Transforming Engagement: The Podcast

In this season, we're exploring the unique tapestry of the continental Pacific Northwest, known as the "Cascadia" region, and how it shapes ministry. Today, we're joined by Rev. Emily McGinley, who shares her journey from the Midwest to San Francisco and the cultural and religious differences she's encountered. You'll gain insights into: Understanding Cultural and Religious Contexts: Rev. Emily's...

Welcome to a new season of Transforming Engagement, the Podcast!  On this podcast, we are dedicated to exploring how each of us can serve God and neighbor in our unique communities and contexts. This season, we're inviting you into our extended backyard - the unique tapestry of the continental Pacific Northwest, defined by its watershed, and known as the "Cascadia" region.  Here, ministry takes on...

As we close this season on Youth & Campus Ministry Burnout, host Rose Madrid Swetman is joined by Kate Rae Davis to engage in a reflective conversation, highlighting key insights and common themes discussed throughout the season. The season has unfolded a spectrum of challenges faced by those in youth and campus ministry, ranging from the struggles of maintaining work-life balance to the emotional...

Kurt Rietema joins us with over 14 years of experience leading missional journeys for Youthfront, an almost 80-year-old youth ministry organization, that focuses on camps, youth worker training, and community development. Kurt shares his personal journey, including his time living in Mexico and to his current neighborhood in Kansas City with a high percentage of undocumented immigrants. His work i...

"So often in youth ministry, we think that it's our job to do ministry at young people. Sometimes we're doing youth ministry for them, but what we really encourage people to think about is how do we do ministry with them?" -Megan DeWald This week's guest is Megan DeWald, the director of the Institute for Youth Ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary. With two decades of experience, Megan highli...

If you're a youth or campus ministry leader - or you have one on your staff - you won't want to miss this conversation! Join us today as we bring together a vibrant panel of three exceptional leaders in youth and campus ministry: campus coach Octavia Miller, campus pastor Joe Phenisee, and Reverend Amanda Rigby. We'll dive into their personal journeys into ministry, explore the challenges leading...

In today's episode, we had the pleasure of chatting with Mark DeVries , the co-founder of the Ministry Architects and the Center for Youth Ministry Training. Mark brings a wealth of experience, having served as the Associate Pastor for Youth and Their Families at First Presbyterian Church in Nashville for 28 years. He joked with us that he is a Youth Minister who is about to enter into Medicare. W...

In our country, the undeniable truth is that a mental health crisis is profoundly affecting youth and families. What if there was a more robust connection between youth ministry leaders and mental health professionals? Could this create a supportive environment for young people and those caring for them? Today, we welcome Reverend Amanda Rigby, the pastor of Christian Education and Formation at Ed...

We're pleased to welcome Charlie Conder, Lead Coach for the Youth Cartel , an organization dedicated to encouraging and challenging adults who minister to youth through holistic professional coaching. Charlie led a large youth ministry; in fact, her middle school participants grew to be half the size of the entire church. She discusses the challenges she faced as her ministry grew, leading to sign...

Welcome to a brand new season of Transforming Engagement, the Podcast! This time, we're diving deep into a topic that's been a long time coming – Youth & Campus Ministry Burnout. We open this season with a special guest, Matt Wiggins, who sparked our journey into the world of youth and campus ministry burnout. It began when he came across our Clergy Burnout Report during Season 2 and reached out....

Catch the final episode in this season of Transforming Engagement, the Podcast, where we've been considering Church After Mars Hill and using The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill as a case study. We've considered a number of aspects of that story:          Patriarchy and mutuality          Whiteness and diversity          Violent imagery and peace making          Toxic cultures  and psychological health...

We're joined this week by father-daughter team, Dr. Scot McKnight and Laura Barringer, co-authors of A Church Called Tov: Forming a Goodness Culture That Resists Abuses of Power and Promotes Healing .   Their book was inspired by the events at Willow Creek Church, prompting them to explore toxic church cultures and the need for change. They contrast toxic church cultures with tov cultures (tov mea...

In this episode of "Church After Mars Hill," host Joel Kiekintveld is joined by Dr. Chelle Stearns to focus on the intersection of art, expression, and theology within the modern Western church.    Many churches invest heavily in elements like worship teams, video production, and visual presentations. However, this often lends itself to one-way communication, prioritizing the leaders and visuals a...

In this episode, we explore a new perspective on church with Dr. Dwight Friesen, who asks us: "How do I start where I am? Wherever I am, how do I discover being church here?" Instead of viewing church as a megachurch attracting distant members, we shift our focus to being church in our own context. We're honored to be joined by Dr. Dwight Friesen, an Associate Professor of practical theology at Th...

As we continue to examine the case study that is Mars Hill Church, we're asking a couple of questions in this conversation:  First, how do we create faith communities that know what abuses of power look like and call those behaviors out?  And second, how do we build environments that seek to be psychologically healthy for everyone? Our guest this week is Doug Shirley, EdD, core faculty with The Se...

Mars Hill Church pastor Mark Driscoll was known to portray Jesus as a warrior or an "ultimate fighter" in his teachings. He wasn't the only one. In the Western church, our society's obsession with violence and militarism has found its way into our theology in subtle - and not so subtle - ways. But is this an accurate portrayal of Christ, the Prince of Peace?    This week, host Joel Kiekintveld is...

As we continue our conversation about "Church After Mars Hill," host Joel Kiekintveld is joined by guest Dr. Ron Ruthruff, Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at The Seattle School of Psychology and Theology. When examining the story of Mars Hill, there exists an underexplored theme of race and Whiteness. In his book "After Whiteness," Dr. Willie Jennings defines Whiteness as the embodimen...

We continue our conversation about Church After Mars Hill with Dr. Rose Madrid Swetman, the Northwest Regional Leader of the Vineyard USA denomination and Associate Director at the Center for Transforming Engagement.   Dr. Swetman was previously interviewed for Christianity Today's podcast "The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill" in Episode 5, titled "The Things We Do to Women."   The discussion revolves...

The term "deconstruction" is widely used in the Evangelical and post-Evangelical community, but what does it actually mean and what purpose does it serve? How does it relate to addressing the pain, anger, and disillusionment experienced in the wake of the fall of trusted leaders and churches like Mars Hill? Furthermore, how does it influence our relationship with institutions, communities, and our...

In this final episode of our Clergy Burnout series, co-hosts Dr. J. Derek McNeil and Kate Rae Davis, MDiv, revisit the many rich conversations they've had with our guests this season and highlight some of the key takeaways for pastors and leaders. We hope these conversations have supported you as you strive to understand the identity and purpose of your faith community in the midst of changing con...

This week we're talking to Bishop Melissa Skelton, who currently serves as Bishop Provisional for the Diocese of Olympia. In our conversation, we look at understanding the identity of your church, not only at the level of your local congregation but within your denomination or your greater faith tradition. Bishop Skelton highlights the importance of understanding the heritage and origin story of y...

When you set out to determine your organization's identity, there are a few key questions to ask yourself that go beyond your mission or vision statements. This week, we're joined by CEO and founder of Motis, Rick Beaton, PhD.    Rick brings his expertise in people, culture, leadership and management, corporate identity, belief systems, and social psychology to provide a framework for taking an ho...

Kate and Derek are joined by longtime friend, Linda Wagener, PhD, who is the Chief Culture Officer at Blink. With over 35 years of experience in organizational leadership, training, and research, her role with Blink is to build a resilient work culture that enhances employee engagement and productivity.   Linda's expertise in cultivating and preserving a values-centered and unified workplace cultu...

Welcome back to Episode 2 of Season 3 of Transforming Engagement, The Podcast. This season, we're talking about organizational identity and the role of the leader.   In this episode, we spoke with Pastor Gail Song Bantum about her identity as a second-generation Korean woman and as a pastor and leader, and Quest's identity as a congregation in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. As a leader of a...

We're starting a new series on the podcast about organizational identity - a topic that, co-host Dr. J. Derek McNeil admits at the beginning of this episode - can sound somewhat dry. But here's why it's important:   Most of us have some sense of our personal identities. But when you're leading a group of people, whether that's a small town congregation or a multinational corporation, you as a lead...