#003 – Have you every found yourself disillusioned with the church, and wanting to throw in the towel? Well, my guest today has been there and knows that struggle. Jessica Ketola, is both pastor of the Practising Church in Shoreline, Washington, and a Parish Guide for the Parish Collective (Seattle) where she serves on the instructional team for learning communities that are reimagining missional innovation and church revitalization at the neighbourhood level.
Topics Discussed in this episode:
Jessica cares deeply about the church (and God even more so), and because of that has let God lead her on a journey of exploring what it means to truly follow Jesus, and to reimagine holistic ways of embodying the gospel that is actually good news to her neighbours. In this episode Jessica shares her journey and that of her church, of what it has meant to work for the good of their neighbourhood and what it takes to make transformational communities.
During the podcast Jessica explains:
- How a fresh vision for ‘church’ developed and her involvement with the Parish Collective
- The importance of learning to listen, serve, and only then be invited in as the church, by the community
- Practical examples of love in action in the neighbourhood
- Why the church made the move to a ‘home’ and the iterations they have explored together in community
- How we can individually bring our unique giftings to community and to loving our neighbour
- A vision for what community transformation can look like
[*Please see audio player for chapter markers and time stamps*]
Links mentioned in this podcast:
- Turning Point Seattle – https://turningpointseattle.org/
- The Practising Church – https://www.thepracticingchurch.org/
- Seattle School of Theology and Psychology – https://theseattleschool.edu/
- The Parish Collective – https://www.parishcollective.org/
- The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative – https://www.amazon.ca/Mission-God-Christopher-J-Wright/dp/0830825711
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On the next Lean-in Podcast, I’ll be joined by Pastor Barry Randolf of The Church of Messiah, Detroit. He’ll be sharing the amazing things God is doing through their church as it provides innovative pathways out of poverty for its community members.