EquipCast

Episode 43: The Power of Small Groups

Episode  |  January 26th, 2021  |  41 mins 31 secs

Have you ever had something important happen in your life and had no one to share it with? Did you know that the average American hasn’t made a friend in the last five years? As Catholics, we know that community is integral to the faith, and yet, so many in the Body of Christ feel disconnected and alone. I’d like to propose a solution: small groups. Small groups give us the opportunity to enter into life with individuals and to form relationships. They allow us to live and grow in the faith in a way that is otherwise impossible when we do not have a consistent and intentional way of journeying together.

Episode 42: How to Evangelize in Our Culture - Prioritize People

Episode  |  January 19th, 2021  |  45 mins 38 secs

Part 2 of our talk with Michael Gormley. This time he talks about the parish as a school of discipleship and how all evangelization must prioritize people.

Episode 41: The Necessity of Adult Evangelization

Episode  |  January 12th, 2021  |  48 mins 1 sec

Michael Gormley of Catching Foxes fame gives us his thoughts on adult evangelization and how parishes should prioritize the kerygma.

A Practical Example of Outreach

Episode  |  December 15th, 2020  |  18 mins 51 secs

Jim and Fr. Lorig discuss an outsider friendly event, an opportunity for parishioners to introduce those they care about to the idea of faith without jumping straight to bringing them to mass. Hopefully, the lessons learned can inspire something similar in your own parishes and ministries.

Episode 40: The Risen Christ In Me Sees the Suffering Christ in You

Episode  |  November 24th, 2020  |  49 mins 40 secs

With Thanksgiving upon us, I wanted to give you the chance to reflect on the ways gratitude can lead us to "live mercy". In today's episode, I sit down with Dcn. Tim McNeil, the Chancellor for the Archdiocese, as he talks about how knowing Jesus requires us to respond. "I have met this person named Jesus, and he has changed me. I’m so aware of what He has done for my life that I cannot help but share Him with others. This gratitude is the heart of evangelization. The Lord has saved me, and now the risen Christ in me longs to meet the suffering Christ in you."

Unity through Conflict Resolution

Episode  |  November 17th, 2020  |  40 mins 58 secs

A few years ago, the Archbishop’s Listening Sessions revealed that most of his people desired unity for the Archdiocese. This was so beautiful to hear because we know that unity is always the desire of God’s heart. One of Jesus’s last prayers on earth was “Father, I pray that they may all be one as you an I are one…so that the world may know that you sent me.” (John 17:21) This means that our unity as Christians is either the secret sauce that attracts the world or repels it. But unity at the local level really rests on the ability of each and every one of us to process through disagreement and conflict person to person. So what is the one thing that resolves most conflicts? Communication. In today’s conversation, we give a few scripture passages for you to mediate on as well as advice from the book Crucial Conversations.

Episode 38: Begin Again: Helping Other Leaders Join You on the Journey

Episode  |  November 10th, 2020  |  36 mins 39 secs

As a leader, have you ever had this experience: The Lord places something important on your heart and you are ready to run the race for Him, but no one around you has developed the personal vision and conviction to run with you? Often, we grow and develop personally and then are surprised when no one else has. This process can take years for ourselves, and yet we expect it to take moments for others. So, how do you accompany people down the same pathways you were led without it taking the same amount of time?

Episode 37: Demographic Trends in ArchOmaha

Episode  |  November 3rd, 2020  |  54 mins 17 secs

Did you know that the leading edge of the baby boomers will turn 75 next year? If the majority of our population is now retired and in their twilight years, what does this mean for our parishes? Did you know that 1/3 of the population experiences a bout of poverty in a 3 year period? This means, even parishes in affluent parts of town have people in their pews facing poverty. What does this mean for the way we live mercy? This week, a local demographer, David Drozd, walks us through some of the natural consequences to the demographic changes that are happening in our communities.

Episode 36: The Key Characteristics of a Missional Community

Episode  |  October 27th, 2020  |  1 hr 55 secs

This week, we went more in-depth on The Big Goal by asking Fr. Scott Hastings to break down the 3 Key Characteristics of a Missional Community: Collaborative Leadership, a Clear Path to Discipleship, and a Culture of Generosity.

Episode 35: Archbishop Lucas on The Big Goal

Episode  |  October 21st, 2020  |  1 hr 3 mins

Two years ago we rolled out the Vision and Priorities for the Archdiocese of Omaha. One Church: Encountering Jesus, Equipping Disciples, and Living Mercy. In the words of Archbishop Lucas, “The vision is not a project so much as a hope, of the kind of church we can be, the people that we are called to be in Jesus Christ and in our time.” Then, with COVID came the opportunity and grace to pause and reflect on the Vision and to renew our efforts. With this time, came clarity, and now, we are rolling out The Big Goal. Within 6 years, each of our parishes in the Archdiocese will become missional communities. Tune in to hear Archbishop Lucas unpack the "why" behind The Big Goal.

Episode 34: Finding Your Vision

Episode  |  October 13th, 2020  |  54 mins 6 secs

Do you have an ache in your heart? Do you see something in your family, your finances, your ministry, etc. that should be different? What do you envision that it could be? Cultivating a vision of a preferred future is part of the Christian Life. In Acts of the Apostles, Peter’s first public proclamation of the Kerygma includes words from the prophet Joel,” I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions”. But not all of us have Fr. Lorig’s talent for painting a picture of what should be. So how do we develop our own clear picture of the future? Continue the conversation to hear our insights.

The Virtues of a Missional Leader

Episode  |  October 6th, 2020  |  50 mins 36 secs

On the EquipCast, I spend a lot of time emphasizing the leadership skills of a missionary disciple. But this week, we spoke to Fr. Kizito, a missionary from Nigeria to our own diocese, and he reminded us that one basic skill of a missionary leader is the ability to grow in virtue.

How do I make disciples? By first being a disciple. 

So let us sit at the feet of one of Jesus's own ministers and learn about the virtues he believes are key to mission.