Welcome back to the Microchurches Podcast! We are almost ready to launch Season 5 on October 2nd, 2024. But in the meantime, we have a bonus episode with special guest Rich Robinson, where we'll talk through the four-phase framework outlined in his new book, All Change, to navigate adaptive challenges and help ministries, churches, and organization…

We're all waiting for something. Sometimes it’s for a special someone, or for a family. Sometimes it’s for a better quality of life. Sometimes we are desperate for a miracle. The story behind Christmas Eve is that, after a long period of waiting, God showed up in a surprising way. Perhaps this year, he wants to show up in your life as well.…

Todd and Andrew welcome back Taylor Turkington to the podcast for a conversation about the necessity of equipping women for ministry. They think through why some complementarian pastors have been hesitant to encourage the women in their churches to get theological training, whether women are better than men at teaching women, and how the church can…

Todd welcomes Professor Bryan Warren to the podcast to talk about a model of Christian counseling that integrates both theology and psychology. They talk through the implications of holding up Scripture as the the Word of God while simultaneously learning from the insights of psychology to better understand people and the human condition. Bryan is …

Todd and Andrew discuss Andrew's upcoming book on a theology of response. Andrew unpacks how the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19 and Paul's "therefore" in Romans 12 help us see how the Christian life ought to be framed as a response to all that God has done for us in Christ.By Western Seminary

Todd sits down with Professor Stephen Stallard, PhD as they reflect upon their experiences preaching through Galatians in their churches this year. They explore the gospel clarity found in Galatians as well as some of the challenges they faced preaching through the book verse by verse. Stephen is Assistant Professor of Pastoral Ministry at and the …

Thank you for joining us for this final episode of Season 4 of Microchurches! In this episode we'll hear from Jeremy Stephens on how microchurches can understand and navigate the tension of the organic life and the organized elements of the microchurch and, more specifically, how we get the organized elements to serve the organized life of the micr…

Roni Sasaki is a former Paralympic gold medalist, speaker, author, and entrepreneur. She joins Todd and Andrew to share what it was like to be born with one leg, how she fulfilled her dream of becoming an Olympic athlete, and why her disability testifies to the goodness of God. Roni is a Western Seminary student studying in the MA in Biblical and T…

Thanks for tuning into this episode of Microchurches! Continuing in our Microchurch Conversations series, this week we'll hear from Stacy Gaskins as we talk through giftings within a microchurch, and more specifically how tools like APEST can help microchurch communities mature and more fully and effectively fulfill their calling. Resources mention…

Thanks for listening to this episode of Microchurches. This week we begin a new series of conversations around microchurches, and more specifically, discussing some tools and frameworks for people as they operate in their microchurches. In this particular episode, you will hear from Lucas Pulley as we learn about Social Spaces, and how understandin…

Why would a good and powerful God allow evil and suffering? Todd welcomes Gerry Breshears to the podcast to talk about the problem of evil. Gerry summarizes the most common Christian responses to the problem of evil and explains how focusing on the incarnation can be a helpful place to start. Gerry has been a professor of theology at Western Semina…

Welcome to another episode of Microchurches! This week we will hear from Brian Sanders as we dig into collaboration within the Church and even through our microchurches. We'll dive into the opportunities, benefits, barriers, and potential for Kingdom impact through collaboration. Resources mentioned: Five Keys to Cross-Organizational Collaboration …

Welcome back to this episode of Microchurches, which is a Part 2 from our previous conversation discussing leadership transitions within a decentralized network. This episode is a continuation in our Network Conversations series. This week we are joined my Jeremy Stephens and Taylor McCall, as well as Joshua Benadum and Lucas Pulley from our last e…

What do we do when our faith begins to feel stale? Daniel K. Eng, PhD, sits down with Todd to talk about what it looks like to grow spiritually at different stages of the Christian life. He explains that while many churches understand how to meet the needs of new believers, they often struggle to help mature believers continue in sanctification. He…

Thanks for listening to Microchurches! This week we'll be continuing in our Network Conversations series with a two-part conversation with Lucas Pulley and Joshua Benadum. We'll discuss the concept of leadership transition, specifically in the context of more decentralized church models. And don't forget to tune in next week for Part 2 of this conv…

This week we're kicking off a new series called Network Conversations. In this particular episode, we'll chat about microchurch networks with Joshua Benadum of Dwell Community Church and Matt Ulrich of Greenhouse Church in Gainesville. Specifically, you will hear about the dynamic between their microchurches and their macro expression of church for…

Todd and Andrew sit down for a conversation with Chuck Conniry, Western Seminary's 12th president. Chuck talks about coming to faith, the impact of theological education on his own ministry as a pastor, and his passion for seeing seminaries advance the mission of the local church. Conniry is Western's 12th president and has worked in theological ed…

Thanks for listening to this episode of Microchurches! We're excited to continue in our series of hearing from networks around the country doing small expressions of the church in their own context. In this episode, you will hear from Shaunna Sturgeon of Watershed Collective in Iola, Kansas. Shaunna and her community are empowering local missionari…

Welcome back to the Microchurches Podcast! In this week's episode, we're continuing in our series by hearing from Joshua Benadum of Dwell Community Church in Columbus, Ohio. Having officially began in 1969, their community and church structure has looked different over the years, and they have a lot of lessons and wisdom to share about how they've …

Taylor Turkington joins the podcast to talk about how Habakkuk helps us prayerfully respond to the brokenness of this world with lament and hope. What does real faith in the middle of chaos, wrongdoing, and suffering really look like? Taylor is the director of BibleEquipping, a Bible teacher and a Western grad.…

Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Microchurches! Today we will hear from Dori Yuen in the San Francisco. Dori is the executive director of the Channel Network, a discipleship focused family of missionaries in the Bay Area. Listen in to hear about the lessons they are learning as missionaries and as a network, and some tools and rhythms …

Welcome back to this week's episode of Microchurches, where we'll hear from Brian Johnson and Breana Weibe of KC Underground. They'll share some interesting insights into how they've contextualized their network to their communities, how their missionaries have helped shape their culture and how they serve, and of course some inspiring stories of m…

Todd and Andrew sit down with Jeremiah Peck, PhD, Assistant Professor of Counseling at Western Seminary, to talk about pastoral burnout. What is pastoral burnout? Why does it seem to be on the rise in the church? Why is it so difficult to prevent and what can the church do about it? Jeremiah discusses his research on this topic and provides his per…

Thanks for listening to this episode of Microchurches. This week kicks off a new series hearing from networks around the country who are pursuing these smaller expressions of church in their own contexts. In this episode, we'll sit down with Daniel Yang of the Prodigal Network in Chicago, IL. You'll hear about the ways that things like history and …

Thanks for tuning into Part 2 of our conversation on Kingdom Ecosystems with Jon Dengler and Taylor McCall from Brave Cities. In this episode, you're sure to be inspired and challenged to think differently about your circles and communities you engage with on a daily basis, and how God might be calling you or those around you to be the church in th…

Welcome back to this week's episode of Microchurches. To continue in our series of Reimagining Microchurch, in this episode you will be able to tune-in to a conversation with Jon Dengler and Taylor McCall from Brave Cities. They will share their experiences with learning the needs of their contexts and being the church through building within their…

Thank you for tuning in to this episode of Microchurches! Today we are continuing in our series by hearing from Mark Scandrette, founding director of ReIMAGINE: A Center for Integral Christian Practice, where he leads an annual series of retreats, workshops and projects designed to help participants apply spiritual wisdom to everyday life. In this …

Welcome back, and thanks for tuning into this episode of Microchurches. Last episode, we sat down with Alan Hirsch and reflected on the missional conversation thus far. Today, we're joined by both Alan Hirsch and Brian Sanders, to continue this conversation and to unpack what it means for the future of the church. You will hear insights into what A…

Thanks for listening in to this week's episode. We're continuing in our series this week by hearing from Alan Hirsch once again as we dive into what the missional conversation has consisted of thus far. You will hear about the way this conversation has shifted over the years and where it might be headed, as well as some challenges that movements an…

Welcome to Season 4 of Microchurches! Thank you so much for tuning in. We're kicking off this season with a series called Reimagining Microchurch. In this particular episode, you'll be hearing from Alan Hirsch, an influential thinker and leader in the world of missional Christianity. Alan is known for his work in helping churches and organizations …

While you wait for Season 4, here's a BONUS episode where we sit down with Hugh Halter and talk about kids, parenthood, and making the mission of God a family story. For those of us who are parents, we want to raise our kids to know deeply God's love and saving grace. In this episode, you'll learn practical tools to equip you to do this, and how mi…

Thank you for listening to this episode of Microchurches. To wrap up season 3, we are bringing it full circle and debriefing lessons from the microchurch stories we've heard from all over the world. Come listen in as Tomy and Lucas discuss the different lessons, barriers, values, and other insights shared by these brave microchurches in their vastl…

Thanks for listening to this episode of Microchurches! As we near the end of this series, we wanted to talk about the Liturgy of a Microchurch. We will sit down with Jeremy Stephens, and hear about how having a liturgy can bring a kind of order that keeps your community accountable, while also creating freedom to serve God and love on those you are…

Thanks for listening to this episode of Microchurches! Today we are continuing in our series talking about Microchurch Life. You will hear from Lucas Pulley about how conflict and the process of dissent generally will happen within a microchurch model, and best practices for leading and shepherding within those spaces. Resources mentioned: Undergro…

Welcome to this episode of Microchurches. In this series we are talking about all things Microchurch Life, and particularly things that are helpful for microchurch leaders to consider. In this episode we hear from Jeremy Stephens about the Life Cycles, and how the dissolving, pivoting, or rebooting of microchurches is not uncommon and is often embr…

Thank you for joining us in this episode of Microchurches! Today we are kicking off a new series all about microchurch life by sitting down with Lucas Pulley and Jeremy Stephens and discussing what we often mean by "rule of life". Because microchurches function differently than more "event-based" churches or ministries might, a set of expectations …

Thank you for listening to this episode of Microchurches. Today we will sit down with Kathryn Eng from the Underground Clinic and Julie Wood from Just Initiative. You will learn how they have learned to cultivate community within their team, and disciple and shepherd their team members as part of the mission they've been called to. Resources mentio…

Welcome back to Microchurches! In this series we are going through frequently asked questions regarding microchurches, and sitting down with various leaders and missionaries to hear about their experiences and how they might answer these questions. In this episode, we will hear from Jeremy Stephens about the benefits, risks, and best practices when…

Thank you for listening to this episode of Microchurches! This week we are diving into one of our most frequently asked questions: What do microchurches do about kids? We'll hear from Jessica Stephens and Emily Binder, who will discuss not only raising and caring for kids in their family and community, but the role children actually play in mission…

Welcome back to the Microchurches Podcast! In this series we are going through frequently asked questions in the world of microchurches. This week we sit down with George Wood and Jon Dengler, who, from their experience with men in recovery and those in poverty, will discuss with us how not to lose heart in a dedicated lifetime of ministry. Don't m…

Thanks for joining us! This week we are kicking off a new series going over frequently asked questions when it comes to microchurch life. We'll sit down with Lucas Pulley, Jeremy Stephens, and Bill Couchenour to discuss accountability in mission, and how microchurches can do that well while still releasing and empowering leaders to go where they ar…

Thanks for listening to the Microchurches Podcast! This week we continue in our series of hearing from microchurches all over the world by sitting down with Scott Williams and his experience with microchurches in Southeast Asia. As he navigates through mission in a country that is under immense crisis, you'll hear about the ways that Scott has seen…

Welcome back to the podcast! We took a week off last week due to Hurricane Ian that impacted some of our communities locally, but we are back this week and hearing from Noah Cremisino and Greg Hay in New Zealand. In this episode, you'll hear about the formational season their community is in, the ways that their communities and circumstances has in…

Thanks for journeying with us through Microchurch stories from around the world. In this episode, we sit down with Vicki and Reuben in the Dominican Republic - where the typical church model is generally smaller in nature. You'll hear about how they've been called to neighborhood church, pastor care and invesment, ministry to vulnerable women, and …

Welcome back to the Microchurches Podcast. This week we are continuing in our series by hearing from the Gathering Network in Glasgow, Scotland. Adam and Charlotte Penketh started with intentionality towards those around them and eventually persevered in the slow growth and development of what became the Gathering Network. Listen in on the ways the…

Welcome back to the Microchurches Podcast! We are kicking off Season 3 with hearing from Microchurches from around the world. In this episode, we'll hear from Miranda and Samir doing mission in Paris. We'll discuss the barriers they face in caring for and ministering to refugees they come across, and hear some of the amazing stories they have to te…

To wrap up this series of microchurch stories from various networks, we hear from Lucas and Tomy once again as they debrief just some of the lessons and themes that came up in talking to these leaders. You will learn how although microchurch models are often so beautifully adapted to their contexts, there are underlying themes and values that allow…

This week we are doing a bonus episode with Matt Ulrich of Greenhouse church, who the Underground is partnering with to host the upcoming Microchurch Conference. You will hear about how microchurch DNA is in everything they do, despite having their largest attendance on Sunday mornings. By focusing on making disciples in a way that is organized but…

In this episode of Microchurches, we continue our series with Matt Newman and Jerad Sears of Samaritan Church. While part of their rhythm includes a Sunday service as a traditional church would, they have adapted the microchurch model to empower and release missionaries to live and love like Jesus in their neighborhood - and in turn build bridges t…

Ryan and Todd sit down with pastor and author Champ Thornton to talk about how families can follow Jesus together, especially during the Christmas season. Champ recently wrote the book Wonders of His Love, an advent devotional for families based on Isaiah’s prophecies. He is the author of several children’s books and is the associate pastor at Ogle…