Becoming Church

What started as taking baked goods to a strip club has evolved into a new ministry, The Ministry of Presence. And it’s awaiting your participation, no matter who you are, where you live or what kind of margins surround you. Mindy Summers is an advocate for marginalized people groups facing various types of injustice and she will help you do the same, in your own way. Whether it’s sex workers, migr...

Your brokenness does not point to a deficit in who you are. It’s in those very places that God reveals the beauty of your story, which started when you were created good. If you’ve ever asked the question “Is there something wrong with me?” or “Will I ever move past the pain to experience healing?” this conversation will give you the hope and tools you need to get unstuck from the patterns in your...

The foundation of the Christian faith is belief in a story. But what about the other stories that get tangled with Christianity? Everything from the big conspiracies of QAnon and End Times prophecies to pop culture claims of Taylor Swift and Wicked indoctrinating our children with witchcraft and evil. Unverifiable claims of stolen elections, hidden agendas and people in power who can control the w...

The Bible is weird so you should have questions. Author and podcaster Erin Moon is inviting anyone who feels iffy, conflicted or just downright devastated by a lack of curiosity in the church to lean in. Her book, “I’ve Got Questions: The Spiritual Practice of Having it Out with God” will help you reclaim what you once loved about your faith and finally release what doesn’t make sense. If you’ve f...

In 2022, Pastors Naeem Fazal and Kristin Mockler Young started a podcast as a discipleship tool for Mosaic Church. The goal was to help people take ownership of their personal relationships with Jesus and start to develop their own faith practices. Mosaic Church exists to reclaim the message and movement of Jesus. While we value the importance of gathering together on Sundays, we also believe Jesu...

If your happy holidays are hitting more like stressful situations, this conversation will remind you what true peace is about, where it comes from and how you can find it’s presence. Dr. Natalie Atwell is a licensed therapist who will help you find peace on earth in a season where you might be seeing it in the holiday decor more than you’re actually feeling it. As a Christmas gift just for Becomin...

It’s the week between Christmas and New Years. No one knows what day it is, what time it is or what you should be doing. Your kids are feral, having likely been out of school for days on end. There’s extra sugar, extra stimulation, extra affection from relatives but less structure and routine. How do you survive this week and - more impossibly - how are you supposed to parent through it?! Wendy Sn...

God has not given us control but He’s given us something better. Especially around the holidays when relationships are strained, our bodies refuse to cooperate and the future is uncertain, control promises security and peace. If only we could put that on our Christmas lists to find wrapped up underneath the tree. But in reality, the more we grasp for the illusion of control, the more it betrays us...

There is time for rest, even during the holidays. Hannah Brencher is convinced that you can be present “where your feet are” even as you’re being pulled in multiple directions toward shopping, wrapping, parties, events and the general hustle bustle of the holiday season. This episode makes the connection between our phones and our mental health without asking you to go off the grid. It will also r...

There’s a different way to be a Christian and a different way to do church. With over 30 years of experience in ministry and strategic planning, Dave Gibbons shares how they’ve revolutionized Newsong Church to look less like an institution and more like the X-Men Academy. In his book “ The Shape of My Eyes ,” Dave shares how we can all discover clues from our past to help us reexamine our beliefs...

Is the church in crisis? If that thought makes you sad or angry, you can change the narrative around the American Church. Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez wants to equip you to become more sacred, soft and safe - just like Jesus is. This episode is for anyone who is ready to be both challenged and encouraged on how we can reclaim Jesus’ intention for us to not just be Christians, but be the church. (An...

Collective anxiety anyone? Even though the election is over, tensions are still running high. Conversations seem to either be filled with misunderstanding or they’re being bypassed and not happening at all. This interview between two pastors will help you hold onto hope, remind you that you are not alone, give you permission to feel your feelings and help you navigate communication with family and...

If you’ve ever been left out (or pushed out) of a church, this is your invitation to separate God from the hurt. As a leader who survived a toxic ministry environment, Jenai Auman offers a holistic, trauma-informed approach to helping you find spiritual rest and belonging again. Even if you’ve been lucky enough to not have experienced church hurt, Jenai provides some subtle red flags and things to...

Men, this one’s for you. If you’re not a man, this will be a “listening to learn” episode for you, much like it was for me. Rasool Berry is back with encouragement and challenge for men who desire to grow closer to God with their entire being. Rasool and Naeem Fazal share openly about what it’s like to grow holistically through scripture and prayer, even when growth requires vulnerability or weakn...

What would you say to one of the disciples if you saw them face to face? I had to answer that question when I sat down with Elizabeth Tabish who plays Mary Magdalene on The Chosen. (And yes, before we go any further, Mary Mags was most certainly a disciple of Jesus.) Whether or not you’ve watched any episodes of The Chosen - and I highly recommend that you do - this conversation is a tender and ex...

Sex is complicated, even for Christians. Often in the church, single people are promised “blessed” marriages for the future if they hold fast to purity, don’t put themselves in situations of temptation and pray faithfully enough to find the spouse God has out there for them. But when prioritizing date nights, speaking each other’s love languages and meeting physical needs still leaves them with a...

“White Christians behaving badly about race” is how Jemar Tisby jokingly refers to the motivation behind his books on segregation and social justice within the church. His research has shown that it’s a journey to move from being removed bystanders who are complicit in prejudiced systems to actively advancing anti-racism change. Wherever you are in the process, Jemar offers grace for people who ha...

Whether everything’s truly falling apart or it just feels like it today, Bethny wants to redefine hope so you can find it in the rubble. You’ll find grace for your season and stage of life while also being empowered to believe that you do have capacity and power to do the things you want to do - and shut down the things you don’t. In our first ever in-person episode, Bethny Ricks and Kristin are i...

If you find devotions to be fluffy, light or not super relevant, this was written for you. Tiffany Bluhm has collaborated with other women like Dr. Lucretia Carter Berry, Pricelis Perreaux-Dominguez, Susie Gamez, Kayla Craig and Ashlee Eiland to create The Women We’ve Been Waiting For: A 40 Day Devotional for Self-Care, Resilience and Communal Flourishing . In this episode, Tiffany shares how stor...

Steve Carter had landed a dream job, with a mentor he looked up to in a community he loved at Willow Creek Church. Overnight, everything changed. When abuse allegations revealed scandal, Steve was faced with the choice of following the direction of the megachurch governance or stepping out with integrity to do what was right. In this episode, Steve bravely and vulnerably talks about what it was li...

Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers host “ Pantsuit Politics ,” a podcast where they take a different approach to the news. They used to be “Sarah from the left and Beth from the right” but over the last few years, some ideologies have changed…and even circled back again. Get the first part of this conversation in Episode 77 of Becoming Church, “Sarah Steward Holland & Beth Silvers: Now Wha...

Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers host “ Pantsuit Politics, ” a podcast where they prioritize curiosity over the conflict that often drives political conversations. It is possible to have nuanced conversations about politics and faith, as Kristin, Beth and Sarah demonstrate in this interview. This episode covers many topics found in their first book, “Now What: How to Move Forward when we’re...

Lovely Palm had never left the country. Then she went to Uganda and found her sons and daughters. While her story is full of surprises and beautiful moments, there have also been some really devastating ones, which she shares with us in this episode. Lovelyn’s story is inspiring even if it doesn’t look like yours. Our hope is that it will help you see where God is present in yours, especially when...

Hospitality is not a gift that only certain people were given. Gentle hospitality is more about the way you live, which can be as simple as showing kindness to a stranger or taking care of the people around your table. Liz Bell Young has a gorgeous book, “Let There Be Havens: An Invitation to Gentle Hospitality” that will show you how to find the things that wake up your soul…and then gift those s...

Did you memorize Bible verses as a child for stickers, gold stars or chintzy prizes? Did you star as the lead role in a play or musical about Jesus? Did growing up in the church maybe accidentally teach you that God doesn’t need you to prove your worthiness or value…but He maybe wants you to? Kim Stuart’s book Star for Jesus (And Other Jobs I Quit): Rediscovering the Grace that Sets Us Free will b...