New and the ministry of prayer and contemplation that has blessed so many of us.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Rachel Shoshana
    United States4 months ago
  • The Kingdom is present in this podcast

    I have a deep appreciation for John Ortberg and this podcast is certainly a great reason why. Wisdom is obtained through learned experience and that is apparent in this show. I’m excited to see this continue and will certainly keep listening.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    JakeFox74
    United States4 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Many describe the host and guests as authentic, compassionate, and insightful, often noting transformation and growth after episodes
Fans highlight practical spiritual guidance and real-world applicability in personal and professional life
Listeners praise the long-form, thoughtful conversations that feel both intimate and intellectually rigorous

Chart Rankings

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Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

002. How to Read the Old Testament (and Still Have Faith) ft. Tremper Longman
Q: What is the role of the New Testament in understanding the Old Testament's portrayal of God as a warrior?
The New Testament expands the warrior language to show a culminating victory through Jesus, whose crucifixion redefines how evil is defeated—through self-giving love rather than violence.
002. How to Read the Old Testament (and Still Have Faith) ft. Tremper Longman
Q: How should a thoughtful reader approach the opening chapters of Genesis in relation to science?
Read Genesis 1–11 as a backdrop to the Abrahamic call, not as a literal science text, and look for signals that the genre is myth-like in conveying truth about God's character and human identity, while letting science speak through the 'big book' of nature.
Your Chance to Ask John a Question
Q: How can listeners submit a question for a future episode?
Listeners are invited to leave an honest review and email their question to connect@becomenew.com for a chance to have John Ortberg answer it on an upcoming episode.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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Frequently Asked Questions About Formation

What is Formation about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A deep exploration of spiritual formation at the intersection of theology, psychology, and everyday leadership. Conversations center on practical practices for attention, presence, and transformation, often weaving personal stories with wide-ranging guests from theology, business, public life, and social impact. The show blends contemplative discipline with real-world applications—leadership, ethics, and resilience—focusing on how faith informs meaning, work, and humane organizational culture. A notable strength is long-form, thoughtful dialogue that bridges ancient wisdom and modern science, offering listeners actionable steps for growth and leadership with humility and grace.

Where can I find podcast stats for Formation?

Rephonic provides a wide range of podcast stats for Formation. We scanned the web and collated all of the information that we could find in our comprehensive podcast database. See how many people listen to Formation and access YouTube viewership numbers, download stats, audience demographics, chart rankings, ratings, reviews and more.

How many listeners does Formation get?

Rephonic provides a full set of podcast information for four million podcasts, including the number of listeners. View further listenership figures for Formation, including podcast download numbers and subscriber numbers, so you can make better decisions about which podcasts to sponsor or be a guest on. You will need to upgrade your account to access this premium data.

What are the audience demographics for Formation?

Rephonic provides comprehensive predictive audience data for Formation, including gender skew, age, country, political leaning, income, professions, education level, and interests. You can access these listener demographics by upgrading your account.

How many subscribers and views does Formation have?

To see how many followers or subscribers Formation has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to Formation?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Formation:

1. Become New with John Ortberg
2. The Contemplative Pastor
3. Practicing the Way with John Mark Comer
4. The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast
5. Bridgetown Audio Podcast

How many episodes of Formation are there?

Formation launched 5 months ago and published 12 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact Formation?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

Where can I see ratings and reviews for Formation?

Rephonic pulls ratings and reviews for Formation from multiple sources, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Castbox, and Podcast Addict.

View all the reviews in one place instead of visiting each platform individually and use this information to decide if a show is worth pitching or not.

How do I access podcast episode transcripts for Formation?

Rephonic provides full transcripts for episodes of Formation. Search within each transcript for your keywords, whether they be topics, brands or people, and figure out if it's worth pitching as a guest or sponsor. You can even set-up alerts to get notified when your keywords are mentioned.

What guests have appeared on Formation?

Recent guests on Formation include:

1. Jay Kim
2. Gary Hamel
3. Michael Wear
4. Gary Haugen
5. Tremper Longman III
6. Tyler Staton

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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