Faith + Lead logo white
Log in
Join membership

Homepage / Pivot Podcast /#119: Church Planting Apprenticeship: Ancient Wisdom with Rev. Dr. Christian Selvaratnam

#119: Church Planting Apprenticeship: Ancient Wisdom with Rev. Dr. Christian Selvaratnam

Rev. Dr. Christian Selvaratnam shares insights on church planting, leading from the middle, and fostering a 'mixed ecology' of new and legacy churches.

Apple Youtube Music Icon Black Spotify Youtube Rss
Pivot podcast logo

In this episode of the Pivot Podcast, the Rev. Dr. Christian Selvaratnam shares how he caught the church planting vision and has spent 25 years developing innovative models for training church planters and traditional pastors alike.

As Dean of Church Planting at St. Hild Theological College in England, Christian explains the power of the medieval apprenticeship approach to leadership development. Learn how “leading from the middle” can activate more people in ministry and create a “mixed ecology” of both new and revitalized churches. Whether you’re contemplating starting something new or breathing fresh life into an established congregation, this conversation offers practical wisdom for the journey.

Resources Mentioned

Featuring

Headshot of Rev. Dr. Christian Selvaratnam
Christian Selvaratnum
Guest in Pivot Podcast

Christian Selvaratnam is the Dean of Church Planting at St Hild Theological College where he is the founder of the Church Planting Track, the Centre for Church Planting and the Seedbed training programme. Before this, he worked for fifteen years at Alpha UK in various roles, including National Director, and concurrently for fourteen years as the Ordained Leader of G2, an Anglican church plant in York. Over the last twenty-five years, Christian has directly planted two churches and sent out and supported several others. More widely, he is involved in training leaders and advising on church planting, innovation, mission and church growth and vocations, particularly in the North of England.

Christian is the author of several teaching modules, training courses and books, including Why Plant Churches? Theological and Practical Reasons for Starting New Christian Communities (Grove 2023), The Craft of Church Planting: Exploring the Lost Wisdom of Apprenticeship (SCM Press 2022) and Alpha as a Church Planting Tool (Alpha International 2017).

Hosts

Faith+Lead Headshot of The Rev. Dr. Dwight Zscheile, VP of Innovation, Luther Seminary.
Dwight Zscheile
Professor of Congregational Mission and Leadership, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

The Rev. Dr. Dwight Zscheile is professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

He is the author of Embracing the Mixed Ecology (with Blair Pogue, Seabury Books, 2025), Leading Faithful Innovation: Following God into a Hopeful Future (with Michael Binder and Tessa Pinkstaff, Fortress Press 2023), Participating in God’s Mission: A Theological Missiology for the U.S. (with Craig Van Gelder, Eerdmans 2018), The Agile Church: Spirit-Led Innovation in an Uncertain Age (Morehouse Publishing, 2014), People of the Way: Renewing Episcopal Identity (Morehouse Publishing, 2012) and The Missional Church in Perspective: Mapping Trends and Shaping the Conversation (with Craig Van Gelder, Baker Academic 2011), editor of Cultivating Sent Communities: Missional Spiritual Formation (Eerdmans, 2012), and co-editor (with Ed Olsworth-Peter) of The Starter’s Way: Leading New Contextual Christian Communities (Church Publishing, 2025).

A graduate of Stanford University (BA), Yale University (MDiv) and Luther Seminary (PhD, Congregational Mission and Leadership), Dwight previously served congregations in Minnesota, Virginia and Connecticut. Dwight’s experience growing up in a secular home in California has shaped his commitment to helping the church cultivate Christian community with neighbors in today’s changing world.

Terri Elton
Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Leadership, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

The Rev. Dr. 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.

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.

About Pivot Podcast

Join us on Pivot Podcast, where we journey beyond church-as-usual to discover how God is reshaping ministry for today’s world.

Each week, we dive into conversations with innovative leaders and practitioners who are navigating four game-changing pivots: shifting from quick fixes to deep listening, from membership to discipleship, from rigid models to creative ministry ecosystems, and from clergy-centered leadership to unleashing everyone’s gifts.

Whether you’re a member of the clergy seeking fresh inspiration or a volunteer stepping into new leadership territory, Pivot Podcast equips you with the insights and practical wisdom to follow Jesus into a faithful future.

Through their work with diverse cohorts of preachers, they’ve discovered that the most compelling sermons aren’t necessarily the most polished – they’re the ones where preachers have learned to listen deeply to both God and their congregations. Learn practical tools for gathering meaningful feedback, understand why vulnerability matters more than ever in preaching, and discover how shifting from evaluation to understanding can deepen your sermon’s impact. Plus, hear why reimagining God’s agency in preaching might be the key to unlocking more powerful proclamation.

Recent episodes

View more

#152: A Whole-Community Approach to Pastoral Care for Churches

Dr. Cody Sanders—Associate Professor of Congregational and Community Care Leadership at Luther Seminary and au...

Listen now

#151: Learning to Ask God Questions First

Bishop Scott Johnson and Deacon Timothy Siburg share how the Nebraska Synod of the ELCA is helping churches mo...

Listen now

#150: Between Sunday Sermons and Monday Struggles: Integrating Faith and Work

Dr. Michael Binder—a Luther Seminary professor and co-owner of a five-generation HVAC business—shares what he'...

Listen now

Featuring

Headshot of Rev. Dr. Christian Selvaratnam
Christian Selvaratnum
Guest in Pivot Podcast

Christian Selvaratnam is the Dean of Church Planting at St Hild Theological College where he is the founder of the Church Planting Track, the Centre for Church Planting and the Seedbed training programme. Before this, he worked for fifteen years at Alpha UK in various roles, including National Director, and concurrently for fourteen years as the Ordained Leader of G2, an Anglican church plant in York. Over the last twenty-five years, Christian has directly planted two churches and sent out and supported several others. More widely, he is involved in training leaders and advising on church planting, innovation, mission and church growth and vocations, particularly in the North of England.

Christian is the author of several teaching modules, training courses and books, including Why Plant Churches? Theological and Practical Reasons for Starting New Christian Communities (Grove 2023), The Craft of Church Planting: Exploring the Lost Wisdom of Apprenticeship (SCM Press 2022) and Alpha as a Church Planting Tool (Alpha International 2017).

Hosts

Faith+Lead Headshot of The Rev. Dr. Dwight Zscheile, VP of Innovation, Luther Seminary.
Dwight Zscheile
Professor of Congregational Mission and Leadership, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

The Rev. Dr. Dwight Zscheile is professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

He is the author of Embracing the Mixed Ecology (with Blair Pogue, Seabury Books, 2025), Leading Faithful Innovation: Following God into a Hopeful Future (with Michael Binder and Tessa Pinkstaff, Fortress Press 2023), Participating in God’s Mission: A Theological Missiology for the U.S. (with Craig Van Gelder, Eerdmans 2018), The Agile Church: Spirit-Led Innovation in an Uncertain Age (Morehouse Publishing, 2014), People of the Way: Renewing Episcopal Identity (Morehouse Publishing, 2012) and The Missional Church in Perspective: Mapping Trends and Shaping the Conversation (with Craig Van Gelder, Baker Academic 2011), editor of Cultivating Sent Communities: Missional Spiritual Formation (Eerdmans, 2012), and co-editor (with Ed Olsworth-Peter) of The Starter’s Way: Leading New Contextual Christian Communities (Church Publishing, 2025).

A graduate of Stanford University (BA), Yale University (MDiv) and Luther Seminary (PhD, Congregational Mission and Leadership), Dwight previously served congregations in Minnesota, Virginia and Connecticut. Dwight’s experience growing up in a secular home in California has shaped his commitment to helping the church cultivate Christian community with neighbors in today’s changing world.

Terri Elton
Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Leadership, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota

The Rev. Dr. 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.

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.