The EquipCast
Practical Evangelization & Parish Ministry Tools for Catholic Leaders
Displaying items 11-14 of 14 in total of The EquipCast with the tag "discipleship".
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Episode 161: Grow a Healthy Small Group Movement with Michael Hall
Episode | September 17th, 2024 | 56 mins 1 sec
archdiocese of omaha, catholic, catholic christian outreach, catholic ministry, cco, church community, church growth, community building, disciples, discipleship, equipcast, evangelism, evangelization, faith formation, faith journey, healthy small groups, intentional accompaniment, jim jansen, making disciples, michael hall, missionary mindset, parish ministry, parish renewal, podcast, small group coaching, small group dynamics, small group leadership, small group movement, small group multiplication, small group strategies, small groups, spiritual growth
Small groups are vital for parish renewal—you might even be part of one yourself. But is your small group thriving and growing, or is it feeling a bit stagnant? Do you find it challenging to reach beyond the usual participants? And most importantly, are your small groups truly helping people grow in their faith journey? Today, I chat with Michael Hall, author of Intentional Accompaniment and a seasoned leader with Catholic Christian Outreach of Canada. Michael has a wealth of experience building and sustaining healthy small group movements, and he’s here to share some of the strategies and mindsets that can transform your small group from a stagnant gathering into a dynamic, missionary force. Whether you’re leading a small group, coordinating them for your parish, or simply a passionate member of one, this conversation is full of insights that can help you breathe new life into your small group ministry and make a real impact in your community.
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Episode 153: The Clear Path to Discipleship in a Rural Context
Episode | June 4th, 2024 | 52 mins 51 secs
archdioceseofomaha, biblestudy, catholic, catholic ministry, catholicpodcast, cedarcounty, christiancommunity, churchoutreach, communitybuilding, disciples, discipleship, equipcast, evangelism, evangelization, faithandfriendship, faithinaction, faithjourney, jakeolson, knoxcounty, making disciples, missionarydisciples, relationalevangelization, ruralevangelization, ruralministry, smallgroupministry
Did you know that on average, there’s only one priest for every 2,000 parishioners in our archdiocese? With such a large group to guide, you might wonder how it could be possible for parish leaders to help their people grow in discipleship and move towards sainthood. The Clear Path framework is key to success, but the challenge is greater in our rural communities where a single pastor often handles several parishes. To gain insight on these issues, I sit down with Jake Olson, the evangelization coordinator for Our Catholic Family, a group of parishes in the Northeast corner of Nebraska. Jake describes the clear path as a bowling alley where our ultimate goal (heaven) is like bowling a strike, and the clear path consists of bumpers that keep us aligned towards this goal. Tune in to hear Jake’s practical advice and heartfelt experiences. He shows us how small actions and genuine connections can lead to profound spiritual growth and community transformation. Whether you’re in a bustling city or a quiet rural town, these timeless principles of evangelization are universally applicable.
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Episode 134: How to Become a Contagious Catholic with Marcel LeJeune
Episode | December 12th, 2023 | 1 hr 1 min
catholic, catholic ministry, catholic mission, church transformation, contagious catholic, disciples, discipleship, evangelism, evangelization, faith and spirituality, inspirational christianity, making disciples, marcel lejeune, ministry, ministry leaders, parish involvement, prayer life
Have you ever met a contagious Catholic? I'm not talking about cold and flu season here – I mean meeting someone whose faith is so vibrant and inspiring that it makes you want to deepen your own spiritual journey. Well, today, I had the joy of chatting with one such individual. Marcel LeJeune helped create the world’s largest campus ministry at Texas A&M, and he spills his secrets on infusing your faith with contagious enthusiasm. One of his gems from our conversation: “Your inadequacies to the task at hand that you want to accomplish are nothing in the hands of a God who is infinitely powerful. All He has is messed up, sinful, insufficient people for the task that he wants to accomplish, and He laughs at us. All He asks is us to give Him a little bit of room and a small yes, and then get out of His way. Because here's the thing. I am neither the most talented, the smartest, certainly not the best looking of any of the people that I know, even in my local community. I'm not the best evangelist. I'm not the best theologian. I'm not the best writer or speaker. I'm not the best person to have a conversation with. I'm not the best listener. I'm not best at any of those things. And yet, God can still do big things through me, and you because God is bigger than I am and bigger than you.”
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Coach's Corner 4: St. Thomas & The Power of Belonging
Episode | March 28th, 2023 | 11 mins 30 secs
belonging in faith, catholic church teachings, christian community engagement, christianity, discipleship, evangelization, faith transformation, religious inclusivity, spiritual encounter, st. thomas the apostle, welcome
Why wasn’t St. Thomas with the other apostles when Jesus appeared? I used to imagine that he was doing some mundane task like buying groceries. But, if we read the passage carefully, it’s likely he was absent because he didn’t want to be with the other apostles. Jesus could have appeared at any time; if Thomas was only “gone to the store”, he could have waited. Additionally, Thomas’s response to the news of the resurrection is stubborn (and maybe a tad obnoxious) disbelief. In today’s Coach’s Corner, I ask the question: How do we help those in the same place as St. Thomas, the stubbornly disbelieving? Tune in to hear how helping a person belong can also help them to believe. The goal is to make non-believers feel accepted and engaged in the community, creating a path toward embracing faith and living a life of discipleship.