Podcasts Index

In Part 1 of this thought-provoking mini-series, we hear from Pastor Meghan Larissa Good speaking at Jesus Collective's in-person gathering in June 2023 at Woodland Hills Church as she shares about our current cultural moment—a moment defined by its uncertainty, where the ground beneath us is shifting faster than ever before. Meghan offers some deep insights into the rise of 6 dynamics in our cultural moment creating both pain and opportunity for a heightened relevence of Jesus: pluralism, polarism, technology, individualism, scientism, and depression. Meghan helps us see that this is an opportunity for the movement of God in our day. Perhaps, we are on the edge of something new?

Welcome to another episode of the Jesus Collective Podcast. In this episide we pause to delve into the vision and heartbeat of Jesus Collective, introduce new core leadership team, and highlight wins from this past year. Plus, we explore the current landscape of church, and hear how Jesus Collective is responding to these shifting dynamics as we move into an exciting future together with a broader Jesus-centred movement. It's all packed into this dynamic episode. Enjoy!

In a world filled with hostility, division, and polarization it's time to refocus on Jesus. Join us for a captivating episode as Derek Vreeland, author of "Centering Jesus," reveals the consequences of losing sight of Jesus and the transformative impact of keeping Him at the center of our lives. Derek invites us to imagine what it looks like to keep Jesus as the Lamb of God at the center of three key areas of our lives—our spiritual formation, our moral lives, and our common life together.

Join us for a thought-provoking episode as we delve into the crucial topic of mental health within the church in the post-COVID era. In this enlightening conversation, we sit down with Carolyn Klassen, a counselor, public speaker, and leader within her church community. Together, we explore the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental well-being of the church community. Has the conversation around mental health evolved? What are the emerging mental health challenges faced by the church in this new era? We delve deep into these questions and uncover the shifts in understanding and approach that have taken place within the broader church since the pandemic began.

Adam Dyer, our brand new Jesus Collective Executive Director, sits down with Greg Boyd for a conversation about hope in a post-Christendom context. Adam and Greg explore how the rapid changing context of a post-Christendom culture is actually a good thing because it provides space for people to embrace an authentic faith, instead of simply acquiescing to the common shared trend of the larger culture. If the church is going to bring the gospel of Jesus, we must offer a life that stands in contrast because a polarized church has little to say to a polarized world. Adam shares some stories of hope from his own context as a pastor of Yeovil Community Church in England. And how he and his Church discovered that when Jesus is at the centre we find ourselves working against the polarization of our age by sharing life with others who see things in differing ways.

When we tell a reduced Gospel story, we get reduced results. In this podcast, we sit down with Matthew Bates as he shares his latest book, "Why the Gospel?". Matthew helps us see how the Gospel is a bigger story than personal salvation or forgiveness. The Gospel is a larger story based on Jesus the King who is the ultimate answer to our more profound questions about ourselves, God, and our world. If we are going speak to the deep longings of our secular post-modern culture, we need to tell a bigger story, a story with Jesus at the center.

Jesus Collective Partner, Jonny Morrison explores with us the dissatisfaction in our culture and why it's important for pastors and leaders to analyze culture more deeply. Morrison's book Light as Air: Practicing Authenticity, Depth, and Purpose in a World of Empty Promises may also offer some clues. We also delve into why some of us tend to individualize Jesus apart from his Kingdom political message and how we can become "wide awake Christians."

Jesus tells us to love our enemies. He doesn’t mean a hypothetical imagined enemy either. It is a love that goes beyond common sense. Jesus Collective Leadership Development Pastor Jon Hand reflects on learning to love your enemy from Matthew 5. Jon originally taught this sermon at The Meeting Place, a church in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba, and we thought our wider Jesus Collective audience would enjoy it as well.

In this episode with J.W. Buck, we explore why it's important to reveal the radical Jesus: the Jesus who teaches on justice, relating to the poor, and what it means to be salt and light in the world. We'll get into Buck's book, "Everyday Activism" to answer some questions about creating social change, and dive briefly into the seven practices of justice he outlines in the book. J.W. Buck is a Christian faith leader and entrepreneur contending for a less violent world. He is the co-founder at Pax — which is an organization that desires to equip the next generation to pursue peace, justice, and wholeness in the world. And one of the ways they do that is through Jesus-centred content created by people of colour.

The book of Revelation has been used to justify religious violence, greed in regards to climate stewardship, and distractions from Jesus with apocalyptic doom scrolling. Pastor Jeremy Duncan shares helpful insights from his book to help leaders and thoughtful Christians have tools for how to approach this often misunderstood and misused book of the Bible. Jeremy's refreshing approach will illuminate a more hope-filled and prophetic expression of Jesus through this mysterious book.