Episodes
Tuesday Jan 02, 2024
Tuesday Jan 02, 2024
It's quite common for people to say that the church isn't a building, but a people - and this is true. But that doesn't mean that church buildings are without any meaning. Loren Richmond Jr. returns to the podcast to talk about his summer project taking pictures and learning the history of church buildings in his hometown of Denver and how this pastime impacted his faith and how it can impact your faith as well.Show Notes:Future Christian Podcast (Loren's Podcast)The Contradiction in Church Architecture by Loren Richmond Jr.Prayers Rising Past the Immanent Frame by Katherine Willis PersheyLectionary Q PodcastMake a Donation: https://donorbox.org/support-church-and-mainTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj
Saturday Dec 30, 2023
The Most Memorable Episodes of 2023 | Episode 166
Saturday Dec 30, 2023
Saturday Dec 30, 2023
In this episode, I look back at the 10 most memorable episodes of 2023. This isn’t a countdown to number one, but a look back at some of the most meaningful episodes of the year. I will also look forward to what I hope to be doing in 2024.At the end of the year, I want to say thanks to everyone who has downloaded an episode, shared an episode with others or donated financially. You helped an odd pastor in Minnesota live out a desire to start this here podcast. Thank you for your support!The 10 Most Memorable Episodes of 2023:Episode 132: Telling the Truth on Church Decline with Ben CrosbyEpisode 136: A Church Grows Again in Odessa with Dawn Darwin WeaksEpisode 158: A Tale of Congregational Hope and Renewal with Grayhame BowcottEpisode 153: Lay-Led Church Planting with Laura CottingtonEpisode 164: Mainline Church Growth with Paul MooreEpisode 140: Beyond Colorblindness and Antiracism with George YanceyEpisode 143: Giving Up the Stigma of Mental Illness with Seth PerryEpisode 142: Church and the Crisis of Decline with Andrew RootEpisode 157: Rage and Hope After the Hamas Massacre with Rabbi Brad HirschfieldEpisode 159: Mainline Churches and Israel-Palestine with Todd StavrakosLectionary Q PodcastMake a Donation: https://donorbox.org/support-church-and-mainTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/churchandmainpod/Website: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
The Theology of Black Lives Matter with Drew McIntyre | Episode 165
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
Tuesday Dec 19, 2023
Note: This podcast originally aired on December 8, 2021.Black Lives Matter. Those three words have launched a million arguments over the last 8 years or so. What began as a hashtag in the wake of the killing of young black men by the police has become a phrase that has gone global and all the while it has been controversial. Some think it is exclusive and even racist because they think it only focuses on black people. Others like the phrase and take it on without asking questions.Methodist Pastor Drew McIntrye wanted to look at black lives matter from a theological standpoint. What does it mean for followers of Jesus to say this phrase? Can followers of Jesus say this phrase? The answer is an emphatic yes. We will talk about what blacks live matters means theologically and what it means for African Americans to hear the church say black lives matter.Show Notes:The Scandal of Particularity, Black Lives, and Jesus by Drew McIntyreDrew’s WebsiteThe God & Whiskey Podcast- Drew and Evan Rohrs-DodgeDrew on TwitterLectionary Q PodcastMake a Donation: https://donorbox.org/support-church-and-mainTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/churchandmainpod/Website: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHgljGet full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
The Most Vital Strategy for Mainline Church Growth with Paul Moore | Episode 164
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Wednesday Dec 13, 2023
Mainline Protestant congregations have faced decline over several decades. Can these churches grow again and also hold fast to their commitment to social justice?Paul Moore a pastor of a Presbyterian Church (USA) Congregation in the suburban Twin Cities, MN believes the answer is yes and is practicing what he believes. In this episode, we talk about how Presbyterian and other mainline Protestant denominations can have thriving churches again if they learn to "grow young."Show notes:Preaching at my home church with sadness by Paul MooreGrowing Young in the PC(USA) by Paul MooreChain of Lakes Presbyterian Church websiteEpisode 83: Mainline Church Planting with Paul MooreLectionary Q PodcastMake a Donation: https://donorbox.org/support-church-and-mainTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
The Tiny Home Revolution: How a Church Made a Big Impact with Peter Christ | Episode 163
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
One solution to solving the affordable housing and homelessness crisis is for churches to have an active role in providing space for housing. Another church that I am aware of in Minneapolis sold their property to another housing nonprofit that will build affordable housing and also create a worship space for the congregation. I talked to a pastor at a Lutheran congregation in Roseville, Minnesota a Twin Cities suburb that was able to provide homes for people experiencing homelessness using tiny homes. Peter Christ the pastor of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church shares the story that led the congregation to create a small community that is giving people a place to call home.Show Notes:Prince of Peace Lutheran Church websiteSettled website (nonprofit building tiny homes)Make a Donation: https://donorbox.org/support-church-and-mainTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
This episode originally aired on December 2, 2021.Peace Lutheran Church is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in the small town of Lauderdale which sits between Minneapolis and St. Paul. When Pastor Dave Greenlund was asked to pastor the congregation, the Synod office thought he might be a hospice pastor who would let the church die a good death. That was 2004. Peace is still alive and kicking having grown a little as well. In this episode, I chat with Rev. Greenlund about the story of Peace Lutheran and how it learned to connect with the community around it.Show Notes:Peace Lutheran WebsiteProfile of Peace Lutheran in Living LutheranRadix Magazine Podcast InterviewEpisode 158: A Tale of Congregational Hope and Renewal with Grayhame BowcottMake a Donation: https://donorbox.org/support-church-and-mainTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj
Tuesday Nov 28, 2023
A Pastor’s Side Hustle with Ruth Hetland | Episode 161
Tuesday Nov 28, 2023
Tuesday Nov 28, 2023
Over the last few years, I started to hear a new phrase one that might be new to you as well: side hustle. A side hustle is a way to make money in addition to your full-time or part-time job. It’s also a way to explore a new career. Side hustles can be a way for folk in lower paying jobs, like, I dunno being a pastor in a congregation, to earn some money and also gain some new skills. Today we talk to Ruth Hetland, a Lutheran pastor living in Minnesota who started a side hustle to support women in ministry.Show notes:One Pastor's Side Hustle: Subscription Boxes for Women in Ministry article from Church AnewConseCrate websiteCreative and Created PodcastMake a Donation: https://donorbox.org/support-church-and-mainTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
The Legacy of J. Irwin Miller with Geoffrey Kabaservice (REWIND) | Episode 160
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
(Originally Broadcast in December 2021.)I’ve known Geoffrey Kabaservice since we were both writers for David Frum’s news site, Frum Forum. Today Geoffrey is the Vice President of Political Studies at the Niskanen Center and host of the Vital Center Podcast. He’s an author, especially in for our purposes of the book Rule and Ruin: The Downfall of Moderation and the Destruction of the Republican Party, from Eisenhower to the Tea Party. I brought him on the podcast today to talk about the intersection of two important streams of 20th century American culture, Moderate Republicanism and Mainline Protestantism. Both of these movements drove much of American society and now they are both weakened. We will look at what has been lost as both institutions decline. We’ll also focus on one person where these two streams meet: J. Irwin Miller, the CEO of Cummins Engine, a Rockefeller Republican, and a member of a mainline denomination, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). He was also a corporate titan who invested in his hometown of Columbus, Indiana, and allowed it to prosper when other Rust Belt towns withered. If you are someone who is interested in American political and social history, you will love this episode.Show Notes:Geoffrey Kabaservice’s Niskanen Center profileThe Rust Belt Didn’t Have to Happen by Aaron Renn (on J. Irwin Miller)The Vital Center PodcastMake a Donation: https://donorbox.org/support-church-and-mainTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Mainline Churches and Israel-Palestine with Todd Stavrakos | Episode 159
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
In this episode, guest Reverend Todd Stavrakos discusses the stance of mainline churches on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They talk about the lack of nuance in these stances and their impact on relations with the Jewish community. Stavrakos criticizes the one-sided focus on Israel's actions, the failure to condemn terrorist organizations, the issue of antisemitism within the church, and the importance of recognizing it. Show Notes:Presbyterians for Middle East PeacePathways 4 PeacePresbyterian Church vote declaring Israel an apartheid state upsets Jewish groupsEpisode 157: Rage and Hope After the Hamas Massacre with Rabbi Brad HirschfieldMake a Donation: https://donorbox.org/support-church-and-mainTwitter: 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!
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Episode 158: A Tale of Congregational Hope and Renewal with Grayhame Bowcott
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Thousands of churches closed their doors and ceased active ministry every year bringing to an end decades of active ministry. But can a church come back from the dead and start again? In this episode, we talk to Anglican priest Grayhame Bowcott about the rebirth of St. Annes church in rural Ontario, Canada that went from “six very miserable Anglicans who had experienced the scarcity model of the church into a congregation of 55 who were there on a regularity.”Show notes:Grayhame's bio webpageArticle on St. Annes in Anglican JournalMake a Donation: https://donorbox.org/support-church-and-mainTwitter: https://twitter.com/churchandmainFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/churchandmainWebsite: https://churchandmain.org/YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj