About Pivot Podcast
Over the past few years, church leaders have been forced to respond to several global crises in the blink of an eye. In a moment with little information and lots of uncertainty, churches reinvented nearly every aspect of church.
Season 5 of the Pivot podcast explores the changing landscape of the church. Our co-hosts will dig into difficult questions that faith leaders are asking now, and provide an understanding of the deeper cultural shifts that account for the unraveling of inherited models of church. What are the four key pivots that today's church must make? New episodes post weekly on Thursdays.
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#139: Reimagining Church Spaces: How to Transform Underutilized Buildings into Community Hubs
July 31, 2025
Tim and Tabitha share the inspiring story of transforming a unused church basement from 1985 into the thriving Center for Belonging.
#138: Maintaining Christian Identity in a Post-Christian Society: What Early Believers Can Teach Us About Cultural Engagement
July 24, 2025
Dr. Stephen Presley reveals how early Christians maintained their identity in pagan culture and their "third way" for today.
#137: Religious Decision Making: Dr. Angela Gorrell’s Guide to Faithful Discernment When You Don’t Know What to Do
July 17, 2025
Dr. Angela Williams-Gorrell shares her framework for religious decision making when facing difficult choices.
#136: Fresh Expressions: From VBS Burnout to Vibrant Community Ministry (Part 2)
July 10, 2025
Shannon Kiser reveals how fresh expressions transformed her church from event-driven ministry to authentic neighborhood relationships.
#135: Fresh Expressions: From VBS Burnout to Vibrant Community Ministry (Part 1)
July 3, 2025
Dwight Zscheile and Shannon Kiser explore how churches can grow vibrant fresh expressions to reach changing neighborhoods.
#134: Has Religion Become Obsolete? with Christian Smith (Part 2)
June 26, 2025
Has religion become obsolete in American culture? In this second part of our conversation with sociologist Dr. Christian Smith, we explore his groundbreaking research on why traditional religion has lost its cultural relevance for post-Boomer generations.
#133: Has Religion Become Obsolete? A Conversation with Christian Smith (Part 1)
June 18, 2025
Dr. Christian Smith explores why religion feels outdated in modern culture, citing shifts in family, institutions, and technology as key causes.
#132: Reframing Evangelism: Following Jesus into Sorrow with Andy Root (Part 2)
June 12, 2025
In part two of our conversation with Andy Root, we explore a radically different approach to sharing faith that moves beyond happiness-hunting strategies to embrace God's presence in brokenness.
#131: Reframing Evangelism: Following Jesus into Sorrow with Andy Root (Part 1)
June 5, 2025
Dr. Andy Root shows us how to evangelize through what he calls "a theology of consolation" - being present with people in their sadness and brokenness, because that's where Jesus shows up.
#130: Being Church During Community Crisis
May 29, 2025
With Pastor Marcos Canales and Nina Lau Branson, discover how being church in a community crisis goes far beyond emergency preparedness.
#129: One Church, Multiple Models: How the Mixed Ecology Approach Transforms Ministry
May 22, 2025
In this insightful episode of the Pivot Podcast, we talk with Dwight Zscheile about the concept of "one church multiple models" through what he calls a "mixed ecology" approach.
#128: Biblical Improvisation: How Jazz Music Transforms Preaching in a Post-Christian Society
May 15, 2025
Discover biblical improvisation with Dr. Mark Glanville—where jazz meets Old Testament insight to craft sermons that resonate in today’s post-Christian world.