Shifting Culture

We have a great conversation with Nicole Smithee around women in leadership, making Gospel centered decisions, trust and vulnerability, worldview, and more. It's one you won't want to miss.Nicole lives in Manhattan with the love of her life, her husband Ben. Nicole is the CEO and Co-Founder of Iridescent Women, a digital media company committed to awakening and championing the brilliance of every woman through honest conversations and authentic connections. She also serves as the Executive Director of Ministries & Teaching at Liberty Church. She enjoys quality time with friends and family, getting lost in a good book, being active and exploring, and Netflix-binging. To learn more, check out iridescentwomen.com and follow @iridescentwomen and @nicolesmithee on Instagram.Nicole's Recommendations:The Making of Biblical Womanhood by Beth Allison BarrNecessary Endings by Dr. Henry CloudGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcast Support the show

In this episode we have a conversation with Michael Cooper about the Ephesian movement and the structures it took for all of Asia to hear the word of the Lord. We dig into different leadership models, cultural identity, and the importance of everyone playing their part.Michael T. Cooper – Dr. Cooper earned a PhD in Intercultural Studies with a focus on religious movements and a minor in theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He currently serves as a missiologist for East West where he focuses on missiological research and equipping missionaries for effective cultural engagement. Additionally, he is professor of missiological theology and program director of the Master of Arts Missiology of Movements at Mission India Theological Seminary. He has more than thirty years of missions experience, including ten years as a pioneer church planter in Romania after the fall of communism as well as six years in international development. He has helped equip church planters and leaders in Africa, Europe, North America, South America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. He has written and contributed to more than 30 books and academic articles and has presented conference lectures at the London School of Economics, University Bordeaux Montaigne, Loyola University, Baylor University, and many others. His book, Ephesiology: The Study of the Ephesian Movement received the Catalyst Services 2020 Reader's Choice award as the best book in missiology.Michael's BooksEphesiology.comMichael's RecommendationThe 1st Epistle of Clement to the CorinthiansGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcast Support the show

In this conversation with Curtis Sergeant, we talk about elements of movemental disicple making, hear about movements from around the world, and get into Curtis' story of his time working cross-culturally. Dr. Curtis Sergeant served with the International Mission Board (IMB) among an unreached people group (UPG) in China. After a movement started there, he began training for the house-church networks in China and others around the world in how to do the same. Later he served as a VP for Global Strategy with the IMB. Then he went to Saddleback Church over Church Planting and helped catalyze some extremely large-scale church planting projects, especially in India, and engaged nearly a hundred UUPGs. He then served at e3 Partners as the International VP. Now he runs a disciple-making and missions training center called MetaCamp in Dadeville, Alabama (metacamp.org). He is also a co-facilitator of the 24:14 coalition (2414now.net) and founded Zúme (zume.training).Curtis' book:The Only OneGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcast Support the show

In this episode, we have a conversation with John Arndt about the posture we take in our interaction with others, attending to the presence of Jesus, and asking questions before we jump in with our answers. John and Bethany Arndt worked in Cape Town, South Africa for almost a decade. They have a witty and vivacious son and live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. John trained leaders in spiritual formation and church-planting, and provided pastoral care for missionaries around the world for years. He is an Executive CliftonStrengths coach and has a Masters in Christian Formation and Discipleship. John sees the integration of coaching, spiritual direction and friendship as the vehicle for healing and growth, and values unity-in-diversity, strategic focus, and holistic growth. John's RecommendationsThe Wounded Healer by Henri NouwenFaithful Presence by David FitchWith by Skye JethaniInto the Silent Land by Martin LairdRedeeming Sex by Debra HirschJesus and the Disinherited by Howard ThurmanDefiant by Kelley NikondehaAbuelita Faith by Kat ArmasFind more of John's work at Flourish DirectionGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcast Support the show

In this episode, we have a conversation with Amy L. Sherman around bringing the Kingdom of God to earth and seeing holistic transformation happen within the people and places in which we work. It touches on issues of justice, economic reform, power, and much more. Dr. Amy L. Sherman is a Senior Fellow at the Sagamore Institute for Policy Research, where she directs the Center on Faith in Communities. She likes to describe the work of the Center as that of being “a minister to ministries.” She provides training and consulting to churches and nonprofits seeking to transform their communities for the common good.Dr. Sherman is the author of six books and some 75+ published articles in such diverse periodicals as Christianity Today, First Things, The Public Interest, Policy Review, Prism, The Christian Century, and Books & Culture.Sherman is the founder and former Executive Director of Charlottesville Abundant Life Ministries, an Evangelical nonprofit assisting low-income, inner-city families. She has served on the Advisory Board of the Christian Community Development Association for several years.A passionate participant in the fight against violent injustice around the world, Sherman serves as a Senior Fellow at the International Justice Mission’s IJM Institute. IJM is the leading Christian human rights agency engaged in the fight against modern-day slavery and human trafficking.Her undergraduate degree is from Messiah College and her graduate degrees are from the University of Virginia.Sherman is a long-time member of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, VA. Her life verse is Micah 6:8 (“He has shown you, O Man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”).Amy's Recommendation:ArrabonPlaying God by Andy CrouchFind more of Amy's work:Vocational StewardshipMade to FlourishGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcast Support the show

In this episode, Ted Esler talks about the lack of innovation in ministries today and why the church should be at the forefront of innovation in this ever changing world we live in. Ted worked in the computer industry before joining Pioneers in 1990. He served in Bosnia and in various leadership roles with Pioneers until 2015 when he was appointed the president of Missio Nexus. The author of The Innovation Crisis, he holds a PhD in Intercultural Studies (Fuller Theological Seminary, 2012).Ted’s RecommendationsNoise by Daniel KahnemanThe CEO Next DoorThe ChosenGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcast Support the show

In this episode, Mary Ho talks about leading All Nations International and what it takes to lead ethnically and geographically diverse teams. Her experience growing up in different nations, prepared her for work in the nations. In the early 1990s, God began birthing a heart for the poor and for the nations in John and Mary Ho, while a young married couple working for World Vision in Taiwan.  Later in Hong Kong, they were greatly impacted by being a part of the churches that grew out of Jackie Pullinger’s ministry.  Such experience and passion led to a steamless transition into leadership roles years later with the work started by Floyd and Sally McClung in the USA.   Named in 2015 and commissioned in 2016, Dr. Mary Ho became the International Executive Leader of All Nations International (allnations.international), a global Christian missions organization.  In this current role, Dr. Ho provides leadership and direction for All Nations which has grown to four hubs and 400 cross-cultural workers in more than 40 countries. Prior to this role, Dr. Ho served as the North America Executive Director of the All Nations’ hub in Kansas City, MO.  Under her leadership All Nations has since multiplied with two additional hubs, one in Hamburg, Germany, and another in Kampala, Uganda.  Her vision is to see All Nations establish additional hubs in other gateway cities worldwide for the mobilization of both cross-cultural and near-cultural workers.  Dr. Ho is passionate about finishing the Great Commission in this generation and longs to see the love of God shared among the remaining untouched gospel frontiers. Born in Taiwan and raised on four continents, Dr. Ho, has lived in Taiwan, the Philippines, the Kingdom of eSwatini (formerly Swaziland), New Zealand, Hong Kong, and the U.S. Mary's Recommendations:Misreading Scripture with Western EyesThe Gift of Being YourselfGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcast Support the show

In this episode, we have a conversation with Sarah Breuel about her journey from Brazil to Italy starting a church and working in student ministry and then go into the global missions movement and discuss the elements of revival. Sarah is passionately praying for a revival in Europe that will touch other parts of the earth.Sarah Breuel serves as the Director of the Revive Europe and the Evangelism Training Coordinator for IFES Europe. Included in the Christianity Today’s “33 under 33” list of leaders to watch, Sarah served as Chair of the Lausanne Younger Leaders Gathering 2016. Originally from Brazil and currently living in Rome, Sarah has worked for IFES in four national movements in the last 15 years (Brazil, Canada, Norway, and Italy) and currently works in the European region. She has a business degree and an MDiv from Regent College. She has recently joined the Lausanne Board of Directors as its youngest member. Sarah is married to René. They have planted a vibrant church in Rome and have two boys: Pietro and Matteo.Sarah's Recommendation:The Circle Maker by Mark BattersonGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcast Support the show

In this episode, Roy Moran shares how important it is to shift culture by shifting our minds. As a disciple making movement practictioner and mentor, Roy has a vast amount of wisdom share. He shares lessons learned from our African brothers and sisters.Roy Moran is the founder of Shoal Creek Community Church, the author of Spent Matches, and the Chairman of the Board of New Generations.Roy's RecommendationsThe True Believer by Eric HofferTurn that Ship Around by L. David MarquetGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcast Support the show

In this episode we have a great conversation with Sally Steele around belonging, bringing dignity and hope into different situations, and being people that have eyes that see and ears that hear. Sally shares about the importance of seeing things from different perspectives and widening the circle of who belongs and who gets to decide that.Sally is a co-executive director of City Hope San Francisco, a nonprofit focused on providing a space of belonging for our most marginalized neighbors. Sally’s work includes overseeing staff development and equity, the organization’s transitional sober living home, and overall operations. Sally began her work building support networks for immigrant faith leaders and equipping faith-communities to support refugee families. She then served as the outreach director for a large congregation in Washington, D.C., managing nonprofit partnerships and providing grants and volunteers, before joining City Hope in 2014. Sally is a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (MDiv) and the University of Virginia (BA), and is ordained in the RCA (Reformed Church in America). She lives in Oakland with her husband and three kids.Sally's RecommendationsCaste by Isabel WilkersonDeacon King Kong by James McBrideGo to www.shiftingculturepodcast.com to interact and donate. Every donation helps to produce more podcasts for you to enjoy.Follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/shiftingculturepodcast Support the show