#43: How to Get Started in the Mixed Ecology in a Local Church with Roz Picardo

Terri Elton and Dee Stokes welcome Dr. Rosario Picardo.

It’s time to Pivot! In episode ten of season four, co-hosts Terri Elton and Dee Stokes welcome this weeks special guest, Dr. Rosario Picardo.

As a first-generation Sicilian American and co-pastor of Mosaic Church in Dayton, Ohio, Dr. Roz shares his experiences and insights on building a diverse and dynamic church community.

From prayerful discernment to community exegesis, he reveals the key elements of empowering lay leaders and creating a transformative church culture.

Tune in to gain these actionable insights that will help guide you on your journey of empowering and transforming your church community:

  • Understand the importance of prayer and how it undergirds every aspect of church planting and fresh expressions.
  • Embrace the art of listening and community exegesis to truly understand the needs and assets of a community.
  • Identify and empower passionate individuals whose eyes are burning with fire for specific areas of ministry.
  • Build teams with complementary strengths and giftings to compensate for each other’s weaknesses.
  • Foster a culture of high expectations and low management, allowing space for creativity and diverse approaches.
  • Recognize the challenges and opportunities of church redevelopment, and be open to experimentation.
  • Create a vision-driven culture that focuses on the vision catchers rather than the vision squelchers.

Listen now and join us in this captivating conversation with Dr. Roz!

Show Notes:

Connect with Dr. Roz via email (roz@wearemosaic.org) or visit his website, rosariopicardo.com.

Suggested resource: Dynamite Prayer: A 28 Day Prayer Experiment

Featuring

Rosario Picardo

Dr. Rosario Picardo

Roz grew up in western New York as a first-generation Sicilian-American. In 2003, he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Religion from Houghton College and in 2007 a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary. He graduated with a Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary in 2014.

During his senior year of college, Roz entered the ministry as a military chaplain, serving four years in the Marine Reserves and five years in the Navy Reserves. While attending seminary, he recognized a call to serve the local church and has experience in all facets of church life, through roles ranging from church custodian to associate pastor to church planter and executive pastor of church planting at Ginghamsburg Church for five where they had three campuses and worshipped over 4,000. Also, Roz was one of the founding pastors at Mosaic, a new multicultural church in Dayton, Ohio (www.wearemosaic.org).

In addition to his work in the church Roz leads a consulting group for church planters/pastors called Picardo Coaching LLC and is the author of 7 books.

More recently, Roz works bi-vocational at United Theological Seminary. He serves as Director of the Seminary's Pohly Center for Supervision and Leadership Formation, a faculty consultant in United's Doctor of Ministry program and an affiliate faculty member, and Director of External Partnerships.

Meet Your Hosts

  • Terri Elton

    Terri Martinson Elton began teaching at Luther Seminary as an adjunct instructor in 2004 before becoming the director of the Center for Children, Youth and Family Ministry in 2008. In addition to her continued work with the Center, Elton accepted the position of associate professor of Children, Youth and Family Ministry in 2010 and associate professor of Leadership in 2014.

    Prior to her call to Luther Seminary, Elton served as an associate to the bishop in the Saint Paul Area Synod where her responsibilities included working with congregations, leadership development, First Call theological education and youth and family ministry.

    Before her work in the synod, she served at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Burnsville, Minn. for 16 years. While at Prince of Peace she worked in various roles within children, youth and family ministries, as well as served as the director of Changing Church Forum, an outreach ministry of Prince of Peace. She also authored To Know, To Live, To Grow, a confirmation curriculum, and co-authored What Really Matters, a book for congregational leaders, with the Rev. Mike Foss.

    Elton holds a B.A. degree in communications from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. (1986). She earned both her M.A. (1998) and Ph.D. (2007) degrees in Congregational Mission and Leadership from Luther Seminary.

    Elton’s research and teaching interests include: congregational leadership, leading in the midst of change and conflict, helping ministry leaders craft a missional ecclesiology with an eye toward the First Third of Life, awakening a vibrant theology of baptism and vocation and reimagining faith and mission practices for children, youth, young adults and their families.

    Elton is a member of the Academy of Religious Leadership, the Association of Youth Ministry Educators, the ELCA Youth Ministry Network and the American Society of Missiology and is on the board for Real Resources. Elton spends much of her time working with congregations and congregational leaders and seeks out opportunities for enhancing ministry with those in the First Third of Life within the ELCA.

  • Dr. Dee Stokes

    Dr. Dee Stokes is an entrepreneurial minister, educator, consultant, author, and podcaster. With 30 years of experience in education, Dr. Stokes understands what it means to be co-vocational and serve God in the Church and in the marketplace. She has worked at every level of education and has also served as a Senior Pastor, Formation and Connections Pastor, and Teaching Pastor. She has a passion for God and His Church and to see people walk in divine destiny. Her degrees are in Sociology (BA from UNC Charlotte), Public Administration (MPA from Devry University), Biblical and Theological Foundations (MBTF from Asbury Theological Seminary), and Educational Leadership (Ed.S. & Ed.D. from Liberty University). Dr. Stokes's research interests include Cultural Intelligence, Emotional Intelligence, Burnout, Transformational Leadership, unconscious bias, and spousal responsibility.

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with the Missional Leader Cohort