The Church Podcast

Summary Charlotte McCorquodale, co-founder of Ministry Training Source, discusses the challenges and joys of pastoral leaders serving young Catholics. She highlights the need for pastors and ministry leaders to be on the same page regarding expectations and measuring success. McCorquodale emphasizes the importance of listening to the community's needs and sharing the stories of young people to ins...

Summary Scott Williams, the owner of Catholic Concepts, discusses his journey from ministry to entrepreneurship and the development of his flagship brand, Sock Religious . He shares how his entrepreneurial spirit and passion for ministry influenced his decision to start his own business.  Scott also discusses the challenges he faced and his intentional approach to developing new products. He empha...

Summary Regina Boyd, a therapist, and founder of Boyd Counseling Services, shares her journey into counseling and the inspiration behind her book 'Leaving Lonely Behind.' The conversation delves into the importance of vulnerability, mental health challenges in ministry, and the role of the church in addressing mental health issues. We also explore the intersection of faith, therapy, and mental hea...

Summary: Cynthia Psencik, the Mentoring Program and Alumni Director at the Given Institute, joins us to discuss the organization's mission to activate the gifts of young adult women for the Church and the world. The Given Institute offers leadership training, faith formation, and a year-long mentoring program for young women. Cynthia emphasizes the importance of equipping and empowering women in a...

Summary Matthan Teves, a media enthusiast and content creator, discusses his passion for using media and film as a gift to the Church. He shares his experience working as an associate for live streaming and creative content at St. Joseph's parish and emphasizes the importance of capturing the Holy Spirit in media production. Matthan also talks about his project, Project Faith Moves, which combines...

In this heartfelt episode, I sit down with Juan Escarfuller, who shares his inspiring journey from the Dominican Republic to the United States. Juan's story is one of finding home, belonging, and purpose through his experiences in Catholic schools and his calling to ministry with Instituto Fe y Vida. Juan begins by recounting his immigration journey and the challenges and triumphs of growing up in...

In this episode, I sit down with Jonathan Lewis, the VP of Catholic Faith Technologies, to unpack the fascinating blend of technology and ministry. Jonathan brings a wealth of knowledge on how we can use tech to enhance our Church's mission and build stronger, more connected communities. Jonathan kicks things off by highlighting the importance of using technology to meet people in their everyday l...

Dive into an enlightening episode with Craig Gould as he unravels the profound impact of asking questions within ministry leadership. This conversation isn’t just about techniques—it’s a deeper exploration of how questions can transform relationships and enhance spiritual growth both for leaders and those they guide. We kick off the discussion by framing the act of asking questions as a fundamenta...

In this episode, we talk with Catholic Family Crate founder Elissa Tiprigan about family catechesis and starting your own business.

This is a conversation with Doug Tooke regarding the Catholic School Education and it's relationship with discipleship.

This is our conversation with Rudy Dehaney about multi-parish ministry, inclusion, and race.

This is our conversation with Annie Grandell from Ydisciple and Net Ministries

Katherine Angulo invites us into her sacred journey, intertwining personal stories with profound insights into the heart of ministry. This episode isn't just a conversation; it's an invitation into the deeper realms of faith and the challenges of dedicating oneself to a spiritual vocation. We begin by exploring the transformative power of personal invitation. It's more than just a gesture; it cata...

In this episode, Christopher Wesley and John Rinaldo discuss the reboot of the Church Podcast. They reflect on their previous episodes and the commitment they had to recording early in the morning. John shares his journey and the shifts he has made in his ministry career.  They discuss the importance of growth and networking in ministry and how to foster community engagement. They also explore the...

The first week of a new employee starting a new job is one of the most critical times. The first week can often set them up for success in your ministry. Therefore, it’s important to have an intentional plan for onboarding your new hire. In this episode, Chris and John walk through what the first day and the first week should look like for your new staff member so that they can thrive in their new...

A requirement for leadership in the Church is the need for flexibility and creative thinking. COVID has required us to test our resilience and brought us into a realm of discomfort. In this episode, Chris and John discuss the need to embrace the pain of change now before the pain becomes even harder later because we choose not to change now. In this episode, we refer back to the following podcast...

As we enter into a more polarized society both in the secular and religious realm, the need for the Church to step in with an open heart and a listening mind is crucial. In this episode, we discuss how our parishes can walk the fine line of sharing truth while doing it in a trusting and open setting where dialogue and discussion are encouraged and welcomed. In this episode, we refer back to the fo...

It may be October, but now is the time that we should be planning for Advent and Christmas in this interesting year of 2020. In this episode, we are joined by special guest Rich Curran from Parish Success Group to talk about the steps we should all be taking in preparation for this special season as we plan for a hybrid Mass experience. In this episode, we reference Fr. Bob Chorey’s daily reflecti...

In this episode, Chris shares how we managed to keep 80% of his pre-COVID young people involved in his parish youth ministry by being innovative. He walks through his process of focusing on evangelization and outreach, while developing a new subscription based model of formation that invites young people to engage in small groups throughout the year. Specifically, Chris shares in detail what his “...

Evangelization in a post-COVID church needs to be re-energized. Here we discuss that the opportunity to evangelize is high as people are dealing with so many traumatic issues in their lives. How do we meet them where they are at so that they recognize that God is there for them? In this episode, we refer back to the following resources:   Small Groups from Scratch: A Church Podcast Series Neighbor...

In this episode, Chris and John discuss strategies to create more effective communication within your parish staff. In so doing, you intentional begin to create more effective external communication. In this episode, we refer back to the following resources:   Episode #10: Leading Meetings Well Books by Patrick Lencioni

Since COVID began, Catholic parishes have been a force in the digital space. As COVID begins to loosen up, it is becoming clear that our shift to digital needs to become a permanent part of our ministry efforts. But what does that look like? In this episode, we begin to explore exactly what that looks like and what are some of the first steps we can take to get there. For a sample job description...

The reopening of our churches has been slow. Numbers in the pew and faith formation are much lower than expected? Are they coming back? Some data suggests that they aren’t ready to come back to church. So what are we to do? How do we rise to the occasion? In this episode, Chris and John discuss the opportunity that has arisen because of COVID and suggests some further strategies as it becomes clea...

In this fourth episode on Pastoral Councils, Chris and John delve into the topic of how we choose and discern pastoral council members. We discuss the need to develop a discernment committee, have discernment interviews of potential council members, and more. Join us for our upcoming master class on Leveraging and Structuring Pastoral and Finance Councils for Parish Growth . Begins October 20, 202...

John and Chris continue their conversation on structuring your Pastoral Council. In this episode, we focus in on developing sub-committees to help enhance your parish and to set up your parish from success and growth. Join us for our upcoming master class on Leveraging and Structuring Pastoral and Finance Councils for Parish Growth . Begins October 20, 2020. In this episode, we refer back to the f...