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
Dec 28, 2022 • 38min
Church is Changing: Episode 19 - Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth
In this episode of Church is Changing, host Beth Estock interviews Bishop Cedrick Bridgeforth, recently elected bishop in the Western Jurisdiction of the UMC and appointed to serve the Greater Northwest Area that includes the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. In this podcast we move from the complexities of 21st century living to the simplicity of the core of the Gospel with the idea that innovation begins as a metanoia. This change of perspective unfolds through attending to relationships both in and outside the walls of the church. In essence, Bishop Bridgeforth invites us to look through the lens of honoring the love languages of the people we meet as a way to partner with the unfolding of God’s preferred future.
Dec 14, 2022 • 33min
Church is Changing: Episode 18 - Brittany Isaac
In this episode of Church is Changing, host Beth Estock talks with Brittany Isaac, the superintendent of the Lake North District in the Northern Illinois Conference of The United Methodist Church. Brittany cut her ministry teeth as a scrappy church planter for the third site of Urban Village in Chicago twelve years ago. Now into her last full year as a district superintendent, she shares her perspective on what is needed both structurally and spiritually to support innovation and thrive in the Babylon of our day.
Nov 30, 2022 • 31min
Church is Changing: Episode 17 - Kenda Dean & Michael Beck
On this episode of Church is Changing, host Paul Nixon converses with both Kenda Dean of Princeton Theological Seminary and Michael Beck, Executive Director of Fresh Expressions United Methodist (FXUM). In this far-ranging conversation, Paul explores emerging trends in the Christian faith community with two leaders who work on the innovative front lines.
Nov 16, 2022 • 42min
Church is Changing: Episode 16 - Mike Baughman
In this episode of Church is Changing, host Paul Nixon interviews Mike Baughman, who works with innovation related to United Methodist Higher Education and Ministry. Paul asks Mike to reflect on his years as founding pastor of Union Coffee in Dallas. He reflects on the opportunity for the UMC to partner with emerging leaders who have out-of-the-box notions of church.
Nov 2, 2022 • 32min
Church is Changing: Episode 15 - Bernd Schwenkschuster
In this episode of the Church is Changing podcast, host Paul Nixon interviews a German United Methodist pastor, Bernd Schwenkschuster. Bernd planted a new church in Metzingen, Germany a decade ago - one of about 15 planted in by United Methodists in the Southern Germany Conference in recent times. Why are United Methodists planting successfully in a very secular culture such as Germany? There are things to learn here for Americans and others who may think that planting is impossible in current cultural conditions.
Oct 19, 2022 • 31min
Church is Changing: Episode 14 - Elaine Heath
In this episode of Church is Changing, host Paul Nixon interviews Elaine Heath, former dean of Duke Divinity school, author/expert on neo-monasticism and Abbess of Spring Forest Farm in North Carolina. This conversation offers great insight into the contours of the emerging 21st century church.
Oct 5, 2022 • 37min
Church is Changing: Episode 13 - Rachel Gilmore
Rachel Gilmore is one of those high capacity leaders that has been there and done that. She seems to bring life to everything she touches.
She started out as a church planter in Virginia then moved on to the Path 1 staff where, among other things, she birthed The Field Preachers podcast that has now morphed into this podcast.
She currently lives in Phoenix, Arizona where she continues to form faith communities as well as serve as the Director of New Faith and Vital Faith Communities.
In this high energy episode, she offers an overview of what she is seeing in the changing church today and how she is adapting to her changing context.
Sep 21, 2022 • 29min
Church is Changing: Episode 12 - Liane Kensett
In this episode of Church is Changing, we cross over the pond to Hull, England in the Yorkshire area to hear about the Kairos movement with Liane Kensett. Liane is a Contemplative at heart who offers an organic life-giving approach to starting new faith communities. If you are interested in learning about how to form faith communities with folks who want nothing to do with the existing church paradigms and vice versa this podcast is for you.
To find out more about the Kairos Movement go to kairosmovement.org.uk.
Sep 7, 2022 • 27min
Church is Changing: Episode 11 - Christine Potter
In this episode of the Church is Changing podcast, Pastorista Christine Potter in Wichita, Kansas, describes to host Paul Nixon the life of a church based in a coffee shop.
Aug 24, 2022 • 38min
Church is Changing: Episode 10 - Ministry in a Season of Perpetual Crisis
In many respects, we have moved into a season of perpetual crises, unlike any time in recent history for much of the world's people. In this episode of the Church is Changing podcast, hosts Paul Nixon and Beth Estock discuss the challenge of new ministry paradigms and strategies to match the changing life conditions in which people live.
This conversation is rooted in an article Paul Nixon published, which can be accessed here:
https://paulnixonepicentergroup.blogspot.com/2022/07/ministry-in-season-of-perpetual-crisis.html
