The Living Church Podcast

Today we'll be touching down in Kansas, Japan, Africa, China, and the middle east, for some global lessons in leadership.How are Christians formed as effective leaders, and how do they in turn form effective leaders? How do we learn leadership from beyond our home turf to serve in fearlessly contextualized ways?My guest today is Dr. Mary Ho. Mary is an expert in strategic leadership, and she is the International Executive Leader of All Nations International, a global Christian missions training and sending organization. She is currently co-teaching a 3-year class on leadership in the global Christian context at Gordon Conwell. Mary is also the author of a number of articles that I'll link today in the show notes including, "When Leaders Drink Tea Together," "The Transcendent Culture of Servant Leadership," and "Growing Global Women Leaders from the Majority World." Are there Western leadership models that can be exported elsewhere? When and why?How do we lead with vision, or even with a charismatic personality, while building nurture rather than going toxic?What can global north organizational leadership learn from global south Christianity?And what are some benefits and limits to reading leadership books? Take off that leadership cap for just a second. Sit back, relax. Maybe have a cup of tea. We hope you enjoy the conversation.Check out these articles by Mary Ho:Global Leadership for Global MissionsThe Transcendent Culture of Servant Leadership: Principles for 21st Century Global MissionsWhen Leaders Drink Tea Together: A Critique of Western Christian Leadership in Light of Global TrendsGrowing Global Women Leaders from the Majority WorldGive to support this podcast.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Two bishops in Bermuda give us a glimpse at a gesture of Christian unity that's making a difference in a diverse community.We'll hear today how the Anglican and Roman Catholic bishops of the island both found their call into island ministry, how their friendship started, and some of the fruit it's bearing in their dioceses in sweet and surprising collaborations. We'll also hear some advice on how to make friends with other Christian leaders in your own community, across divides of history and tradition.The Rt. Rev. Nicholas Dill has been the Anglican Bishop of Bermuda since 2013. Bishop Nick started as a barrister in London, then became a priest, before accepting a call as bishop of his home island of Bermuda. He is looking to see where God is leading the Church, but knows it includes a greater emphasis on work with Christian brothers and sisters of every denomination.The Most Rev. Wiesław Śpiewak has been the Roman Catholic Bishop of Bermuda since 2015. A native of Poland, Bishop Wes first served there at a seminary, before teaching and serving in Rome, then serving as Provincial of the Polish Province before coming, unexpectedly, to Bermuda. Hang on to your mitres and your mai tais. We hope you enjoy the conversation. Give to support this podcast.Videos of Bishop Nick and Bishop Wes:(20+) Video | Facebook , (20+) Facebook, (20+) FacebookAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Rev. James Dominic Brent, OP, is a Dominican friar and theologian known for his insights on Aquinas and contemplative theology. In this engaging conversation, he demystifies the roles of angels and demons, explaining how angels are created beings assisting us in our spiritual journeys. He shares how angels influence our prayers and the importance of seeking their guidance. Brent also addresses misconceptions about demonic influence and emphasizes the need for a balanced perspective in spiritual life, drawing from Scripture and Church tradition.

With election season heating up in the U.S., many Christian leaders feel the extra strain. With churches and nations dealing with painful divisions, how might Christians — and anyone else — learn to enjoy and share life together? What does that take?Today it takes us to the virtues, ways to live at peace with ourselves and others through the exercise of certain habits.The cardinal virtues are four specific means and wisdoms for flourishing that God makes available to humans universally, to discern "the good" and experience some of that goodness in our social and material lives.How do humans share life across divides? How do we make the life of grace visible, and how does God make it visible through us, and accessible to others, even in tricky times? And how are the cardinal virtues a time-tested paradigm for knowing and sharing, through prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude, God's goodness in our life together?Dr. Elisabeth Rain Kincaid is our guest today. She is the Director of the Institute for Faith and Learning at Baylor University, where she also serves as associate professor of ethics, faith, and culture. Her first book, Law From Below, was recently published with Georgetown University Press. Her research interests include questions at the intersection of theology, business, and law, as well as natural law theory, virtue ethics, socially responsible investment, Anglican and Catholic Social Teaching, and questions of human flourishing.We hope you enjoy the conversation. Read Elisabeth's book.Register for The Human Pilgrimage conference, where Dr. Elisabeth Kincaid will be one of our keynotes.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

How can poetry teach us to read Scripture?Everything within creationSpeaks of Jesus’ Incarnation.Likewise too, his saving PassionIs shown forth in all that’s fashioned.The Word God spoke before all agesCan be traced in Scripture’s pages.The Bible tells one vast narrationfrom Genesis to Revelation.So begins "Figural Graffiti," a delightful instructional poem by theology professor Joe Mangina. "Figural Graffiti" is sincere and playful, and it's a little ditty on the method and gift of reading scripture figurally. We discuss today this ancient and lively method of reading Scripture, what we lose when we lose the knack of figural reading, and what freedom figural reading gives us as disciples and Christian leaders.Dr. Joseph Mangina is professor of theology at Wycliffe College, Toronto. His scholarly interests include ecclesiology, ecumenism, sacramental theology, and theological interpretation of Scripture. For several years in the 2000s he served on the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue commission for Canada. Among other books, he's written two on Karl Barth, the Revelation commentary for the Brazos Theological Commentary series, and most recently, he's co-edited a book called Figural Reading and the Fleshly God: The Theology of Ephraim Radner.Read "Figural Graffiti" on the Living Church's free online journal, Covenant.Check out Joe's new book.Register for the Living Church's upcoming conference.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Clergy couples: How do they work? Where are the tensions and the graces? Even highly functional, loving, clergy marriages can look so different. Knock, knock – can we come inside your marriage for a peek?In this episode, host Amber Noel gets really nosy. Here are three couples willing to come on the podcast and talk honestly about their clergy couple marriages – what makes them tick, what ticks them off, and how they've learned to value differences, protect each other, and learn grace in community.In this episode we'll hear from:The Rev. Tish Harrison Warren and her husband, the Rev. Dr. Jonathan Warren Pagán. Tish is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America. She is the author of Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life and Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work, or Watch, or Weep. She’s written for The New York Times and Christianity Today. Jonathan is planter and rector of Immanuel Anglican Church in Austin, Texas. Together they cowrote the book, Advent: The Season of Hope.The Rev. Dr. Lilian and the Rt. Rev. Given Gaula: Bishop Given has been Bishop of Kondoa, Tanzania, since 2012. Mother Lilian serves in various roles in the diocese of Kondoa, including teaching at the theological college and running a ministry for women’s empowerment.The Rev. Melissa and the Very Rev. Randy Hollerith. Melissa has 30 years of ordained ministry under her belt, much of it serving schools. For the past two years, she has been the upper school Chaplain and teacher at St. Albans School in Washington. Randy has served as the Dean of Washington National Cathedral since 2016, and was rector of St. James’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, for 16 years.We hope you enjoy the conversation.If you haven't yet, register now for TLC's Human Pilgrimage Conference.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Join Christopher Wells, the Director of Unity, Faith, and Order for the Anglican Communion, as he explores the essence of Christian unity. He discusses the importance of ecumenism for local ministers and how shared practices can enhance community life. Wells elaborates on concepts like the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral and the duality of Anglican identity. With insights into history and personal practices, he argues for a vision where Anglicans strive to serve unity so well they might work themselves out of a job.

Ever run out of preaching material for a major feast day? May today's episode inspire you.It's funny how the gospel unveils and then veils itself to us in seasons of our ministry and preaching. There are so many times when there's more than we can capture. And then other times it feels lilke the well runs dry on the same passage we've come to for years. But this "dryness" may just be an invitation to dig in a new direction or to a new depth.Today we've got a fascinating dispatch from the Rev. Dr. Sarah Hinlicky Wilson, a Lutheran pastor in Tokyo who got tired of trying to find something new to preach about the Transfiguration. Sarah trusted the abundance of God's word to not return void, and kept digging, and that digging turned into a whole book about what she found: Seven Ways of Looking at the Transfiguration.Turns out, the Transfiguration is the center point of the Gospel of Mark. Turns out, St. Paul is very interested in the Transfiguration, and the Transfiguration is very interested in Jewish pilgrimage festivals and the end times. And the Gospel of John might keep the Transfiguration on the DL for a very good reason. Today we'll learn why we've got two of these feasts a year, where apples and grapes come in, and a little about ancient laundering practices — all just in time, maybe, to give you some inspiration for you own festal sermon.Sarah is Associate Pastor at Tokyo Lutheran Church and the Founder of Thornbush Press. She has written, edited, and contributed to numerous books of both theology and fiction and has published hundreds of articles. She hosts the podcasts Queen of the Sciences, Sarah Hinlicky Wilson Stories, and The Disentanglement Podcast, and writes the e-newsletter Theology & a Recipe. They may not be "whiter than a fuller could bleach them," but get ready for some brilliant insights nevertheless. We hope you enjoy the conversation.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Today we've got live music in the studio, reminding us of God's faithfulness in conflict and pain, and why beauty, the arts, and artists are so vital to and for the Church. Singer-songwriters Leila Way and Ryan Flanigan join us from Resurrection South Austin to play some new tunes for us and talk about the intersections of music with church life, family life, and life with God.Between sets we'll chat about the stories behind the songs, and about what art might teach ministry, especially about inviting others into the pain and the gift of faith in Christ.Leila Way is a songwriter in Austin, Texas, writing and recording songs for the Church. She likes to set Scripture and heartfelt prayers to music.Ryan Flanigan serves as music director at Resurrection Church South Austin and as theological artist-in-residence at Baylor University. Ryan is also the founder of Liturgical Folk, which seeks to create beautiful and believable sacred music for the Church and the world. Leila's songs are from her new album, You Don't Carry It Alone, and Ryan's are from his new collaboration with musician Jon Guerra, Three Gifts.Set list: "You Don't Carry It Alone" - Leila "Walking On" - Leila "Faith" - Ryan "Hope" - Ryan "Prayer for Unity" - Leila "Be Still My Soul" - Ryan and Leila We hope you enjoy the conversation, and the music. Special thanks to Michael Way and Resurrection South Austin for their technical assistance on this episode.Read Ryan's interview with Leila.Visit Leila's website.Visit Ryan's website.Join us at the God at 'I' Level photography exhibit.Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Listen to our first Conversation Across Difference, Episode 102. Join us at the God at 'I' Level photography exhibit. Progressive and conservative: do ever the twain meet? What are safe spaces across current divides on topics that matter? And, when we do talk across divides, how do we get below the surface?Today's Conversation Across Difference is about a hot topic in the Episcopal Church, and nearly every church right now: human sexuality and marriage. How do we engage a topic in which each side believes this isn't just about difference of opinion, but, as one of our guests points out today, also about sin. Can say what we really believe and stay at the same table? If we don't condone one another's beliefs, even about self, love, or family life, can we still love and respect one another? If so, what are the difficulties? And what unexpected discoveries might be made if we keep talking?The Episcopal Church has a Communion Across Difference Task Force that talks about these things, prays together, and takes action to preserve safe spaces for these diagloues within the church. Two guests join us today, both priests in the Episcopal Church, members of the task force, and friends. The Rev. Dr. Jordan Hylden is our guest who affirms Christian marriage as the union of male and female, and the Rev. Kelli Joyce is our guest who affirms Christian marriage regardless of gender. They join us today to describe their work together.Wherever you're coming from, I hope this episode helps you to have more fruitful, honest relationships with others with whom you disagree. The Rev. Kelli Joyce is a priest of the Diocese of Arizona, currently living and ministering in the Diocese of Tennessee. She is a candidate for the Ph.D. in Theological Studies at Vanderbilt University.The Rev. Dr. Jordan Hylden is vice rector at Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Lafayette, Louisiana. Jordan has served churches in South Carolina and Texas, and also as canon theologian and vocations director for the Diocese of Dallas.Our executive director, Matthew Olver, also joined us as co-host.We hope you enjoy the conversation.Listen to our first Conversation Across Difference, Episode 102. Join us at the God at 'I' Level photography exhibit. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands