Reports From The Spiritual Frontier

Join us for a conversation with Rachel Barenblat, Co-Founder of Bayit: Your Jewish Home, blogger at Velveteen Rabbi, and Rabbi at Congregation Beth Israel in North Adams, MA, as we talk about her experience of life as a religious minority. Hear about how the gift of oddity, (9:30) the challenges and joys of being a [...]

Join us for a little more of our conversation between Beth Estock and Ben Yosua-Davis, where talks about his dream guests for season three. If you haven’t heard our full conversation, subscribe to us with your favorite podcast delivery service or visit our Facebook page.

Join us for our first conversation of season three, where Beth Estock talks with Reports host Ben Yosua-Davis. Hear them discuss the spiritual topography of our religious pioneers (5:00), how spiritual pioneers can call their traditions back to the best versions of themselves (16:00), the spiritual challenges of supervising people starting new faith communities (19:00), [...]

Join us for a conversation with Steve North, long-time missional pastor of Lifeline Toledo. Hear about why he’s persisted in his work through all the ups and downs (including having his house burn down twice,) how meeting a homeless poet turned into a conversion experience, and why he’s been wrecked for regular church. You can [...]

Join us for a little more of our conversation with Laura and Jaybee Byrch, where they talk about their contact with the neo-monastics and what books have changed their life. You can hear our full conversation at reports.buzzsprout.com or facebook.com/reportsfromthespiritualfrontier!

Join us for a conversation with everyday saints Laura and Jaybee Byrch, who live in Bradford Trailer Park in Boone, North Caroline. Hear about the daily rhythms of their lives, as they build community and learn about Jesus’ from the neighbors. You can find this episode and other conversations with other spiritual pioneers by subscribing [...]

Join us for a little more of our conversation with Sean Steele, of Saint Isidore’s Episcopal Church, as he talks about how they measure their community’s impact and what he doesn’t know yet. You can find the full episode by visiting our Facebook page or by subscribing to us with your favorite podcast delivery service.

Join us for a conversation with Sean Steele, priest at Saint Isidore’s Episcopal Church, a network of “sacramental communities” in Houston, TX. Hear him share about the theophany that began his journey of faith, what it means to create brave space for excluded people’s, about the offensive generosity of free laundry, free haircuts, and a [...]

Join us for a little bit more of our conversation with Jennifer DiFrancesco and Jason Chestnut of the Slate Project as they talk about their most hilarious ministry fails.

Join us for a conversation with Jennifer Difrancesco and Jason Chesnut of the Slate Project, a hybrid online/in-person community located in Baltimore, Maryland (and around the globe.) Hear them share about the rhythms of their community, the challenges of creating a unified identity across online and geographically-located spaces, and what it means to create a [...]

Join us to hear stories of some of the most hilarious ministry fails our guests and friends of the podcast have experienced. Hear about sad paper tents from Christian Coon, hungry dogs from Christy Dirren, “UMW time” from Breanna Illene, the dangers of people “inviting all their friends” from Ben Yosua-Davis, and a special guest [...]

Join us for a conversation with Andy Oliver, pastor of visitation at First UMC in Portland, OR, as he tells us the story of planting a new faith community called the Crossing from its beginning to its end. Hear about the spiritual pressures of starting a new faith community, how he knew that the church’s [...]

Join us for our unedited conversation with Andy Oliver, pastor of visitation at First United Methodist Church PDX, as he tells us the story of planting a new faith community called the Crossing with the The Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church from its beginning to its end. Hear about the spiritual pressures [...]

Join us for a conversation with Christy Dirren, church planter in Portland, Oregon as she shares with us the story of the life of Crossbridge, the community which she planted. Hear her share about how failure means “learning a new way that something didn’t work”, shares several beautiful moments and stories, and talks about quitting [...]

Join us for a conversation with Christian Coon, pastor of Urban Village Church and author of “Failing Boldly: How Falling Down in Ministry Can Lead to Rising Up.” Hear him share about the spiritual experience of failure, demystifying the church success story, and how remain grounded through the ups and downs of spiritual experimentation

Join us for a conversation with Carl Gladstone: musician, podcaster, and campus minister in Detroit, MI as he shares with us about what it means for creative people to “take all that is around you, boil it down, and offer it back to the world.” Carl shares about the shape of creative spirituality, the natural [...]

Join us for a little bit more of our conversation with Mira Conklin and Beth Estock, where Mira shares about starting points for faith communities who want to engage with the immigrants in their midst. Make sure to check out our full conversation with Mira by visiting our Facebook page or subscribing to us on [...]

Join us for a conversation with ELCA organizer and Missional Wisdom Foundation convenor Mira Conklin, about her work with immigrants in Portland, OR. Hear her share about the spiritual life of a community organizer, including the story of her journey from her Midwest home to working for immigrant rights, to the messiness of living into [...]

In our b-side this week, Allen and Sara shares their top pieces of advice for churches looking to build spiritual community with refugees in their community. (And if you haven’t listened to our entire conversation with Allen and Sara, check it out at reports.buzzsprout.com or with your favorite podcast delivery service!)

Join us for a conversation with Allen and Sara Ewing-Merrill, co-pastors of Hope GateWay, a United Methodist faith community in Portland,ME. Learn about their journey to becoming a multi-cultural community, the blessings and challenges of inviting immigrants into their midst, and what they’ve learned about God from those who come from other countries of origin.