The Practitioner Podcast: Mission & Microchurch for Everyday People

Spoiler alert - missional living is more than Instagrammable house parties and cool service project days. In fact, often living missionally and loving your neighborhood involves doing things you’d never imagine. It can be anything but glorious. It’s caring about lights on sidewalks, showing up to boring meetings, and collaborating with people you weren’t planning on. In this episode we interview Beth Wolff about her story, and the important (and hard) work of living missionally. Beth was born the youngest of 4 in a military family but considers Fairfax, VA home. She attended Anderson University , where she majored in Studio Arts and Bible & Religion. Later, she earned her Masters of Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. In 2009, after a stint as a Public Educator in Indianapolis, IN, Beth went to serve as the Pastor of Student Ministry at Mountain Park Church in Phoenix, AZ and eventually lead all ministries from birth through college and parenting. In 2016, Beth moved with her husband and two children to Clarksburg, MD to become the Lead Pastor at Clarksburg Church. Beth is passionate about developing and empowering people to love the things God loves, which means to love all the people, to seek justice and peace for the city, and to watch and wait for hope in the middle of despairOther Links:Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurchesWebsite - wearerenaissance.orgSign-Up For The Practitioner Pathway Cohort - wearerenaissance.org/training

What is spiritual direction? Why should everyday practitioners consider having a spiritual director? Why does Renaissance place such a huge emphasis on spiritual direction? In this episode, we interview Dr. Neal Windham and Dan Lee about these questions and much more. Other Links:Urban Mystics - https://urbanmystics.org/Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurchesWebsite - wearerenaissance.orgSign-Up For The Practitioner Pathway Cohort - wearerenaissance.org/training

Not a day goes by that the headlines don't involve a story about artificial intelligence. For some, this means an exciting future. For others, it means the end of civilization as we know it. What are Christians supposed to think? How does this impact our missional practitionership and microchurch communities? In this episode, we wrestle with the complexity of this issue and talk about the implications. Other Links:The Last Invention Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-last-invention/id1839942885"Hope in AI Despair" - https://ajswoboda.substack.com/p/hope-in-ai-despair"The Perfect Mirror" - https://comment.org/the-perfect-mirror/Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurchesWebsite - wearerenaissance.orgSign-Up For The Practitioner Pathway Cohort - wearerenaissance.org/training

It's a new year, but the pressure stay the same. Do more, try harder, and improve your life. Yet, the invitation of the missional life isn’t about accomplishment; it’s about waking up to God’s presence. God is inviting us to keep showing up where he has us. That’s enough. In this episode, we wrestle through the complexity of this issue and the process of unlearning and relearning.Other Links:Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurchesWebsite - wearerenaissance.orgSign-Up For The Practitioner Pathway Cohort - wearerenaissance.org/training

In this special episode, we reflect on the significance of Advent and why it has become a meaningful part of our lives. Then, we discuss why Advent matters for missional people, and what it looks like to engage it at a microchurch level. Other Links:Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurchesWebsite - wearerenaissance.orgCheck out Advent Resources - wearerenaissance.org/advent

We believe microchurches are called to operate as spiritual families. This means we find ourselves doing life alongside those coming from a diversity of backgrounds and life stages. How do we honor this diversity and help everyone thrive? How to we learn to make space for all? In this episode, we wrestle through the complexity of this issue and the process of unlearning and relearning. Other Links:Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurchesWebsite - wearerenaissance.orgSign-Up For The Practitioner Pathway Cohort - wearerenaissance.org/training

What does it look like to do life alongside and deeply love spiritually curious people? In this episode, Steve Hawley talks about his experience on the Appalachian Trail engaging spiritually curious people. From 2007 until 2024, Hawley helped lead Faith Assembly of God Church in Hyannis. He then felt called to start Hiker Church, a ministry for hikers and outdoor enthusiasts who are spiritually curious. He was also the Appalachian Trail Chaplain for 2025. We actually got to walk with Steve through a cohort to talk about themes of missional living and microchurch, and have been following his transition in this endeavor ever since. Other Links:Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurchesWebsite - wearerenaissance.orgSign-Up For The Practitioner Pathway Cohort - wearerenaissance.org/training

We often imagine missional people and hospitable folks to be outgoing and driven. Is that true? Are introverts part of the work of mission? If so, what does it look like? In this episode of The Practitioner Podcast, we interview Jace Rasche on his journey over the last eight years in his neighborhood, and the skills he's learned as a missional introvert. Other Links:Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurchesWebsite - wearerenaissance.orgSign-Up For The Practitioner Pathway Cohort - wearerenaissance.org/training

God's call is often far less grand and spectacular than we've been made to believe. The work of a practitioner is getting comfortable with that which is mundane, ordinary, simple, and rooted. With the right perspective, we'll discover God in the everyday. In this episode, we describe that journey. Other Links:Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurchesWebsite - wearerenaissance.orgSign-Up For The Practitioner Pathway Cohort - wearerenaissance.org/training

Often, we begin the journey into our neighborhoods only imagining how we can serve. One of the surprising outcomes, though, is how often God ends up serving us through our neighbors. In this episode of The Practitioner Podcast, we interview Fabricio Paes on his journey over the last decade in his neighborhood, and how he's become closer to God in the process. Other Links:Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurchesWebsite - wearerenaissance.orgSign-Up For The Practitioner Pathway Cohort - wearerenaissance.org/training

We've learned over the years that for many folks, there is no imagination for communal church spaces beyond the attractional church. What does it look like to embrace a different way? How do we step into microchurch realities with a new mindset? In this episode of The Practitioner Podcast, we discuss our outcomes and walk through a different way to think about growth and success. Other Links:Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurchesWebsite - wearerenaissance.orgSign-Up For The Practitioner Pathway Cohort - wearerenaissance.org/training

Leadership is a buzzword in our culture and in the church. Yet, most of the prevailing models of leadership around us don't work in microchurch life. What does it look like to embrace a different way? In this episode of The Practitioner Podcast, we discuss polycentric leadership and walk through a different way to operate in mutuality. Other Links:Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurchesWebsite - wearerenaissance.orgSign-Up For Discernment Dinners - wearerenaissance.org/training

What if our missional practitionership should break our hearts? What if truly practicing faithful presence in our neighborhoods leads us to lament? Why might this be a sign that God is involved in what we're doing? In this episode of The Practitioner Podcast, we unpack these questions and why they matter. More than that, Christine and Drew give examples from their own neighborhoods and what God is teaching them (20:13). Other Links:Video Podcast - https://www.youtube.com/@renaissancemicrochurchesWebsite - wearerenaissance.org

Sometimes the simple things are the most overlooked things. This is definitely true when starting microchurch communities. Over the years, we've discovered that creating social contracts and allowing people the agency to name what they need from a microchurch is foundational. Listen as we unpack what they are and what it means to create one. Other Links:wearerenaissance.org

Often spiritual practices and contemplation are pitted against missional work. In this episode, Dan Lee makes a case for the importance of contemplative spirituality for the work of mission and microchurch life. Dan has been part of the church planting movement since 1998, serving five different church plants (Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, Brookline, and Brockton) in Massachusetts. He has extensive experience in pastoral counseling, has led developmental projects in Nepal, and is an affiliated trainer for the Exponent Group (⁠exponentgroup.org⁠). He provides spiritual direction to kingdom catalysts and church leaders while leading a micro-church at his home. Other Links:wearerenaissance.org

Attention isn't at the top of most people's list when it comes to spirituality and mission. But, attention is the foundation that impacts so much of our life and our faith. At Renaissance, we're convinced that attending to attention is one of the keys to unlocking a life in harmony with God. We unpack this idea and practical strategies for living it out. Other Links: wearerenaissance.org

When people hear the word "mission," they often think in terms of activity. At Renaissance, we believe mission should instead be rooted in availability. While cultural forces push us toward busyness and a fast pace, the work God is wanting to do through us requires slowing down and becoming more rooted. We unpack this idea and practical strategies for living it out. Other Links: wearerenaissance.org

Hello and welcome to The Practitioner Podcast, a brand new podcast from us at Renaissance, a network of missional practitioners and microchurches in the Greater Boston Area. We’re going to talk a bit in this introduction episode about what this podcast is all about and get you ready for our future episodes. Links Mentioned: Dream. Create. Enjoy. Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dream-create-enjoy/id1481771251 Other Links: wearerenaissance.org