Kindred Podcast

Why do we keep returning to the Christmas story when the world is still hard and unfinished?

In this Christmas reflection, Kristine explores the birth of Jesus as a quiet challenge to power and a source of hope for those who are tired, uncertain, or in need of healing. Set against the grand birth stories of empire, the manger tells a different story—one shaped by vulnerability, presence, and love.

Kindred Church is a Christian community gathering in Reno, Nevada.

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. If you believe in the ministry of Kindred Church and would like to support our efforts, visit kindredchurchreno.com/donate to make a contribution.

If you'd like to join us for a gathering, please visit kindredchurchreno.com/gatherings for our location and service times.

Thanks for listening.

In this Advent message, Rob reflects on peace as more than the absence of conflict. He traces the biblical idea of shalom — wholeness, harmony, and the world as it should be — and names the forces that pull us away from that vision, both within us and around us.

He also reminds us that we aren’t left to face any of this alone. Through the humility of the Incarnation, God meets a fractured world with mercy, restoration, and a promise of peace that reaches every person. Rob invites us to consider our role as agents of blessing in our neighborhoods, workplaces, and relationships, and to live as people shaped by hope rather than fear.

Kindred Church is a Christian community gathering in Reno, Nevada.

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. If you believe in the ministry of Kindred Church and would like to support our efforts, visit kindredchurchreno.com/donate to make a contribution.

If you'd like to join us for a gathering, please visit kindredchurchreno.com/gatherings for our location and service times.

Thanks for listening.

This week, Laurel opens up a tender, grounding reflection on Advent through the lens of waiting - not as passive endurance, but as the lived ache of longing, hope, and being human. Drawing from Elizabeth’s story, Laurel shares how waiting shapes us, how desire is not a flaw, and why the name Emmanuel still carries real comfort for people longing for healing, connection, justice, or change.

She weaves together scripture, personal experience, and a reframed look at the nativity to remind us that we don’t wait alone. God’s nearness, and the nearness we offer each other, is its own kind of healing.

Kindred Church is a Christian community gathering in Reno, Nevada.

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. If you believe in the ministry of Kindred Church and would like to support our efforts, visit kindredchurchreno.com/donate to make a contribution.

If you'd like to join us for a gathering, please visit kindredchurchreno.com/gatherings for our location and service times.

Thanks for listening.

In this message, Jessie Townsend wraps up our series on Progressive Christianity by exploring what we choose to place in our kids’ “backpacks” as they grow. She walks through four core lessons that shape the way we guide children in their spiritual lives: God’s love as their foundation, the beauty of being made in the image of God, the importance of honest questions, and a faith that shows itself through compassion and action.

With stories from her own life, insight from the kids’ room, and a gentle reminder to the adults in the room, Jessie paints a picture of a faith that is light, empowering, inclusive, and rooted in love rather than fear. It’s an invitation for all of us — parents or not — to consider what we model, what we pass on, and how we create space for kids to grow with curiosity, courage, and belonging.

Kindred Church is a Christian community gathering in Reno, Nevada.

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. If you believe in the ministry of Kindred Church and would like to support our efforts, visit kindredchurchreno.com/donate to make a contribution.

If you'd like to join us for a gathering, please visit kindredchurchreno.com/gatherings for our location and service times.

Thanks for listening.

This week, Garrett opens up the book of Jonah in a way that hits a little closer to home than expected. He explores why Jonah really ran, what mercy looks like when it feels unfair, and how easy it is for any of us to cling to judgment instead of compassion.

Garrett names the tension we all carry when scripture holds both warning and hope, and he invites us to read the harder passages through the lens of a God who is patient, generous, and still shaping us. If you’ve ever wrestled with ideas of punishment, reconciliation, or what it means to live in the kingdom here and now, this one will leave you thinking in the best way.

Kindred Church is a Christian community gathering in Reno, Nevada.

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. If you believe in the ministry of Kindred Church and would like to support our efforts, visit kindredchurchreno.com/donate to make a contribution.

If you'd like to join us for a gathering, please visit kindredchurchreno.com/gatherings for our location and service times.

Thanks for listening.

In this episode Garrett McGeein digs into the pressure many of us inherited around evangelism — the fear, the urgency, the sense that you're always one conversation away from failing God or failing someone else. He unpacks how those ideas took root and why they still cling to so many people who grew up in evangelical spaces, even after their beliefs have shifted.

At its heart, the talk is about reclaiming a gentler way of sharing faith: not through scripts or fear, but through who we are and how we live. Garrett offers a vision of good news that doesn't lean on anxiety or obligation, but on presence, humility, and genuine transformation. It’s a thoughtful, funny, and freeing take on what evangelism can look like when it’s grounded in love instead of pressure.

Kindred Church is a Christian community gathering in Reno, Nevada.

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. If you believe in the ministry of Kindred Church and would like to support our efforts, visit kindredchurchreno.com/donate to make a contribution.

If you'd like to join us for a gathering, please visit kindredchurchreno.com/gatherings for our location and service times.

Thanks for listening.

In this episode, Bobby Hilberg leads a heartfelt reflection on what it means to be “the church” in a progressive, inclusive context. Drawing on insights from thinkers like Brian McLaren, Richard Rohr, and Rachel Held Evans, Bobby explores how church can be both a refuge and a challenge—a place where belonging, justice, and community intertwine.

Through stories, Scripture, and a series of recorded perspectives from pastors and friends across the country, Bobby invites Kindred to wrestle with big questions: What makes church worth doing? How do we build something truly different, not just affirming but transformative?

This conversation captures the spirit of Kindred Church—curious, compassionate, and committed to creating a faith community where everyone belongs.

Kindred Church is a Christian community gathering in Reno, Nevada.

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. If you believe in the ministry of Kindred Church and would like to support our efforts, visit kindredchurchreno.com/donate to make a contribution.

If you'd like to join us for a gathering, please visit kindredchurchreno.com/gatherings for our location and service times.

Thanks for listening.

In this week’s message, Al Berreman explores gender and sexuality through a progressive Christian lens — not as an argument for inclusion, but as a starting point for transformation. Drawing from stories of women in Scripture and the lived experiences of queer and trans people, Al invites us to see God’s work beyond traditional structures of marriage, purity, and gender roles.

This talk challenges us to expand our understanding of righteousness, holiness, and faithfulness — finding God’s presence in authenticity, curiosity, and love that transcends boundaries.

Listen as Al shares personal reflections, theological insight, and a heartfelt prayer for liberation, courage, and forgiveness within the church community.

🕊 Learn more or support Kindred Church at kindredchurchreno.com

Kindred Church is a Christian community gathering in Reno, Nevada.

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. If you believe in the ministry of Kindred Church and would like to support our efforts, visit kindredchurchreno.com/donate to make a contribution.

If you'd like to join us for a gathering, please visit kindredchurchreno.com/gatherings for our location and service times.

Thanks for listening.

What does it really mean to have a “biblical” marriage? In this week’s message, Brandon Evans reexamines traditional views of marriage through a progressive Christian lens, exploring how scripture reflects evolving cultural contexts rather than a single divine blueprint. From polygamy and arranged marriages in the ancient world to modern blended and nontraditional families, Brandon challenges the idea of a one-size-fits-all “Christian marriage.” Instead, he points to covenantal love, humility, service, and honesty as the true marks of a Christ-like relationship—whatever form it takes.

Kindred Church is a Christian community gathering in Reno, Nevada.

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. If you believe in the ministry of Kindred Church and would like to support our efforts, visit kindredchurchreno.com/donate to make a contribution.

If you'd like to join us for a gathering, please visit kindredchurchreno.com/gatherings for our location and service times.

Thanks for listening.

In this week’s message, Ron continues Kindred’s series on Progressive Christianity with an honest exploration of salvation, sin, and what it means that God is “with us.” Moving beyond the traditional versus progressive divide, he invites listeners to hold multiple perspectives—seeing Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection as expressions of divine love and oneness rather than simple transaction or ideology.

Through humor, humility, and an unforgettable story of a father jumping into the sea after his daughter, Ron reframes the cross as God’s ultimate act of presence: not just saving us, but joining us in our fear and suffering so we are never alone.

Kindred Church is a Christian community gathering in Reno, Nevada.

We are a 501c3 non-profit organization. If you believe in the ministry of Kindred Church and would like to support our efforts, visit kindredchurchreno.com/donate to make a contribution.

If you'd like to join us for a gathering, please visit kindredchurchreno.com/gatherings for our location and service times.

Thanks for listening.