Center for Congregations Podcast

Rev. Dr. Seth Richardson of Gravity Leadership joins the podcast this week to discuss the cultural challenges white congregations face when they get serious about racial equity. The conversation centers on a specific case study of a Texas congregation and how they navigated a shift towards racial equity and what these lessons mean for any congregation wishing to become more equitable.Resources:Crossroads Antiracism TrainingRacial Equity ToolsGravity Leadership

Congregations are a treasure of rich traditions: cultural, communal, historical and theological. But how do you keep tradition from turning into stagnation? This week we welcome Rev. Dr. Gabby Cudjoe Wilkes, who recently finished her doctoral work related to innovation, as she shares her insight into keeping things fresh in your congregation.Resources https://dukespace.lib.duke.edu/dspace/handle/10161/25017 https://thecrg.org/resources/traditioned-inovation https://thecrg.org/resources/The_Power_of_Positive_Deviance_How_Unlikely_Innovators_Solve_the_World_s_Toughest_Problems https://www.franklincovey.com/the-4-disciplines/ https://thecrg.org/podcasts/S1_E7_Exchanging_Pews_for_Strollers https://www.inthewater.co/

In this episode of the Center for Congregations podcast, Marty Sawyers of the Full Strength Network and John Opalewski of Converge Coaching share their experience and insight on the challenges clergy leaders face every day. This episode will help non-clergy members of a congregation learn more about the pressures of being clergy, how to better support their leadership, and the impact of clergy stress on the congregation as a whole.ResourcesCenter for Congregations Podcast Season 1 Episode 3: Do We Have to Hide Our Painhttps://thecrg.org/collections/Do_We_Have_to_Hide_Our_Pain Center for Congregations Podcast Season 3 Episode 6: Don't Be a Clergy Killer https://thecrg.org/collections/Don_t_Be_a_Clergy_Killer Full Strength Network https://fullstrength.org/ Converge Coaching https://convergecoach.com/ Preparing for Amazement Ministries https://amazed15.org/

As people of faith, we are often called to be cultural brokers within our communities by identifying gaps that exist, asking the right questions, and harnessing the power of humility and self-awareness. In this episode of the Center for Congregations podcast, board certified chaplain and doctoral candidate, Alexandra Zareth shares her experience and discusses practical examples of how to bridge cultural gaps within your congregation each and every day. Resourceshttps://thecrg.org/podcasts/S3_E4_Make_It_Personal https://thecrg.org/podcasts/S2_E5_Courting_Justice

Your community is likely more multicultural than you may realize. In this episode of the Center for Congregations podcast, we speak with Sandy Garcia of Amistad Cristiana Presbyterina about the multicultural nature of congregations and communities including the lives and experiences of members of the Latinx community as well as the changing perceptions of multicultural ministry.Resources:Amistad Fort Wayne9 Mental Health Resources for the Latinx CommunityThe Multicultural CongregationGod's Tapestry

First, the bad news: mental health issues exist in your congregation. The good news is that there are a wealth of resources and people who can help and a myriad of ways to support those with mental health issues. In this episode, Pastor Ken Hilliard talks about the genesis of the organization Building a Stronger Family and its work to bring hope to those without it.Ben and Matt also discuss some of their own experiences with the topic and how it shows up in the work of the Center for Congregations.Resourceshttps://thecrg.org/resources/Black_Emotional_and_Mental_Health_Collectivehttps://thecrg.org/resources/National_Alliance_on_Mental_Illness_NAMIhttps://buildingastrongerfamily.org/https://www.ecfpl.org/offers/FK6TXRGP/checkout

You likely deal with some kind of diversity in your congregational life. Whether that be ethnic, cultural, generational or some other kind of diversity. Wilisha Scaife believes that the answer to dealing with diversity in ministry is learning to listen, learn and love. The phrase is simple but being able to do this takes effort and intentionality. Wilisha unpacks what this means and Ben and Matt share how this has shown up in their work and resources to help think about difference.Resources https://thecrg.org/collections/Is_Race_The_Real_Problem https://thecrg.org/collections/Make_It_Personal_Leading_a_Multicultural_Congregation https://thecrg.org/resources/mutual-ministry https://thecrg.org/resources/the-new-copernicans-series

At the heart of every congregation is the desire to pass on the beliefs and practices of its tradition. This can be called lots of things: catechism, faith formation, discipleship, etc. In this interview, John Roberto discusses how this passing on of faith can be distilled into seven parts that, when addressed in your congregation's context, can help form the faith of everyone.Furthering the conversation, podcast hosts Matt Burke and Ben Tapper share examples of what faith formation and discipleship have looked like for congregations who have partnered with the Center. Resourceshttps://genonministries.org/https://www.amazon.com/Lifelong-Faith-Formation-Ages-Generations/dp/1640654860https://thecrg.org/resources/ReFocus_Ministryhttps://thecrg.org/resources/transformational-groups-part-1-the-exchange-full-episode

In this short episode, Ben and Matt recap the guests and topics thus far and preview the rest of season 4. We'll be back in action with you all on August 10, 2022!

This episode provides the narratives of three members of the LGBTQ+ community focused on their lives in congregations. These stories highlight the highs and lows of their experiences in faith communities. We offer these narratives in the hope that it will provide wisdom and guidance to your congregation as you navigate this complex issue.