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Homepage / Pivot Podcast /#127: Church Leadership Community Engagement: Transforming Ministry Through Sustainable Outreach Models

#127: Church Leadership Community Engagement: Transforming Ministry Through Sustainable Outreach Models

Host Dwight Zscheile interviews Pastor Ed Doerner from Messiah Lutheran Church about their revolutionary approach to church leadership and community engagement.

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Is your church struggling to meaningfully engage with your community? In this transformative episode of the Pivot Podcast, host Dwight Zscheile interviews Pastor Ed Doerner about his innovative approach to church leadership community engagement. Discover how Messiah Lutheran Church in Midland, Michigan transformed from being $5.2 million in debt to creating a sustainable community ministry model that provides $6.2 million worth of services annually through their “Beyond the Breakwater” approach.

Pastor Ed shares practical insights on developing sustainable ministries that preserve dignity, reach the often-overlooked ALICE population (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed), and create organic opportunities for faith conversations. Learn about their car repair facility, grocery store, healthcare clinic, and appliance refurbishment ministries—all designed to engage church leaders in community transformation while empowering lay leadership.

Featuring

Headshot of Ed Doener
Ed Doerner
Guest in Pivot Podcast

Pastor Ed Doerner has served as Senior Pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Midland, Michigan since 2001. Under his leadership, Messiah has become known for innovative community outreach and transformation initiatives. Ed is also the driving force behind Elevate Community Ministries, a nonprofit organization that works to enhance the dignity and quality of life for all Midland residents through various community-based programs and partnerships.

Host

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.

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.

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Featuring

Headshot of Ed Doener
Ed Doerner
Guest in Pivot Podcast

Pastor Ed Doerner has served as Senior Pastor at Messiah Lutheran Church in Midland, Michigan since 2001. Under his leadership, Messiah has become known for innovative community outreach and transformation initiatives. Ed is also the driving force behind Elevate Community Ministries, a nonprofit organization that works to enhance the dignity and quality of life for all Midland residents through various community-based programs and partnerships.

Host

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.