I Love Congregational Life: A Conversation with Allison Norton and Scott Thumma

I Love Congregational Life: A Conversation with Allison Norton and Scott Thumma

Executive Director Mark Ramsey speaks with Drs.  Allison Norton and Scott Thumma (Hartford Institute for Religion Research [https://hirr.hartfordinternational.edu/]) about the latest results from their five-year study [https://www.covidreligionresearch.org/] into congregational life from the pandemic and beyond, including what the data says - and doesn't - about rising church membership, the mixed news about church finances, and the importance of adapting to new realities. Episode Transcript. [https://mministry.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/07-01-26.pdf]

Go Smell Like a Shepherd Again: A Round Table Conversation about Small Churches

TMC Program Staff Adam Mixon and Adam Borneman continue their conversation with the Rev. Sherrad Hayes (Union Baptist Church, West Point, GA [https://unionbaptistchurch.life/]) about the disruption of the Gospel, learning not to see efficiency as the goal, and the importance of fostering genuine encounters with the risen Christ. Episode Transcript. [https://mministry.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/06-24-26.pdf]

You're a Shepherd, Not a Cowboy: A Round Table Conversation on Simplicity

TMC Program Staff Adam Borneman and Adam Mixon speak with the Rev. Sherrad Hayes (Union Baptist Church, West Point, GA [https://unionbaptistchurch.life/]) about the "long game" of spiritual transformation, the difference between the immediate and the urgent, and the importance of our core identity in Christ. Episode Transcript. [https://mministry.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/06-17-26.pdf]

The Holy Spirit in the Room: A Follow-Up Conversation on Facilitation

TMC Program Staff Jennifer Watley Maxell and Adam Borneman follow up our earlier conversation about facilitation, discussing Jesus' model of letting silence linger; understanding that information itself is not transformative; and how learning to move toward tension together can be productive and faithful. Listen to the earlier episode on facilitation. [https://mministry.org/?post_type=podcast&p=10675&preview=true] ⁠Contact TMC Staff about Facilitation Training.⁠ [https://mministry.org/contact/] ⁠Episode Transcript. [https://mministry.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/06-10-26.pdf]

Great Companions on This Journey: A Round Table Conversation on Facilitation

TMC Program Staff Adam Borneman, Jennifer Watley Maxell, and Mark Ramsey talk with Elizabeth Lynn (Shifting Ground [https://lakeinstitute.org/resources/shifting-ground/]) about creating space for deeper reflection, alignment vs. agreement, and why facilitation is a critical tool for all areas of ministry. Contact TMC Staff about Facilitation Training. [https://mministry.org/contact/] Episode Transcript. [https://mministry.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/06-03-26.pdf]