The host has a good sense of what to talk about.

Excellent podcast. Very dense subjects are made digestible and fun. Love the faithfulness to such daunting project. Really needed especially in since we as a body of Christ are facing a multitude of modern hearses.

I love the short digestible sessions. Lance has an engaging tone and it is clear and well produced. It helps that I enjoy all things history and love the church. There is so much to learn about ourselves as we learn about where we’ve come from. Thank you for this great work.

I was a religion major in college and a theology major in seminary. However, I have never heard a clearer explanation of church history than this podcast. It is thorough in its review of what is going on in society’s background, as well as explaining its impact on both church and society. In addition, this podcast is presented in just the perfect time segments, so you don’t get overwhelmed with too many facts and dates and people (a problem in college AND seminary). Kudos to an excellent podcast!

The history of the church is everyone’s history. It shaped culture and the world. No matter Protestant, Roman Catholic, or orthodox- or even if you don’t worship, this podcast has information for you.

I have totally enjoyed listening to the first 60 or so episodes of The History of the Christian Church. I appreciate all of the hours of study and hours of writing a text so that I can be read during your podcast. I personally enjoy hearing of the challenges, victories and even the failures of the history of the church of the last two millennia. There are always lessons to be learned and things to be avoided I appreciate your good and balanced sense of humor when it comes to certain things that just don’t make sense in the history of the Christian church and I also really appreciate your ministry as a pastor as well since I am also a pastor now in my 28th year. I plan to listen to the rest of the episodes over the next few months and just want you to know that you are very much appreciated for your labors, insights, wisdom and time that you took to present this very helpful and needed understanding of Church History. May God continue to bless you, your family and your ministry as we serve him for the glory of the Lord Jesus whom we love and who will be returning for us.

Loved the series and suggested it to multiple people.

What better way to learn about the history of the Church than hearing about our brothers and sisters in that great cloud of witnesses surrounding us. From the very first episode, I felt inspired to lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares me, and to run with endurance the race that is set before me ‭‭(Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬), knowing that the course was run before by our brothers and sisters who prayed for our salvation and died faithful to our Lord and Savior.

I listened to all the episodes in the series. It was very well spoken insights into how the church was formed. I found him impartial in his analysis of all the groups that have fed into our long history.

I’m a Protestant. I get the feeling though that he is defending Montanists and other cults in order to show that the church was never unified and thus defend Protestantism.

Wonderful summary (over many episodes) of the history of the church. Easy to listen to and very applicable. It’s amazing how God has guided the church throughout history. This podcast is a testimony to God’s faithfulness!

This podcast does a great job with it’s stated purpose - to give a flyby overview of church history with enough detail to encourage further branching points for further self-exploration.

I have been looking for a podcast that talks about then history of the church and Lance Rolsty dose that. The podcast starts with Paul and Peter and goes through all of church history, the good, the bad and everything in between.

This is very helpful with my Christian history text book. The very podcast I’ve been looking for to understand the history of the church and how it grew with all the pains and reality of flawed people serving a Holy God.

Perfect Balance of brevity and thoroughness.

If you’ve ever wondered if church history is worth knowing and why it might be, this is just the podcast for you! It’s a valuable resource for those of us who want to know the history of the church and how it relates or impacts what we know of the church today without wading through weighty written tomes on church and world history. And by church, I mean the church worldwide connected to our local church body. Lance does a great job of giving us a clear, concise yet comprehensive insight into early church history. He also keeps me from nodding off to sleep with his timeline reviews of what’s been covered and what is to come in later episodes. Lance, a veteran pastor of a church, also gives welcomed pastoral insights that integrate history, theology, and how it all connects and influences churches and culture today. I highly recommend this series of podcasts and would feature this in a basic overview of church history for any church-based school of ministry or equipping of leaders. Lance gives much more than historical and biographical information—he gives us insight to the value of knowing the history of the church we see today.

Love the simple way he explains complicated church history

Boring, but very informative. Does a really good job of conveying church history. Not too biased either which is good to have a good picture of church history. Highly recommend especially if want to learn about church history, not a ton out there about it especially like this resource unless you want to read forever.

The main narrative series is excellent and I recommend it wholeheartedly. However, season 2 is heavy on editorializing and opinion. The episodes arguing in favor of right-wing economics and creationism are filled with appalling errors and strawmen. Avoid these and stick to the chronological series and you’ve got a 5 star pod on par with The History of Rome.

I’m a history buff and devout Christ-follower. This is a wonderful marriage of 2 favorite things.

As a lay-leader in my local church with some light teaching responsibility this podcast has been extremely helpful. Not only is it interesting but the early episodes in particular help to frame the epistles and specific issues Paul and the other Apostles may have been addressing.

Very informative. Sometimes that facts are wrong, but mostly solid.

Wonderful. Thank you. I Will listen to this continuously over and over. It is a pleasure to review Church history so intelligently done. Thank you.

Thank you for this, i am thoroughly enjoying these easy to digest podcasts.

I love the history of my faith. It’s been filling in many of the gaps for me. Thank you for your work pastor.

I would not thought I would find myself in such agreement with a California metropolitan. Thanks for the episode on Calvin, it was and very informative and not at all what I expected. I thought it was without bias.

It is so important that Christian’s today know and understand the history of their faith and how it has developed over the centuries. As a Catholic religious studies scholar I love this podcast as it presents great content and discussion. It is presented from a nonjudgmental perspective and explained in a way that won’t leave the average Christian’s head spinning.

I had been wanting to dive into church history for awhile (how did this doctrine come to be? Or that tradition?), and 70 episodes in, this podcast has thoroughly satisfied my curiosities. Easily digestible, almost always interesting, and great narration. Thanks, Lance!

I listen to this on my way to and from work. I would never get the chance to dive into this much history without this podcast. Thanks so much for all your hard work. I hope this stays around for years to come hopefully teaching younger and younger generations. I do wish however that the audio was better. Some episodes I have to turn it all the way up and I still barely hear it. Other episodes are better, but I still have to turn the volume up high.

Pastor Ralston tries to be objective, and his podcast is rich in facts of history. That’s why I’m giving him 2 stars instead of 1. Unfortunately, Ralston can’t rid himself of his Protestant/evangelical glasses, which color almost everything he says. That in and of itself would not be such a harsh condemnation - most podcasts about church history will be biased to some degree. But Ralston’s background rears its head in ways so flagrant, it will cause anyone with a passing knowledge of the Catholic Church to cringe. Sometimes this involves passing off a disputed theological point as fact, or framing controversial interpretations about the Church fathers as history. Sometimes it involves misrepresenting the arguments of a theologian like Thomas Aquinas, or attributing malicious motives to a figure from Church history without addressing the full context of their actions, or their own theological self-understanding. Either way there’s an obvious slant through and through.

I was in search of this exact sort of podcast, and I’ve found it! Short, succinct, easy to listen to, and very informative. Thanks for your work.

Love it

Wow, indeed, listened today to Ambrose and Augustine, and the notes were so useful! I’m very happy I found this podcast! Keep up the good work. The notes help me because if I miss a section of narrative- I can easily pick it back up. This is manna from Heaven.

This is fantastic. It's short enough to listen to in one sitting, but still super informative. I've never heard church history taught in such a compelling way. I am sending this to all my friends.

I am learning so much from this podcast. It’s also in an easily digestible and enjoyable format. Thanks so much!

This podcast is awesome; well put together, articulated well, and organized in a way that is interesting and thus memorable. Thank you so much for your work, and God bless.

I found this podcast to be very enlightening and informative on the subject of our Lord’s ecclesia. Regardless of denomination I believe one could appreciate this podcast. My heart sunk when I reached the final 150th podcast and yearned for more. Thank you sir for the time and effort you put into this!

So Glad to have found this podcast! I will definitely be recommending it!

I’m addicted to this podcast. It’s very informative, easy to listen to and just done very well in general.

I happened on the series by chance; no, by divine intervention. I’m a bit of a history nut so the series hooked me immediately. Pastor Ralston’s knowledge of history is amazing and his simple, clear presentation is admirable. I’m sharing my learnings with my various family and social groups. Episode 111-120 were amazing.

It's too bad we can't reply to reviews. roftt was offended by my referring to Native Americans as "Indians" in one of the episodes. Apparently he is unaware many Native Americans take offense at THAT label. They prefer to be called "Indians." Please see the book 1491 by Charles Mann for confirmation of this.

There are many books on church history (and many really great ones). There are many podcasts on history (and some really great ones). As a disciple of Jesus, this podcast continues to appeal to me because the content is served up in way that’s easy to digest—regardless of religious, academic, or denominational background. Each episode is brief enough to listen to while doing odd jobs around the house. I sought out this content because of my lack of knowledge—and therefore appreciation—of how we arrived at the Christian traditions and practices we observe in churches today. Lance’s efforts here have far exceeded my expectations.

I have listened to the majority of this podcast, however in a very random order. I’m listening to episode 105 today and he is actually calling Native Americans, “Indians”. Like this is not 1804. Correct yourself. You need to take down this episode and re-record it. This is not ok. I would have given this podcast 5 stars if not for the disgusting and ignorant way this man is speaking in “Westward-Ho!”

I started listening, one, because of a love and fascination with history as a whole. Also, because of the shortness of each podcast. As I listened, however, I found myself wishing they were longer because I was drawn into each bite of church history. They are incredible and in-depth without getting too far over the average listener. I am enjoying it thoroughly. Thank you for taking the time and effort to put this series/podcast together. I’ve found it to be very enriching.

I strongly recommend this series. I just discovered it recently, as a suggestion based on my other podcasts (Christian History Almanac from 1517.org and 5 Minutes in Church History from Ligonier; simultaneously discovered Luther in Real Time from Ligonier...also great). Excellent, helpful, and entertaining. Bonus that Ralston refers to Wolverine and the X-Men in his discussion of Origen! 😂🤔😎

Great history for the lay person with an interest in history. Very balance even if written by a Evangelical there is not much for a Catholic or Orthodox to complain about. Cast average between 10 and 20 minutes each so I can walk my dog an hear 2 or 3 episodes per walk. I live in Anniston Al. Born RC ( my father was an alter boy) my mother was a Methodist, first Southern, then Methodist then United Methodist without changing home church. I was raised RC (in Latin days) became a UMC when I married!, then Church of God (not Anderson), for the last 20 years a Congressional Methodist (Wesleyan, conservative, Evangelical, southern) Love this podcast

They say all good things must come to an end. But must they? I found this podcast after it had ended, but I wish that weren’t the case in that I wish it was still continuing. I could argue that church history would be difficult to exhaust. There is always something new to discover and understand. And Pastor Ralston has the most amazing way of presenting it - clear, concise, easily digestible and comprehensible with a touch of humor. It truly does shine a whole new light on the Christian faith when you take time to understand its history through the eyes of those actually living it. For those who struggle with humility as I do, learning just what it took for us to have the Gospel passed down to us today is a great way to set you straight. It’s definitely helped me. And knowing where you came from is vital to knowing where you’re going and to keep you from returning from whence you came. Thank you, Pastor Ralston, for your dedication and devotion to our Lord and Savior in so many ways, including through this podcast. I truly wish it hadn’t had to end. I have no doubt you had much more to share, but I will be taking you up on your offer to begin listening to your sermons and teachings at Calvary Chapel Oxnard. I’m sure the blessings will continue to flow from a Christian history perspective and we’ll beyond. For those interested in history of the Christian church, especially a concise one yet loaded with important and often surprising information, you won’t find a better source than the Communio Sanctorum podcast. I’m certain I will be listening to this podcast and reading the transcripts on the webpage hundreds of times in the years to come. Thank you for keeping them available even though you aren’t doing any new ones.

Sir, I wish I had known about this podcast when I was doing my degree, Biblical and Theological Studies, at Liberty University. You present short precise lectures on church history. Thank you for your research and presentations. Bless you Brother.

Great podcast for general information about the Church!

Thank you SO much for making these excellent history lessons available to us, Lance Ralston