This week, Shannon Hopkins and Rev. Mark Elsdon are taking over the Igniting Imagination podcast! They’re joined by Bob Smietana, National Reporter for Religion News Service and author, to dive into this season’s theme: “Properties with New Purpose.”

As we've been partnering with churches across the country, many questions have come up. This week’s episode centers on one of the big ones: “What brought us here?”

Bob points out that churches hold essential skills, like moral guidance and community-building, which are increasingly valuable in today’s world. Together, Shannon, Mark, and Bob encourage congregations to reimagine their spaces and embrace creativity and collaboration to shape their future impact on the community.

Co-Hosts

Shannon Hopkins is Co-Founder of Rooted Good and a Locke Innovative Leader. She is an extreme networker and social entrepreneur living in East London. Her passion for community and individual transformation has launched or influenced the formation of fifteen campaigns, projects, and organizations — and trained over 200 social entrepreneurs. In 2008, Shannon was awarded the Women of the UN and UK’s Annual Woman of Peace Award for The Truth isn’t Sexy, a campaign that addressed the demand side of human trafficking. 

Mark Elsdon is the Co-Founder and Lead Builder of Rooted Good. He lives and works at the intersection of money and meaning as an entrepreneur, nonprofit executive, author, and speaker. He is the author of We Aren't Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry (2021) and editor of Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition (2024). In addition to his role as a Director with RootedGood, Mark is also Executive Director at Pres House, where he led the transformation of a dormant non-profit into a growing, vibrant, multi-million dollar organization.

Guest

Bob Smietana is a national reporter for Religion News Service based near Chicago, covering evangelicals, weird religion, and the changing religious landscape. He is the author of Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why it Matters.

Smietana is an award-winning religion reporter and editor who has spent two decades producing breaking news, data journalism, investigative reporting, profiles, and features for magazines, newspapers, trade publications, and websites. Most notably, he has served as a senior writer for Facts & Trends, a senior editor of Christianity Today, a religion writer at The Tennessean, a correspondent for RNS, and a contributor to OnFaith, USA Today, and The Washington Post.

Episode Highlights  

• Church property is being reimagined to better serve communities in innovative ways.
• Declines in church attendance require congregations to adapt and find new purposes.
• Many churches are collaborating with local organizations to provide essential community services.
• The shift from traditional church models to multi-use spaces is gaining momentum.
• Local churches must foster relationships and trust to thrive in changing contexts.
• Embracing change can lead to unexpected opportunities for growth and community building.

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(01:52) Shannon and Mark’s intro to the episode

(05:07) Interview with Bob Smietana 

(45:00) Bob Smietana answers rapid-fire questions

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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