The EquipCast

Have you ever used a Catholic buzz word like missionary disciple or missional church and received blank looks in return? It’s a surprising experience, but the reality is many Catholics still don’t know what the word missional means. It used to be that missionaries were the people who traveled to Africa, and the Church in America grew because Catholics had big families. Our biggest problem used to be caring for all of the people who came to the Church’s doorstep, but now, we find ourselves trying to proclaim the Gospel to a world that doesn’t know much about who Jesus is or what the Church is really about. Many of us even know a family member or friend who has walked away from the faith, but it’s often difficult for us to believe that this is part of a larger cultural trend. However, the reality is that the city of Omaha is among the top 30 most secular or “post-Christian” cities in the US. Collectively, we have missional amnesia. We’ve forgotten that we are called to go and make disciples. We lack an imagination around what a missional church looks likes because, until recently, we haven’t had to be one. So, what do you say to someone who asks what a missional church is? Tune in to hear Fr. Lorig and Jim Jansen's musings on this topic.

[00:57] What Does It Mean to Be a Missional Community?

How do you practice the “everyday preaching” that Pope Francis calls us to without being weird? I’ve grappled with this question throughout my life. At one point, I would have been offended at the thought that I was one of those people who walked around talking to others about Jesus. Offended because I had in mind the awkward Christian and the Bible Thumper. Now, I love proclaiming the Good News to those around me, but I know it takes a few relational pre-requisites before another person will receive me and the message well. Continue the conversation with us as we discuss these pre-requisites.

We spend a lot of time on the EquipCast talking about reaching the lost and that parishes must be outward focused in order to grow. But I hear from many of you, "What about the already converted? We can't leave them behind either!" Steps 3 & 4 of the Clear Path to Discipleship focus on just that. How do we help disciples grow in their relationship with God, and how do we prepare them for mission?

Special Guest: Andy Dejka.

As a leader in your parish, it is easy to get bogged down with the day-to-day work of maintaining the parish. But if you have a heart like Fr. Lorig, you want to “major in the mission” instead of the maintenance.

If you are a lay leader, you have to win the heart of your pastor in order to do this. And if you are a pastor, you feel the weight of the daily tasks as well as the people trying to influence you.

Today, Ron Huntley, brings the energy and wisdom to dispel some of this discouragement. He tells us about his time at St. Benedict’s Parish in Halifax, Nova Scotia as well as his work with Divine Renovation.

Special Guest: Ron Huntley.

We all know that there is no silver bullet, no one program that will completely renew our parishes.Even the best programs fail if our parishioners don’t know what’s next. Parishioners will simply hop from program to program if we don’t tell them the process that will lead to growth in their relationship with God. We call this a clear path to discipleship. When a person enters a parish, do they know what steps to take in order to grow in their relationship with God? Today, Andy Dejka tells us that the first step on the clear path is Relational Outreach. Relational Outreach is the efforts of a parish to meet people who don't yet have a relationship with Christ and to build trust and arouse wonder at way that we live as Christians. That is, witnessing to the love of Jesus.

Special Guest: Andy Dejka.

How long do you think it takes to change the culture of a parish? While we know that change ultimately takes time, it’s often easy to look for a “silver bullet”, a program or curriculum that will suddenly make all the difference. But we know that behind every program is the people running it, and it’s the people that create culture. So today, Fr. Lorig and I sat down with Kevin Cotter from the Amazing Parish, and he told us about how they help parishes build a healthy culture that allows the pastor and his people to flourish. 

Special Guest: Kevin Cotter.

I experienced a second conversion when I was a FOCUS missionary. I loved making friends and developing a relationship. And I loved the more catechetical moments where I was able to teach someone about the faith or teach them how to pray the rosary, but talking about Jesus and what he had done for my life…that made me uncomfortable because it didn’t fit with the culture I was trying to reach. However, I was convicted by the writings of JPII when he says that the proclamation of Jesus Christ and the salvation that he offers all people is the “hinge on which all evangelization turns.” Today, I was renewed in this conviction by the words of Jeff Cavins. He tells us, “The proclamation of the gospel is about going into a hurting world and telling them the truth about life.” This may seem daunting at first, but Continue the Conversation and hear how Jeff makes it so very simple to do!

Special Guests: Jeff Cavins and Jen Moser.

I had the privilege of sitting down with Jeff Cavins to talk about his latest book, the Activated Disciple. And while he shared so many important truths, I feel like he really shared a bit of himself. Every insight comes with a story from his own life. Continue the conversations with us as we talk about everything from his conversion story to having a posse of saints.

Special Guests: Jeff Cavins and Jen Moser.

I was blessed to encounter Jesus in a deeper way in college, but not all people, and certainly, not all cradle Catholics have had this opportunity. So today, we talk with Jodi Meyer, Network Director for Alpha Nebraska. Alpha is a program whose purpose is to propose anew the core of our faith, the Gospel message. If its content were to be summed up into an elevator speech, it would be this: God loves you. He sent His son to die for you, and this truth brings meaning and purpose and hope and joy for your life…and that matters. And, this is a gift so big we have to share it with others. Alpha’s goal is to invite people back to a decision point and to decide for Christ. But, there are so many other aspects to this program that make it work. Continue the conversation with us!

Special Guest: Jodi Meyer.

Fr. Lorig and Fr. Dan Andrew both possess GallupStrengths that make them very natural leaders. They love to dream about the future and to figure out how to help people move into that new vision. But is leadership something your just born with, or is it something even these two had to learn about and grow into? They would say that it's definitely that latter. Listen as Fr. Lorig and Fr. Andrews muse on all things leadership.

Special Guest: Fr. Dan Andrews.