2.1K
Downloads
27
Episodes
God is at work throughout our communities and in the lives of all people. In my work as a pastor and pioneer of new things, I get to work with, coach, and learn from others, tilling soil, planting seeds and praying for rain as we dig in and engage our communities for the mission of God. Finding Common Ground moves us to be present in the places where space might be cultivated for connection and relationship that becomes rooted in the Christian community. Join me as we share stories from the field in the Common Ground Podcast.
Episodes
Thursday Aug 06, 2020
Thursday Aug 06, 2020
Rev Brett DeHart is the Lead Pastor of Aldersgate UMC in Augusta, Georgia and permission giver in forming Fresh Expressions of church.
Brett DeHart is serving a new appointment in the UMC and was a coconspirator and permission giver to the Fresh Expression of Church that became the now nearly 3 year-old Douglasville Dinner Church. Brett discusses some of the key things learned in the process of a tried and failed experimental worship experience, the importance of the ownership and empowering of the whole people of God, names some of the challenges in this paradigm shift, and the unexpected yet welcome blessing in the growth of disciples that are a part of the Fresh Expressions journey.
- Contact-brett.dehart@ngumc.net
- Reading and rereading; The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath, The Vision Driven Leader by Michael Hyatt, Missional Renaissance and Kingdom Collaborators by Reggie McNeal,
- Listening; Preachers-Carey Nieuwhof, Andy Stanley, Craig Groeschel, Tony Morgan; Business-Michael Hyatt, Patrick Lencioni, Donald Miller, Jessie Cole, Dan Cockrell
Thursday Jul 23, 2020
Thursday Jul 23, 2020
Laura Patterson shares how and why “Not Church” came to be, the common ground she is finding in the big questions of faith and life, and how our actions and beliefs are intrinsically connected.
Laura is a UMC Pastor serving as pastor in charge of a church in Elbert county and the pioneer of “Not Church” a fresh expression of church that centers around a potluck meal and the big questions of life and faith
- Contact-laura.patterson@ngumc.net
- Listening; The Pulpit Fiction Podcast, 2 Feminists Annotate the Bible/Beatified Podcast
- Also mentioned- The Bible Binge Podcast
Thursday Jul 09, 2020
Thursday Jul 09, 2020
Cindy has taken a failure to engage community kids in VBS at the church to a successful FX of church in a local nursing home and rehab facility.
- Background-Cindy is an ordained elder and Lead Pastor in the North Georgia Conference at Clarkdale UMC and the pioneer of Anderson Adult VBS.
- Contact; cindy.conner@ngumc.net; FaceBook Cindy Conner or Clarkdale UMC
- Reading; Canoeing the Mountains by Tod Bolsinger Hallelujah Anyway by Anne Lamott
Thursday Jun 25, 2020
Thursday Jun 25, 2020
Michael has pioneered multiple Fresh Expressions from his once small declining church and has recaptured the Wesley’s vision in truly seeing the world as his parish. We discuss how he became a part of the FX movement, what he has learned from his failures, and what FX looks like in a pandemic world.
- Background-Rev. Dr. Michael Adam Beck is an ordained elder in the UMC, Co-pastor of Wildwood UMC in Wildwood, Florida, Lead Cultivator of FX in the Florida Annual Conference of the UMC, and Director of Re-Missioning for FXUS and author of Deep Roots, Wild Branches and The Field Guide to Methodist Fresh Expressions (with Jorge Acevedo)
- Contact; michaeladambeck.com; Facebook Michael Beck; Insta reverendwild1
- Reading; Refounding the Church by Gerald Arbuckle, the works of sociologist Manuel Castells
Thursday Jun 11, 2020
Thursday Jun 11, 2020
Tim is finding common ground in the suffering of others and is cultivating a fresh expression of church in a local apartment complex with a “community lunch”
- Background-Tim is a licensed Local Pastor in the North Georgia Conference of the UMC serving a 2 point charge and a retired school teacher.
- Contact-Tim.savelle@ngumc.net
- Reading; In Search of Paul and The First Paul by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan
Thursday May 28, 2020
Thursday May 28, 2020
Melissa shares stories from the field in forming new communities around a love for coffee and a desire to love and serve neighbors. Like so many she too is working to navigate uncharted territory in our current reality, what it means to be the church, and how many more are now leaning into new possibilities.
- Background-Melissa is an ordained elder in the North Georgia Conference and currently serves as an Associate Pastor at Roswell UMC. She is the pioneer of Table Hours a FX that meets in a coffeehouse and is never afraid to try something new to build community around the good news.
- Contact-mhall@rumc.net, FaceBook-Melissa Kime Hall, Insta-preacherlady13
- Reading-Canoeing the Mountains by Tod Bolsinger; From Tablet to Table by Leonard Sweet
Tuesday May 12, 2020
Tuesday May 12, 2020
Fresh Expressions are new forms of church for our changing world created primarily for people that are not yet a part of any church. Finding common ground is all about looking for ways to meet people where they are, build community and begin to grow and explore what it means to follow Jesus together. This episode shares the what along with some of the why and how of the movement.
Mentioned in this episode; Mission Shaped Church Report, Mission Shaped and Rural
- Background- Common Ground and the Fresh Expressions Movement
- Contact- heather.jallad@ngumc.net
- Reading; Field Guide to Methodist Fresh Expressions by Michael Beck and Jorge Acevedo, Entrepreneurial Church Planting by Jay Moon
- Rereading; Canoeing the Mountains by Tod Bolsinger