Center for Congregations Podcast

Rev. Callie Smith and Dr. Rob Saler join Matt and Ben to discuss the Lilly Endowment Clergy Renewal Program. They unpack the importance of rest and renewal for both clergy leaders and congregations and offer some insights and resources. Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/Don_t_Be_a_Clergy_Killer

Manuel Corazzari joins Matt and Ben to discuss marketing and branding for congregations including the importance of knowing your unique identity. Resources Storybrand Pro Church Tools Less Chaos. Less Noise. Effective Communication for an Effective Church

Pastor Javier Mondragon joins Ben and Matt to discuss the challenges and benefits of leading a multicultural congregation. Resources: https://thecrg.org/collections/Make_It_Personal_Leading_a_Multicultural_Congregation

David Gungor joins Ben and Matt to talk about how worship is more than just singing together. He also discusses how Good Shepherd New York is an integrated community where the gifts of the members are used to uplift the community and the importance of authentic relationship among all. Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/Worship_as_the_Work_of_the_People Good Shepherd New York's Website

Shellie and Ben speak with John Ray from Light of the World Christian Church about all that it takes to plan a successful worship service. They discuss music as a specific element of the worship serve and as the overarching lifestyle of the congregation. John explores the many hats that he wears and offers advice about balancing the technical quality of worship with the need to follow the invitati...

Ben sits down with Aimee Laramore and Louise Jackson to unpack the ins and outs of strategic planning. They take you into the mind of strategic planning consultants and identify common pitfalls they've seen derail the planning process while highlighting the importance of honestly assessing whether our vision aligns with the capacity and resources of our team.  Resources https://thecrg.org/collecti...

Pastor John Stange joins Kate and Ben to explain the best practices for engaging with tech volunteers. Links: http://www.opensong.org/

Enneargram writer, teacher and coach Leanette Pokuwaah joins Ben and Matt to talk about how the enneagram can be used well in congregational contexts. She also discusses the importance of keeping space for trauma and racial identity in conversations about the enneagram. Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/The_Value_of_the_Enneagram_in_Congregational_Spaces Also, we'd love to hear your feedbac...

Dr. Christina Jones Davis, Clinical Professor of Pastoral Theology and Marriage and Family Therapy at Christian Theological Seminary (CTS), sits down with Ben and Matt to discuss how the worlds of therapy and congregational life inform one another. Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/The_Marriage_of_Mental_Health_and_Ministry

Musician, speaker and activist Propaganda joins Ben and Matt to discuss how storytelling is foundational to being human and to fostering change. They also also talk about his new book Terraform: Building a Better World. Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/Storytelling_that_Changes_the_World Check out Prop's work and follow him through the following: Website: https://www.prophiphop.com/ Instag...

Allen Stanton joins Ben and Matt to discuss the importance of congregations in rural communities. He highlights their work as anchor institutions while also addressing the opportunities that exist for truth-telling and restoration. Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/Rural_Congregations_A_Story_of_Pain_and_Promise

Rev. Janae Pitts-Murdock, senior pastor of Light of the World Christian Church and former interim pastor, joins Ben and Matt to unpack what it takes to have a successful interim ministry. She shares both out her recent experience and her training on interim ministry. Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/Getting_Schooled_on_Interim_Ministry

McKenzie Scott Lewis, the northwest director of the Center for Congregations talks with Ben and Matt about the challenges and opportunities faced by congregations in seeking to practice racial equity. Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/A_Primer_on_Racial_Equity

In this bonus episode Associate Director for Resources Kate White sits down with Pastor Bruce Colbert, Systems Consultant for Custom Sound Design, Bruce shares about three topics about streaming for congregations: practical tips about internet speed and bandwidth, stepping up audio and video and thinking critically about your online presence. Bruce also talks about working with "integrators" who c...

PhD candidate Michael Rotolo joins Ben and Matt to unpack the research around Christian Nationalism as it relates to congregations and young adult engagement. Michael's recent work based on the Christian Smith cohort study highlights reasons why some young adults are drawn to Christian Nationalism. Moral Religiosities Michael's Twitter Michael's Website Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/Chr...

Ben and Matt connect with Pastor Bere Gil Soto, lead pastor of Iglesia Hermandad Cristiana, to talk about what it's like to lead a multi-cultural and multi-lingual congregation in Indianapolis. Topics include what's it's like to be in the non-dominant culture, creating appropriate boundaries when leading and having a broad view of justice work. Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/Courting_Jus...

Dr. Alma Zaragoza-Petty, one of the co-founders of the Prickly Pear Collective, joins Matt and Ben to discuss creating authentic community where everyone is encouraged to bring their whole self. Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/Bring_Your_Whole_Self

Pastor John Girton joins Ben and Matt to talk about excellence in online worship experiences using technology. We also discuss what's next for congregations and the virtual space. As always Ben and Matt share what they're learning from congregations in Indiana and they share resources you can use. Resources You can find the resources mentioned in the episode here: https://thecrg.org/collections/Te...

In this episode Ben and Matt are joined by Center for Congregations director Shellie Riggs Jordan as we interview Mark Oestreicher (a.k.a. Marko) of The Youth Cartel. Marko sets the record straight on a few myths about youth ministry and shares his wisdom from his over 30 years experience. As always Center for Congregations staff discuss how the issue is appearing in our work and share resources....

Aimee Laramore, lead consultant at AlLyd Solutions, joins Ben and Matt to discuss the importance of recognizing the assets your congregation has and the importance of using them to accomplish your goals. Along the way Aimee provides wonderful wisdom from her many years of experience as a fundraising consultant about managing these difficult times. Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/Adapting_...

Ben and Matt are joined by southwest director Wendy McCormick, northwest director McKenzie Scott Lewis and president of the Center for Congregations Tim Shapiro. Each guest shares encouraging stories of Indiana congregations from their region in 2020. We're wrapping up this season with positive stories because not everything went wrong in 2020. Here is the website of Central Christian Church in Wa...

Victoria Sun Esparza joins Ben and Matt to talk about Human Centered Design and applying it in congregations. This process is a way for you to listen well to the needs of your congregation in order to make decisions about goals, strategy and ways of serving those under your care. Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/Human-Centered_Design_Exchanging_Pews_for_Strollers Design Kit by IDEO https:/...

Bishop Grant joins Ben and Matt to discuss the importance of getting back to the basics of faith. He challenges faith leaders and congregations to remember to center the people they serve as opposed to societal or theological divisions.  Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/Agents_of_Unity_Center_the_People

This week Ben and Tim Shapiro, president of the Center for congregations talk with Rev. Dr. Alton B. Pollard III from Louisville Presbyterian Seminary. Dr. Pollard shares with us how to lead in contentious and divided times without abandoning our convictions. Resources from the episode https://thecrg.org/collections/Whosoever_Leadership_in_Divided_Times Reach out to us at podcasts@centerforcongreg...

Pastor Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes of the Double Love Experience joins Matt, Ben and Wendy to discuss what she's observed about rapidly changing systems in congregational life. These changes have put pressure not only on congregational systems, but also on the leaders in charge of holding communities together. Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/Kicked_Off_a_Cliff_Rapidly_Changing_Systems_in_Congrega...