Around the Table

Guests:
Isaac Funk, Jonathan Sauder, Mark Streitmatter

Show notes:

• Purpose: develop biblical principles on discerning emerging technologies (ET).
• Defined what it is.
• Examples of ET.
• Historically, some have been fearful of ET.
• Culture we grew up in influences how we view ET.
• Important to have conversations about ET to learn how to use technology well.
• Technology is a tool to accelerate what we can do.
• Use technologies wisely.
• Be careful not to label a technology as completely good or completely bad.
• Maintain a biblical worldview.
• Explanation of ChatGPT and other types of AI (interesting).
• AI is not always accurate.
• AI does not do all things well; humans do some things better.
• Makes us think about what it means to bear the image of God.
• Church needs to help guide these conversations.

Guests:
Tim Funk
Kyle Walter
Carla Wuethrich

Show notes:

• Why the image of God is a relevant topic
• How does it help us understand God and our relationship with him?
• Helps us balance out who we are with what we do.
• Has both a vocational and relational aspect.
• Jesus is the ultimate image of God who came to earth.
• Image of God is also our identity; this identity is also personally unique.
• How does sin and brokenness impact the image of God?
  • Sin causes this reflected image to lose some of its luster.
  • While there is distance and strain in our relationship, God still pursues us and desires reconciliation.
  • Even in our brokenness, we are still loved by God and reflect his image.
• How do we share these truths with others?
  • God making us in his image is his universal love language to us.
  • We thrive and grow as we share this with others.

Guests
Joe & Heidi Gerber
Adam Uhler

Guests:
Crystal Frank, Tim Funk, Blake Widmer

Show notes:

• We need to look to the Bible for how to be godly men & women, not our culture.
• Two teams looking at this: one team of brothers and one team of sisters.
• Additional communications planned.
• Teams contain brothers & sisters from various ages, cultural contexts, urban/rural, & linguistic environments.
• 5 stages to be investigated (1-what it means to be human? 2-how do we represent the image of God? 3-what does it mean to be created male & female? 4-living as godly men & women. 5-interactions with evangelism & discipleship)
• Being human is more than physical; also includes thoughts, soul, spirit.
• Be careful not to elevate one aspect of humanity above another.
• There is a part of us that is of the earth and a part of us that is of God.
• Benefit of study: Our God-given body is good.
• Implications of viewing human as whole, both body & soul: God wanting to dwell with us is an embodied reality in the incarnation.
• What happens if we separate body & soul or elevate one above another? We struggle with self-worth instead of seeing ourself as a tabernacle; we struggle to resolve the tension we feel when we think of ourselves as only body or soul (we don't need to feel bad that we have a body); we might say 'my body doesn't really matter that much', when actually it is very valuable, especially knowing that Jesus will return with a body; we may tend to minimize the body when the body dies, when the reality is that our body will be resurrected.
• Other important discoveries of this study: humanity is one (male & female) - this is significant especially for those that struggle with their identity, value and worth.
• This study should lead us to worship God.
• Plans for additional studies and podcasts on this topic.

Guests:
Jeff Grimm, Peggy Jackson, Ted Steffen, Michelle Strahm, Ted Witzig, Jr.

Show Notes:
How can our congregations help support and protect church leadership?

• Get to know your elder/ordained deacon couple; get to know their needs.
• Remember your leader's children at home when travelling for church business.
• Offer to sit with children in church.
• Give grace to leader's children like you would your own.
• Find out what needs to be done around their home; offer your skills.
• Gifts/acts of kindness are helpful, whether it is help with a vacation or thoughtful gifts periodically like gift cards.
• Take care of church visitors from the community; don't expect leadership to do it all.
• Encourage converts.
• Be willing to serve in church offices when asked.
• Pray for us.
• A text or email can be very helpful; we get down too.
• Don't expect leadership to be perfect; give grace; expect good intentions.
• Sometimes we can't share certain things; please be patient.
• Don't think leadership is too busy to talk about life or get together for dinner.
• Sometimes we need to make hard decisions; please be understanding.
• Our wives have to bear with us when leadership is hard.

Challenges and blessings being in church leadership:

• Challenging to disengage from leadership responsibilities and spend quiet time with the Lord.
• Blessing to see first hand what God is doing in people's lives.
• Challenging seeing all the hard things going on in your congregation.
• Blessing being invited into people's precious moments (death bed, premarital counseling, etc.)
• Challenging for our wives to balance family issues and husband's busy schedule.
• Challenging managing pressure from others' opinions and expectations for our children.
• Blessing when financial burdens are shared.

Guests:
Jeff Grimm, Peggy Jackson, Ted Steffen, Michelle Strahm, Ted Witzig, Jr.

Show notes:
Tools - Wellness assessment to examine how we are doing; email goes out quarterly to look at various areas; coach newly ordained couples; promote mentoring within elder body; facilitate elder/wife meeting at a conference once a year.

What is 360 Wellness? Approved ad hoc committee to help church leadership, establish healthy practices, and avoid leadership risks.

Committee initially looked at preventing bad things; began looking at areas of growth needed for successful leadership.

Areas of growth:

• Personal stewardship
• Marriage & family
• Shepherding & relationship (managing personalities, minister team, conflict)
• Expanded to help deacons & ministers and their wives.

Leadership recommendations:

• Maintain relationship connections; don't isolate.
• Set and maintain healthy boundaries.
• Should always have time each day for quiet time.
• Keep time open each day for family.
• Get enough rest; we need it.
• Don't think it all depends on me.
• Jesus modeled these recommendations.

Need to work from a healthy reserve, not the bottom of the barrel.

Be careful about seeing our identity defined by how things are going. Our identity is a son/daughter of God.

Watch our self-talk; don't let it go down rabbit trails and things we can't control.

Guests:
Jason Dotterer
Lucas Frank

Show notes:

• Reason(s) for different format.
• Benefits of different format.
• Challenges with changing format.
• Changed format allows addressing more issues due to audience having multiple choices.
• Identified items (format) that have not changed.
• Resulted in better attendance than recent past conferences.
• Increased fellowship periods.
• Remain focused on Jesus and his Word, and being bound together.
• Moving 2025 General Conference to Saturday.
• Will continue to monitor and adjust format in the future.

Guests:
Gwen Leuthold, Gina Martin, Ron Messner

Show notes:

• Looking at additional ways to communicate events to singles and to connect.
• Humans, not just singles, have an inherent need for connection.
• Singles desire more healthy and meaningful interactions with all brothers & sisters.
• Receiving compliments, notes, and cards (little things) are very important to singles.
• Take the time to build relationships with singles.
• Many singles are content being single; don't assume they all want to be married.
• Many singles struggle with not being married; don't assume they are content being single.
• Pray for the singles who are struggling.
• Singles need to share their desires & concerns with others. Others need to validate these concerns; pray with them; show them they are cared for.
• Each of us listening to the Holy Spirit brings about healthy change for all in the body.
• Next steps: recommendations for the national and local body.
• Praying for singles from the pulpit is humbling and appreciated.

Guest:
Gwen Leuthold
Gina Martin
Ron Messner

Show notes:

• Review/Update on survey of our Singles.
• Goal - how to better be one body; how to better serve in the body.
• Wanted to hear the heart of the singles.
• Singles are wondering what change the survey will bring.
• Both the process in making/doing the survey and the data has been valuable.
• Positives: committed to church (local and national); grateful for being included in church roles; grateful when married families include them in their lives.
• Singles needs: more support from local congregation; help in dealing with loneliness; balance with life & church; dealing with sexual needs; need to be married.
• How to help singles? What season of life are they in?
• Testimony and instruction of ultimately looking to Christ to have needs met, and not relying on marriage to be complete.
• Personal experience: easier to be single in a small church (singleness is not an identity); larger churches tend to group singles together as an identity.

Guests: 
Brad Eisenmann, Gerry Hertzel, Trent Meiss Brad Strahm

Show notes:

• We respond to what God did by believing, repenting, having faith...
• Justification is us being right with God.
• Sanctification is us partaking in God's holiness; rooted in love.
• Sanctification is God's work. We tend to place too much attention on self.
• Sanctification happens in two parts: immediately upon faith, and over time.
• Jesus' death and shed blood allow us to come into God's presence and for God to dwell within us.
• We are left amazed at what God did for us in salvation!