Christian Heritage

Jed Mullinex is the President of Within Reach. He spent 15 years leading local churches in New England and Omaha, and he was drawn to the possibility that the church might unite for the city's good. He joins the podcast today to talk about what Within Reach is doing in the Omaha area and how they seek to build a network of churches who listen to and love their city well. Register for the Churc...

This is part 2 of "Becoming a Connected Organization," where Roy shares the first half of a presentation on navigating organizational change with an emphasis on connection. He integrates best practices from change management with TBRI principles to encourage business leaders, pastors, and non-profit directors to think hard about their culture and how their organizations can become more c...

In this special episode, Roy shares the first half of a presentation on navigating organizational change with an emphasis on connection. He integrates best practices from change management with TBRI principles to encourage business leaders, pastors, and non-profit directors to think hard about their culture and how their organizations can become more connected internally. Part 1 focuses on underst...

James and Roy continue their conversation talking about why it's important for Christians to understand trauma. In this episode, they get practical to help you reconsider some traditional religious platitudes we often say when people trust us with their pain, grief, doubt, etc. Rather than give trite answers, we can speak to them in a way that builds connection and facilitates healing. Like th...

Roy and James are back together continuing the Church & Trauma Series. They talk more about the Church & Trauma Summit and its goal. Then, they go deep into discussing the obstacles churches face in engaging trauma and pain, and why churches can be tempted to minimize trauma in the lives of people who are struggling. Check out the article "Why the church doesn't want to talk about...

Next up in our Church & Trauma series is Tiffany Kavanaugh. Tiffany is a mental health provider at a private practice and is a school social worker in Lincoln Public Schools. She has expertise in using a blend of supportive, cognitive, mindfulness, and trauma-based therapies to serve her clients. To learn more or register for the Church & Trauma Summit, visit ⁠⁠chne.org/summit⁠⁠ Like the e...

Our third interview in the Church & Trauma series is with Jeremy Smith of Smith Counseling. Jeremy specializes in complex system dynamics and much of our conversation centers around how the North American church system allows abuse and perpetuates trauma among Christians. You do not want to miss this wide-ranging and deep conversation. To learn more or register for the Church & Trauma Summ...

In this episode during our Church & Trauma series, James sits down with Sarah Smith of Smith Counseling. Sarah is a trauma-informed licensed counselor who combines various therapeutic techniques with biblical truth in the counseling process. Her perspectives on the church and trauma are shaped by service in the mission field and years of counseling church leaders. To learn more or register for...

We have a new mini-season and series this summer on the podcast. James is interviewing each of the panelists who will be at our Church & Trauma Summit in September. First up is Trey McGruder, the founder and CEO of A Blessing of Hope, a family services organization in Lincoln that contracts with Nebraska DHHS and the Probation Administration in. Trey shares about his organization and his uniqu...

This month, we're taking some of the time to get to know our hosts on a more personal level. This week, we get part 2 of Roy's interview with James. In this episode, James talks about how he got involved in the world of child welfare. If you missed part 1, be sure to check it out as well! Like the episode? Leave us a 5-star review, comment, and share so more people can find us. Subscribe t...

This month, we're taking some of the time to get to know our hosts on a more personal level. In the last two weeks, James interviewed Roy. Today and next week, the tables are turned. Roy talks with James about his journey. Where is James from? What experiences have significantly shaped his life? How did he end up at Christian Heritage? They start with the somewhat awkward beginning of their re...

This month we're taking the time to get to know our hosts and here is part 2 of our interview with Roy. In this episode, Roy shares about his time at Milton-Hershey School, working at Focus on the Family, Camp Monadnock, and ultimately how he ended up at Christian Heritage. If you missed part 1, be sure to go back and watch! Like the episode? Leave us a 5-star review, comment, and share so mor...

We're two seasons into the podcast, but we haven't taken the time to get to know our hosts on a more personal level. Today, James takes the time to interview Roy. Where is Roy from? What experiences have significantly shaped his life? How did he end up in Nebraska as the CEO of Christian Heritage? We cover those questions and more in this wide-range (and really good!) conversation. Like th...

For far too long, the church has seen discipleship as information to learn or a class to take. But what if discipleship was something else entirely? In this episode, James and Roy talk about "hospitality as discipleship." They discuss what this meant for the early church and how we can make it a reality again today. Like the episode? Leave us a 5-star review, comment, and share so more p...

In this episode, Jenn Hook, author and founder/executive director of Replanted, joins us to discuss how churches can support and care well for foster and adoptive families in their community. We talk about where churches need to begin on the road to becoming trauma-informed and what it takes for church leadership to be "all in." Jenn and her husband Josh wrote Thriving Families , a guide...

Boundaries are something we all know we should have, but can sometimes be difficult to communicate and enforce. The holidays often make this even harder. In this episode, James sits down with Rhoni Bruhn to talk about what boundaries are and offers some strategies for communicating and putting them in place no matter your situation or season of life. Like the episode? Leave us a 5-star review, com...

In this episode, James sits down with Dustin Lappe, associate pastor of Messiah Lutheran in Lincoln, Nebraska. They talk about what God's doing at Messiah and how to think through partnerships to advance the gospel in our cities. Like the episode? Leave us a 5-star review, comment, and share so more people can find us. Subscribe to our podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

This week, Jen Kindler from Care Portal and Libby Moderow, Families Together Supervisor at CH, join James and Roy to talk about CarePortal. CarePortal is a digital platform that helps churches connect with vulnerable families to meet tangible needs. Start CarePortal at your church. Check out the CarePortal Conference Like the episode? Leave us a 5-star review, comment, and share so more people can...

In this episode, James and Roy take a step back to look at the big picture of trauma through the lens of discipleship. They try to answer the haunting question, "Is discipleship in the North American church infected or broken, and how do we get back to what Jesus modeled in his care for the vulnerable?" Like the episode? Leave us a 5-star review, comment, and share so more people can fin...

Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner! So in this episode, Amber Koehler joins James and Roy to talk about how to handle trauma during the holidays. Amber is a permanency support specialist at CH and a former foster and adoptive parent. We talk with Amber about what works, what doesn't, and how relatives and churches can contribute to felt safety for vulnerable children during...

This week, James and Roy are joined by Janyne McConnaughey, PhD. Janyne is an award-winning author and trauma-informed advocate. Her recent book, "Trauma in the Pews," addresses the impact of trauma on faith and spiritual practices. We discuss how churches can further traumatize people who have suffered trauma. We also discuss what we can do to come alongside those who suffer with empath...

One of the ways we can change the future of child welfare is by focusing on helping adults who have suffered trauma as children to break cycles of abuse and neglect. In this episode, Rhoni Bruhn, our Family Mentor Coordinator, joins us again to talk about how to work with adults in hard places and what being a mentor for adults looks like. If you're curious about becoming a mentor with Christi...

In this episode, James and Roy are joined by Emma again for part 2 of the 3 Pillars of Trauma-Informed Care. In this episode, we talk about connection and self-regulation, giving you practical tips and tools to learn how to help vulnerable people--and grow in these areas yourself. Resources Want to dig deeper? Watch these videos from Howard Bath, who created the 3 Pillars of Trauma-Informed Care f...

To care well for people who have suffered trauma, there are three core pillars you must know and be able to live out. They are: felt safety, connection, and self-regulation. This is the first of two episodes covering the 3 Pillars of Trauma-Informed Care. James and Roy are joined by Emma Sugita as we talk about what felt safety is, what it looks like, and how individuals and churches can come alon...

Trauma can be a hard thing for Christians to understand. Some might think it's an excuse for personal responsibility or sin. In this episode, Roy and James sit down with CH staff Emma Sugita and Rhoni Bruhn to discuss trauma and how to understand it through a biblical and theological lens. Like the episode? Leave us a 5-star review, comment, and share so more people can find us. Subscribe to o...