The EquipCast

Jim Jansen | Everyday Evangelization & Parish Ministry Tools
  • 4.9 (27)
  • Christianity
  • Updated Weekly

The EquipCast is your weekly playbook for practical evangelization and parish ministry tools. Hosted by Jim Jansen and powered by Everyday Evangelization, this show is built for diocesan directors, parish leaders, and everyday Catholics who are ready to stop the programmatic noise, break through the grind, and build a clear path to discipleship that actually changes lives. We’ve been talking about the New Evangelization for forty years, yet church renewal often feels like an endless cycle of empty activity while generations continue to lose their faith. If you are tired of managing decline and spinning your wheels in the messy middle of ministry, you don’t have to carry the weight alone. Every week, we break the default of "doing more" to deliver honest conversations and real stories from people who are finally seeing their faith communities thrive. Hit subscribe, head over to EverydayEvangelization.org to grab your free tools, and discover how to leave your ministry better than you found it.

  1. 4d ago

    Underneath the Pectoral Cross | The Heart of Bishop William Joensen

    Today, I talk to Bishop William Joensen of the Diocese of Des Moines, IA. I wanted to step past the formal title so you could get to know the man behind the pectoral cross, and he certainly didn't hold back. Bishop Joensen gives us a transparent look into his life and faith, sharing how a pre-med path in Iowa unexpectedly led to the priesthood and what it was like taking the helm of a diocese just months before the pandemic hit. From some fun banter about Iowa-Nebraska rivalries to his honest reflections on leadership missteps, this episode offers a rare and refreshing look into the heart, humor, and wisdom of a bishop shepherding his flock with humility. Episode Timeline: [00:00] – Introduction [04:14] – Pre-Med, Family Roots, and Discerning the Priesthood [14:07] – Friendly Rivalries and the State of the U.S. Church [22:09] – Pastoral Planning and 18 Months of Humble Inquiry [28:40] – Offering the Unvarnished Truth of the Gospel [34:01] – Respecting Subsidiarity in Parish Renewal [40:28] – Navigating Demographic Shifts and Rural Reality [47:56] – Episcopal Leadership, Prayer, and Learning from Missteps Resources Mentioned Making it Personal with Bishop William Joensen Our Trusted Partners Faith and Family Life Catholic Ministries (FFLCM) helps Catholic parishes and dioceses transform fragmented faith formation into an integrated, family-centered pathway of lifelong discipleship. Through the Pathways Formation suite, practical resources, leader formation, and ongoing accompaniment, they equip leaders to engage families, build sustainable teams, and cultivate faith that is lived at church and at home. ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

    Underneath the Pectoral Cross | The Heart of Bishop William Joensen

  2. Sep 22

    Partnering with the Holy Spirit

    God is at work in the hearts of the people around us. His Spirit is everywhere and perfectly working long before we show up. In fact, our job is simply to ask, "Holy Spirit, what are you doing?" We get to ask, listen, and participate in what He is already doing in the lives of others. That is why I decided to sit down with Eric Chow, Director of Ministry and Outreach for the Archdiocese of Vancouver. He is a seasoned missionary with extremely practical advice for parish hospitality and personal mission. And today, he encourages us to recognize the “proximate periphery”, the mission field hidden in our daily routines, workplaces, and families. Episode Timeline: [00:00] – Introduction to Eric Chow [01:32] – Eric's personal conversion [04:50] – Lessons from Catholic Christian Outreach [05:46] – Understanding the mission field in Vancouver [11:29] – What parish hospitality could look like [17:07] – The origins and mission of the Proclaim movement [20:22] – Reaching the proximate periphery right in front of you [27:09] – Prophetic listening and partnering with the Holy Spirit [29:35] – Why outreach to the furthest away comes first [32:51] – Balancing personal mission with the call to holiness [36:31] – Living as a radical disciple while working professionally for the Church [42:49] – Passing on a missional mindset to our children [47:02] – A hopeful vision for the future of the Church [49:16] – Simple steps to start praying for and reaching your mission field Resources Mentioned Proclaim ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

    Partnering with the Holy Spirit

  3. Sep 15

    Inside the USCCB | What's Comes After the Eucharistic Revival?

    Seeing the people we love walk away from Jesus is one of the hardest parts of living the faith today. So I sit down with David Spesia, Executive Director for Evangelization and Catechesis at the USCCB, to talk about the massive shift happening across the country as the US bishops unite around one single priority: seeking and saving the lost. We dive into the quiet fruit of the Eucharistic Revival and talk about how to keep your eyes fixed squarely on Jesus, even when human flaws and institutional friction threaten to pull you off track. Episode Timeline: [00:00] – Introduction [02:41] – Personal Encounters and Intellectual Conversion [07:45] – Lessons from Teaching High School Religion [16:12] – Navigating Diocesan Leadership and Building Collaboration [22:00] – Behind the Scenes of the National Eucharistic Revival [33:40] – Measuring Long-Term Fruits of Spiritual Renewal [40:01] – The USCCB Mission Directive to Seek and Save the Lost [44:03] – Evangelical Discernment and Evaluating Ministry Fruitfulness [51:41] – Loving the Church as Christ's Body Amidst Human Brokenness Resources Mentioned Living as a Missionary Disciple (PDF) Companion to the Handbook on the Catechetical Accompaniment Process ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

    Inside the USCCB | What's Comes After the Eucharistic Revival?

  4. Sep 8

    Are You Managing Programs or Making Disciples? | Solving the Parish Puzzle with Christina Semmens

    Parish renewal can feel like trying to assemble a massive puzzle without having the picture on the box to reference. Bringing your parish back to life isn't about running another program. It's an act of loving accompaniment, and Jesus is already in the work with us. Christina Semmens joins me today to talk about how putting the right leadership pieces in place creates a simple, relational way to wake up our parish communities and make disciples who thrive. Episode Timeline: [00:00] – Introduction [02:00] – Christina’s Journey from Military Leadership to Parish Renewal [10:00] – What Discipleship Culture Actually Looks Like in a Parish [15:00] – Moving Beyond Event-Based Evangelization [19:00] – Customized CPR and Holistic Formation [25:00] – Waking Up the Walking Dead in Our Pews [28:00] – Best Practices vs. Quick-Fix Silver Bullets [34:00] – Eliminating Communication Blind Spots & Building Two-Way Dialogue [44:00] – A 4-Step Apprenticeship Model for Coaching Leaders [52:00] – Practical Steps to Begin When You Feel Overwhelmed Resources Mentioned The Catholic Leadership Puzzle ChristinaSemmens.com ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

    Are You Managing Programs or Making Disciples? | Solving the Parish Puzzle with Christina Semmens

  5. Sep 1

    Evangelization Hot Take | Choose Your Local Parish

    Adam Stephenson, our guest from the episode "Knocking on Doors", joins me for a walk where he gives his hot take on evangelization: you should stick to the parish in your own backyard. He argues that parish shopping keeps us at arms length from the real work of evangelization, while staying local invites us to love the people God has placed right in front of us. And I agreed with him…for the most part. Tune in for a mini-sode on why you should (or shouldn’t) belong to the parish whose geographic boundaries you live in. Episode Timeline: [00:00] – Introduction [00:32] – The Hot Take: Geographic Parish Boundaries [00:56] – Why Proximity Matters for Loving Your Community [02:29] – Modern Disorientation and the Loss of Neighborhood Faith [04:29] – Valid Exceptions for Stepping Away from Your Local Parish [06:49] – Accompanying "Dying" Parishes and the Mission Field [09:21] – How to Supplement Your Spiritual Life Outside Parish Walls ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

    Evangelization Hot Take | Choose Your Local Parish

  6. Aug 25

    Overcoming Ministry Burnout | Restoring Order to Your Family and Mission

    You leave work at five, but your brain stays parked at the office. You sit with your family, yet mentally you carry the entire parish on your back as if saving everyone depends on you. When evangelization becomes a task we tackle with our own strength, we burn out, our programs flop, and our homes suffer. This week, Hannah Keisling, Evangelization Coordinator at St. Vincent de Paul in Omaha, joins me to share how putting God first, family second, and ministry third gave her the freedom to stop forcing outcomes. We unpack why no program works without real accompaniment, how to surrender the urge to carry it all yourself, and what happens when you let the Holy Spirit do the heavy lifting. Episode Timeline: [00:00] – Introduction [06:39] – Transitioning Roles and the Grief of Leaving Youth Ministry [18:38] – Why Programs Fail Without Real Accompaniment [22:52] – Parish-Wide Programs vs. Personal Apostolates [34:27] – Recognizing the Warning Signs of Ministry Overload [41:08] – Rebuilding Mental Boundaries Between Work and Family [50:45] – Grounding Your Daily Mission in Scripture and Named Prayer Resources Mentioned St. Vincent de Paul Church - Omaha ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

    Overcoming Ministry Burnout | Restoring Order to Your Family and Mission

  7. Aug 18

    Hearing God’s Voice | How to Move from One-Sided Prayer to Intimacy with Jonna Schuster

    Imagine a standing coffee date with a friend who talks at you the entire time, looks at their watch, and then says, “Gotta go! This was great!” You’d walk away feeling pretty unsatisfied. The level of intimacy we can reach is limited when conversation remains one-sided. But, too often, we treat our prayer lives the exact same way. We focus on how well we said our prayers instead of stopping to listen to what God wants to say back. This week, Jonna Schuster, author of Hearing God's Voice, joins me to talk about listening prayer. We dive into its theological foundations, the four primary "languages" God uses to communicate, and how learning to hear His voice shifts our daily mission from a heavy burden into a rest-filled collaboration. Episode Timeline: [00:00] – Introduction [01:21] – Jonna's origin story [08:34] – What inspired Hearing God's Voice [14:00] – The scriptural foundation for listening prayer [18:00] – The 4 languages of God: seeing, hearing, feeling, and thinking [24:41] – Receiving God in the mode of the receiver [27:58] – Physical vs. emotional feelings in prayer [35:01] – Asking God for practical solutions and wisdom [39:33] – Overcoming the biggest obstacles to hearing God [46:56] – How listening prayer complements Catholic devotions [50:50] – Moving from performance anxiety to rest and intimacy [53:02] – What church renewal looks like when prayer becomes the norm [59:01] – Where to begin and how to find Jonna's work Resources Mentioned CatholicRevivalMinistries.com Hearing God's Voice ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

    Hearing God’s Voice | How to Move from One-Sided Prayer to Intimacy with Jonna Schuster

  8. Aug 11

    Knocking on Doors | Practical Outreach for Parish Renewal

    What happens when a priest in a cassock and a layman with a clipboard start walking their neighborhood boundaries? Join me, Jim Jansen, as I sit down with Father Jeff Loseke and Adam Stephenson from St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Gretna, Nebraska, to talk about how they took on neighborhood outreach. Instead of waiting for people to walk through their church doors, they exported their parish database into Google Maps and started showing up on front porches. From active parishioners and homebound seniors to those who haven't set foot in a church in decades, they found that personal connection opens doors to healing old wounds and bringing people back to the sacraments. Whether you're responsible for every soul within your parish boundaries or you simply want to be a better neighbor, this conversation will help you turn a walk down the street into an encounter with Jesus. Episode Timeline: [00:00] – Introduction [00:01:46] – Guest Introductions & St. Charles Borromeo’s Rapid Growth [00:07:59] – Moving from a "Mega-Parish" Mindset to Neighborhood Ministry [00:12:46] – Mapping Parishioners and Neighborhood Boundaries with Simple Tech [00:18:34] – The Routine: Door-to-Door Walks, Prayer Booklets, and Door Hangers [00:24:53] – Balancing Introversion vs. Extroversion in Doorstep Evangelization [00:29:54] – Training Parish Missionaries and Mobilizing Intercessors [00:32:30] – Starting the Fuse: Non-Threatening Bridges and Low-Barrier Invitations [00:44:31] – Fitting Neighborhood Outreach into the Overall Parish Mission & Clear Path [00:51:40] – Vision for the Future: Empowering Lay Responsibility and Local Presence [01:00:27] – Final Encouragements for Pastors, Staff, and Introverted Leaders Resources Mentioned St. Charles Borromeo Sent Evangelization The Art of Neighboring by Dave Runyon ⭐️ Enjoying the Show? If The EquipCast is helping you navigate the realities of parish leadership, please take 60 seconds to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Your review helps other tired ministry leaders find these tools and realize they don’t have to walk this path alone! Connect & Take the Next Step: Grab Your Free Tools: Get the playbook that actually changes lives at EverydayEvangelization.org. Bring This to Your Parish: Discover strategic training and accompaniment at Anchor Consulting. Read the Book: Order your copy of A Clear Path: How to Make Missionary Disciples in Your Parish. The EquipCast is powered by Everyday Evangelization in conjunction with Anchor Consulting, delivering practical evangelization strategies and parish ministry tools to help you leave your ministry better than you found it. Copyright © 2026 Anchor Consulting. All rights reserved.

    Knocking on Doors | Practical Outreach for Parish Renewal
See All (267)

Trailers

4.9
out of 5
27 Ratings

About

The EquipCast is your weekly playbook for practical evangelization and parish ministry tools. Hosted by Jim Jansen and powered by Everyday Evangelization, this show is built for diocesan directors, parish leaders, and everyday Catholics who are ready to stop the programmatic noise, break through the grind, and build a clear path to discipleship that actually changes lives. We’ve been talking about the New Evangelization for forty years, yet church renewal often feels like an endless cycle of empty activity while generations continue to lose their faith. If you are tired of managing decline and spinning your wheels in the messy middle of ministry, you don’t have to carry the weight alone. Every week, we break the default of "doing more" to deliver honest conversations and real stories from people who are finally seeing their faith communities thrive. Hit subscribe, head over to EverydayEvangelization.org to grab your free tools, and discover how to leave your ministry better than you found it.

Information

  • Creator
    Jim Jansen | Everyday Evangelization & Parish Ministry Tools
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    267
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 EverydayEvangelization.org
  • Show Website
    The EquipCast

You Might Also Like