EquipCast
Encouragement and inspiration for sharing your catholic faith
We found 10 episodes of EquipCast with the tag “making disciples”.
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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.
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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. -
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.
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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.
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Episode 137: Making Missionary Disciples in a Parish - A Clear Path
Episode | February 6th, 2024 | 51 mins 13 secs
catholic, catholic church strategies, catholic leadership, catholic ministry, church growth, clear path of discipleship, disciples, evangelism, evangelization, impactful ministry, jim jansen interview, making disciples, ministry alignment, parish development, parish transformation, spiritual community
Many of you listen to the EquipCast because you want to feel confident sharing your faith. We try to provide practical tools for this, and so we talk a lot about small groups, prayer, evangelizing adults, etc. But these are just tools, parts of a larger strategy to build flourishing parish communities. So, what does it take to actually transform the culture of a parish, to begin witnessing lives changed and to see more people in the pews? A Clear Path to Discipleship. Today, I bring you an episode from the Huntley Leadership Podcast. Ron Huntley, a man who coaches bishops, priests, and ministry leaders all over the world, asked me to be a guest on his podcast to talk about my book: A Clear Path. I want to share this episode with you in order to draw back the veil on some of the big picture work my team and I get to do with your parishes.