Where We Belong

Attend the Whitworth Ministry Summit with Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil on June 24-27. Register at whitworth.edu/summit.Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil is recognized internationally as one of the foremost leaders of reconciliation and was featured as one of the 50 most influential women to watch by Christianity Today. She is also a pastor and professor of reciliation studies at Seattle Pacific University. In this episode she chats with Lauren about her early story in the church, advice for pastors, the importance of getting proximate, and what drew her to the book of Nehemiah (the subject of her latest book).

Lauren talks with Heather VanDeventer, the Dean of St. John's Cathedral here in Spokane, about Heather's experience in the Resilient Church Project. Share shares a bit about what it was like to participate, some of the ways their church benefitted, and how the church is using their grant funds to become more resilient. The OCE is currently recruiting a new cohort of churches to join our team for two years of intentional learning and discernment. Churches from anywhere in the U.S. are invited to apply. The application opens on Sept. 1 and is due Nov. 22. Fill out an interest form at www.whitworth.edu/resilient. Lauren would love to talk with you!

Join Lauren as she offers some final thoughts on the conversations we've had throughout season 2. The episode ends with an invitation to a spiritual practice known as breath prayer. Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement at www.whitworth.edu/oce

This week we are chatting with two Whitworth students from our Summer Fellowship Program. Willow and Sabine are two thoughtful and faithful students who are working out for themselves what it means to belong to the Church and to the body of Christ as young adults. In this episode, they chat with Lauren all about their backgrounds with the church, how moving away from home has changed their perspective, and what true belonging means to them. Sabine is currently serving as a Resilient Fellow - a special fellowship placement that serves a church in our Resilient Church Program. She is working on completing in-depth ethnographic research within a congregation to help the church explore its own identity and mission. We are currently recruiting a new cohort of churches. Find out more about the Resilient Church Program here >>>

Matt Yim is a Jesuit priest and serves as the parochial vicar at St. Ignatius Loyola Parish in Sacramento. In this episode he shares what it means to belong as a Roman Catholic, how he came to own his faith and belonging as a Catholic, How Ignatian Spirituality shapes his understanding of the Church, and why an individual relationship with Jesus trumps belonging to the institution of the Church. Learn more about our work in the Whitworth Office of Church Engagement at ⁠www.whitworth.edu/oce We are in the process of recruiting a new Resilient Church cohort. If your church is interested in digging into it's history, mission and identity in order to build resiliency for the future, check out the program website at www.whitworth.edu/resilient

Elle Grover Fricks is the pastor of Refuge Church in Pullman, Wa. In this episode she talks about leading a church meant for those who are healing from church hurt, how she thinks about creating belonging in her context, the importance of co-creating spaces of worship and community, how cultivating her own spiritual health helps her hold the stories of those in her community well. If you want to hear more from Elle, you can check out two podcasts that she co-hosts - the Bema Discipleship podcast and the Text in Us podcast. Learn more about our work in the Whitworth Office of Church Engagement at www.whitworth.edu/oce

Professor of Sociology Jennifer McKinney talks to us about her research into Mars Hill Church and what scandals in the Church might teach us. She shares what it was like to work on a college campus so close to Mars Hill and the effect the church's theology had on students, how her research into Mars Hill's theology affected her own faith, why we should expect the Church to be imperfect, and the importance of identifying patterns of abuse in order to create healthier churches (plus, why this might be harder for us protestants). You can find Dr. McKinney's recent book "Making Christianity Manly Again: Mark Driscoll, Mars Hill Church, and American Evangelicalism" here >>> Learn more about our work in the Whitworth Office of Church Engagement here >>>

Joelle Czirr is a senior lecturer in the Whitworth Psychology Department. She joins us to talk about all the important ways that our faith practice should engage our bodies, why online church might not be our best option, how important being seen is to being know, and how much our bodies know before it registers with our brain. Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement on our website www.whitworth.edu/oce

Lauren sits down with local ministry leader and Whitworth alum Hannah Rae Tjelle to explore the unique experience of belonging to a church as the pastor's kid. Hannah shares about the difficulty of bearing the weight of your parents' ministry, how PKs can feel held to a higher standard of Christ likeness, the power of people knowing your name, and what has drawn her back to serve in the church herself. Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement on our website www.whitworth.edu/oce

Whitworth Professor of Sociology Stacy George joins us to talk about her research surrounding the tricky dynamics that singles and couples have to navigate in Christian faith communities. She shares her own experience of being single in the church, some ideas for how churches can better extend belonging to singles, and some thoughts on how shifting the conversation around singleness and dating can create a greater sense of belonging for everyone. Episode Resources: True Love Dates: Your Indispensable Guide to Finding the Love of your Life by Debra Fileta on Amazon Read more about Stacy's research in her book Ring by Spring: Dating and Relationship Cultures at Christian Colleges here >>> Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement on our website www.whitworth.edu/oce

Co-Founder and Director of Global Immersion Jer Swigart joins us this week to talk about conflict and peacemaking in the church. He reflects on what it means to be one body, how our understanding of God shapes the way we deal with conflict and discomfort in the church, and how we can practically become more conflict competent as followers of Jesus. If you want to learn more about Jer's work through Global Immersion, check out their website here >>> Check out Jer's book "Mending the Divides: Creative Love in a Conflicted World" here >>> Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement at whitworth.edu/oce

Eliza Griffith joins us to talk about what it has looked like to belong to the church even as she and her family have moved many times in the past 10+ years. She shares what she has learned belonging to churches of varying denominations, how the church has shaped her faith, and why she has prioritized belonging in a church for her kids. In all, we think she paints a beautiful and hopeful picture of what it means to belong to a community of faith! Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement at www.whitworth.edu/oce

Worship Director and Professor of Music Ben Brody joins us to talk about how music can contribute to the belonging we feel (or don't!) in a community of faith. He shares about his experience leading worship online during COVID, talks about the value of disorientation, and considers music as a vocabulary school for Christians. Episode Resources: My Shepherd Will Supply My Need by Roger Hoffman: https://open.spotify.com/track/3Ug3DIvlf2naesC5pSuMRx?si=819628bbc2334060&nd=1 My Shepherd Will Supply My Need by Wendell Kimbrough: https://open.spotify.com/track/1FF5DBi1dT3hAG0PSupVz4?si=4b61cf10b7e743c1&nd=1 Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement at www.whitworth.edu/oce

Join Lauren as she offers some final thoughts on the conversations we've had throughout season 1. The episode ends with an invitation to a spiritual practice known as breath prayer. Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement at www.whitworth.edu/oce

Fr. Tim Wilkinson joins us to talk about his journey from the evangelical church to his ordination as an Orthodox priest, the significance of embodiment and gathering to a life with Christ, and what it means to belong in the Orthodox tradition. Episode References: "Becoming Orthodox" by Peter E. Gillquist To learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement visit www.whitworth.edu/oce

Tanita Maddox is a regional director for Young Life and a Gen Z expert. In this conversation she talks to us about how fear impacts a sense of belonging for Gen Z, the power of listening, and how the early church can provide us with a template for meeting new generations where they're at. Episode Resources: "So the Next Generation Will Know: Preparing Young Christians for a Challenging World" by Sean McDowell "Growing Young" by Kara Powell You can learn more about Tanita and her work on her website - tanitamaddox.com Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement at www.whitworth.edu/oce

Phil Moore is a church planter and pastor. Here he joins us to talk about the church structures and practices he uses to cultivate a sense of belonging, the purpose of decentralizing the pastor, and why he is still so captivated by the church - even as a twenty-something-year-old pastor. Episode References: This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley Searching for Sunday by Rachel Held Evans Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement at www.whitworth.edu/oce

Alexis is a recent Whitworth graduate and a Summer Fellowship Program alum. Today she sits down with us to talk about why young people aren't attracted to many traditional church models, how she understands the love of Jesus, and what it means to be the church outside the walls of a building. Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement at www.whitworth.edu/oce

Pastor Lauren Goldbloom gives us a glimpse into the neighborhood church model, how her community cultivates a sense of belonging in the context of the neighborhood, and how to be the church for people who have felt abandoned by it in the past. Episode References: The New Parish by Soerens, Sparks, & Friesen Lauren is also leading a new grant initiative in partnership with Parish Collective and the OCE focused on the faith formation of young adults and the faithful presence of churches. If this interests you, fill out an interest form to get connected to the project. Find it here >>> Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement at www.whitworth.edu/oce

Sociologist and church vitality expert Mark Killian joins us to talk about areas of growth and decline in the church, cultural trends that affect a declining sense of "belonging" to a church, and the unhealthy tactics that get people through the door but don't contribute to the health of a congregation. Episode References: ‘The Scandal of Redemption' by Oscar Romero Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement at www.whitworth.edu/oce Dig into your church's mission with the expertise of a sociologist using our Church Self-Study Guide. Access it here >>>

Pastor Thomas Anderson sits down with us to walk through realistic expectations for the church, why it's important to have your own list of "non-negotiables", and how he thinks about setting or meeting expectations as a pastor. Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement at www.whitworth.edu/oce

Whitworth Professor of Theology Samantha Miller joins us to talk about engaging with the church as a theologian, the importance of the church in providing accountability and diverse influence in your faith life, and calibrating your expectations for what the church can and should deliver. Episode References: Helmut Thielicke - ‘A Little Exercise for Young Theologians' Learn more about our work in the Office of Church Engagement at www.whitworth.edu/oce

Author and theologian Jerry Sittser joins us to talk about belonging to the church throughout history, how historical church movements have fostered belonging, and what has changed to lead us to a "crisis of belonging" today. Get to know our work better at www.whitworth.edu/oce Check out Jerry's small group study "A New Catechumenate" at www.whitworth.edu/catechumenate

Welcome to Where We Belong. In our introductory episode, our host, Lauren Hunter, gives you a glimpse into the inspiration for the podcast and what you can expect from the rest of Season 1. You'll also get to hear a bit more about Lauren and our producer, Alexis.