Church and Main

Episode 147: Happy Pride!

There is a slew of new interviews coming down the pike, but in the meantime, I want to share this episode as LGBTQ Pride Month comes to a close. What does Pride mean? Pride is considered one of the seven deadly sins, so what does it mean to be proud of being LGBTQ?In what was originally a Vespers video from 2022, I shared what I’ve learned and shared an encounter from my own life where God filled me with a sense of pride by knowing I was loved for who I was as a man.Interview episodes are coming this week. Stay tuned!Leave a One-Time Donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dennislsandersTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHgljThis podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks! Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

The Spirit-Filled Institution with Juan Sarmiento | Episode 146

Mainline Protestant churches haven’t always done a good job of focusing on the role the Holy Spirit plays in the life of our churches and that’s a shame because the Holy Spirit is what makes church more than just a social club that meets on Sunday mornings.  In this episode, I am honored to have Juan Sarmiento as my guest.  A native of Venezuela and ordained in Brazil, Juan is the Executive Presbytery of the Presbytery of San Fernando, a Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (USA) located in the Northwest of the Los Angeles metro area.  We talk about the role of the Spirit in the life of the church, the new churches taking root in his Presbytery, and the importance of the church as an institution, especially in this time of polarization.What Does Denominational Decline Look Like?- by Ryan BurgeSan Fernando Presbytery websiteLeave a One-Time Donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dennislsandersTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHgljThis podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks! Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 145: The Frustrations of a Small Church Pastor

Here is the second of two solo episodes out this week. Filmed last week at the end of a very strange day, Dennis reflects on being the pastor of a small church and why these churches matter, especially in Mainline Protestantism.A new interview episode should be available this coming Monday or Tuesday. Stay tuned!Why Small Churches Matter (original video version)At the Intersection Video SeriesLeave a One-Time Donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dennislsandersTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHgljThis podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks! Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 144: How To Disagree and Still Be Friends

Hello, this is Dennis Sanders. I’ve been on a holding pattern with some potential guests. The interviews should be on the way soon, but in the meantime, I’m sharing the first of two videos I make for my weekly At the Intersection videos. In this first video, I talk about Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene who called for a "national divorce" a few months ago. I remember when two women showed a more excellent way to handle disagreements.How to Disagree and Still Be Friends- the videoAt the Intersection Video SeriesLeave a One-Time Donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dennislsandersTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHgljThis podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks! Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Giving Up the Stigma of Mental Illness with Seth Perry | Episode 143

In this episode, we talk with Pastor Seth Perry, the pastor of Elim Lutheran Church in Scandia, MN. During Lent when people give up certain things for the season, Seth is asking the church to “give up the stigma” of mental illness.Seth talks about living with bipolar disorder, the importance of being honest about mental illness in the church, and mental health care in the United States and his native Canada.Show notes:Giving Up the Stigma- local newspaper article on Seth’s journeySeth’s YouTube Channel Give Up the Stigma: Seth’s campaign to foster discussion of mental illness in the churchNAMI -National Alliance on Mental Illness websiteElim Lutheran Church websiteLeave a One-Time Donation: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dennislsandersTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHgljThis podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks! Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Church and the Crisis of Decline with Andrew Root | Episode 142

If you’re the pastor or leader of a mainline Protestant congregation you have heard about your declining congregation for years if not decades. You probably even lead a congregation that wonders if its best days are behind them.Denominations, specialists and others have some idea on how to help your congregation get back on the path towards growth. We want to try anything that can solve this crisis of decline.But what if the crisis is not about decline but about something deeper? What if it is a crisis not of decline, but of faith in the God who is God?Today, I talk with Dr. Andrew Root, the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN about churches in decline, the loss of life, and how revival can only come when we are open to the presence of God. Show notes:Andrew Root’s websiteChurch and the Crisis of Decline (the book we discussed)The Church After Innovation (his latest book)When Church Stops Working (upcoming book)When Church Stops Working PodcastEpisode 112 with Kara Root on SabbathTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHgljThis podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks! Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 141: Ralph Yarl and the Erosion of Trust

A teenage African American boy is shot by an elderly man in Kansas City. Ralph Yarl went to the wrong house by mistake and was shot twice by an 84-year-old gentleman. Why did this happen? Was it gun violence? Racism? Pastor Dennis talks about the loss of trust in our society and how the church should respond.At the Intersection Video (the video this episode is based on)A Knock at the Door by Dennis SandersBowling in Fear by Brianne WolfTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Beyond Colorblindness and Antiracism with George Yancey | Episode 140

Is racism intractable in American society? Or is racism just a thing of the past and we need to “get over” race? Colorblindness and antiracism are the leading ways of looking at race in America, but neither has been effective in addressing racial tensions in the United States. Colorblindness ignores the realities of race and in doing so ignores the history of injustice. Antiracism centers racial concerns to such an extent that it alienates people who need to be involved in the process.In this episode, sociologist George Yancey joins the podcast to talk about how colorblindness and antiracism fall short in tackling the issue of race and offers a third way- mutual accountability - as a way where we can move from racial division to racial reconciliation.Show notes:George Yancey’s websiteBeyond Racial Division bookTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite:https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHgljThis podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks! Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 139: Why I Am Disciples of Christ with Doug Skinner

Why do you belong to a certain denomination or church? How did you get there?In this episode, I chat with Doug Skinner, a retired pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). We talk about how someone who grew up Episcopalian became a Disciple, the current state of the denomination and the tradition’s future.Show Notes:Why I Am Disciples of Christ- A blog post by Doug SkinnerDisciples 3.0 - A 2015 article I wroteEpisode 53 with Doug on Communion and Racial JusticeTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite:https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHgljChurch and Main is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.This podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks! Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 138: Did Jesus Die for Our Sins?

Due to problems with my podcast recording platform, this is another solo episode using a video from my series At the Intersection (formerly the Weekly Check-in).In this episode, we look at a meme and an essay that doubts Jesus died for our sins. Pastor Dennis thinks we need to have a wider understanding of what sin is all about to understand the meaning of the cross.Show notes:What if Crucifixion Is Not Salvific? by Miguel de la TorreThe Fall Takes Place Not in Eden But at Mt. Sinai by Jason MicheliTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHgljChurch and Main is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe