Rev. Dr. Josѐ Francisco Morales Torres, joins the pod to talk about the less-white future of Christianity, LatinX Christianity, and why he doesn't like the term LatinX itself.

Josѐ is an Assistant Professor of Latinx Studies and Religion at Chicago Theological Seminary. He is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). His ministry experience is broad, including congregational pastorate, advocacy, community organizing, wider denominational leadership, and education. He is also a DJ in his spare time, with house music being his genre of choice.

The Future Christian Podcast is a production of Torn Curtain Arts and Resonate Media.

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Karen Rohrer joins the pod to talk about the church planting in mainline churches, different church planting models, and whether or not there is an "ideal" church planter.

Rev. Karen Rohrer is the director of the Church Planting Initiative at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary where she teaches and mentors cohorts on how to be wise, thoughtful, and relevant leaders. Rohrer is co-editor of the new book Sustaining Grace: Innovative Ecosystems for New Faith Communities. Rohrer is a graduate of University of Mary Washington (BA) and Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.). She is ordained in the Presbyterian Church USA and has won awards for her entrepreneurial faith leadership. Additionally she serves as a coach in the 1001 New Worshiping Communities initiative of the PCUSA. 

Link to Church Planting Certificate

The Future Christian Podcast is a production of Torn Curtain Arts and Resonate Media.

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Terrell McTyer joins the pod to talk about how to overcome gaps in funding and imagination to be innovative and creative in new church and church re-vitalization ministry contexts. He also shares his thoughts on how Covid will affect church and church-planting efforts in the future. 

Pastor Terrell McTyer serves as the Minister of New Church Strategies for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. He works to teach, equip, assist and multiply leaders and congregations through New Church Ministry to increase missional efficacy and efficiency towards starting sustainable, world-changing churches and making disciples. His mission is to equip leaders to equip leaders.

The Future Christian Podcast is a production of Torn Curtain Arts and Resonate Media.

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Jennifer Knapp joins the pod to talk about theology, LGBT inclusion, and the evolution of the Christian music industry over the last 20 years. Oh, and we talked just a little bit about music! Find more about her music here:

Jennifer Knapp is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, author, speaker and advocate. Her impressive history includes selling over one million albums with her first three releases Kansas (debut 1998, Gold-certified), Lay It Down (2000), and The Way I Am (2001). As the first major artist in the Christian music world to speak openly about LGBTQ identity, her unique position created opportunities for national dialogue. A true Renaissance woman, Knapp recently completed a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies at Vanderbilt Divinity School.

The Future Christian Podcast is a production of Torn Curtain Arts and Resonate Media.

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Thomas Jay Oord joins the pod to talk about Open and Relational Theology, which asserts that God’s primary characteristic is love, Theology involves humble speculation about who God truly is and what God really does, and Creatures – at least humans – are genuinely free to make choices pertaining to their salvation. Read more about Open Theology here:

Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. Oord is a best-selling and award-winning author, having written or edited more than twenty-five books. He directs a doctoral program at Northwind Theological Seminary and the Center for Open and Relational Theology. A twelve-time Faculty Award-winning professor, Oord teaches at institutions around the globe. Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, open and relational theology, science and religion, and the implications of freedom and relationships for transformation.

The Future Christian Podcast is a production of Torn Curtain Arts and Resonate Media.

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Marlena Graves joins the pod to talk about her book The Way Up is Down: Becoming Yourself by Forgetting Yourself. In the interview, we talk about poverty, suffering, and kenosis (emptying). But, it's not all sackcloth and ashes! Marlena shares her beautiful story about God's "happy eyes," and what it means to truly understand God's deep love and care for us and God's children.

Marlena is a writer, deep thinker, and speaker who is passionate about the eternal implications of our life in God. She is a lover of beauty - especially the beauty of her family, others, and creation. Marlena is a justice seeker—trying to overcome evil with good. In addition, she seeks answers to these types of questions: What does abundant life look like (John 10:10)? Marlena speaks regularly to congregations, university campuses, and to retreatants about the implications of following Jesus. Marlena loves to laugh and be around others and then recover in silence and solitude! To learn more about Marlena or get a copy of her book, click here!

The Future Christian Podcast is a production of Torn Curtain Arts and Resonate Media.

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Nikole Lim joins the pod to talk about her book, Liberation Is Here: Women Uncovering hope in a Broken World.  Nikole shares her experiences as a nonprofit leader and filmmaker and offers practical wisdom on on dealing with the burden that comes with helping others and knowing when to "fix" and when to "feel with." 

Nikole is a speaker, educator, and consultant on leveraging dignity through the restorative art of storytelling. She is the founder and international director of Freely In Hope, a nonprofit organization dedicated to equipping survivors and advocates to lead in ending sexual violence through their rewritten stories.

The Future Christian Podcast is a production of Torn Curtain Arts and Resonate Media.

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Dr. Chuck DeGroat  joins the pod to talk about his book, When Narcissism Comes to Church: Healing Your Community From Emotional and Spiritual Abuse. We talk about what narcissism is and the danger it can be in pastors and church planters, as well as what it looks like for pastors to lead in a healthy way.

Chuck DeGroat is Professor of Pastoral Care and Christian Spirituality at Western Theological Seminary, MI, and Senior Fellow at Newbigin House of Studies, San Francisco. He is an author, speaker, writer, consultant, and therapist.

Chuck is committed to spiritual and emotional formation for the sake of mission.  His experience is represented in a fluid combination of pastoral ministry and seminary training for 20 years.  He has served several church plants as a teaching pastor and has started two church-based clinical counseling centers.  Most recently, he was a teaching pastor at City Church San Francisco, where he co-founded Newbigin House of Studies, an urban and missional training center with offerings through Western Theological Seminary.

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Rev. Dr. Derek Penwell joins the pod to talk about his book Outlandish: An Unlikely Messiah, a Messy Ministry, and the Call to Mobilize. The book shows how Jesus's ministry flew in the face of conventional wisdom but succeeded beyond anyone's wildest dreams. Fast-forwarding two thousand years, learn from the political, social, and organizational lessons of Jesus's radically different ministry to help change the world today.

Derek is a pastor, author, and activist unashamedly offering his support in the pursuit of justice for LGBTQ people, Muslims, people of color, immigrants, and those people regularly dumped on by the tools who always seem to find themselves in charge of everything. You can find out more about Derek here, and get a copy of his book here.

The Future Christian Podcast is a production of Torn Curtain Arts and Resonate Media.

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Looking for inspiration for Lent or some other season of the church year? Rev. Gwynn Garrity shares the story of Sanctified Art, a a ministry supporting worshiping communities in integrating art and creativity into their spiritual practices.

Lisle Gwynn Garrity (she/her/hers) is a Pastorist (pastor + artist), retreat leader, and creative entrepreneur seeking to fill the church with more color, paint, mystery, and creativity. In the midst of a rapidly reforming church landscape, she is convinced that new models for ministry are emerging all over the place, we just have to be willing to discover and pursue them. She founded A Sanctified Art with the conviction that, in order to thrive, the church needs more creative expression and art-filled freedom.

Get 10% off their latest Lent offerings with the promo code "FUTURE"

The Future Christian Podcast is a production of Torn Curtain Arts and Resonate Media.

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