The Communitas International Podcast

Transitions and Training; With Brad Smith

On this episode, Joy and Geoff talk with Brad Smith about his life story and the transitions he faced when moving overseas and coming back to the United States. As Communitas' Training Director, he shares how training has played a pivotal role in his emotional health and spiritual development. 
 
About Brad
Bradley Smith grew up in California, on the central coast, San Luis Obispo area. He met his wife Hannah while at University and they have two children, Hudson (12) and Sawyer (10). Brad and Hannah have both been following Jesus since a very young age. Brad comes from a fairly long line of Jesus followers. His Grandfather was a pastor and missionary. His father was a pastor and now runs a missions agency called Global Sharing.
Brad is a middle child with a younger sister and older brother. He originally went to school for engineering but transferred to music, a passion, halfway through. He has led worship teams at church since high school. In 2014, He and Hannah purposed to leave the secular work force and pursue a full time position for him in Worship leading. The only door that opened however was a position in France at a small International church called ICCP. This is how they became “missionaries” and connected to Communitas. In the process, Brad felt God tug his heart with Matthew 28, namely, that he didn’t know how to make a disciple, which lead him to discover the DMM methods (Disciple Making Movement) and learn the Discovery Bible Study process before leaving for France. With a group of guys from work, he started a bible study at a coffee shop / bar. Those nine months were a watershed for Brad, as the Spirit trained him in disciple-making and he had the privilege of leading a coworker to Jesus. He recognized that helping others discover God was the most fulfilling thing He had ever done in his life. In France, they started a few groups and trained people in the process. Later they moved to the Netherlands to train people in this “DBS” process, as well as another training they ran in France that helped find spiritually receptive people. Brad and Hannah loved the Netherlands, but God brought them back to the USA for family reasons. Now he gets the awesome privilege of making sure people get the training they need as the Training Director for Communitas.
He loves seeing people develop. He loves to help them prepare and also get excited about helping others discover God. He has a huge heart for people serving the Lord cross-culturally, believing and experiencing it as one of the most difficult things a person can do. It is his heart to make sure they have access to whatever tools they need. In his spare time, he enjoys cycling with Hannah and the boys and loves playing guitar. He enjoys most artistically driven music. Right now he listens to and plays a lot of Dream Theater. If he got stuck on a desert island and could only listen to one band for the rest of his life, it would be Led Zeppelin. He likes thinking deeply about things and loves principles and process. He loves to laugh and not take things too seriously.
He loves the adventure of following God, and is learning to be content not adventuring ;-) He’s always available for a good talk about God, life, politics, sports, music, or just about anything, especially if a descent beverage is involved.
Resources mentioned
https://www.contagiousdisciplemaking.com/ https://www.emotionallyhealthy.org/ https://learninghub.gocommunitas.org/courses/co2-the-church-of-two/
Connect with Communitas:
Website: https://gocommunitas.org/
Instagram: @gocommunitas
Podcast episodes and more: https://linktr.ee/communitasinternational

Features, Bugs, Bubbles and Metrics Part 2; With Paul and Karen Haenze

Geoff and Joy have an in depth conversation with Paul and Karen about their years of experience living oversees and working in various contexts to love and serve people. Their wisdom helps us understand how to balance internal and external focus, what metrics we should and shouldn't be measuring, and the ways we have gotten to such a pivotal point in time.
 
About Paul and Karen
Paul and Karen came to faith in very different ways. Paul was raised in a home that prioritized faith and church, and Karen was raised in a loving but agnostic environment. Paul engaged in church ministry as a child, a young teenager while Karen didn’t come to faith until she was 15. At different times and in different ways, their hearts were drawn to the possibility of cross-cultural ministry. When they met in our adult years in Germany, that common vision was foundational in their friendship. As often happens, their road was circuitous.
After their wedding in California, they headed out to Illinois for Paul to attend seminary, in part to fulfill the requirements of his longtime denomination. Eventually, a difference in ministry philosophy led to a parting from the denomination and a reboot in California where they served in Missions but from the other side of the desk.
Eventually, their path took them to Poland (with 3 kids in tow) and to a new adventure in language and culture learning and then vision casting and training in the area of starting new fellowships. Fifteen years into their time there, they began to be drawn to ministry with those on the margins of society-at risk children and youth and people experiencing homelessness.
In addition to leading Discovery Bible Study groups and training within a Polish non-profit, they were able to start a project helping Polish citizens experiencing homelessness in Birmingham, England, and eventually they were able to start a church community in one of the non-profit’s shelters in Southern Poland. That little community was for them the simplest, purest and most beautiful form of church they had experienced. They miss it!
Now, family needs have brought them back to California and to a new position within Communitas, Directors of Pre-Deployment. They work with staff from the moment that they start their journey with Communitas until they are released to their new ministry location on the field. It is a joy for them to companion new staff, investing in people as they prepare to transition to their new place of ministry.
Life is full of changes and adventure but the presence of God holds them tight through it all.
Connect with Paul and karen
paul.haenze@gocommunitas.org
karen.haenze@gocommunitas.org
Connect with Communitas:
Website: https://gocommunitas.org/
Instagram: @gocommunitas
Podcast episodes and more: https://linktr.ee/communitasinternational

Feautres, Bugs, Bubbles and Metrics Part 1; With Paul and Karen Haenze

Geoff and Joy have an in depth conversation with Paul and Karen about their years of experinece living oversees and working in various contexts to love and serve people. Their wisdom helps us understand how to balance internal and external focus, what metrics we should and shouldn't be measuring, and the ways we have gotten to such a pivitol point in time.
 
About Paul and karen
Paul and Karen came to faith in very different ways. Paul was raised in a home that prioritized faith and church, and Karen was raised in a loving but agnostic environment. Paul engaged in church ministry as a child, a young teenager while Karen didn’t come to faith until she was 15. At different times and in different ways, their hearts were drawn to the possibility of cross-cultural ministry. When they met in our adult years in Germany, that common vision was foundational in their friendship. As often happens, their road was circuitous.
After their wedding in California, they headed out to Illinois for Paul to attend seminary, in part to fulfill the requirements of his longtime denomination. Eventually, a difference in ministry philosophy led to a parting from the denomination and a reboot in California where they served in Missions but from the other side of the desk.
Eventually, their path took them to Poland (with 3 kids in tow) and to a new adventure in language and culture learning and then vision casting and training in the area of starting new fellowships. Fifteen years into their time there, they began to be drawn to ministry with those on the margins of society-at risk children and youth and people experiencing homelessness.
In addition to leading Discovery Bible Study groups and training within a Polish non-profit, they were able to start a project helping Polish citizens experiencing homelessness in Birmingham, England, and eventually they were able to start a church community in one of the non-profit’s shelters in Southern Poland. That little community was for them the simplest, purest and most beautiful form of church they had experienced. They miss it!
Now, family needs have brought them back to California and to a new position within Communitas, Directors of Pre-Deployment. They work with staff from the moment that they start their journey with Communitas until they are released to their new ministry location on the field. It is a joy for them to companion new staff, investing in people as they prepare to transition to their new place of ministry.
Life is full of changes and adventure but the presence of God holds them tight through it all.
Connect with Paul and karen
paul.haenze@gocommunitas.org
karen.haenze@gocommunitas.org
Connect with Communitas:
Website: https://gocommunitas.org/
Instagram: @gocommunitas
Podcast episodes and more: https://linktr.ee/communitasinternational

Missional? How about Movement! With Alan Hirsch

Alan shares with Joy and Geoff how the word "movement" is more useful that "missional" since we've become inoculated with the word "mission". Many people are stuck in unhelpful old paradigms because of their largely unconsciously held beliefs that align with the institution of church and mission. He instead suggests models that are deeply instinctual, local and communal.
About Alan
ALAN HIRSCH is widely considered to be a global thought-leader on missional movements and leadership.  Hirsch is the author of numerous award winning books including The Forgotten Ways, The Shaping of Things to Come, 5Q, ReJesus , Reframation, Untamed, and The Permanent Revolution.  He has worked with churches and organizations across the world, but mainly in North America, Europe, and Australia. Alan is a founder of the Movement Leaders Collective, Forge Mission Training Network, and the 5Q Collective.
He is movement mentor for NewThing International and is a consultant for Redeemer City To City among others. His experience includes leading a local church movement among the marginalized, developing training systems for innovative missional leadership, training leaders in movement dynamics, and heading up the mission and revitalization work of his denomination.
Connect with Alan
http://alanhirsch.org/.
http://www.forgeinternational.com/
http://5qcentral.com/
https://reframationbook.com/
https://www.metanoia-book.com/
Connect with Communitas
Website: https://gocommunitas.org/
Instagram: @gocommunitas
Podcast episodes and more: https://linktr.ee/communitasinternational
 

Rethinking Mission and Discipleship in the Modern Context; With Geoff and Joy

In this episode of the Communitas podcast, hosts Geoff and Joy engage in a thought-provoking conversation about the evolving language and concepts of mission and discipleship within the Christian context. They discuss the historical baggage associated with the word "mission" and its connotations of colonization and cultural imposition. Joy shares a personal story from her teenage years, highlighting the disconnect she felt between the church's structured programs and her desire to engage in mission within her own community.
The hosts emphasize the need to move away from viewing mission and discipleship as static nouns or institutional programs, advocating instead for an understanding of these concepts as dynamic actions and ways of being. They encourage listeners to think of mission and discipleship as verbs, reflecting energy, movement, and relationship.
Throughout the episode, Geoff and Joy explore how the language used in Christianity has remained stagnant over the years, contrasting this with the evolution of terms in other fields like science and technology. They propose redefining mission and discipleship to better align with contemporary understanding, focusing on being with others rather than doing for them, and highlighting the importance of each individual's unique contributions.
The conversation also touches on the challenges of power structures within religious institutions and the need for a more inclusive and participatory approach. The concept of discipleship is reexamined as a relational, organic, and long-term process of mutual growth and vulnerability, moving away from traditional programmatic interpretations.
Listeners are invited to join the conversation by sharing their thoughts on mission, discipleship, and other Christian terminology that may need redefinition. Geoff and Joy express their hope to continue redefining and reclaiming these concepts, emphasizing the centrality of relationship, love, and collective closeness to God in their understanding of mission and discipleship.
Connect with Communitas:
Website: https://gocommunitas.org/
Instagram: @gocommunitas
Podcast episodes and more: https://linktr.ee/communitasinternational

Church: Beyond walls and words; with Geoff and Joy

In this episode of the Communitas Podcast, hosts Jeff and Joy dive into the intricate topic of the meaning and perceptions of the word "church." Joy points out that words frequently used in Communitas often carry different definitions for each individual, which can lead to confusion. Both hosts reflect on how the concept of "church" has evolved over time, notably with its roots in the New Testament term "Ecclesia." They argue that, rather than just being a location or set structure, church fundamentally represents people coming together in genuine connection, listening, and caring for one another.
Drawing from personal experiences, Joy shares a transformative encounter she had with a non-traditional church setting in Idaho. This setting was fluid, constantly changing, and emphasized community interaction, personal responsibility, and two-way conversations rather than a singular flow of information.
The hosts touch on cultural perceptions, emphasizing how in many European contexts, churches have physically transformed into museums, pubs, or other establishments. They highlight the potential artificial nature of programmed connections in conventional church settings and contrast it with organic, day-to-day interactions in real life. They conclude that church should be about genuine communion with God and community with each other, suggesting that it's not a fixed place or time but a way of being.
The Communitas Podcast episode aims to challenge listeners' perceptions and invites them to embrace a broader, more authentic understanding of what it means to be the church.
Connect with Communitas:
Website: https://gocommunitas.org/
Instagram: @gocommunitas
Podcast episodes and more: https://linktr.ee/communitasinternational
 

Living with Intention and Integration; With Tony Sheng

On this episode, Tony shares his life story and the lessons he has learned along the way. His journey includes having parents who immigrated to the US, running a non-profit that brings teens overseas to the field to assist with projects, and embracing a bi-vocational ministry model while working in a corporate environment. All of these experiences have taught him the value of reciprocal learning and relational faith.
About Tony
Tony is involved in technology for his day job and runs The Ember Cast, a student missions leadership org, bi-vocationally. The Shengs first got involved with Communitas in 2007 when they brought a team of students to help run the kids’ programs at Connect. Since then, they’ve had multiple touchpoints with Communitas that have included various churches, staff friendships, and The Ember Cast partnering with Communitas for multiple summer experiences.
Tony is passionate about catalyzing cross-cultural competencies in emerging leaders and sees a lot of overlap between Ember and Communitas. Tony and Deanna are based in Columbia, Maryland. Deanna is a reading tutor, Katie is in graduate school and Emily is in her second year of college. Katie and Emily occasionally visit home depending on where in the world they are at the moment.
Resources Mentioned
David kinnaman https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Exiles-Generation-Digital-Babylon/dp/0801013151/ref=asc_df_0801013151/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=366282021312&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6134930647390232196&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1023640&hvtargid=pla-814666558721&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=79033899511&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=366282021312&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6134930647390232196&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1023640&hvtargid=pla-814666558721
David Fitch - shared leadership http://www.lifeonthevine.org/who-are-we/about-us
 

Living Joy Fueled: How do we get church out of the four walls and into life

Toni Daniels talks with Geoff and Joy about holistic living in contexts where mental illness, spiritual stagnation and relational immaturity are more common than not. She inspires us to move towards hope by learning healthy attachment with God and listening through the multifaceted wisdom of community.
 
About Toni
TONI M DANIELS lives to see relational restoration in every level of society by awakening, inspiring, and training emotional, spiritual ninja warriors who follow Jesus into his revolution of joy. To that end, she has authored several books and is the host of the podcast “Joy Fueled and Jesus Led”: Inspiring stories and practical tools to help you live Joy fueled and Jesus led in all areas of your life.
Before settling stateside, Toni founded Godly Play Uruguay and worked alongside her husband, Matt, as a social entrepreneur, church planter, and relational skills coach in Uruguay, where they started micro-churches and founded a leadership training center. Currently harnessing all of her experience in her role as LK10’s Operations and Training Champion, Toni has created a training pathway for hundreds of global leaders to rediscover church as healthy heart-to-heart connection with each other and God together.
Toni’s undergraduate work focused on Spanish and Sociology. She has an MA in Leadership Development and Church Planting, a diploma in Spiritual Direction and Trauma Recovery, and five years of skills-based relationship enhancement training from the International Trainer’s Association, PREP,inc., and THRIVEToday.
Resources Mentioned
https://lk10.com/ I just released a book called Relational Revolution: 5 Shifts for Rediscovering Church as Heart-to-Heart Connection that may prove relevant and helpful. Book description: While millions are leaving church to save their relationship with God, a relational movement fueled by joy and led by Jesus is gaining traction. This provocative and hopeful book shares the values that are transforming an ineffective and sometimes harmful Christian culture into a vibrant, spontaneous expression of God’s presence on earth. It gives hope and belonging to those seeking emotionally safe churches that form communities that overflow with joy.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1734684046
Godly play - https://www.godlyplayfoundation.org/
Thrive - https://thrivetoday.org/
Life Model Works - https://lifemodelworks.org/
Dan Siegel - https://drdansiegel.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Journey-Norton-Interpersonal-Neurobiology/dp/039371053X
Krispin Mayfield -https://www.krispinmayfield.com/
Attached to God: A Practical Guide to Deeper Spiritual Experience