Igniting Imagination

Wesleyan Impact Partners
  • 4.9(25개의 평가)
  • 기독교
  • 격주 업데이트

Every movement for change starts with a generative conversation. The Igniting Imagination podcast features rich conversations with leaders across the church landscape that invite you into new possibilities for yourself, your church, and your community. Each episode offers inspiring ideas to spark the Spirit within you as a leader and inspire courage and innovation to bring about human flourishing grounded in love, generosity, and belonging.

  1. 5일 전

    How Your Faith Informs the Way You Invest with Derek Casteel and Jake Barnett

    What if the way we invest our resources could become an expression of our faith? Most of us think carefully about where we give, yet we spend far less time considering where our money is invested and what it is doing while it rests there. And those investments have the power to shape companies, communities, and the future we are helping to build. This week on the Igniting Imagination® podcast, Rev. Lisa Greenwood welcomes two leaders who have devoted their careers to the intersection of faith, investing, and long-term stewardship. Jake Barnett is managing director of sustainable investment strategies at Wespath, where he leads a team focused on investment stewardship and ESG integration, works closely with partners across The United Methodist Church, and helps faith-based investors align their portfolios with their deepest values. He is joined by Derek Casteel, director of investor services at Wesleyan Impact Partners and Texas Methodist Foundation, who supports churches, nonprofits, and endowment committees as they steward resources for both mission and financial health. Together, Lisa, Jake, and Derek reframe investing as an act of participation in God's work of human flourishing. They explore what faith-based investing actually means, how to match assets to a congregation's purpose, and how the practices of investing can shape real outcomes, from affordable housing to worker safety. Listen for a hopeful look at the generational and worldwide shifts opening new possibilities for faithful stewardship, and practical first steps any leader can take. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 06:00 - What Drew Them Into Faith and Investing 08:18 - Defining Faith-Based Investing 11:31 - Matching Assets to Mission and Purpose 16:02 - Impact Investing That Improves the Human Condition 19:26 - Invest, Engage, Avoid: A Framework for Stewardship 28:51 - Generational Shifts Giving Hope 34:35 - A Worldwide Perspective on Stewardship 38:05 - Rapid Fire: One Faithful Step Guest Jake Barnett As the managing director of sustainable investment strategies for Wespath and its subsidiaries’ investment programs, Jake Barnett leads a team that focuses on investment stewardship and ESG integration. In addition, he interacts with key partners in The United Methodist Church to foster collaboration and coordinates Wespath’s preparation for General Conference. Jake currently serves as the North American Steering Group representative of the Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance and is a board member for the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility. Derek Casteel, CFA Derek joined Wesleyan Impact Partners and Texas Methodist Foundation as director of investment services in 2018. He is primarily responsible for the management of institutional client relationships and the pursuit of growth opportunities. Prior to his current position, he served as a managing director at Wespath Institutional Investments, where he led the team responsible for growth and the retention of institutional assets under management within Wespath investment funds. Derek was also senior vice president at Community Capital Management, where he marketed the firm’s fixed income strategies to nonprofit institutional investors and their investment consultants. Connect Igniting Imagination® podcast: https://ignitingimagination.org/ Igniting Imagination YouTube: / @wesleyanimpactpartners Rev. Lisa Greenwood: / lisa-greenwood-5419772a Wespath: https://www.wespath.org/ Wesleyan Impact Partners: https://www.wesleyanimpactpartners.org/ Texas Methodist Foundation: https://www.texasmethodistfoundation.... #IgnitingImagination #FaithInAction #HumanFlourishing #ChurchLeadership #SpiritualInnovation #SpiritualFormation #FaithAndJustice #FaithAndTechnology #ReimaginingChurch #ChurchInnovation

  2. 8월 19일

    Before You Borrow, Sell, or Reimagine with Rev. Dr. Mark R. Holland and Chris Miller

    What if the buildings and land your congregation has stewarded for generations are an asset waiting to serve God's mission in a changing world? This week on the Igniting Imagination® podcast, Rev. Lisa Greenwood is joined by Rev. Dr. Mark Holland, project manager for church property development with Wesleyan Impact Partners and Texas Methodist Foundation, alongside Chris Miller, chief financial, investment, and lending officer at Texas Methodist Foundation and Wesleyan Impact Partners. Together they explore one of the most pressing and deeply spiritual questions facing congregations today: How do we best steward the property assets God has entrusted to us? As a quarter to a third of American churches face closure in the coming years, these are not simply financial decisions. They are invitations to discern who we are called to be. Listen as Lisa, Mark, and Chris move the conversation from scarcity to abundance, unpacking why the discernment work matters more than the real estate transaction, why the best time to gather a small team of visionary leaders is now rather than at the six-month runway, and how a loan can become a tool for ministry. Along the way, Mark reframes decline as change, reminding us that "the church has survived 2000 years of human intervention" and that getting back to the basics, asking why we are here and what would be missing if we weren't, may be exactly the invitation this moment offers. Guest Rev. Dr. Mark R. Holland Rev. Dr. Mark R. Holland is a third-generation United Methodist pastor and Senior Pastor of Pasadena Community Church in St. Petersburg, Florida. He also serves as Project Manager for Church Property Development with Wesleyan Impact Partners and Texas Methodist Foundation, working to identify a repeatable, national model for church property development in the United Methodist Church. In addition to his ministry leadership, Mark has served as mayor of Kansas City, Kansas, and as a county commissioner, bringing expertise in strategic planning, fundraising, and community development. Chris Miller As Chief Financial, Investment, and Lending Officer, Chris Miller oversees all lending functions for Texas Methodist Foundation and Wesleyan Impact Partners. Chris has sixteen years of banking and commercial lending experience in Texas, supporting the business growth strategies of owner-operated businesses and commercial real estate developers. He most recently served as market area executive at Simmons Bank. Prior to Simmons, Chris served as senior vice president of commercial banking at Southside Bank. Connect Visit our show's website at https://ignitingimagination.org/ To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-8qT0_yWfBe6LXM7ATfUHw Connect with Rev. Lisa Greenwood on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-greenwood-5419772a/ #IgnitingImagination #FaithInAction #HumanFlourishing #ChurchLeadership #SpiritualInnovation #SpiritualFormation #FaithAndJustice #FaithAndTechnology #ReimaginingChurch #ChurchInnovation

  3. 8월 12일

    Becoming the Kind of Ministry That's Ready for Investment with Justin Gould and Wendolyn Abel

    When most people hear the word "grant," they think of applications, deadlines, and dollars. But behind every funding decision sit far deeper questions: What assets is this organization stewarding, and to what end? What makes a church or nonprofit ready, not just for money, but for lasting impact? This week on the Igniting Imagination® podcast, Rev. Lisa Greenwood pulls back the curtain on grantmaking with two colleagues from Texas Methodist Foundation and Wesleyan Impact Partners. She is joined by Wendolyn Abel, Vice President of Grants at Texas Methodist Foundation / Wesleyan Impact Partners, a dynamic leader in serving under-resourced communities with deep expertise in the measurement of outcomes and transformational change, alongside Justin Gould, Chief Philanthropy Officer. Together they reframe funding as a journey rather than a transaction, one rooted in relationship, curiosity, and trust in the local wisdom of the communities they serve. Listen as Wendolyn, Justin, and Lisa explore why the ministries that are most ready know not just what they do but who they are and who they serve, how a "no" can become the first step of a lasting partnership, and why learning to quantify and share your story may matter as much as the grant itself. Guest Wendolyn Abel Wendolyn serves as Vice President of Grants Ministry at Texas Methodist Foundation. She is a dynamic leader in serving under-resourced communities and has deep expertise in the measurement of outcomes and transformational change. In addition to results-driven nonprofit management experience, Wendolyn brings fundraising, grant writing, resource development, coalition building, and advocacy skills to her role. Her experience developing logic models, data collection, and analysis to guide strategic direction are instrumental in guiding Wesleyan Impact Partners' trajectory toward supporting systemic change. Justin Gould Justin is Chief Philanthropy Officer at Wesleyan Impact Partners and Texas Methodist Foundation. Gould joined the staff of Texas Methodist Foundation in 2013 after nearly a decade serving in various fundraising roles at Southwestern University during its successful $150 million comprehensive campaign. Gould leads all aspects of TMF’s fundraising and gift planning programs. Gould holds Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX, where he currently serves on the Board of Visitors, and a Master of Business Administration from Willamette University in Salem, OR. Connect Visit our show's website at https://ignitingimagination.org. To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to theIgniting Imagination YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-8qT0_yWfBe6LXM7ATfUHw Host: Rev. Lisa Greenwood: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-greenwood-5419772a/ Guest: Justin Gould: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justingould/ Guest: Wendolyn Abel: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendolyn-abel-22752224/ #IgnitingImagination #FaithInAction #HumanFlourishing #ChurchLeadership #SpiritualInnovation #SpiritualFormation #FaithAndJustice #FaithAndTechnology #ReimaginingChurch #ChurchInnovation

  4. 8월 5일

    Everyone Can Be a Philanthropist with Justin Gould and Pamela Gray

    What if the most meaningful conversations about charitable giving were never really about money at all, but about the story we hope our lives will tell? This episode of the Igniting Imagination® podcast takes listeners behind the scenes of Texas Methodist Foundation and Wesleyan Impact Partners, where host Rev. Lisa Greenwood sits down with two colleagues to explore how generosity becomes part of the legacy we leave. Joining her is Justin Gould, Chief Philanthropy Officer at Texas Methodist Foundation and Wesleyan Impact Partners, who works with individuals, families, and congregations to align generosity with purpose, connecting people's passions with opportunities to make a lasting difference. He is joined by Pamela Gray, Director of Philanthropy and Gift Planning, who has spent more than three decades helping families think thoughtfully about generosity, legacy, and the ways their resources can continue serving others long into the future. Against the backdrop of the great transfer of wealth now underway across the country, Lisa, Justin, and Pamela make the case that churches are uniquely poised for this moment. With loyal members, deep relationships, and a good story to tell, faith communities can help people move from managing resources as an obligation to imagining a generous future. The conversation reframes philanthropy as something accessible to everyone, not the province of the wealthy few, and unpacks the practical tools, from donor-advised funds and endowments to charitable gift annuities and gifts by will, that let people support ministry both today and for generations to come. Listen as the three of them explore why the best giving conversations begin with dreaming and values rather than assets, how a spirit of generosity becomes contagious within a congregation, and why, as they put it again and again, everyone can be a philanthropist. Guests Justin Gould Justin Gould is Chief Philanthropy Officer of Wesleyan Impact Partners and Texas Methodist Foundation. Gould joined the staff of Texas Methodist Foundation in 2013 after nearly a decade serving in various fundraising roles at Southwestern University during its successful $150 million comprehensive campaign. Gould leads all aspects of TMF’s fundraising and gift planning programs. Gould holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX, where he currently serves on the Board of Visitors, and a Master of Business Administration from Willamette University in Salem, OR. Pamela Gray Pamela Gray, director of philanthropy, gift planning, started in September of 2023 at Wesleyan Impact Partners. Prior to arriving, she was the national personal philanthropy director at Disabled American Veterans (DAV) in Erlanger, Kentucky, where she managed a team of eleven, focused on individual relationships and gift-planning activities. Pamela has also served as the senior director of philanthropy and alumni at the University of Kentucky (UK), College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Prior to her return to Kentucky in 2016, she worked as a director, gift planning at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Connect Visit our show's website at https://ignitingimagination.org. To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube. Host: Rev. Lisa Greenwood https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-greenwood-5419772a/ Pamela Gray: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-a-gray/ Justin Gould: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justingould/ #IgnitingImagination #FaithInAction #HumanFlourishing #ChurchLeadership #SpiritualInnovation #SpiritualFormation #FaithAndJustice #FaithAndTechnology #ReimaginingChurch #ChurchInnovation

  5. 7월 29일

    What We’re Seeing in the Changing Ecology of the Church with Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean

    What if the church isn't broken so much as being reshaped, quietly, from the inside out, into something older and truer than the buildings we've come to call home? This week on the Igniting Imagination® podcast, Rev. Lisa Greenwood sits down with Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean, Professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, for a conversation about the tectonic shifts moving beneath the church today. An ordained United Methodist minister and a distinguished Locke Innovative Leader recognized by Wesleyan Impact Partners, Kenda has spent decades helping the Church navigate cultural change, emerging generations, and innovation. Together, Lisa and Kenda explore why the pandemic may have spared us twenty years of painful admission, and what it means to lead when everyone finally agrees that things have changed. Rev. Dr. Kenda offers a gentle but bracing challenge: We have treated innovation as the goal rather than the tool it was meant to be. She invites listeners to recover the church's most ancient identity as "the way," to take younger generations seriously as teachers rather than exotic birds, and to reclaim the lost art of Christian formation, which happens less through programs than through people who are simply gifted at the ministry of noticing. Listen as Lisa and Kenda reflect on cathedrals and pilgrimage, on the ecological idea of "refugia" as a picture of faith taking root, and on why one of the most innovative things a church can do is to do less, saying no to the treadmill so it can say yes to the sacred encounter of relationship. Guest Kenda Creasy Dean is the Mary D. Synnott Professor of Youth, Church, and Culture at Princeton Theological Seminary and an ordained United Methodist pastor in the Greater New Jersey Annual Conference. In addition to teaching in practical theology, education, and formation, Dean works closely with Princeton’s Institute for Youth Ministry and the Farminary. Dean is the author of numerous books on youth, church, and culture, the best known of which includes Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church. Connect Visit our show's website at https://ignitingimagination.org. To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube. Host: Rev. Lisa Greenwood https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-greenwood-5419772a/ Guest: Rev. Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean, Princeton Theological Seminary https://www.linkedin.com/in/kenda-creasy-dean-2a932322/ #IgnitingImagination #FaithInAction #HumanFlourishing #ChurchLeadership #SpiritualInnovation #SpiritualFormation #FaithAndJustice #FaithAndTechnology #ReimaginingChurch #ChurchInnovation

  6. 4월 8일

    Worship, Justice, and the Next Generation with Rev. Sandra Van Opstal

    What does it look like when worship and justice are no longer separate categories, but the same lived reality? This week on the Igniting Imagination® podcast, Rev. Lisa Greenwood and Dr. Aaron Kuecker welcome Rev. Sandra Maria Van Opstal, co-founder and executive director of Chasing Justice, a movement mobilizing young leaders at the intersection of faith and justice. Sandra is a global speaker, preacher, activist, and author of The Next Worship and Rally, with deep roots in urban ministry and a lifelong commitment to the work of neighboring well. Listen as Lisa, Aaron, and Sandra explore what it means to stay rooted locally while leading nationally, how young leaders are bringing an earnest energy to the church, and why our hearts truly can grow large enough to hold it all. #WorshipAndJustice #FaithInAction #ChasingJustice #YouthLeadership #ChurchAndCommunity #NeighboringWell #IntegratedFaith #SpiritualFormation #JusticeAndWorship #HumanFlourishing Guest Rev. Sandra Maria Van Opstal is the co-founder and executive director of Chasing Justice, a national movement mobilizing young BIPOC leaders at the intersection of faith and justice. A global speaker, preacher, and activist with deep roots in urban ministry, she continues to serve in Chicago with Lawndale Christian Community Church. Sandra is the author of The Next Worship and Rally, and holds an MDiv while currently pursuing doctoral work at North Park Seminary. Through Chasing Justice, she has built a platform equipping young leaders to integrate worship, discipleship, and activism, insisting that justice is not an optional add-on to the gospel but central to Christian formation. Links Visit our show’s website at www.ignitingimagination.org. To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.

  7. 4월 1일

    Economic Dignity and Collective Flourishing with Rev. Matt St. Pierre

    What if faith communities saw themselves not as distant helpers, but as neighbors, woven into the lives, struggles, and dreams of the people around them? This week on the Igniting Imagination® podcast, Rev. Lisa Greenwood and Dr. Aaron Kuecker are joined by Rev. Matt St. Pierre, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Restore Merced, to explore beyond economics into something more sacred, the restoration of dignity, purpose, and belonging. Together, they reflect on the quiet but powerful truth that meaningful work is more than a paycheck; it is a pathway to rediscovering worth, agency, and hope, especially for those too often pushed to the margins. Rev. Matt shares how Restore Merced is creating spaces where people are not just served, but truly seen, and invites us to confront our assumptions about charity, justice, and what it means to love a community well. Guest Reverend Matt St. Pierre is the executive director and co-founder of Restore Merced, a faith-rooted nonprofit in California’s Central Valley advancing economic justice through social entrepreneurship, reconciliation, and neighborhood-based community development. Drawing on theology, entrepreneurship, and long-term neighborhood presence, he creates models that affirm dignity through meaningful work and local investment. His leadership shows how churches and communities can move beyond charity toward empowerment, collaboration, and lasting economic and social renewal. Links Visit our show’s website at ignitingimagination.org. To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.

  8. 3월 25일

    Repair, Restore, Rebuild: Abolitionist Sanctuary with Rev. Dr. Nikia Smith Robert

    Faith communities everywhere are asking: How do we take responsibility for justice in today’s world? This week on the Igniting Imagination® podcast, Rev. Lisa Greenwood and Dr. Aaron Kuecker explore this question with Rev. Dr. Nikia Smith Robert, founder and executive director of Abolitionist Sanctuary. Rev. Dr. Nikia is a respected theologian and activist who challenges the church to move beyond awareness and into real, transformative action. She invites faith communities to not only name injustice but to actively work toward dismantling the systems that cause harm, while nurturing the well-being of all people. Listen as Rev. Lisa, Dr. Aaron, and Rev. Dr. Nikia encourage congregations to step into a more courageous, compassionate, and justice-centered role, and to join in the collective work of building a more equitable future. Guest Rev. Nikia Smith Robert, PhD is the founder and executive director of Abolitionist Sanctuary, a national coalition mobilizing religious leaders, scholars, and community organizers to advance faith-rooted responses to mass incarceration and the criminalization of impoverished Black motherhood. Grounded in womanist theology and social ethics, she integrates rigorous scholarship with community-based practice to equip churches to engage public education, advocacy, and policy change that challenge punitive systems and reimagine justice. Dr. Robert’s work expands the moral imagination of faith communities while delivering tangible pathways toward justice, healing, and liberation for those most impacted by carceral systems. Links Visit our show’s website at ignitingimagination.org. To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.

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평가 및 리뷰

4.9
최고 5점
25개의 평가

소개

Every movement for change starts with a generative conversation. The Igniting Imagination podcast features rich conversations with leaders across the church landscape that invite you into new possibilities for yourself, your church, and your community. Each episode offers inspiring ideas to spark the Spirit within you as a leader and inspire courage and innovation to bring about human flourishing grounded in love, generosity, and belonging.

정보

  • 제작진
    Wesleyan Impact Partners
  • 방송 연도
    2021년 - 2026년
  • 에피소드
    139
  • 등급
    전체 연령 사용가
  • 저작권
    © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
  • 웹사이트 보기
    Igniting Imagination

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