Jim Jansen
Host of The EquipCast
Meet Jim Jansen
True church renewal isn't a theory we read about in books—it’s a reality we’ve lived out on the ground for more than 25 years.
Jim Jansen’s journey started right in the heart of the Midwest, growing up a cradle Catholic in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1999, while at Benedictine College, a simple invitation from his roommate to join one of the very first FOCUS Bible studies changed everything. That moment launched an 18-year tenure on staff with FOCUS, where Jim served on the founding missionary team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and later as a team director and regional director, shaping the apostolate's foundational years of growth.
Driven by a desire to bring these proven strategies to the wider Church, Jim returned home to Omaha in 2017 to lead the Archdiocese's strategic efforts in coaching pastors and training disciples for the mission. Through those years of walking with leaders, he saw firsthand how easy it is to get caught spinning your wheels in empty parish activity. To meet that national need, Jim launched Anchor Consulting full-time in 2026, alongside hosting The EquipCast and authoring A Clear Path.
Today, Jim and his wife, Kim, are raising their six children—ranging from grade school to young adults—giving him a deep, personal appreciation for what it takes to pass on the faith in the modern world. When you partner with us, you aren't getting generic consulting; you are getting a seasoned companion who knows exactly what it takes to break through the default, stop managing decline, and build a clear path to discipleship.
Education & Credentials
- M.T.S. in Pastoral Theology – Madonna University (in partnership with Ave Maria University)
- Certified Christian Leadership Coach (CCLC) – Coach Approach Ministries (CAM)
- Author of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish
- Host of The EquipCast
- B.A. – Benedictine College
Jim Jansen has hosted 241 Episodes.
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Summer Break - See you in August!
Episode | April 29th, 2026 | 1 min 45 secs
back in august, break, catholic, catholic ministry, clear path, disciples, equipcast, evangelism, evangelization, jim jansen, making disciples
Hey friends, the EquipCast is hitting pause early for a summer reset. We’re stepping into a break starting in May… because something new, bold, and exciting is coming your way. Rest up, enjoy the summer, and get ready—we’re back in August with fresh formats, global voices, and next‑level connections. Stay tuned! 🎙️🔥
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Episode 212: Can you afford to say yes to God? How to fund the mission.
Episode | April 28th, 2026 | 1 hr 5 mins
archdiocese of omaha, catholic, catholic fundraising, catholic ministry, catholic missionary support, christian stewardship, disciples, evangelism, evangelization, faith and money, lay mission work, making disciples, mission support raising, saying yes to god, trusting god with finances, vocational discernment
Can you afford to say yes to God? I know that question might make you uncomfortable—because it’s made me uncomfortable. We talk a lot about trust, about saying yes to the Lord, about living on mission… but when it comes to finances, security, and taking care of our families, it can feel like the cost is just too high. In today’s episode of The Equip Cast, I sit down with Peter Levesque Xavier to talk honestly about what happens when we stop asking, “Can I afford this?” and start asking, “Lord, do I trust You?” This conversation is about freedom, healing our relationship with money, and discovering that God is already providing a way for His mission—and your yes—to be possible.
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Episode 211: What Would You Do for Your Child? The Story of Tom Vander Woude
Episode | April 21st, 2026 | 53 mins 33 secs
archdiocese of omaha, catholic, catholic ministry, disciples, evangelism, evangelization, making disciples
Today on the Equip Cast, I sit down with Chris Vanderwoude to tell the story of a quiet, faithful father who answered that question with his life. Tom Vanderwoude wasn’t famous. He wasn’t flashy. He was a husband, a dad, a farmer, a Navy pilot—and a man who spent his life showing up in ordinary ways. Until one extraordinary moment, when he gave everything to save his son Joseph. In this conversation, you’ll hear how a hidden life of prayer, love, and fatherhood prepared Tom for heroic sacrifice—and why his story is stirring hearts around the world today, even to the point that the Church is considering opening a cause for canonization. This is a story about love, courage, faith, and what it really means to live your life as a gift.
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Coach’s Corner 29: A Book Review of Spousal Prayer by Deacon James Keating
Episode | April 14th, 2026 | 11 mins 53 secs
archdiocese of omaha, catholic, catholic marriage, catholic ministry, catholic ministry resources, catholic podcast, christian marriage, coaches corner, deacon james keating, disciples, emmaus road publishing, equipcast podcast, evangelism, evangelization, faith and family, jim jansen, making disciples, marital prayer, marriage and prayer, marriage preparation, marriage spirituality, prayer in marriage, relational prayer, sacrament of marriage, spiritual growth in marriage, spousal prayer, staying in love
Can love in marriage really last? I believe it can—and not because we’re strong enough or compatible enough, but because God meets us there. Staying in love isn’t something we just grit our teeth and manage. It’s something we learn through prayer. Prayer with the Lord shapes our hearts, and that same habit of prayer teaches us how to truly behold, listen to, forgive, and love our spouse. In this Coaches Corner, I review the book Spousal Prayer by Deacon James Keating. It’s a small, powerful book that connects marriage and prayer in a way that’s both deep and incredibly practical. We talk about why young people fear staying in love, how prayer brings us into the reality of love, and why marriage itself can become a living, breathing prayer. Whether you’re married, preparing couples, or walking with families in ministry, this episode is meant to equip you—and remind you that lasting love is not only possible, it’s sacramental.
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Episode 210: Life as an Evangelization Coordinator: How Accompaniment Transforms a Community
Episode | March 24th, 2026 | 54 mins 9 secs
accompaniment, alpha program, archdiocese of omaha, catholic, catholic evangelization, catholic ministry, catholic podcast, disciples, evangelism, evangelization, evangelization coordinator, evangelization series, evangelization stories, faith in everyday life, making disciples, missionary discipleship, parish life transformation, parish renewal, small town ministry
Today, we begin a series where I talk to Evangelization Coordinators from across our archdiocese. You’ll hear the honest stories, hard-won wisdom and quiet ways God is moving through the people helping to lead parish renewal from the ground up. In this first episode, Renee Eames of the St. Joseph Family of Parishes, shares what the role looks like day-to-day. Her warm wisdom reminds us that evangelization isn’t about big programs or perfect strategies—it’s about people. It’s about staying close to Jesus in the small moments, letting your heart be softened, and choosing unity when division would be easier. Her story reveals how simple everyday faithfulness—prayer, presence, and quiet accompaniment—can quietly renew a community. This conversation is a reminder that God works through every relationship, every interruption, and every act of love toward the person right in front of you.
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Inside Jim’s Inbox – Q&A 1
Episode | March 17th, 2026 | 12 mins 17 secs
archdiocese of omaha, catholic, catholic ministry, disciples, evangelism, evangelization, making disciples
Welcome to the very first episode of Inside Jim’s Inbox, a new Q&A series where I open up the real questions you send—about faith, fear, evangelization, ministry, and everything in between—and we walk through them together. In this kickoff episode, I’m sharing the questions I hear most often: What even is evangelization? Do I know enough to share my faith? How do I deal with the fear of rejection? Along the way, I’ll offer simple, hopeful ways to see evangelization not as expert level work, but as sharing what God has done in your life one honest, hope-filled conversation at a time.
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Episode 209: OCIA - Rediscovering the Heart of Parish Life
Episode | March 10th, 2026 | 1 hr 3 mins
accompaniment, ancient catechumenate, archdiocese of omaha, catechumenate, catholic, catholic conversion, catholic discipleship, catholic formation, catholic leadership, catholic ministry, catholic podcast, church revitalization, church revival, disciples, equipcast, evangelism, evangelization, making disciples, missionary discipleship, ocia, parish ministry, parish renewal, parish transformation, rcia, welcoming seekers
What if the ancient way of welcoming seekers is exactly what we’re missing? When Dr. Chris Burgwald, Chancellor for the Diocese of Sioux Falls, and I dug into the roots of OCIA, it struck me how much wisdom we’ve left sitting on the shelf. The early Church knew how to walk with people—slowly, personally, lovingly—and somewhere along the line, we traded that for efficiency. Dr. Burgwald shows why returning to this ancient, relational way of forming disciples isn’t nostalgia; it’s the key to helping people truly encounter Jesus and find a home in His Church again.
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Coach's Corner 28: Why do we keep trying silver bullets?
Episode | March 3rd, 2026 | 13 mins 8 secs
archdiocese of omaha, authentic renewal, catholic, catholic leadership, catholic ministry, disciples, discipleship, evangelism, evangelization, faith journey, god’s mercy, letting go of quick fixes, making disciples, missionary conversion, no silver bullet, parish evangelization, parish renewal, silver bullet myth, spiritual conversion, spiritual dependence, trusting god, turning to god
What do you do when the strategy, the program, or the plan just isn’t enough? Because I’ve been there—and in this episode, I talk about why our “silver bullets” so often fail us. We love quick fixes, big programs, and shiny solutions, but real renewal—personal or parish-wide—only happens when we stop trying to use God and finally turn to Him with honest hearts. In this conversation, I walk through one of my favorite (and most surprising) stories in Scripture and share the uncomfortable but hopeful truth it reveals: God isn’t asking us for better strategies. He’s asking for conversion. If you’ve ever felt discouraged, overwhelmed, or tempted to chase one more magic solution, this episode will help you breathe, refocus, and remember that God has a plan—not a gimmick—waiting for you.
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Episode 208: The Shift That Revives a Parish: A Great Catholic Parishes Webinar
Episode | February 24th, 2026 | 1 hr 15 secs
accompaniment in ministry, adult faith formation, archdiocese of omaha, belonging and faith, catholic, catholic evangelization, catholic ministry, catholic parish leadership, clear path discipleship, disciples, evangelism, evangelization, evangelization strategies, great catholic parishes podcast, jim jansen interview, john poitevent, making disciples, missionary discipleship, parish culture change, parish renewal, relational ministry, seen known accompanied
What if everything changes when people finally feel seen, known, and accompanied? In this republished conversation from the Great Catholic Parishes podcast, I join host John Poitevent to unpack why this simple shift lies at the very heart of parish renewal. People don’t grow because we tell them to—they grow because someone offers friendship, listens without judgment, and walks with them patiently. I unpack how accompaniment transforms not just individuals but the entire culture of a parish, unlocking a sense of belonging that leads people to recognize that God sees them the same way. Together, John and I try to paint a hopeful picture of what becomes possible when a parish truly commits to walking with people in love…and how everything can change from there.
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Episode 207: Holy Simplicity: When Clutter Competes With Your Calling
Episode | February 17th, 2026 | 1 hr
archdiocese of omaha, catholic, catholic discipleship, catholic family life, catholic homemaking, catholic inspiration, catholic minimalism, catholic ministry, catholic podcast, catholic simplicity, catholic spirituality, catholic vocation, clutter and calling, create space for god, decluttering your home, detachment, disciples, equipcast, evangelism, evangelization, hear god clearly, holy simplicity, intentional living, katie sciba, living your calling, making disciples, peaceful home, simplicity consultant, simplify your life, spiritual decluttering, spiritual freedom
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Episode 206: Dying Well: A Catholic Neurosurgeon's Insights on Life and Death
Episode | February 10th, 2026 | 51 mins 19 secs
archdiocese of omaha, catholic, catholic bioethics, catholic end of life care, catholic ministry, christian suffering, death and dying, disciples, dr. stephen doran, dying with dignity, equipcast, evangelism, evangelization, hope in death, how to die well, making disciples, spiritual accompaniment
What does it mean to face death well? In this conversation, Steve and I talk about the healing that comes when we confront our mortality and the immense dignity that every person deserves at the end of life. Steve shares the story of his father in law’s beautiful passing, the principles every Catholic should understand about end of life care, and the spiritual posture that transforms fear into hope.
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Coach’s Corner 27: What Parents Really Want
Episode | February 3rd, 2026 | 13 mins 57 secs
archdiocese of omaha, belonging in the church, catholic, catholic family ministry, catholic ministry, catholic school families, disciples, engaging millennial parents, evangelism, evangelization, faith formation at home, helping parents pass on the faith, making disciples, overcoming parish barriers, parent discipleship, parents and parish engagement, parish listening sessions
What if the biggest thing parents want from us is to know they belong? When I listen to parents—really listen—I hear something deeper than frustration about busy schedules or kids who can’t sit still at Mass. I hear an ache. Parents want to engage. They want their kids to love the faith. They want to grow spiritually themselves. But so many of them carry this quiet fear that they or their kids don’t quite fit in. And honestly? I’ve felt that myself. In sports leagues and school activities, parents often feel more welcomed, more supported, more seen than they do at church. That should get our attention.