The Church Renewal Podcast
The Church Renewal Podcast is a conversation for church leaders eager to see our churches refreshed by the gospel. The only fully sufficient reason that today dawned is that Jesus is yet gathering a people and using the church to do it. Come and join us as we dig into the ways Jesus is renewing his church.
Episodes
119 episodes
Differentiation in the Body: Unity Not Uniformity
When does a church’s passion for truth quietly turn into pressure to conform? We take an honest look at the difference between unity and uniformity, drawing from Romans 14, family systems thinking, and years of practical ministry to show why lo...
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Season 4
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Episode 14
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31:20
Back to the Gospel: Repentance that Heals Systems
What if the real problem isn’t the conflict you can see, but the quiet anxiety beneath it—fed by image management, blame, and good things loved too much? We go straight to the heart of church renewal: why gospel-centered repentance, not better ...
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Season 4
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Episode 13
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38:12
Happy Thanksgiving!
Matt and Jeremy hope that you have a very joyful and connected and Happy Thanksgiving. We are going to be with our families today, pressing to connection, and maybe even against some togetherness pressures. But always mindful of where we end, a...
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Season 4
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2:02
Dan Werthman Pt. 2 - Practicing Healthier Systems
Leadership under pressure isn’t about having the sharpest argument—it’s about holding steady when anxiety spikes. We sit down with Dan Werthman to explore how family systems theory helps pastors lead with presence instead of panic, especially w...
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Season 4
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Episode 12
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39:40
Special Guest: Dan Werthman Pt 1 - Triggered to Transformed
Ever wondered why the same church conflict keeps showing up with different names? We sit down with intentional interim pastor and certified Christian conciliator Dan Werthman to unpack how family systems theory, shame awareness, and differentia...
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Season 4
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Episode 11
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23:55
Triangles & Traps: Staying Out of the Middle
Matt and Jeremy explore triangulation as one of the most common relational patterns in families and churches, often forming unconsciously as a way of managing anxiety or tension.• Triangles are the most stable relational form, which is ...
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Season 4
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Episode 10
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34:52
Anxiety and Leadership: Be a Circuit Breaker
We explore how anxiety moves through church systems and why leaders must act as circuit breakers who stay connected, calm, and clear under pressure. We ground the practice in biblical images of shepherding, trust, and identity secured in Christ...
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Season 4
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Episode 9
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34:27
She Came By It Honestly: Do Your Own Work
Leaders carry family baggage—patterns of conflict avoidance, expectations and wounds—into their ministry. Family of origin dynamics shape leadership instincts, blind spots and identity formation in ways that affect entire church systems.
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Season 4
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Episode 8
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39:16
Jack Shitama Pt 2: Leading Through the Anxiety
Jack Shitama joins us for part two of our conversation on family systems theory, exploring how Christian leaders can move from understanding differentiation to living it out in practice.• Tracing Jack's journey from discovering Friedman...
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Season 4
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Episode 7
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37:29
Special Guest Jack Shitama: Leading With Courage
Jack Shitama brings clarity and wisdom to family systems theory in this transformative conversation about leadership, anxiety, and healthy church relationships. Drawing from decades of experience as a pastor, author, and coach, Jack breaks down...
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Season 4
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Episode 6
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33:29
Let It Go: Differentiated From Outcome
Matt and Jeremy explore the concept of differentiation from outcome, revealing how pastors can remain faithful without tying their identity to ministry results. This liberating approach helps church leaders break free from unhealthy patterns of...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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28:21
Differentiation 101: Calm, Clear, Connected
Systems naturally strive for equilibrium, but when that equilibrium is dysfunctional, it fiercely resists healthy change. We explore the foundational concepts of family systems theory and how they apply to church leadership.• Differenti...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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39:51
The Nature of Systems: Why status quo wins
Church systems automatically resist change even when transformation is desperately needed, creating a tension between healthy spirit-led renewal and our natural tendency to maintain familiar patterns. Recognizing how this dynamic plays out in c...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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46:10
Theology of Church as Family: From Me to We
Churches, like families, instinctively resist change even when it's healthy because systems naturally seek stability—even dysfunctional stability.• Family systems theory provides powerful insights for understanding church dynamics• ...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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37:37
Why churches break: A Theology of Depravity
Dysfunction in churches stems from humanity's fallen nature and our propensity to break relationships with God, ourselves, and others. The gospel provides the only pathway to healing these fractured relationships and restoring healthy church sy...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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40:32
🚀 We are live tomorrow
Only 24 hours left until season 4 of the church renewal podcast goes live. If you are ready to discover keys that will unlock patterns of communications disfunction relationship challenges mistrust apathy and reactivity join us tomorrow a...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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1:21
Meet some of our guests
In edition to unpacking family systems theory, we are going to talk with several guests who have extensive personal and professional knowledge and experience working with leaders and churches to identify and correct church trauma. Heres a sneak...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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1:58
📢 Sneak peak at season 4
Is a discussion on family systems theory more than just a psychological exercise? Absolutely! This season we're gonna unpack concepts of differentiation triangulation, scapegoating, and more from both the sociological and the theological perspe...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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1:22
📆 Save the date: Season 4 coming Sept. 4!
The Church Renewal Podcast is about to drop Season 4 on September 4th. This season Jeremy and Matt will unpack the many ways that Family Systems Theory is beneficial to diagnosing church and church leadership dysfunction ...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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1:21
When Shepherds Need Shepherding: Chris Bowen's Story
Pastor Chris Bowen opens up about his journey stepping into a church marked by what he calls "congregational trauma" and how pastoral coaching through Flourish became a lifeline for both him and his congregation. When mentors advised him to fin...
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Season 3
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Episode 43
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19:20
The Unholy Trinity, and Why Jesus Has Left the Building: A Discussion with Dr. Dave Miles (Part 3)
Matt and Jeremy continue their conversation with Dr. Dave Miles Founder of Vital Church Ministry and explore what Dave calls "the un...
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Season 3
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Episode 41
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23:57
Beer World, Lost Plots, Family Systems Theory and Church Conflict: A Discussion with Dr. Dave Miles (Part 2)
What if your church's struggles aren't really about what they appear to be? In this thought-provoking second installment with Dr. Dave Miles Founder of
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Season 3
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Episode 40
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19:34
Holy Resuscitation: How to Save a Dying Church: A Conversation with Dr. Dave Miles (Part 1)
Dr. Dave Miles has spent 31 years walking into church buildings where hope is dwindling, relationships are fractured, and the future seems uncertain. As founder of
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Season 3
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Episode 39
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20:03
From Turmoil to Trust: How Columbia Presbyterian Church Found Healing
A church in crisis. A pastor who suddenly departed. Deep divisions over COVID and politics. This intimate conversation with Bill Scionella, ruling elder at Columbia Presbyterian Church, reveals the powerful journey of a congregation that found ...
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Season 3
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Episode 38
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27:04
When Pastors Retire: Preparing for the Coming Leadership Crisis in Churches: A Conversation with Dr. Tom Harris (Part 3)
Dr. Tom Harris, President of Interim Pastor Ministries returns for the final installment of our three-part conversation, delivering powerful insi...
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Season 3
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Episode 37
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19:44