Episode 43 - A Spiritual View of Vulnerability with Pastor Mandy Smith

We talk vulnerability with Mandy Smith, lead pastor of University Christian Church, a campus and neighborhood congregation with its own fair-trade café in Cincinnati.

Mandy is a regular contributor to Christianity Today and Missio Alliance and the author of “The Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry.” She also is the director of Missio Alliance’s SheLeads Summit: ChurchTogether and creator of The Collect, a citywide trash-to-art project. Mandy joins hosts Kayla Craig and Lindsy Wallace to examine a spiritual view of vulnerability, finding hope within the prophetic imagination.

In this episode, we:

- Learn from Mandy about how vulnerability shapes our creativity, casts a new vision for how the church views gender, and how we can reconstruct our own faith

Talk about what to believe when we think God has made a mistake in his callings

Discuss the healing power of creating art from trash

Create space for others to be human and for God to be God.

Join us as we hear words of wisdom from Mandy, who has a soft pastor heart and brilliant mind.

Recommended reading & resources: “The Vulnerable Pastor: How Human Limitations Empower Our Ministry” by Mandy Smith Missio Alliance: http://www.missioalliance.org/author/mandysmith/ “The Surprising Solution When Gender Dynamics Seem to Be Destroying the Church,” by Mandy Smith:https://www.missioalliance.org/the-surprising-solution-when-gender-dynamics-seem-to-be-destroying-the-church/

News & Notes: - Thank you for joining us at the Upside Down Gathering! - Join Mandy Smith on Nov. 10 at the Church Together Summit. We’ll hear not only how God has revealed new ways to understand gender, but also how God is revealing new depths of the Gospel. The panel will be made up of pairs of male-female ministry partners, sharing the challenges and joys of ministering together. Join us onsite at PazNaz in Southern California, or attend one of the streaming sites around the country: https://www.churchtogethersummit.org/.

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Links: @uccmandy http://www.upsidedownpodcast.com/ Join the Upside Down Tribe on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/upsidedowntribe