We kick off Season 7 of the Igniting Imagination podcast in conversation with pastor and social entrepreneur Tim Soerens about the immense opportunity to reenergize the church today by daring to be “faithfully present” to what God imagines for us in our churches, our neighborhoods, and in our daily lives. The challenges the church faces today are very real, yet Tim shows us a path forward that blends an active spiritual journey with the material realities of daily life. Tim provides insights from his work as well as his experience as a dad with three children. 

In this conversation we discuss:

• The purpose of the church (7:03)
• Why we are at a crossroads in the life of the church (9:53)
• ‘What is God’s dream right here in my neighborhood and right here in my church, right now?’ (13:25)
• The church is both events in a building at set times AND people out in their neighborhoods every day. (17:01)
• Our spiritual formation is happening to us all the time(21:03)
• How we can avoid a “path of despair” and move the church forward (25:00)
• How Tim puts this into action in his own daily life, with his three children. (30:13)
• Tim’s own continual process of spiritual formation and how he lives it on a daily basis. (35:13)

About Tim Soerens 

Tim Soerens is a pastor, social entrepreneur, and co-founding director of the Parish Collective, a growing network and global movement of Christians reimagining what it means to be church in, with and for the neighborhood. He’s the author of Everywhere You Look, Discovering the Church Right Where You Are and co-author of The New Parish: How Neighborhood Churches Transform Mission, Discipleship and Community. He co-founded Neighborhood Economics which catalyzes entrepreneurship as a path to wealth for marginalized communities and has helped to raise over 3 million dollars. With a global reach, Tim speaks to organizations and denominations across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. 

Show Notes

More information about Tim Soerens can be found on his website.

Tim Soerens is the author of Everywhere You Look, Discovering the Church Right Where You Are.

This podcast is brought to you by the Leadership Ministry team at TMF and Wesleyan Investive. Leadership Ministry connects diverse, high-capacity leaders in conversations and environments that create a network of courage, learning, and innovation in order to help the church lean into its God-appointed mission.

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