We’re kicking off Season 14 of The Igniting Imagination podcast with a powerful conversation at the intersection of faith and community transformation. Rev. Lisa Greenwood and Rev. Dr. Amy Butler sit down with Rev. Katie Kenyon, the heart behind Village Green RVA, to talk about what it looks like when churches step beyond their traditional walls and into the lives of the people they serve.

Katie’s story is one of bold vision and quiet resilience—a journey of rethinking what church can be, and how it can truly become a space for healing, connection, and justice. Together, we explore the growing movement of leaders reimagining ministry—not as a Sunday ritual, but as a way of life rooted in love, generosity, and belonging.

Through the challenges and small victories, we reflect on how faith communities can become hubs of human flourishing. Our hope is that these stories stir your imagination and invite you to dream bigger about what’s possible when we center compassion at the heart of service!

Host

Rev. Lisa Greenwood is the President & CEO of Wesleyan Impact Partners and Texas Methodist Foundation. She joined the staff of TMF in 2012 serving as Vice President for Leadership Ministry before taking her current role in 2022. Rev. Greenwood is an ordained elder in the North Texas (now Horizon Texas) Conference of the United Methodist Church, where she served congregations for twenty years. During the last five years of her local church ministry, Lisa served as a ministry strategist with Horizons Stewardship Company. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin and a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School. 

Co-Host

Rev. Dr. Amy Butler is the founder of the philanthropic initiative Invested Faith. She previously served as the first woman senior minister of The Riverside Church in New York City, senior pastor of Calvary Baptist Church (D.C.), associate pastor at St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans, and intentional interim minister at National City Christian Church (D.C.). Amy holds degrees from Baylor University, the International Baptist Theological Seminary, and Wesley Theological Seminary. She's a mother of three children and currently lives in Hawaii.

Amy is the author of Beautiful and Terrible Things: Faith, Doubt, and Discovering a Way Back to Each Other. Her new book, Holy Disruption: A Manifesto for the Future of Faith Communities, with Dawn Darwin Weaks, will be out September 16!

Guest

Rev. Katie Kenyon is the executive director of Village Green RVA, where she leads efforts to expand healthy food accessibility and provide wrap-around support for individuals and families in need. With a Master’s in Divinity and a passion for holistic community development, Katie builds strategic partnerships across sectors to address the social and economic factors impacting well-being. A former foster parent through Richmond City DSS, Katie and her husband Danny are raising four children and are deeply engaged in service throughout the Greater Richmond area.

Reverend Doctor Amy Butler shares how courage is essential when seeking new solutions in faith-based work.

Timestamps

00:00 - Intro

03:03 - Launching a Season of Transformation

08:51 - Introduction to Holy: A Manifesto for the Future of Faith Communities

15:19 - Transitioning from Ministry to Community Support

37:34 - Exploring New Models of Community Engagement

Links

Visit our show’s website at www.ignitingimagination.org.

To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.

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