Leading Ideas Talks

Podcast Episode 146 How can church leaders better engage the public sphere and expand their prophetic witness? We speak with Kevin Slayton, a pastor with a passion for public policy and prophetic preaching, about building relationships, engaging in politics, and his book Politically Preaching, Why Politics Are Local to the Black Church. Listen on Apple [...] The post “Engaging in

Podcast Episode 145 How can a passion for helping people flourish lead to social innovation? We speak with K Scarry about social innovation and the ways she is supporting local artists, helping create spaces where everyone can thrive, and more. Listen on Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | Spotify Watch on YouTube Read in-depth interview Related Resources [...] The post “I

Podcast Episode 144 How can a faith community organize itself to combat the sin of racism? Michael Adam Beck and Stephanie Moore Hand share with us a practical framework for doing justice together that reimagines discipleship, leadership, and evangelism as tools for change. Listen on Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | Spotify Watch on YouTube Doing [...] The post “Doing J

Podcast Episode 143 How are the trends in majority Latino congregations different from those in non-Latino congregations? We speak with Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi about her report Latino Congregations: Trends from the Faith Communities Today (FACT) and Exploring the Pandemic Impact on Congregations (EPIC) Studies. It reveals that while Latino congregations face financial difficulties,

Podcast Episode 142 Is your church facing the difficult decision to sell or repurpose property? We speak with Mark Elsdon, editor of Gone for Good?, about how a congregation can pursue creative uses of church property in a way that avoids common pitfalls and propels their mission forward. Listen on Apple Podcasts | YouTube Music | [...] The post “Negotiating the Coming

Podcast Episode 141 How can church leaders address the challenges of urban ministry in a transformative way? We speak with pastor and scholar Tony Hunt about reading a community well, identifying assets, and the importance of understanding your ministry context. He shares with us how to develop the transformative qualities of effective leadership. Listen on [...] The post “Transf

Podcast Episode 140 How can your youth ministry cultivate a faith that stays with a young person as they mature through adulthood? We speak with Brad Griffin of the Fuller Youth Institute about five compass points that can guide an impactful youth ministry. The approach emphasizes building trust and relationships while teaching in transformative and [...] The post “New Approaches

Podcast Episode 139 How can congregational leaders be both healers and agitators at the same time, especially given our fractured landscape and the diversity of contexts where congregations exist? Doug Powe and Jessica Anschutz reflect on the book, Healing Fractured Communities, in which pastoral leaders write about their experiences with renewal, resilience, and resistance in cong

Podcast Episode 138 How would you preach next Sunday if tomorrow your community fell victim to a mass shooting or was devastated by a natural disaster? Preaching Professor Kimberly Wagner shares how pastors can approach this increasingly unavoidable homiletical task in ways that hold in tension the community’s very real experiences of loss and grief [...] The post “Preaching in

Podcast Episode 137 How can an improv comedy show explore the intersection of faith and real life in community? In this engaging episode we speak with Katie Phillips about how Improv Church offers creative ways for engaging people in worship. Listen on Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify Watch on YouTube Learn more about Improv [...] The post “Improv Church: The