In this episode of Sacred and Small, hosts Dr. Jason Hill and Dr. Jason Buckwalter dive into part two of their exploration of liminality—the in-between space the church occupies in today's cultural context. They unpack the role of the pastor as a prophetic and liminal presence within the small church, highlighting the need to step "sideways" to create room for the Spirit to work.

The conversation delves into the transition between Christendom and post-Christendom, addressing how cultural shifts challenge traditional church practices and perceptions. Drawing on insights from theologians like James K.A. Smith, Charles Taylor, and Andrew Root, they discuss how cultural exegesis can guide small churches in faithful, innovative ministry that resists outdated methods.

The episode introduces the concept of dialogical corporate sanctification, emphasizing ongoing dialogue between pastors, their congregations, and the broader culture shaped by the Spirit. The hosts also explore the dangers of the church adopting postures of colonialism, triumphalism, or uncritical absorption of culture, urging a more reflective and dialogical approach.

This thought-provoking discussion blends theological depth with practical insights, offering pastors and leaders a roadmap for navigating cultural complexity while remaining rooted in faithful mission and ministry. Whether you're a small church pastor or interested in understanding the dynamics of ministry in a changing world, this episode is packed with valuable insights.

Highlights:

* Understanding the church's place between Christendom and post-Christendom.

* The pastor’s role as a liminal, prophetic guide within the congregation.

* The theological and practical significance of dialogical sanctification.

* Avoiding pitfalls like colonialism and triumphalism in small church ministry.

* Embracing cultural exegesis as a tool for reimagining church mission.

Referenced Resources:

* A Secular Age by Charles Taylor

* Joining God, Remaking Church, Changing the World by Alan Roxburgh

* Leadership, God’s Agency, and Disruptions by Mark Lau Branson and Alan Roxburgh

* How Not to Be Secular by James K.A. Smith

* Andrew Root’s Congregation in a Secular Age series

* Holy God, Holy People by Tom Noble

Tune in to this rich conversation that inspires reflection, challenges assumptions, and offers hope for small churches navigating a liminal cultural space.

Liminality is the “space in between.” You are not a congregant. Your congregants are not pastors. That space in between the way you see and experience the church and the way your people see and experience the church creates the opportunity for change. The “just Jasons” talk about how to recognize those spaces and use them to speak prophetic change to your people using ethnographic interviewing and re-narration.

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Preaching in the small church is challenging!

In this episode, Jason and Jason are joined again with Danny Quanstrom from A Plain Account to talk about the art and act of preaching within the small church.

We start by talking about expectations for our weekly sermons with limited staff, resources, and budget. Sometimes, as small church pastors, we feel this pressure to compete with the multi-media experiences and multi-staff sermons put out by large churches. We can’t do that! And it’s likely that our people are interested in that. We can be culturally sincere in our sermons and that’s all God needs to work through the proclamation of the Word.

We also share our sermon planning processes. Jason, Jason, and Danny all have their own unique approach to planning sermons, writing sermons, and how we integrate them into greater liturgical and discipling life of our church.

As we have shared our process with you, we would love to hear from you about how you plan your sermons and weekly process.

We want to say a huge thank you to Danny Quanstrom for joining us through this series of episodes. Preaching will be a big part of our content here at Sacred and Small. We will certainly have him back soon!

Advent is coming.

Advent is coming again!

Advent is coming again soon!

With the start of the liturgical year coming soon, the two Jasons are joined again by Danny Quanstrom from A Plain Account to talk about preaching and discipleship through the Advent season.

In this episode, we share our experience with Advent and how we incorporate intentionality into our Advent liturgies. As your church is preparing for the Advent season, we hope our conversation can inspire some new intentionality and liturgical works in your congregation.

This is a great space to share your story! How does your church celebrate Advent? How do you distinguish it from the season of Christmas? (If you do!) We would love to hear from you in the comments.

How do you decide what to preach?

Sunday comes every week! That means that, as small church pastors, it’s our responsibility to preach the Word on a weekly basis. For many of us, that means 45-52 new sermons every week. (And that only counts Sunday mornings!)

In this episode, Jason and Jason are joined by Danny Quanstrom, co-founder of “A Plain Account.” A Plain Account is an online resource for preaching, the lectionary, discipleship, and liturgy (and more) in the Wesleyan tradition. Danny shares the story of his journey in ministry and the liturgy and mission of his church.

Danny will join us for the next three episodes as we focus on preaching and planning in the small church.

You are on this journey with us. Who are we?

In this episode, the two Jasons share their journeys to and with their current churches. Jason Hill shares his call from a large church plant in Tulsa, OK to a tiny church re-start in rural Southeast Missouri. Jason Buckwalter narrates his journey from an urban church struggling against the “200 barrier” to a rural congregation that has become their home. This is called ethnographic re-narration. Knowing your story and the story of your church can help you understand who your people are, what God has done among them in the past, and what he is doing among them right now.

As we share our stories, we would love to hear yours! How did God lead you to your current congregation? What have you learned about small churches in your current place of worship and service?

Share with us as we have shared with you!

In episode 2, Jason and Jason tackle the concept of responsibility in the small church. “Christ will build his church.” But we, as small church pastors and leaders, have responsibilities ordained to us by Christ and his Spirit to steward the church in alignment with the Kingdom of God. As Jason B. says “We are joining with God and God’s work in the world already.”

What responsibilities do we have to our small churches? Theologically? Missionally? Liturgically? We provide some answers in the podcast. Let’s hear yours!

Small churches matter.

They matter to God.

They matter to people.

They matter to your community.

Small churches might be small — 200 folks in gathered worship or less — but they are by far the most common expression of the Body of Christ in the world now and throughout church history.

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Small churches are just as significant to God and his Kingdom as the mega-church down the street. We know that doesn’t often seem true. But it is true.

In this episode, Jason Hill (me) and my co-host, Jason Buckwalter, dig into what it means to be a small church, in all of its grime and glory. We share a little about our own stories and experiences in the small church, introduce our theological orientation (and why that shouldn’t matter to you regardless of your denominational background), and define the small church demographically.

If you’re joining us for the first time, we would love to have you say “hi” in the comments and share a little bit about your church. This is a conversation. Jump in!

We would also really appreciate it if you shared Sacred + Small with other small group pastors, church leaders, and congregants. Let’s keep this conversation going. You can subscribe through our Substack or find our podcasts on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Just search “Sacred and Small.”

Thanks for joining us on this great adventure of pastoring the small church. May God bless you and your congregation.

Grace and peace,

Jason Hill

In this introductory episode, co-hosts Jason Hill & Jason Buckwalter introduce the Sacred + Small podcast! New episodes will post on Monday mornings starting Oct. 14, 2024.

You can join the conversation right here on our Substack page, sacredandsmall.substack.com.

Our (tentative) episode list for 2024-2025:

Topic 1: Why Sacred & Small

* Ep. 1 - Why the Small Church Matters

* Ep. 2 - Theology, Liturgy, and Mission in the Small Church

* Ep. 3 - Meet Your Hosts + “Let’s Get Liminal!”

Topic 2: Liturgy & Mission in the Small Church

* Ep. 4 - The Formative Nature of Liturgy

* Ep. 5 - Mission in the Midst of Small Church Culture

* Ep. 6 - Transformative Discipleship: Integrating Liturgy + Mission

Topic 3: Sermon Planning! (With a Special Guest!)

* Ep. 7 - Sermon Planning & the Spirit

* Ep. 8 - The Liturgical Calendar

* Ep. 9 - Our Approach to Sermon Planning

* Ep. 10 - The Sermon & the Church: A Holistic Approach

Topic 4: Small Chruch Pastoral Health (With a Special Guest!)

* Ep. 11 - Sabbath & Sabbatical

* Ep. 12 - Pastoring & Friendship

* Ep. 13 - Expectations & Failure

Topic 5: The Small Church In Context (The Church of the Nazarene)

* Ep. 14 - Ethnographic Narrative from the M25 conference

* Ep. 15 - Special Guest Interview from M25

* Ep. 16 - Reviewing M25 Small Church Workshops

Topic 6: Lent - A Season of Pastoral Growth (with Special Guests!)

* Ep. 17 - Lent Week 1

* Ep. 18 - Lent Week 2

* Ep. 19 - Lent Week 3

* Ep. 20 - Lent Week 4

* Ep. 21 - Lent Week 5

* Ep. 22 - Lent Week 6

Topic 7: Understanding Small Church Culture

* Ep. 23 - Problematization

* Ep. 24 - How Culture is Formed: Embedded Theologies

* Ep. 25 - How Culture is Formed: Embodied Liturgies

* Ep. 26 - How Culture is Formed: Emboldened Passions

We hope you’ll join us!

It's not too early to plan for Advent!  Pastors Jason and Jason talk about their own journey to include Advent in their gathered worship, what Advent represents, and some of the unique opportunities for corporate liturgy it provides, especially in a small church setting.