EquipCast

Episode Archive

Episode Archive

197 episodes of EquipCast since the first episode, which aired on October 7th, 2019.

  • Phase 3: Implementation - How to Build a Clear Path of Discipleship

    Episode  |  April 16th, 2024  |  38 mins 12 secs
    catholic, catholic ministry, disciples, evangelism, evangelization, making disciples

    Now that you have a plan to transform your parish, how do you get started? Implementing the Clear Path to Discipleship can feel daunting when you start to understand the scope of the change that is necessary. In this third episode of the series How to Build a Clear Path of Discipleship, Jonathan Sanchez-Hidalgo, Director of Evangelization and Discipleship at St. Charles Borromeo shares his experience navigating the complexities of implementing programs within a parish setting. He highlights the importance of community involvement, the need for flexibility and initiative, and the ability to learn from failures.

  • Phase 4: Communication - How to Build a Clear Path of Discipleship

    Episode  |  April 16th, 2024  |  40 mins 39 secs
    catholic, catholic ministry, disciples, evangelism, evangelization, making disciples

    Once you have a clear path built, how do you communicate it to your parishioners? Often, our parishioners are living in the new reality of the clear path, but they don’t yet see the big picture vision for evangelization. In this fourth Episode of the series How to Build a Clear Path of Discipleship, Jake Olson and Fr. James Keiter from Our Catholic Family describe how they navigated the phase of communication. They talk about leveraging different communication methods, the significance of personal witness and stories, and the need to communicate the clear path repeatedly to ensure understanding and engagement among parishioners.

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    Phase 2: Discernment – How to Build a Clear Path of Discipleship

    Episode  |  April 9th, 2024  |  42 mins 46 secs
    catholic, catholic ministry, christian community building, church leadership, clear path to discipleship, community engagement, disciples, discipleship journey, evangelism, evangelization, faith-based storytelling, hospitality culture, making disciples, mission-driven strategy, parish renewal, prayerful leadership, spiritual discernment

    What does the Lord say about the plans you have for your parish? As you seek renewal for your parish community, are you intentionally asking for the Lord’s input? While many of us are prayerful individuals, praying collectively with a team about the strategy for becoming mission-oriented probably feels like uncharted territory. However, if we want to succeed, we must invite the Lord to be part of the process. In this second episode of the series How to Build a Clear Path of Discipleship, Fr. Damian Zuerlein, Dcn. Doug Lenz, and Ann Lenz from St. Frances Cabrini discuss how as they brough change to their community, they remained open to God's direction and surrendered to His will, even when faced with challenges and uncertainties. Their experiences reflect a deep sense of faith and openness to the Holy Spirit's guidance in their parish life.

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    Phase 1: Assessment – How to Build a Clear Path of Discipleship

    Episode  |  April 9th, 2024  |  43 mins 9 secs
    building clear paths, catholic, catholic ministry, church community assessment, clear path to discipleship, disciples, discipleship journey, evangelism, evangelization, evangelization efforts, faith formation programs, making disciples, parish growth strategies, parish ministry, parish outreach initiatives, pastoral conversion, phase of assessment, spiritual renewal

    Does your parish’s current list of ministries help your people evangelize? It’s likely the answer is no. Most parish ministries were built during a time where people flocked to church. But the culture has changed, and our ministries need to as well. So today, I bring you the first episode in the series How to Build a Clear Path of Discipleship. Rachel Gifford, Director of Catechesis & Evangelization at St. Mary’s Parish, highlights her parish's journey through the phase of assessment. She shares how they examined existing programs to identify gaps in reaching newcomers and building up disciples for the work of mission. Challenges included resistance to change and feeling overwhelmed, but the parish found support in prayer, coaching, and revisiting their mission. Despite the difficulties, they saw positive outcomes, with new families registering and a renewed sense of faith in the community.

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    Trailer: How to Build a Clear Path to Discipleship

    Episode  |  April 8th, 2024  |  2 mins 41 secs
    build your clear path, catholic, catholic ministry, clear path to discipleship, disciples, evangelism, evangelization, making disciples

    Imagine if your parish provided a place for you to build relationships of trust with nonbelievers. Or if it had a ministry that proclaimed the Gospel and fostered conversions. What if your parish taught you how to evangelize and it gave you a space to celebrate and commiserate with others trying to do the same? Around here, we’d say that parish had a Clear Path to Discipleship. So how do we get to this ideal? If you want to hear real stories of parishes who have built a clear path, join us for our series "How to Build a Clear Path to Discipleship".

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    Coach's Corner 14: How the Eucharist Breaks You

    Episode  |  April 2nd, 2024  |  4 mins 47 secs
    catholic, catholic faith reflection, catholic ministry, christian theology, disciples, eucharist and christian identity, eucharist transformation, eucharistic spirituality, evangelism, evangelization, healing through eucharist, last supper interpretation, making disciples, paschal mystery, self-giving, spiritual growth

    If you allow it to, the Eucharist can break you. “But, Jim, why would I want that? Sounds awful.” We all know that the Eucharist is transformative because it unifies us to Christ and his body. But if we truly enter into that Pascal Mystery, it means we also can be “broken and shared” with the world. Join me for this Coach’s Corner where I take a short 4 minutes to encourage you in the mystery that was gifted to us at Easter.

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    Coach's Corner 13: How to Pray When You Are Angry

    Episode  |  March 19th, 2024  |  9 mins 50 secs
    angerandfaith, biblicalguidance, catholic, catholic ministry, christianliving, disciples, emotionalfaith, evangelism, evangelization, godsgoodness, honestyinprayer, making disciples, navigatingemotions, podcastfaithjourney, prayer, spiritualgrowth

    Have you ever avoided prayer because you were angry with God? I get it. Wrestling with our emotions, especially anger, in our relationship with the divine can feel overwhelming. But here's the thing: God can handle our raw, unfiltered emotions. Today, I'm diving into a topic that hits close to home: expressing anger to God while keeping our faith intact.

  • Episode 141: Unity & Mission: Exploring Catholic and Protestant Perspectives

    Episode  |  March 12th, 2024  |  1 hr 4 secs
    bridging theological divides, catholic, catholic ministry, catholic-protestant dialogue, christ community church, christian unity, disciples, ecumenism, evangelism, evangelization, faith-based conversations, interfaith collaboration, making disciples, religious dialogue, spiritual openness, understanding different traditions, unity in christ

    Is unity between Catholics and Protestants really possible? Just imagine the incredible things we could accomplish if we could learn to collaborate. We could address social issues, promote justice, and serve those in need, all while spreading the message of God's love through evangelization. It's an exciting thought, isn't it?
    But, of course, in order for this dream to become a reality, we need to confront our fears and misunderstandings head-on. We need to foster unity within the body of Christ, embracing humility and openness along the way. That's why I'm thrilled to share an episode of unComfortable with you, a podcast from Christ Community Church in Omaha. I had the honor of joining them for a discussion on ecumenism, and let me tell you, it was eye-opening.

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    Episode 140: Neighbors In Need: How to Leverage the Resources and Compassion Within Your Local Community

    Episode  |  March 5th, 2024  |  53 mins 28 secs
    addressing social isolation in omaha, building empathy in local communities, catholic, catholic ministry, christian service and compassion, community outreach strategies, disciples, evangelism, evangelization, jed mullenix ceo interview, love and compassion in omaha, making disciples, omaha church initiatives, omaha community engagement, spreading kindness in omaha, within reach organization

    Did you know that only 8% of the people in our church pews can claim that they know the names of their 8 closest neighbors? As Christians, we aught to be on the front lines of the fight against what the Surgeon General calls and “epidemic of loneliness”. Omaha itself, , with all its strengths, grapples with mental health issues, people feeling isolated, and disparities in education and opportunities. So, in today's podcast, I sit down with Jed Mullenix, the CEO of Within Reach. He works to unify our local church communities around these issues. Together we can address community needs and spread the love of Jesus. He highlights the significance of pursuing proximity with neighbors, cultivating empathy, and committing to long-term relationships built on genuine care and compassion.

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    Coach's Corner 12: Renewing Our Church Through Communal Repentance

    Episode  |  February 27th, 2024  |  7 mins 46 secs
    biblical precedents, catholic, catholic ministry, church leadership, church mission, collective responsibility, communal renewal, community dynamics, corporate repentance, disciples, evangelism, evangelization, faith community, grace and forgiveness, implementing repentance, making disciples, personal spirituality, relationship healing, spiritual growth, theological foundations, transformation through repentance.

    Have you ever found yourself saying sorry for something you didn't actually do? Like when your kid makes a mess in a store, or your team had to run extra laps in high school because of one teammate's mistake? The concept of taking collective responsibility isn’t foreign to us, but sometimes, we struggle with the idea of personally owning up to the mistakes of past generations. Today, I'd love to chat with you about the concept of communal repentance. It's about recognizing that even if we didn't directly cause a specific problem, we're all part of the same community and share in the work of seeking forgiveness and renewal together. When we come together and repent as the Body of Christ, we recognize the transformative power of God’s grace to heal relationships, restore communities, and guide them towards a more faithful and righteous path.

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    Episode 139: Fruitful Evangelization: How Love Leads to Conversion with Dan Burke

    Episode  |  February 20th, 2024  |  53 mins 46 secs
    catholic, catholic ministry, catholicism and love, christian discipleship, compassionate actions, dan burke interview, disciples, embracing faith, encountering jesus, evangelism, evangelization, gospel message, love and conversion, making disciples, selfless service, spiritual transformation

    How well do you love your neighbor? Love has this amazing power to change hearts and bring people closer to Jesus. Genuine love, expressed through compassionate actions and selfless service, has the ability to break down barriers, dissolve fear, and inspire individuals to open their hearts to the message of the Gospel. Today, I have the privilege of talking with Dan Burke, the founder and President of the Avila Institute for Spiritual Formation. He shares with me some incredible stories about how people showing him profound love opened him up to encounter Jesus and eventually led to his conversion to Catholicism.

  • Episode 138: Pathways to Renewal: Strategies for Effective Faith Formation with Fr. Tim Donovan

    Episode  |  February 13th, 2024  |  1 hr 1 min
    catechumenal ministry, catholic, catholic faith formation, catholic ministry, change management in parishes, disciples, evangelism, evangelization, integrated faith formation, making disciples, parish catechesis, parish community engagement, parish culture revitalization, parish leadership development, religious education transformation, vibrant faith communities

    Do you feel like your religious education efforts are stuck in a rut, merely churning out sacramental milestones? Do you wish your families would experience true conversion and stop disappearing after confirmation? I know how difficult it can be to transform our most institutionalize programs, so I sat down with Fr. Tim Donovan, a priest who’s vision is reshaping the landscape of catechesis and cultivating thriving, fruit-bearing communities.