The Catch with John Fischer

Deborah Mullan and Elizabeth Shirk are helping the Catch Ministry cultivate intergenerational relationships. This is one of the most important ways in which The Catch Ministry is developing a flourishing faith in both young and old. This means changing the metaphor from simply passing the baton to the next generation to a more functional, biblical picture of the body — that is, the entire community of faith, across the entire lifespan, working together to fulfill God’s purposes.

Doug Stevens is a pastor who has served churches in California, Arizona, Kansas and Texas. He is a mentor for ministry leaders, a catalyst for mission, a partner in a number of intercultural engagements, and an author who is constantly intrigued by how God works in mysterious ways in the most impossible places. Doug is a people-lover, culture-watcher, mountain bike-rider and avid world explorer.

Kristin Kobes Du Mez is the New York Times bestselling author of Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation. She holds a PhD from the University of Notre Dame and her research focuses on the intersection of gender, religion, and politics. She has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, Religion News Service, and The Daily Beast, and her work has been featured on NPR, CBS, and the BBC, among other outlets.

Born on November 30th, 1991 in Long Beach, California to two loving parents, amazing grandparents as well as an inspirational brother, Alexander Klein was raised inundated with technology and culture.

As a student of the martial arts, language, history and network security, Alexander consults small offices and business owners on how to efficiently navigate our rapidly evolving world while maintaining a connection to the roots of our humanity as the digital age is ushered forth.

Dr Gary Parker is the Chief Medical Officer and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon aboard the hospital ship, Africa Mercy. His mission, along with 400 crew from over 35 nations, is to provide surgical/dental healthcare to the poor of Africa, people who in most cases live on less than two dollars per day; as well as help strengthen the healthcare infrastructure and provide training for the host nation’s healthcare professionals.

Gary and his wife, Susan, have both worked for 33 years on board this ship and managed to raise two children in the process. Their work has been covered on 60 Minutes and a series on National Geographic television.

Mike is the Founder and CEO of the Leadership Institute For Entrepreneurs (LIFE). LIFE is focused on equipping entrepreneurs with the skills to create, build, fund, grow, and scale their businesses through content, courses, coaching, capital, and community.

Mike started his career as an NRC licensed nuclear power plant Reactor Operator and then moved into training design and delivery. As the power utilities began to deregulate he formed a consulting company focused on rapid, large-scale change management and culture transformation.

On the non-profit side, Mike was a Founder and the Executive Director of a non-profit operating in more than 150 countries over a 15-year time span. During his tenure, the organization launched two global networks; one focused on business development and the other on disaster preparedness and response.

Os Guinness is an author and social critic. Great-great-great grandson of Arthur Guinness, the Dublin brewer, he was born in China in World War II where his parents were medical missionaries. A witness to the climax of the Chinese revolution in 1949, he was expelled with many other foreigners in 1951 and returned to Europe where he was educated in England. He completed his undergraduate degree at the University of London and his D.Phil in the social sciences from Oriel College, Oxford. Os has written or edited more than thirty books. In this conversation, we will be discussing his latest book, The Magna Carta of Humanity: Sinai's Revolutionary Faith and the Future of Freedom.

Dr. Uli Chi has spent his life practicing leadership in the intersection of for profit and non-profit businesses, the theological academy, and the local church. He is an award-winning technological entrepreneur, who founded a software company that develops 3-D virtual reality software that simplifies complex decision making for consumers and businesses. He is a sought-after advisor to senior executives and serves in board governance at multiple non-profits. Uli currently serves as Board Chair of the Virginia Mason Franciscan Health System in the Pacific Northwest, and Vice Chair of the De Pree Center for Leadership at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena. Uli has also served as Chair of Regent College’s Board of Governors, and Chair of the Executive Committee for the Center for Integrity in Business at Seattle Pacific University.

Wayne Bridegroom grew up on a farm milking cows in Central California and ended up as a Baptist pastor in Modesto where he experiences working with Laotian, Hmong, Cambodian, and Hispanic, peoples starting and pastoring churches in each of these nationalities as well as working with the African American churches -- all in the humble town of Modesto. In 2014, Wayne was awarded the Martin Luther King Legacy Award for his contribution to the African American community — the first time the award was given to a white person.

George Barna is a professor at Arizona Christian University and leads the Cultural Research Center based at the university. His focus at ACU is worldview assessment and development, as well as cultural evaluation and transformation. He was the founder and leader of both The Barna Group (which he sold in 2009) and the American Culture and Faith Institute (which closed in 2018). Through those entities he has conducted groundbreaking research on worldview, cultural transformation, ministry applications, spiritual development, and politics. In addition to providing research and strategy for several hundred parachurch ministries, thousands of Christian churches, the U.S. military, and numerous for-profit and non-profit organizations, he has conducted polls and provided strategy input to four presidential candidates. Barna has written more than 50 books, mostly addressing cultural and religious trends, leadership, spiritual development, church dynamics, and cultural transformation. He has sold more books based on survey research related to matters of faith than any author in American history.