Were you burnt out by all the planning that had to be done for Christmas, and only just starting to recover before Lent (with its relatively early start this year) struck? And now, even amidst all the busyness of Lent and pre-Holy Week planning, you’re looking for insight and help around the changing landscape of the Church? The Pivot Podcast team has continued to dig into difficult questions that faith leaders are asking, looking to provide an understanding of the deeper cultural shifts that account for the unraveling of inherited models of church. Taking time to talk about the four key pivots that today’s church must make with expert thinkers, researchers, practitioners, and more. Here is some of what you may have missed in the early months of 2024.
5.57: How to Help Your Church Listen into a Hopeful Future
In the first episode of 2024, co-hosts Terri Elton and Dwight Zscheile were joined by guest, Mark Lau Branson. Mark is the Homer L. Goddard Senior Professor of the Ministry of the Laity at Fuller Theological Seminary, and author of several books, including: Leadership, God’s Agency, and Disruptions: Confronting Modernity’s Wager, co-authored with Alan Roxburgh, Churches, Cultures, and Leadership: A Practical Theology of Congregations and Ethnicities with Juan Martinez, and Memories, Hopes, and Conversations: Appreciative Inquiry, Missional Engagement, and Congregational Change.
If you’re tired of navigating rigid church structures, this conversation empowers you to explore alternative questions and delve into scripture and community stories. Embrace disruption and uncertainty, as these moments align with God’s actions in scripture. Mark’s books offer guidance for leaders seeking a more hopeful future.
5.58: How to Help Your Church Change Through Design Thinking
We know things need to change in our church, but where do we start?
In this episode, host Dwight Zscheile addresses the common struggle church leaders face in navigating change with guest Dr. Ramon Pastrano, a specialist in transformational leadership. Together they explore the challenges of making changes in churches, highlighting pitfalls and proposing a better approach, emphasizing the significance of the design thinking process.
Ramon is also the instructor of the Faith+Lead Academy Course, Spirit-Led Solutions Through Human-Centered Design.
5.59: Empowering Lay Leaders
In this episode, hosts Alicia Granholm and Dwight Zscheile tackle the challenge of clergy shortage in churches with guest Marianne Ell, facilitator for the School for Lay Ministry with Faith+Lead.
Start here when you can’t find a full-time pastor for your church.
5.60: How to Start a New Ministry
In this episode, hosts Alicia Granholm and Dwight Zscheile tackle the pitfalls to avoid when starting a new ministry, the most common hangups people have when starting a new ministry, and get advice for starting a new ministry with guest, Michael Binder.
Michael is a professor, church leadership consultant, and small business owner. He serves on the faculty of Luther Seminary, teaching ministry leadership, innovation, and church planting. Michael serves on the leadership team for the Seeds Project at Luther. He is also the instructor of the Faith+Lead Academy course, How to Start a New Ministry.
5.61: Fostering Faith in Everyday Life
Are your church programs making the impact you’re hoping for? If you answered yes, no, or not sure, this is the place to start. In this episode, hosts Alicia Granholm and Dwight Zscheile dig into why focusing on membership doesn’t necessarily mean that people are becoming disciples of Jesus.
Guests Tania Haber and Jason Van Hunnik, two pastors who have discovered a way forward for their church, describe a mindset shift that orients church activities in a different direction. Net result? Individuals contribute to fostering faith that impacts everyday lives without the overwhelm of programs.
5.62: Funding Forward: New Business Models for Ministry
Wondering how to navigate church finances or needing a path toward financial stability for your church? In this episode, we share our sustainable financial framework for churches today.
If your church is seeking a more sustainable financial framework, you’re in the right place. Together, we’ll unpack innovative financial strategies, explore finance advice for your church, and shed light on the keys to long-term financial stability for your faith community. Connect your money values with your stewardship leadership today. Join us as we interview Grace Pomroy—financial educator, author, Director of Luther Seminary’s Stewardship Leaders program, and instructor of the Funding Forward Faith+Lead Academy Course.
5.63: Lent: The Gift of Journeying in the Wilderness for Church Leaders
In a wilderness season? Uncertain? In a waiting season with God? Isolated? You’re in good company as Jesus also lived through a wilderness season in Luke 4. In this episode, join Terri Elton as we explore the spiritual formation that comes with times of uncertainty and reflection. What might be God’s promises for us and for our communities even in times of wilderness seasons?
5.64: Pivot Podcast Q&A Response Session
All your questions answered in this Q&A session are about exhaustion and burnout, what to do when your congregation is tired and lacking energy, pastoral identity, and preaching and leading when people are in conflict and it is an election year.
Questions listeners asked include:
* Q1: “I’m burned out and exhausted; is it time to call it quits?”
* Q2: “Help: my congregation is tired and lacking energy, what can we do to fix it?”
* Q3: “If I’m not preaching and teaching and doing everything, then who am I as a pastor? If I’m not at the center of things I don’t feel like I’m doing my job.”
*Q4: “What do I do when people in my congregation are at odds with one another, and with me? This is an election year when American society seems more divided than ever. How do I lead in this environment?”
