In this episode Matt and Chip touch base on two recent articles that they published about moving the church beyond an inward focus on Word and Sacrament. Then they wrestle with the 6 goals of the Presbyterian Church, explore how people may turn each inward, and how we can think of each in ways that help us focus on sharing God’s love in the world.

It’s time to rethink Calvin’s definition of “true church," by Matt Skolnik

Word and sacrament as a springboard, by Chip Hardwick

Matt interviews Courtney Brown from Habitat for Humanity. 

Courtney brings knowledge, passion, and love for God’s people. She is all about building homes and communities, not just houses. And she wants as many people as possible to be involved. For Courtney, Habitat for Humanity is not just about swinging hammers. Anyone can get involved. 

All of this points to the reality that from Courtney's perspective, Habitat for Humanity is all about building God’s Kingdom, and this Kingdom is a community.

And, in fact, the need for community the does not end when people settle into their homes.

Courtney shares in this interview, that as we live in a post Christian world and people do not go to church as much as they use to, people get use to be surrounded by Christian community durning builds, but when the build is over, they still desire Christian community that has moved on to the next home.

Does anyone see an opportunity??!?!?! 

To find out how you and your church can help build Christian community, write: [email protected]

www.intersectpodcast.org

In this episode, Matt interviews Mike Smith, pastor of John Knox Presbyterian Church. Mike's church is growing in faith and numbers for many reasons. One of them is that Mike teaches his community to love the masses and individuals. But their church is also growing because Mike is intentionally about reaching out into their local community.

As part of this conversation, Matt asks Mike about his experience in the insurance business and how some of the skills he developed there are helpful in ministry. Together, Mike and Matt explore what it is like to provide easy stepping stones for people to slowly become vital members of the Body of Christ, the church. Matt calls these series of pathways Ministry Funnels or Ministry Pipe Lines. Mike, from the insurance world, calls them leads.

For help developing 3 Ministry Pipelines or Ministry Funnels, write Matt at [email protected].

To help train, commission, and send the next generation of Christian leaders, give at www.intersectpodcast.org.

Linda Leon is the Director or Spiritual Formation at Malone University, and has been in college ministry for 30 years! Don't worry Linda! You are eternally 25:)

Linda is a strong pastor who loves her students. Impressively, Linda starts her ministry plan from scratch every 5 years with yearly detailed evaluations. When was the last time you wrote a ministry plan for your church or ministry from scratch?!?!?! Maybe never...

Just as importantly, do you have a ministry funnel or pipeline that lets people outside of your church get to know you? Then do you have a plan to serve them, love them, and welcome them into a Christian community? Can you create a ministry pipeline for college age students? Of course you can!

To learn more from Linda, or to develop a series of ministry pipelines with Matt, write: [email protected]

In this episode, Matt visits his home church who brought him to faith as a teenager. During his visit, Matt preached on Mark 1, which outlines 5 specific actions and ministries of Jesus from his early ministry. These ministries are important in every era, but are all the more needed today. These actions of ministry are the building blocks and the basic call of the church. Is your church struggling? Maybe it is because we are not following Jesus in these specific ways.

This sermon is only an introduction to each of these 5 specific ministries. In future editions, Matt will discuss each of these 5 ministry activities with others. If you would like Matt to come to your church, or a group of churches to teach about how you can more fully live into these ministries, write: [email protected]

If you want to help train, commission, and send the three key types of leaders who help these ministries unfolded, please give at www.intersectpodcast.org.

This episode bears witness to the hope we have in a new age of ministry. Matt interviews Kathryn Ophardt just before she is ordained as a pastor. Together, they review her early call to ministry, her journey of faith through college, her ministry of accompaniment in Mexico City, and her call to serve on a gift based ministry team who walks alongside three churches.

In this edition, Matt interviews Pastor Tom Roepke. Tom lives and serves in Richland and Ashland counties in Ohio. Together, Tom and Matt unfold the nature of ministering with men who are incarcerated, and how the church often does not know how to speak and work with men. There is also a brief discussion about what it means to develop a ministry flow that reaches the crowds and helps people funnel themselves into being a vibrant part of a congregation.

To help fund the training, commissioning, and sending of the next generation of Christian leaders, please visit www.intersectpodcast.org. 

To contact Matt, write: [email protected]

Domestic Violence is a difficult and painful issue. Unfortunately it is all too common.

This is an important episode. It may be your first introduction, or you may have personal experience. In either case, know that the statistics of domestic violence are staggering, and there is a great intersection point between God, the world, and the church at this issue. At least there should be.

To learn a little bit, get inspired, or fund the training and commissioning of leaders like Lisa, take your time, and listen. Then act. Lead a study, invite Lisa to speak, donate. Pray. What ever you do. Act. When we proclaim the Kingdom of God is near, we proclaim it's healing, salvation, and deliverance.

The National Domestic Violence Hotline 

1−800−799−7233

https://www.thehotline.org/

To help Lisa grow a ministry, donate at www.intersectpodcast.org

For statistics: https://www.socialsolutions.com/blog/domestic-violence-statistics/

Unfortunately, denominational and non-denominational churches have at least 1700 years of history to overcome. Some how we have been taught that the essences of Christian life is a weekly worship service. The good news is that God is remaking the church. To understand where we are going, we must understand our current struggles at the moment. In this episode, Matt interviews a local elder who knows all to well the stress the modern church is experiencing.

Thank you to all the people like Jim out there who are growing, helping hold the church together, and who are open to deep personal and communal change.

To add your voice to the conversation, reach out to Matt at [email protected]. 

To donate to the training and commissioning of the next generation of church leaders, please visit www.intersectpodcast.org.