Church and Main

By Dennis SandersSociety & Culture Religion & Spirituality Christianity

Church and Main episodes

June 06, 2023 The Spirit-Filled Institution with Juan Sarmiento | Episode 146
Mainline Protestant churches haven’t always done a good job of focusing on the role the Holy Spirit plays in the life of our churches and that’s a shame because the Holy Spirit is what makes church more than just a social club that meets on Sunday mornings.
In this episode, I am honored to have Juan Sarmiento as my guest. A native of Venezuela and ordained in Brazil, Juan is the Executive Presbytery of the Presbytery of San Fernando, a Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (USA) located in the Northwest of the Los Angeles metro area. We talk about the role of the Spirit in the life of the church, the new churches taking root in his Presbytery, and the importance of the church as an institution, especially in this time of polarization.
What Does Denominational Decline Look Like?- by Ryan Burge
San Fernando Presbytery website
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58 min
June 02, 2023 Episode 145: The Frustrations of a Small Church Pastor
Here is the second of two solo episodes out this week. Filmed last week at the end of a very strange day, Dennis reflects on being the pastor of a small church and why these churches matter, especially in Mainline Protestantism.
A new interview episode should be available this coming Monday or Tuesday. Stay tuned!
Why Small Churches Matter (original video version)
At the Intersection Video Series
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This podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks!

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19 min
May 30, 2023 Episode 144: How To Disagree and Still Be Friends
Hello, this is Dennis Sanders. I’ve been on a holding pattern with some potential guests. The interviews should be on the way soon, but in the meantime, I’m sharing the first of two videos I make for my weekly At the Intersection videos. In this first video, I talk about Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene who called for a "national divorce" a few months ago. I remember when two women showed a more excellent way to handle disagreements.
How to Disagree and Still Be Friends- the video
At the Intersection Video Series
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This podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks!

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18 min
May 09, 2023 Giving Up the Stigma of Mental Illness with Seth Perry | Episode 143
In this episode, we talk with Pastor Seth Perry, the pastor of Elim Lutheran Church in Scandia, MN. During Lent when people give up certain things for the season, Seth is asking the church to “give up the stigma” of mental illness.
Seth talks about living with bipolar disorder, the importance of being honest about mental illness in the church, and mental health care in the United States and his native Canada.
Show notes:
Giving Up the Stigma- local newspaper article on Seth’s journey
Seth’s YouTube Channel
Give Up the Stigma: Seth’s campaign to foster discussion of mental illness in the church
NAMI -National Alliance on Mental Illness website
Elim Lutheran Church website
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This podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks!

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1 hr 10 min
May 01, 2023 Church and the Crisis of Decline with Andrew Root | Episode 142
If you’re the pastor or leader of a mainline Protestant congregation you have heard about your declining congregation for years if not decades. You probably even lead a congregation that wonders if its best days are behind them.
Denominations, specialists and others have some idea on how to help your congregation get back on the path towards growth. We want to try anything that can solve this crisis of decline.
But what if the crisis is not about decline but about something deeper? What if it is a crisis not of decline, but of faith in the God who is God?
Today, I talk with Dr. Andrew Root, the Carrie Olson Baalson Professor of Youth and Family Ministry at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN about churches in decline, the loss of life, and how revival can only come when we are open to the presence of God.
Show notes:
Andrew Root’s website
Church and the Crisis of Decline (the book we discussed)
The Church After Innovation (his latest book)
When Church Stops Working (upcoming book)
When Church Stops Working Podcast
Episode 112 with Kara Root on Sabbath
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This podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks!

Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe
1 hr 9 min
April 27, 2023 Episode 141: Ralph Yarl and the Erosion of Trust
A teenage African American boy is shot by an elderly man in Kansas City. Ralph Yarl went to the wrong house by mistake and was shot twice by an 84-year-old gentleman. Why did this happen? Was it gun violence? Racism? Pastor Dennis talks about the loss of trust in our society and how the church should respond.
At the Intersection Video (the video this episode is based on)
A Knock at the Door by Dennis Sanders
Bowling in Fear by Brianne Wolf
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27 min
April 24, 2023 Beyond Colorblindness and Antiracism with George Yancey | Episode 140
Is racism intractable in American society? Or is racism just a thing of the past and we need to “get over” race?
Colorblindness and antiracism are the leading ways of looking at race in America, but neither has been effective in addressing racial tensions in the United States. Colorblindness ignores the realities of race and in doing so ignores the history of injustice. Antiracism centers racial concerns to such an extent that it alienates people who need to be involved in the process.
In this episode, sociologist George Yancey joins the podcast to talk about how colorblindness and antiracism fall short in tackling the issue of race and offers a third way- mutual accountability - as a way where we can move from racial division to racial reconciliation.
Show notes:
George Yancey’s website
Beyond Racial Division book
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Website:
https://churchandmain.org/
YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj
This podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks!

Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe
1 hr
April 17, 2023 Episode 139: Why I Am Disciples of Christ with Doug Skinner
Why do you belong to a certain denomination or church? How did you get there?
In this episode, I chat with Doug Skinner, a retired pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). We talk about how someone who grew up Episcopalian became a Disciple, the current state of the denomination and the tradition’s future.
Show Notes:
Why I Am Disciples of Christ- A blog post by Doug Skinner
Disciples 3.0 - A 2015 article I wrote
Episode 53 with Doug on Communion and Racial Justice
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Church and Main is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
This podcast is a labor of love. It’s free to everyone, but there are costs associated with making this podcast available. Would you consider becoming a paid subscriber? It’s $5/month or $60/year. Thanks!

Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe
1 hr 9 min
April 13, 2023 Episode 138: Did Jesus Die for Our Sins?
Due to problems with my podcast recording platform, this is another solo episode using a video from my series At the Intersection (formerly the Weekly Check-in).
In this episode, we look at a meme and an essay that doubts Jesus died for our sins. Pastor Dennis thinks we need to have a wider understanding of what sin is all about to understand the meaning of the cross.
Show notes:
What if Crucifixion Is Not Salvific? by Miguel de la Torre
The Fall Takes Place Not in Eden But at Mt. Sinai by Jason Micheli
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Church and Main is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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24 min
April 02, 2023 Episode 137: Why We Need ’Thoughts and Prayers’
In this podcast episode, Dennis Sanders, the host of "Church and Main," expresses his frustration with the responses to the recent school shooting in Nashville. He criticizes the "thoughts and prayers" response as uncaring and un-American but also acknowledges the importance of prayer as a basis for action. Dennis emphasizes the need for prayer in the face of great evil and the responsibility to craft policies that will answer the cries of millions of children in our country. He encourages listeners to spend less time on social media and more time on their knees in prayer.
Show notes:
In the Face of Tragedy, Petitioning God Is an Act of Faith by David French
The Bulletin Podcast from Christianity Today ( had a good episode on the Nashville Shooting)
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Website:
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YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4CzMELfEV0oUYfbjdhdjqgrT3w8fHglj
Church and Main is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Get full access to Church and Main at churchandmain.substack.com/subscribe
20 min

About Church and Main

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Church and Main is a podcast at the intersection of faith and modern life. Join Pastor Dennis Sanders as he shares the stories of faith interacting with the ever-changing world of the 21st century.