The Living Church Podcast

In today’s newsdesk roundup, Editor Mark Michael, Executive Director Matthew Olver, and podcast host Amber Noel provide coverage and commentary for three top news stories affecting the Anglican world. Story number one:  Magnifica Humanitas . Pope Leo’s first and recent encyclical is a special, even unique, papal letter. And its topic, artificial intelligence, as well as its tone, are urgent. The l...

What are the best depictions of clergy in film? Today we swap Top 5 Clergy in Film lists with a celebrated film critic. A recipe for edification and entertainment! We all know of sloppy versions of the movie cleric—priests, monks, nuns, and pastors, either fanatical, evil, or milquetoast, lacking care or nuance on the part of those creating the role. But perhaps you’ve also seen thoughtful, even p...

The Episcopal Church is aging. Where are the young people? A campus minister gives his perspective. The average age of an Episcopal parishioner is now mid-60s. Older parishioners are vital. But where  are  the young people? How do we reach them? And what, exactly, are they looking for when it comes to church? Times are changing in terms of the race for cultural relevance, at least when it comes to...

Mission and discipleship are connected at the root. Today we’re going to explore some of those connections, not only through our guest’s own life, but also through her experience with particular discipleship programs, as well as what she’s learned through a first career as a geographer and her husband’s career as a mechanic. Our guest today is the Rt. Rev. Dr. Eleanor Sanderson. Eleanor is Bishop...

Today’s Newsdesk episode covers developments in Gafcon’s Global Anglican Communion, a Rwandan bishop jailed for grazing cattle on church property, and a new, and possibly unique, church growth survey looking for “bright spots” in Episcopal ministry. We also enjoy a bonus segment at the end that includes some Eastertide treats, including book recommendations and recipes. See below for related artic...

What’s your school of prayer? Where did you learn to pray? How do you continue to deepen your prayer life? Whose prayer life do you want to have when you grow up? How do you want the example of your prayer life, or the fruits of it, to be a gift to others? Today’s conversation is about how prayer affects our leadership, and how our pastors’ prayer lives affect us. Whether you are the leader of a c...

Who is Archbishop Sarah Mullally? And what might we expect from her ministry? Augustine of Canterbury was sent by Pope Gregory in 597 on mission to re-evangelize Britain and became the first Archbishop of Canterbury. Incase you haven’t heard, Anglicans have made world news for electing as the 106 th  Archbishop of Canterbury the first woman to serve in the role, former Bishop of London, the Most R...

How should Anglicans feel about AI? But first: what the heck is it? Our guests today tackle one of the toughest topics of our time head on, from both a theological and technical perspective. What is AI? Is it unprecedented? What can AI currently, actually, do? Should Christians accept, or resist?  As Christians, it’s often hard to know whether to embrace new technology. If we get worked up or frea...

In this episode, we learn from neuroscience to explore questions in theology and ministry. When we talk about the brain, we think of the intellect, private processes, perception—even as the center or source of the self. And the brain is one important place where “self” happens. But what if all our private, individualized function, in fact our very life, depends much more on exterior factors, like...

How does the 1662 Book of Common Prayer hold Anglicans together today? What book of common prayer book do you use? And why? Whichever it is, and however you relate to other Anglicans, all of our common prayer books share one ancestor which still binds us together today, more closely than we might realize. Today we’re going back to the roots of your Anglican prayer book: the great-great-great-great...

Today, musician Jon Guerra joins us for a conversation about music, theology, and life—and a few live tunes. We talk about his musical influences and about the formation (and deformation) that happens through Christian music. We talk about creating and speaking in difficult times, working in the shadow of the cross, and, as he puts it, “the dialectic struggle between the call and your ability to m...

How should ministers of the gospel engage politics from the pulpit?  Today’s episode is from a panel at the RadVo 2025 conference on politics and preaching: the if, why, and how. Panelists discuss discernment, formation, and what preaching is for, and give examples of how the gospel of Jesus forms people who can be both responsive and resilient to political challenges and change. Panelists include...

With love, wit, and a laugh, Jane Austen brought human drama to the drawing room. We love her for it. It also gave her away as a Christian. On December 16, 1775, the Anglican clergy family of Austens welcomed their youngest daughter, who would grow to become one of the world’s greatest novelists and, as we’ll discuss today, a profound Christian; a loving and lively friend, sister, and aunt; a scho...

What do wise and practical partnerships with immigrant communities look like? Today’s episode is from a conversation we co-hosted with  The Episcopal Parish Network  to explore how congregations can engage more faithfully and effectively with immigrant and refugee neighbors. We dip into a bit of theology here. But we concentrate on strategic application, legal context, and pastoral insights for bu...

What can we learn from surprising encounters between Catholics and Pentecostals? In 1906, in a no-count Los Angeles storefront, a one-eyed preacher named William Seymour, son of former slaves, began leading services on Azuza Street. Azuza Street has gone down in history as the catalyst of the Pentecostal movement, one of the largest groups of Christians in the world today. But it’s also had deep i...

How can decorating a Crèche draw us to a place of divine encounter? We are approaching yet another Advent season, a season of making space to wait on God. Maybe you’re good at making that space. Like a cat, you have no problem flopping down where you are, stretching your legs, and letting Jesus take the wheel. Or maybe you’re addicted—like most of us—to work, to control and productivity, to entert...

This bonus episode of the podcast responds to the launch of a Global Anglican Communion, which would be separate from the Anglican Communion as we have known it. There are Anglicans rejoicing over this news. Anglicans grieving over this news. Anglicans who don’t know what to think. And a lot of Anglicans who may not know what’s going on, or may not know what this has to do with them. Today, we exp...

What does faith have to do with fiction? Can romance teach us something about God's presence in imaginary worlds? Today’s episode is a conversation with novelist H.S. Cross, recorded live at  St. John’s Episcopal Church in Savannah, GA , as part of their Sunday Night Sessions.  We talk with Heather about 1920s Oxford; love stories and their theological significance; what it’s like to create an...

How does Nicaea speak to social and political life today? In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s Nicaea’s 1700th birthday party all year long. Theology, church politics, Christian unity, we’re here for all of it.  This is one of two episodes this year focusing specifically on Nicaea itself. Our first one was  in January: Learning from Nicaea with Lewis Ayers . Today, we'll learn how we  live  with N...

Why read poetry? If poetry is esoteric, confusing, and time-consuming, why bother?  Our guest today, Dr. Abram Van Engen, has a strong case for why poetry isn't esoteric at all, but extremely useful, concrete, relational, enjoyable, and meaningful, not just for you, but for the Church. His latest book is called  Word Made Fresh, an Invitation to Poetry for the Church .  Today we’ll discuss: th...

Today we're talking tea. Why?  Well, we’re an Anglican podcast. Need we say more? Knowing how to share and make a good cup of tea translates around the globe. Whether it’s hospitality or work-life balance, tea has played a significant role in leadership, conversation, and parish life.  Today we meet an amazing Christian woman who knows all about tea, why it's special, and how God can use t...

Before there were Protestants, there were Moravians. In 1415, a Roman Catholic priest named Jan Hus was burned at the stake in Prague for promoting a vernacular liturgy, clergy marriage, and the elimination of indulgences. If he had been born just a few decades later, he might have found a friend in Martin Luther. But instead we know him as the forerunner of a pre-Protestant reforming movement tha...

Most Christians won't be part of a monastic community. But that doesn't mean they're not influenced by one. How do those who   have taken the habit live their vocations from the monastery into the world around them? And what about the rest of us? What can we learn, whether lay or ordained, from the disciplines and wisdom of monastics?  Today we’ll hear from three Anglicans whose vocati...

How can church leaders pursue justice with discernment and theological depth? Pastors often find themselves in a frustrating place when it comes to pursuing justice in their parishes and communities. There's often a divide or at least a tension between two groups: those who do not want to overthink or "overtheologize" it until the moment to act is past; and those who feel wary of actio...

There's a powerful group of women who you may not know are in your church. They handle your prayer requests. They support your priest. They may help with Sunday school, coffee hour, or missions. And they are an inspiring example of the understated power of simple service. These women are the Daughters of the King.  The Order of the Daughters of the King is a vowed order for women who are commu...