EquipCast

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.

Episode 32: Missional Amnesia

Episode  |  September 29th, 2020  |  48 mins 42 secs

Have you ever used a Catholic buzz word like missionary disciple or missional church and received blank looks in return? It’s a surprising experience, but the reality is many Catholics still don’t know what the word missional means. It used to be that missionaries were the people who traveled to Africa, and the Church in America grew because Catholics had big families. Our biggest problem used to be caring for all of the people who came to the Church’s doorstep, but now, we find ourselves trying to proclaim the Gospel to a world that doesn’t know much about who Jesus is or what the Church is really about. Many of us even know a family member or friend who has walked away from the faith, but it’s often difficult for us to believe that this is part of a larger cultural trend. However, the reality is that the city of Omaha is among the top 30 most secular or “post-Christian” cities in the US. Collectively, we have missional amnesia. We’ve forgotten that we are called to go and make disciples. We lack an imagination around what a missional church looks likes because, until recently, we haven’t had to be one. So, what do you say to someone who asks what a missional church is? Tune in to hear Fr. Lorig and Jim Jansen's musings on this topic.

Episode 31: The Golden Question

Episode  |  September 22nd, 2020  |  50 mins 33 secs

How do you practice the “everyday preaching” that Pope Francis calls us to without being weird? I’ve grappled with this question throughout my life. At one point, I would have been offended at the thought that I was one of those people who walked around talking to others about Jesus. Offended because I had in mind the awkward Christian and the Bible Thumper. Now, I love proclaiming the Good News to those around me, but I know it takes a few relational pre-requisites before another person will receive me and the message well. Continue the conversation with us as we discuss these pre-requisites.

The Clear Path to Discipleship: Steps 3 & 4

Episode  |  September 15th, 2020  |  53 mins 36 secs

We spend a lot of time on the EquipCast talking about reaching the lost and that parishes must be outward focused in order to grow. But I hear from many of you, "What about the already converted? We can't leave them behind either!" Steps 3 & 4 of the Clear Path to Discipleship focus on just that. How do we help disciples grow in their relationship with God, and how do we prepare them for mission?