Church is Changing
Church is Changing
We bring you stories of hope and resilience from leaders around the world who are engaging the gospel message in new ways. We interview thought leaders who bring wisdom about the changing cultural landscape and its implications for faith formation. If you are a church leader looking for practical ideas and new ways of approaching church in the 21st century, this podcast is for you.
About the Hosts:
Beth Estock
After serving as a United Methodist pastor in a variety of settings in Georgia and Oregon, and then as Director of New Faith Community Development in the Oregon and Idaho conferences of The United Methodist Church, Beth Estock wanted to help big-hearted leaders have impact without exhaustion. She is a Master Certified Integral Coach™ as well as a meditative yoga instructor. Her contemplative sensibilities and integral approach inform her coaching work with leaders all over North America and the United Kingdom.
She has written two books, Weird Church: Welcome to the 21st Century and Discernment: Spiritual Practices for Building a Life of Faith. You can find out more about her at www.bethestock.com
Paul Nixon
Paul Nixon is Director of Church Multiplication for Discipleship Ministries, an agency of The United Methodist Church. He has served as a Director of Church Development for an annual conference, served as a church planter, and coached scores of innovative leaders across the last quarter century. Paul is the president of Epicenter Group, a coaching organization currently focused on ministry in North America and the United Kingdom. Paul has written eleven books – including a joyful collaboration with Beth Estock in 2016 as they released Weird Church: Welcome to the 21stt Century. His most recent book is Launching a New Worship Community: A Field Guide for the 2020s, co-authored with Craig Gilbert and twelve ministry innovators. You can find out more about him at www.epicentergroup.org.
About the Hosts:
Beth Estock
After serving as a United Methodist pastor in a variety of settings in Georgia and Oregon, and then as Director of New Faith Community Development in the Oregon and Idaho conferences of The United Methodist Church, Beth Estock wanted to help big-hearted leaders have impact without exhaustion. She is a Master Certified Integral Coach™ as well as a meditative yoga instructor. Her contemplative sensibilities and integral approach inform her coaching work with leaders all over North America and the United Kingdom.
She has written two books, Weird Church: Welcome to the 21st Century and Discernment: Spiritual Practices for Building a Life of Faith. You can find out more about her at www.bethestock.com
Paul Nixon
Paul Nixon is Director of Church Multiplication for Discipleship Ministries, an agency of The United Methodist Church. He has served as a Director of Church Development for an annual conference, served as a church planter, and coached scores of innovative leaders across the last quarter century. Paul is the president of Epicenter Group, a coaching organization currently focused on ministry in North America and the United Kingdom. Paul has written eleven books – including a joyful collaboration with Beth Estock in 2016 as they released Weird Church: Welcome to the 21stt Century. His most recent book is Launching a New Worship Community: A Field Guide for the 2020s, co-authored with Craig Gilbert and twelve ministry innovators. You can find out more about him at www.epicentergroup.org.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 11, 2025 • 39min
Church is Changing: Episode 74 – Amber Baker
This week on Church is Changing, we talk with Amber Baker – a pastor, spiritual director, and Dinner Church pioneer in Morgantown, West Virginia. Amber has started five dinner churches around Morgantown, each unique but all are LGBTQIA+-affirming communities of seekers. This collective includes firefighters, people in recovery, strippers, and folks carrying church hurt – all around the simple power of shared meals and Jesus’ stories. She’s reimagining faith in bold and hopeful ways. Don’t miss this conversation about courage, creativity, passion and what church can become.
May 28, 2025 • 33min
Church is Changing: Episode 73 – Rodrigo Cruz
In this episode, Paul Nixon interviews Rodrigo Cruz, executive assistant to the bishop in the Georgia Episcopal Area. Our topic is ministry with immigrants in America in a time of deportation without due process. This is a powerful conversation.
May 14, 2025 • 35min
Church is Changing: Episode 72 – Soul Revival Retreat
What if the unraveling we see in the institutional church isn’t a problem to fix — but a sacred invitation to a new way of being? In this deeply honest and hopeful episode, host Beth Estock is joined by three extraordinary women — Elaine Heath, Angie Wolle, and Rebecca Przybylski — for a soulful conversation about the shifting landscape of Christian leadership and the emergence of the Divine Feminine in this time of disintegration, grief, and profound transformation.
Apr 3, 2025 • 43min
Church is Changing: Episode 71 – Joe Graves
In this dialogue, Joe Graves, pastor and planter of Cityview Church in Columbus, shares insights from his journey in urban church planting and his book, The Progressive Planter. He discusses the evolution of church planting since the 1990s, highlighting new opportunities amid changing demographics. Joe emphasizes the need for inclusive faith communities that foster healing and connection, addressing both the challenges of merging congregations and the struggles of autistic pastors seeking acceptance. His experience underscores the importance of adaptability and vulnerability in modern spiritual spaces.
Mar 19, 2025 • 37min
Church is Changing: Episode 68 – Church Vitality in the 2020s
In this episode, Paul Nixon interviews the church development directors of Baltimore Washington and Western North Carolina Conferences of the UMC: Bill Brown and Rob Hutchinson. The topic: the changing signs of church vitality in the 2020s and what should we now measure?
Mar 17, 2025 • 41min
Church is Changing: Episode 70 – Anne Borsage
Anne Borsage, the Director of Leadership Strategies for the South Georgia Conference, discusses the Spirit's movement in Methodism amid significant changes. She shares how disaffiliated churches have led to a rise in vibrant house churches, emphasizing the role of laity in fostering community. The conversation highlights the importance of food in building connections, transforming church culture towards active community engagement, and the shift from traditional worship to daily discipleship. Borsage sheds light on creating peace within congregations and the evolving landscape of faith in Georgia.
Feb 28, 2025 • 42min
Church is Changing: Episode 67 – Rev. Donna Claycomb Sokol
In a time of deep division, the unraveling of our national institutions, and the undeniable uncertainty within our congregations, how do we, as Christian leaders, stay rooted in the way of Jesus – and hold fast to our prophetic witness?
Today, we’re honored to be joined by Rev. Donna Claycomb Sokol – a wise, courageous, and deeply spiritual pastoral leader serving at Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church in the heart of Washington, D.C. From the shadow of the Capitol, she brings us stories of hope, challenge, and what it means to lead with both conviction and grace in a city where faith and public life constantly collide.
To learn more about Donna and her ministry, visit mvpumc.org.
Feb 16, 2025 • 44min
Church is Changing: Episode 69 – AI in Ministry
In this episode of Church is Changing, Paul Nixon explores the ways that AI is rapidly changing the way we go about ministry. He interviews Pastor Tom Arthur of Sycamore Creek UMC in Lansing, Michigan, along with Tom's friend and tech resource David Smith. This is one of Paul's favorite conversations. So amazing are the potential applications for helping us with our work, from preaching to ministry design.
Jan 22, 2025 • 31min
Church is Changing: Episode 66 – Erin Martin
Are you feeling stuck? Are the things that used to work no longer working? Are you questioning the future of the church as we know it? Then this conversation is for you!
Listen in on this conversation from Portland, Oregon – a post-Christendom area of the United States that is a harbinger for the rest of the country in terms of the changing landscape of the church.
Erin Martin left her role as a DS in the Portland Metro area to serve a local church during Covid lockdown. She shares how immersing in the grief of a dying institution led her to new life for herself and her local congregation.
You can find out more about Fremont UMC at fremontumc.org
In our conversation Erin refers to 2 books:
• Jesus, Jubilee, and the Politics of God’s Reign by Christian T. Collins
• Hospicing Modernity by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira
Jan 3, 2025 • 31min
Church is Changing: Episode 64 – Wayne Grewcock
What is possible with twelve elderly people in an old church building? Listen to this conversation with Wayne Grewcock, who led this group of bright-eyed people to reimagine sacred community online. Listen to Shoreline’s origin story and the impact this ministry is having as it ripples out on multiple platforms.
Click here to learn more about Shoreline Methodist Community: https://www.facebook.com/shorelinemethodistcommunity
