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The Church Podcast
Each episode features conversations with people from various backgrounds, exploring the real side of ministry. We discuss insights and learnings from the local and national landscape, enriching our understanding of the ministry's impact.
All Episodes
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Episode 069 – Rediscovering Synodality with Bob McCarty
In this episode of The Church Podcast, Christopher sits down with Bob McCarty, longtime Catholic ministry consultant, author, and former Executive Director of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM). Bob spent 10 years in parish and school youth ministry in Philadelphia, 14 years leading the youth office for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and 19 years as Executive Director of NFCYM before stepping away in 2016 — a move he calls his "recalibration" rather than a retirement. Since then he's worked as a ministry consultant (he prefers "animator") and co-authored Going, Going, Gone: The Dynamics of Disaffiliation in Young Catholics. Together, Christopher and Bob unpack what synodality actually means, why it's less a new program than a name for practices ministry leaders have used for years, and what synodal leadership looks like in contrast to clericalism. They talk through concrete examples — from parish-wide listening groups to a single question at the family dinner table — and get into the virtues, and the chaos, that synodal leadership requires. For more visit our show notes at https://thechurchpodcast.org
Episode 068 – Hospitality, Community First Village, and 14 Years of Youth Ministry with Lori Nava
In this episode of The Church Podcast, Christopher sits down with Lori Nava, youth minister at St. Ignatius Martyr Catholic Church in Austin, Texas, through the NFCYM Podcast Network. Lori shares how she came to ministry almost by accident, trading a culinary arts career for a role she wasn't originally looking for, and how that same love of food and hospitality has shaped the way she leads teens and families today. She also opens up about her nearly nine years as a resident missional at Community First! Village, a supportive housing community for people transitioning out of homelessness, and how that experience has shaped her as both a minister and a disciple. Together, Christopher and Lori explore the connection between hospitality and evangelization, what it means to build a sustainable ministry that outlasts you, and how collaboration across parish ministries and pastoral support have shaped St. Ignatius's growth. This conversation is a warm, grounded look at how food, community, and presence can carry the weight of real ministry. For more visit the show notes at https://thechurchpodcast.org
Episode 067 – Faith and Justice, One and the Same with Maggie Smith
In this episode of The Church Podcast, Christopher sits down with Maggie Smith, Vice President of Good Faith, formerly known as the Center for Faith Justice. Maggie shares her journey from being a Justice Works participant as a high schooler to leading the organization she once served through as a young adult — including the research project, the rebrand from Center for Faith Justice to Good Faith, and the Lilly Endowment-funded "Next Level" initiative that reshaped how the organization walks with young people beyond a single week in the summer. Together, Christopher and Maggie explore why faith and justice can't be separated, how Good Faith builds theological reflection into every service experience, the challenge of forming young people as true protagonists rather than passive participants, and how becoming a parent has shaped the way Maggie thinks about handing faith down to her own children. This conversation is an honest, hope-filled look at what it means to keep faith and works tied together — in ministry, in family life, and in the wider Church. For more visit us at https://thechurchpodcast.org
Episode 066: Say Less, Ask More with Annie Grandell
In this episode of The Church Podcast, Christopher sits down with Annie Grandell, Senior Director of YDisciple for NET Ministries and co-host of the YDisciple Podcast through the NFCYM Podcast Network. Annie shares an update on her ministry journey — seven years at NET Ministries after previous roles at the Augustine Institute and twelve years as a parish youth minister — along with the news that YDisciple is translating its entire library into Spanish, including Christopher's own "Seasons" lectionary-based Bible study for middle schoolers. Together, Christopher and Annie explore why trust, not belief, is the real gap facing the Church today, how the "savior complex" undermines ministry leaders, and why the simple discipline of asking questions — rather than filling silence — is one of the most powerful tools for evangelization. They also dig into practical leadership habits like the EOS "clarity break" and the wisdom of focusing on one thing at a time instead of trying to fix everything at once.