Church and Main

Episode 111: Part Time Clergy Is Plenty with Jeffrey MacDonald

Mainline Protestant churches and denominational bodies don’t know how to handle part-time clergy. The standard has been clergy working full time. But has that always been the standard? (The short answer is no.) What happens when churches can’t afford a full-time clergy? Does that mean the church is no longer viable? Mainline denominations assume that all calls to ministry should be full time and if a pastor is working part-time, this is because the congregation is on the downward slope towards closure.The thing is, the reality is far different and these denominations aren’t ready for the change. Today, I talk to G. Jeffrey MacDonald the author of Part Time is Plenty: Thriving Without Full-Time Clergy. Jeff is an ordained United Church of Christ minister and a freelance journalist whose writing credits include the Christian Science Monitor, USA Today, Religion News Service and others. He’s an interim minister of a UCC congregation and lives in New England. Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 110: The Church After COVID with Sean Chow

We all know what happened in March of 2020. COVID began to shut society down. We canceled the event and in fact we didn’t meet in person for 14 months. When we started worshipping in person again, things were different. People who were part of the community, moved on. Others watched mostly online. There were still things we couldn’t do. Even some of what we used to do became different. COVID changed the church where I served and nothing will ever be the same. But this wasn’t just the case in my case, Churches large and small have all had to deal with a changed world. Theologian Andy Crouch wrote that COVID was more like a blizzard or a mini ice age, meaning that it was an event that would shatter cultural assumptions within American congregations. What is mission and ministry like after COVID? How should the church rise to meet this challenge? Where are we failing?I spoke to Sean Chow about this. Chow is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church USA and is an associate in that denomination’s 1001 New Worshipping Communities movement. Sean resources and consults with regional denomination bodies, churches, and church plants as they launch new creative expressions of church. His aim is to prepare, equip, and sustain leaders to do the work to which God calls them. He works with many congregations as they seek to redefine their mission and ministry and if you are like me and trying to figure out what to do post COVID, then you will want to hear this interview.Visit the website at churchandmain.org.  Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 109: Social Entrepreneurship and Bi-vocational Ministry with Loren RichmondJr.

As churches become unable to fund full-time ministry mainline denominations are starting to notice and have begun offering ideas in how to pastors can find outside work. One idea is taking part in social entrepreneurship. What is social entrepreneurship? One way it’s been defined is from the Faith and Leadership website from Duke Seminary . They define it as “the process of pursuing innovative solutions to social problems. For Christian leaders, this blending of a business model with Christian mission can be a valuable tool to help sustain an organization while at the same time bearing witness to the reign of God.”That sounds exciting! But is it really? Loren Richmond Jr. doesn’t think so. Loren is a minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and he has his own misgivings when it comes to using social entrepreneurship as a way to help fund bi-vocational ministry. Loren is also the host of the Future Christian podcast and he and I talk about this new endeavor and why it might not be the best way to supplement part time ministry. Stick around for the end of the podcast when Dennis remembers the actor Nichelle Nichols of Star Trek fame who died on July 30 at the age of 89.  ChurchandMain.org  Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 108: The Chaplaincy Is Not Your Backup Plan with Jeremy Wilhelmi

One of my biggest regrets is not accepting a call to become the college chaplain at a Lutheran college in the Midwest. The college in Illinois was really interested in them, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted the position or not. After a while, the college went with someone else.Being a college chaplain has to be the coolest job ever, according to Paul Raushenbush. “I spent eight glorious years at Princeton University as associate dean of religious life and the chapel,” he writes in a 2015 essay for the Huffington Post. “I had the privilege of serving students, staff and faculty from every tradition and background. Our office was a magnet for people from every corner of the world with a huge range of beliefs, but all of whom were looking for a place on campus where they could hang out and be themselves.”Chaplains work in various settings, from colleges to hospitals to businesses and other places. Being a chaplain is a lot of things, but one thing it should not be is a backup plan, writes our guest Jeremy Wilhelmi. "I’m called to be a chaplain. I didn’t settle for this vocation. I am not a chaplain because I couldn’t cut it in the parish. I truly believe the Holy Spirit guided me here." That quote is from the June 2022 edition of Presbyterian Outlook under the headline. “This is not your backup plan – An open letter from a chaplain.” In the article, he tries to misspell the belief among some clergy that being a chaplain is a good place to land if congregational ministry doesn’t work out. “You should not be a chaplain just because you have had a difficult experience in a congregation or need a break from congregational ministry. You should be a chaplain because you are called to be one.”In this episode, we talk about the chaplaincy in general and about his position in particular. Jeremy is an ordained pastor in Presbyterian Church (USA) and he is the college chaplain at Ozarks University in Arkansas a position he’s held since 2016.churchandmain.org  Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 107: On the Mainline

In this episode (which feels like a really, really long trailer), Dennis talks about why this podcast exists and who gave him the inspiration for this podcast.Where Did the Mainline Go Wrong- by Walter Russell Meadchurchandmain.org Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 106: The Antifragile Church with Drew McIntryre

In this episode, Drew joins us again to talk about what it means to be an antifragile congregation in challenging times, especially in his own denomination, the United Methodist Church which is in the midst of a schism.Show NotesThe Church is Not Resilient: On Antifragility & Mitosis Antifragile Video with Nasim Teleb Like what you hear? Leave a tip.Join the mailing listchurchandmain.orgLeave a Review: https://ratethispodcast.com/churchandmain Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 105: The Future of the Disciples of Christ with Geoff Mitchell

We bring back Geoff Mitchell pastor of Lindenwood Christian Church in Memphis to talk about the future of his denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).Show Notes:Last year's interview with Geoff Dennis' recent solo episode on the future of the Disciples Lindenwood Christian Church website Covenant Project- A New denominational initiative to modernize the church Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 104: A Ukrainian Psalm with Fyodor Raychynets

Ukrainian pastor and theologian Fyodor Raychynets talks about living out your faith in God in the midst of the current war with Russia.  Show notes:Interview with Fyodor by Baptist News Global Podcast Episode with Miroslav Volf Interviewing Fyodor Like what you hear? Leave a tip.Join the mailing listchurchandmain.orgLeave a Review: https://ratethispodcast.com/churchandmainEmail: hello@enroutepodcast.org Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 103: What Really Happened to Sears (and Kmart) with Mark Cohen

Former Sears Canada CEO Mark Cohen talks about the downfall of Sears and Kmart from his vantage point inside the company.Show Notes:Who Killed Sears and Kmart Series by Dennis Sanders: Part One and Part Two Radio Canada Documentary About Sears with Mark Cohen Who Killed Sears and Kmart Episode The Hedge Fund that Ate Sears Episode  Like what you hear? Leave a tip.Join the mailing listchurchandmain.org Leave a Review: https://ratethispodcast.com/churchandmainEmail: hello@enroutepodcast.org Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 102: Happy Pride!

Dennis shares the audio of a vespers video he made for his congregation about the theological and spiritual significance of LGBTQ pride and the imperative to share the good news with LGBTQ people that the God of the universes loves them as they are.A Christian’s Posture towards Pride Month and LGBTQ+ People Happy Pride! (video version)  Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe