The Practitioner Podcast: Mission & Microchurch for Everyday People

We live in an age of self-optimization and efficiency thinking. As we swim in these waters, it's easy for us to bathe God's work in the thinking of societal forces. Yet, if we're learning anything at Renaissance, it is that often the way of Jesus isn't achieved through the same thinking as Fortune 500 companies or self-improvement gurus. In this episode, we wrestle with the complex...

What does it look like to start something in a neighborhood for the first time? How do we design environments that help develop people in faith? How do we activate more women to lead missional work? We talk about all this and more in an interview with Ericka Henry from The Holy District in Allentown, PA. Ericka is a pastor, church planter, and missional practitioner with over fifteen years of mini...

Spoiler alert - missional living is more than Instagrammable house parties and cool service project days. In fact, often living missionally and loving your neighborhood involves doing things you’d never imagine. It can be anything but glorious. It’s caring about lights on sidewalks, showing up to boring meetings, and collaborating with people you weren’t planning on. In this episode we interview B...

What is spiritual direction? Why should everyday practitioners consider having a spiritual director? Why does Renaissance place such a huge emphasis on spiritual direction? In this episode, we interview Dr. Neal Windham and Dan Lee about these questions and much more. Other Links: Urban Mystics - https://urbanmystics.org/ Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurches Website -...

Not a day goes by that the headlines don't involve a story about artificial intelligence. For some, this means an exciting future. For others, it means the end of civilization as we know it. What are Christians supposed to think? How does this impact our missional practitionership and microchurch communities? In this episode, we wrestle with the complexity of this issue and talk about the impl...

It's a new year, but the pressure stay the same. Do more, try harder, and improve your life. Yet, the invitation of the missional life isn’t about accomplishment; it’s about waking up to God’s presence. God is inviting us to keep showing up where he has us. That’s enough. In this episode, we wrestle through the complexity of this issue and the process of unlearning and relearning. Other Links:...

In this special episode, we reflect on the significance of Advent and why it has become a meaningful part of our lives. Then, we discuss why Advent matters for missional people, and what it looks like to engage it at a microchurch level. Other Links: Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurches Website - wearerenaissance.org Check out Advent Resources - wearerenaissance.org/ad...

We believe microchurches are called to operate as spiritual families. This means we find ourselves doing life alongside those coming from a diversity of backgrounds and life stages. How do we honor this diversity and help everyone thrive? How to we learn to make space for all? In this episode, we wrestle through the complexity of this issue and the process of unlearning and relearning. Other Links...

What does it look like to do life alongside and deeply love spiritually curious people? In this episode, Steve Hawley talks about his experience on the Appalachian Trail engaging spiritually curious people. From 2007 until 2024, Hawley helped lead Faith Assembly of God Church in Hyannis. He then felt called to start Hiker Church, a ministry for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts who are spiritually cu...

We often imagine missional people and hospitable folks to be outgoing and driven. Is that true? Are introverts part of the work of mission? If so, what does it look like? In this episode of The Practitioner Podcast, we interview Jace Rasche on his journey over the last eight years in his neighborhood, and the skills he's learned as a missional introvert. Other Links: Video Podcast - https://ww...

God's call is often far less grand and spectacular than we've been made to believe. The work of a practitioner is getting comfortable with that which is mundane, ordinary, simple, and rooted. With the right perspective, we'll discover God in the everyday. In this episode, we describe that journey. Other Links: Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurches Website - wearerenaiss...

Often, we begin the journey into our neighborhoods only imagining how we can serve. One of the surprising outcomes, though, is how often God ends up serving us through our neighbors. In this episode of The Practitioner Podcast, we interview Fabricio Paes on his journey over the last decade in his neighborhood, and how he's become closer to God in the process. Other Links: Video Podcast - https://w...

We've learned over the years that for many folks, there is no imagination for communal church spaces beyond the attractional church. What does it look like to embrace a different way? How do we step into microchurch realities with a new mindset? In this episode of The Practitioner Podcast, we discuss our outcomes and walk through a different way to think about growth and success. Other Links: Vide...

Leadership is a buzzword in our culture and in the church. Yet, most of the prevailing models of leadership around us don't work in microchurch life. What does it look like to embrace a different way? In this episode of The Practitioner Podcast, we discuss polycentric leadership and walk through a different way to operate in mutuality. Other Links: Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissa...

What if our missional practitionership should break our hearts? What if truly practicing faithful presence in our neighborhoods leads us to lament? Why might this be a sign that God is involved in what we're doing? In this episode of The Practitioner Podcast, we unpack these questions and why they matter. More than that, Christine and Drew give examples from their own neighborhoods and what God is...

Sometimes the simple things are the most overlooked things. This is definitely true when starting microchurch communities. Over the years, we've discovered that creating social contracts and allowing people the agency to name what they need from a microchurch is foundational. Listen as we unpack what they are and what it means to create one. Other Links: wearerenaissance.org

Often spiritual practices and contemplation are pitted against missional work. In this episode, Dan Lee makes a case for the importance of contemplative spirituality for the work of mission and microchurch life. Dan has been part of the church planting movement since 1998, serving five different church plants (Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, Brookline, and Brockton) in Massachusetts. He has extensi...

Attention isn't at the top of most people's list when it comes to spirituality and mission. But, attention is the foundation that impacts so much of our life and our faith. At Renaissance, we're convinced that attending to attention is one of the keys to unlocking a life in harmony with God. We unpack this idea and practical strategies for living it out. Other Links: wearerenaissance.o...

When people hear the word "mission," they often think in terms of activity. At Renaissance, we believe mission should instead be rooted in availability. While cultural forces push us toward busyness and a fast pace, the work God is wanting to do through us requires slowing down and becoming more rooted. We unpack this idea and practical strategies for living it out. Other Links: wearerenaissance.o...

Hello and welcome to The Practitioner Podcast , a brand new podcast from us at Renaissance, a network of missional practitioners and microchurches in the Greater Boston Area. We’re going to talk a bit in this introduction episode about what this podcast is all about and get you ready for our future episodes. Links Mentioned: Dream. Create. Enjoy. Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dre...