Rev. Dr. Alvin Sanders: The Urban Church as a Place of Healing and Impact
Release Date: 10/17/2023
Michael Wear on Moving Forward Post-Election as Christians
The ProGrace Podcast
Michael Wear joins Angela for a conversation about how we should move forward after the election as grace-filled Christians. Their discussion dives into how to make the most of this moment by offering a positive vision for life: not just fending off the bad but pursuing the good. How can we tap into the grace that God offers each of us to be humble in our interactions and imagine positive possibilities for the future? Guest Bio: Micheal Wear is founder, president, and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, a nonpartisan, nonprofit institution based in the nation's capital...
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Answering Your Questions: Abortion Conversations during this Election Season
The ProGrace Podcast
In this episode of The ProGrace Podcast, Angela recaps some of our previous guests' most helpful advice as we enter the last few weeks of a contentious election season. Hear from Kaitlyn Scheiss, Skye Jethani, Andrew Hanauer, Christy Vines, Amy Peeler, and Laura McAlpine on ways we can prioritize people instead of politics. Episodes featured: Andrew Hanauer from One America Movement: https://www.prograce.org/podcasts/the-prograce-podcast/episodes/2148861711 Kaitlyn Schiess, author and speaker: https://www.prograce.org/podcasts/the-prograce-podcast/episodes/2148628778 Dr. Amy Peeler:...
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Andrew Hanauer, President and CEO of the One America Movement, on restoring unity to a divided America
The ProGrace Podcast
Our world seems to become more divided by the day. We are ending relationships over differences in opinion on political matters. How can we restore unity to our families and communities? In this episode, Angela talks with Andrew Hanauer, the President and CEO of the One America Movement, an organization founded by faith leaders to fight toxic polarization, about how faith communities and leaders can work to model unity during increasingly divisive times. In Andrew’s words: “politics will not fill the Spiritual holes in our lives,” but he believes that Scripture holds the answers we seek....
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How to navigate political divisiveness around abortion: hope, encouragement, and answers with Angela Weszely, CEO of ProGrace
The ProGrace Podcast
Things are heating up politically and socially as the United States prepares for a presidential election, and abortion is on everyone’s minds and ballots. You may be feeling overwhelmed, worn out, or stuck. What is Jesus asking us to do when it comes to abortion, and how should we, as Christians, behave during the politically divisive season we are in now? In this episode, Angela Weszely speaks from the heart about what this tense climate means for us as Christians, how we can engage in a way that makes people feel safe and represents Jesus, and why we should have hope now that God is...
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Kaitlyn Schiess, author and speaker on how prioritizing Biblical theology and spiritual formation helps us engage politically
The ProGrace Podcast
In this episode, author and Holy Post co-host Kaitlyn Schiess breaks down what it means to be a politically responsible Christian. As a theologian, Kaitlyn understands both the Biblical importance and limitations of legislation to solve the problems we are faced with, as well as the fine line we must walk between the two. In this conversation, she and Angela break down the questions that many of us have about how to be politically active in a way that respects and reflects our faith, the pull of political parties on our identity, and how to keep our priorities in the right place through...
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Andrea Leigh Capuyan, ED of Laurel Pregnancy Center, on how grace and her experience shape her work with people during and after unintended pregnancy
The ProGrace Podcast
Andrea Leigh Capuyan, Executive Director of the LPC in the Baltimore/Washington DC metro area and ProGrace Equip learning community member, discusses how her life experience and grace changed how she and her organization operate. Rejecting industry norms and standards, Andrea has allowed her own experience and faith, as well as the ProGrace community and resources, to guide her toward a more empathetic and loving standard of care in her organization. Andrea faced an unintended pregnancy at 25, not at a time in her life in which she felt capable of raising a child. Her own experiences, both...
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Kristen Lonberger, COO of Living Alternatives, on Valuing Women Within a Christian Pregnancy Center
The ProGrace Podcast
In this episode, Angela talks to Christian Pregnancy Center COO Kristen Lonberger of Living Alternatives about their center’s desire to treat their clients in a way that is congruent with their faith. They discuss how the practices of traditional pregnancy centers can make women feel shame and guilt, and how the staff at Living Alternatives has worked to ensure that their practices are both ethical and representative of Jesus. Guest Bio Kristen Lonberger is Chief Operations Officer for Living Alternatives Pregnancy Resource Center; a faith-based non-profit organization that serves...
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Why I Have Hope for 2024
The ProGrace Podcast
In this episode, Angela discusses her recent experience participating in the National Day of Dialogue (NDOD) 2024. The event taught practical tools for having more constructive conversations. She explains the ABCs of Constructive Dialogue and how she learned to use them to increase understanding. She also recounts a time she used these skills in conversation with someone who held opposing views and how the conversation resulted in understanding, empathy, and even friendship. This episode will give you the hope and encouragement to navigate this election year and grow your faith in these...
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Dr. Amy Peeler: Celebrating God’s Affirmation of Women in the Advent Story
The ProGrace Podcast
Guest: Dr. Amy Peeler To have new conversations about abortion, we need to step inside people’s stories. Women specifically can sometimes wonder where they can find their place in the story of God's family. We’re celebrating this season of Advent by exploring how the coming of Jesus to reconcile God and humanity begins with a pregnancy story. Join Angela and her guest, Dr. Amy Peeler, the Kenneth T. Wessner Chair of Biblical Studies at Wheaton College, a priest in the Episcopal Church (USA), and the author of Women and the Gender of God (Eerdmans, 2022). They unpack the story of Mary, the...
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Lisa Fields: How Theology Can Lead to Grace-filled Conversations Across Divides
The ProGrace Podcast
Guest: Lisa Fields, Founder and CEO Jude 3 Project Experiences, hurt, and trauma always filter how we receive information. So, if we ignore people's lived experiences, we miss the opportunity for connection that leads to transformation. In this episode, Angela sits with Lisa Fields, Founder and CEO of The Jude 3 Project, about the importance of having conversations around divisive issues like abortion and racial divides in the church. They discuss the need for Christians to model their approach after Jesus, not politics, and to listen to others' experiences with empathy and understanding. They...
info_outline“We’re in a time where people need healing, and the Church is the answer for that. Jesus is the answer, but [knowing] Jesus through the Church is critical. [If pastors only] knew how much people needed the Church—not the politics of the Church, not all of the theology of the Church, but just the Church in action.” Thoughts on Mission & Ministry FROM LEADERS IN URBAN CHURCHES & COMMUNITIES, Page 12
Pastors have a God-given opportunity to lead their church to impact communities for the common good. Listen as Angela welcomes Dr. Alvin Sanders, President and CEO of World Impact, an organization that trains and equips church leaders and workers to serve in urban areas. World Impact and the Barna Group released a study this month: Inside the Urban Church – How local congregations engage with and impact their communities (October 2023). With a representative sample across eight major US metros, this quantitative and qualitative study heard from a cross-section of pastors, community, civic leaders, and churched and unchurched participants.
One of the many key findings of the study was that churched and unchurched respondents saw the church as a safe space to wrestle with and help figure out the moral issues of the day; thus, urban churches have a huge opportunity to convene discussions that bring understanding and healing through God’s truth. “The study also revealed that metro residents inside and outside the Church think Christian churches are well-positioned to address the problem of loneliness. This finding is notable for highlighting the top issue locals entrust to churches and as a sign of common ground in perceptions among the churched and unchurched.” (Page 22) Both these insights offer encouragement on how we can have new conversations on abortion in our churches and be perceived as safe to approach for help.
In this episode, Angela and Dr. Sanders discuss their hope and mutual love for the Church to be as Christ designed, a place of grace and belonging to reflect the kingdom in a secularized world. How can the Church be ready to receive people with the love God intended?
Links:
- World Impact: https://www.worldimpact.org/
- DePaul University's website on Asset Based Community Development
https://resources.depaul.edu/abcd-institute/Pages/default.aspx - The study can be purchased here: https://shop.barna.com/collections/frontpage/products/inside-the-urban-church
- Also, here is a study we didn't mention but is very relevant:
https://www.churchandculture.org/blog/2023/9/14/the-late-great-planet-church
Books Mentioned:
- Uncommon Church – By Alvin Sanders (uncommonchurches.com) (https://uncommonchurches.com/)
- Bridging the Diversity Gap - buy on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Bridging-Diversity-Gap-Leading-Multi-Ethnic/dp/0898276780)