United Methodist People Podcast

Show Notes

On this illuminating episode of The United Methodist People Podcast, Dr. Brad Miller welcomes longtime friend, author, pastor, and leadership coach Roger Ross to discuss the biggest challenges and opportunities facing today’s United Methodist churches. Centered around Ross’s latest book, “Kinda Christian: From Curious to Serious About Jesus,” the conversation explores how churches and individuals can move beyond complacency to cultivate authentic discipleship, transformational community, and purpose-driven faith.

Episode Summary

The episode kicks off with Dr. Brad Miller introducing Roger Ross, whose decades of ministry and church leadership have inspired innovative approaches to spiritual growth and coaching. They revisit their joint history as church planters, emphasizing the importance of humility in leadership—an ethos behind Ross’s new venture, The Humility Group, created to support pastors and faith-based leaders.

Ross shares the origin story of “Kinda Christian,” highlighting his realization that many church newcomers crave clarity about what being a disciple truly entails. After wrestling with his leadership team, Ross’s church developed the G6 process, outlining six essential marks of discipleship: glory, grace, group, growth, giftedness, and generosity. Stories like Chantel’s—whose life was profoundly changed by this process—illustrate the transformative power of intentional discipling.

The conversation delves into the broader issues facing churches, such as lack of clarity and processes for making disciples. Ross argues that the mission to “make disciples” often falters when churches cannot define what a disciple actually is or lack a roadmap to help people become one. He introduces three core callings to help believers and churches get “unstuck”: love God, launch community, and unleash compassion.

Ross and Miller discuss practical metaphors—lake churches (static, attractional) versus river churches (dynamic, sending)—encouraging leaders to build churches that nurture, equip, and send disciples into the world. Authentic community, Ross asserts, is the antidote to today’s epidemic of loneliness and meaninglessness; it requires relationships that are loving, truthful, and deep, not merely surface-level fellowship.

The episode also touches on practical spiritual disciplines, like engaging with scripture regularly, and the statistical evidence of its impact. Ross explains that just four times of meaningful Bible engagement a week can significantly reduce loneliness and increase purpose.

Finally, Ross shares how “Kinda Christian” is being adopted by United Methodist bishops and conferences as a resource to help local churches define discipleship and create processes for cultivating it. On a personal note, Ross urges listeners to start small—pick one spiritual discipline, such as solitude or focused prayer, and commit to it daily—as the first step toward becoming a fully devoted follower of Jesus.

Three Takeaway Points:

1. Clarity on Discipleship Is Critical for Church Health: Without a clear, actionable definition of what it means to be a disciple and how to cultivate one, churches will struggle to fulfill their mission and fail to engage seekers meaningfully.
2. Churches Must Move from Lake to River Models: The future of vibrant ministry lies in churches that not only attract but equip and send disciples to impact their communities, flowing outward rather than hoarding resources.
3. Deep Community and Small Steps Lead to Transformation: Combating loneliness and spiritual complacency begins with intentional relationships and adopting manageable spiritual practices, like daily solitude or scripture engagement.

For more about Roger Ross and The Humility Group, visit thehumilitygroup.org, and for podcast updates, check out unitedmethodistpodcast.com.