Belonging, Becoming, Beloved: Stories of Faith and Abundance

What can happen when we simply say yes?
Sometimes we become so focused on whether something will succeed that we forget to ask where God might already be moving.
In our latest conversation on Belonging, Becoming, Beloved, we sit down with Michael Gehrling, the new manager of 1001 New Worshiping Communities, to talk about calling, risk, failure, church planting, and what it means to follow the Spirit into something new.
Michael shares a powerful story about a church that simply said yes when a group of people needed a place to gather. That yes became something no one expected.
And somehow, we also end up talking about West Coast Swing, Dancing with the Stars, and why trying something completely new can change us.
Maybe the question isn't whether we know exactly where something will lead.
Maybe it is: Where is God inviting us to say yes?
🎙️ Belonging, Becoming, Beloved

Leadership isn’t just about authority, strategy, or getting things done. It’s about trust, connection, and knowing we’re better together.
In this episode, we sit down with Brad Munroe, Presbytery Pastor for Grand Canyon and De Cristo Presbyteries, to talk about relational leadership, supporting pastors, changing church culture, and why transformation takes time.
As Brad reminds us: “Programs don’t change your culture. Identity changes a culture.”
What changes when we lead from relationship rather than position?
🎙️ Leadership Is RelationalNew episode of Belonging, Becoming, Beloved.

What if the church has been measuring success by the wrong things?
This week on Belonging, Becoming, Beloved, we talk with the Rev. Katie Nakamura Rengers about church planting, institutional expectations, failure, and what happens when ministry doesn’t turn out the way we planned.
Katie shares the story of launching the Abbey, a coffee-shop church community in Birmingham, and the painful lessons that came when the original model could no longer continue. Her experience raises a bigger question for all of us: Is a ministry successful because it becomes financially sustainable, fills a building, or increases membership or because lives are being changed and people are encountering Christ?
Years later, Katie carries a simple conviction with her: God wastes nothing. Even the things we call failures can become places where God creates something unexpectedly beautiful.
Now serving at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church in Honolulu, Katie is discovering again what happens when we pay attention to where the Holy Spirit is already at work.
🎙️ A conversation about failure, experimentation, institutional expectations, and trusting that God is still at work when the plan changes.

What is AI doing to us, not just to our work, but to our souls?
In this episode of Belonging, Becoming, Beloved, Frances Lin and I sit down with Rev. Canon Dr. Lorenzo Lebrija for a fascinating conversation about artificial intelligence, Christian formation, and the future of the church.
Rather than simply asking whether Christians should use AI, Lorenzo invites us to ask deeper questions: How is this technology forming us? How might it change the way we relate to one another? And in an increasingly digital and isolated world, could the church rediscover one of its most important callings: creating spaces where people can actually be human together?
AI may change how we work. But the deeper question is what kind of people we are becoming as we use it.
🎙️ AI, the Soul, and the Future of the Church
Listen to the latest episode of Belonging, Becoming, Beloved.

Who is forming the next generation of the church?
Christian education is about far more than Sunday school. It is about helping people learn the stories of faith, understand worship, ask difficult questions, discover who God has created them to be, and grow into a faith that can sustain them throughout their lives.
On this episode of Belonging. Becoming. Beloved., Frances Lin and I talk with Renda Brinson, Certified Christian Educator, about a ministry the church may have underestimated for far too long.
As congregations become smaller and fewer churches have dedicated Christian educators, we ask some important questions: Who is forming our children and young people? How are we equipping volunteers? What happens to our theological grounding when Christian formation becomes an afterthought? And could Christian educators become even more important to the future of the church?
Renda reminds us that Christianity is a lifelong journey. Formation doesn't happen in a single class or program. It happens across a lifetime and across generations.
🎙️ Who Is Forming the Next Generation? | Renda Brinson on the Future of Christian Education
Listen to the latest episode of Belonging. Becoming. Beloved.

What does it mean to move beyond changing policy and begin changing culture?
In this episode of Belonging. Becoming. Beloved., we sit down with Rev. Brian Ellison, Executive Director of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, for a thoughtful conversation about authenticity, belonging, healing, and hope.
Together we explore questions that matter for every church:• How do we create communities where people can be their authentic selves?• What does real inclusion look like beyond statements and policies?• How do relationships heal wounds that arguments never can?• Where do we see God at work in the church today?
This isn't simply a conversation about polity or policy. It's a conversation about discipleship, courage, and becoming the kind of church where every person's God-given gifts are welcomed and celebrated.

This week on Belonging. Becoming. Beloved., we welcome Dr. Jonathan Tran, professor of theology at Duke Divinity School, for a thoughtful conversation about race, identity, privilege, and what it means to truly belong.
Drawing from his experience as a Vietnamese refugee, theologian, and scholar, Dr. Tran helps us explore the Asian American experience beyond stereotypes and challenges us to rethink how privilege, history, and culture shape both our lives and the church. Together we discuss the journey from deference to voice, why belonging is more than representation, and how the next generation is reshaping conversations about faith, leadership, and justice.
Whether you've wrestled with questions of identity, experienced life on the margins, or long to see a church where every voice is heard, this conversation offers wisdom, hope, and a vision for becoming a more faithful community.
Join us for an honest and grace-filled conversation about what it means to follow Christ in a world marked by difference—and discover why true belonging begins not with fitting in, but with seeing one another as beloved.

In this episode of Belonging. Becoming. Beloved., Dr. Corey Schlosser-Hall challenges the assumption that churches change because of strategy alone. Instead, he argues that transformation happens when people feel trusted, loved, and secure enough to imagine something new. Together we explore why the Incarnation remains God's greatest innovation, how imagination is a God-given gift, and why the future of the church begins not with programs, but with relationships.

What does it mean to truly belong?
In this episode of Belonging, Becoming, Beloved, Sean and Frances sit down with Bruce Grady, Executive Presbyter of New Hope Presbytery, to explore the power of belonging, the importance of community, and the courage required to create space for others. Drawing from his experiences in ministry, higher education, and his own journey as an African American leader, Bruce reflects on the people who shaped him, the barriers he encountered, and the mentors who reminded him that he had everything he needed to fulfill God's calling on his life.
Together they discuss how churches can move beyond simply welcoming people to helping them truly belong. Bruce shares stories of faith, education, racial justice, and leadership, emphasizing that every person brings gifts, wisdom, and value to the community. The conversation explores how exclusion harms both those who are excluded and those doing the excluding, and why the church is called to create spaces where all people can flourish as beloved children of God.
Along the way, they reflect on family, mentorship, the next generation, the role of education, and the hope that comes from building communities rooted in dignity, relationship, and God's vision of shalom. This is a conversation about faithfulness, courage, and what becomes possible when we remember that we belong to one another.

In this episode, Sean Chow and Frances Lin sit down with José Rivera, Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of San Juan, to explore what it means for Puerto Rico to host the 228th General Assembly in 2028. More than a logistical undertaking, José describes the Assembly as “a spiritual act” and “a pastoral gesture” for the Presbyterian Church in Puerto Rico.
José shares the rich history of Presbyterianism on the island, the unique story of the Presbytery of San Juan, and the excitement surrounding the opportunity to welcome the wider church. The conversation explores challenges facing congregations today, including aging membership, leadership development, bivocational ministry, and cultivating the next generation of pastors and church leaders.
The discussion also highlights ecumenical partnerships across Puerto Rico, the role of women in church leadership, strategic planning for the future, and the importance of collaboration among congregations and denominations. Throughout the conversation, José offers a hopeful vision rooted in faith, community, and trust that God equips the church for the work to which it is called.
Along the way, listeners will learn about Puerto Rican culture, food, coffee, hospitality, and why hosting General Assembly represents an important milestone for the church on the island.