The Reggie McNeal Podcast

Jesus told his followers that the kingdom of God is in them. The abundant life he offers includes the personal dimension of human flourishing. In this fun podcast Reggie interviews his brother Randall, who serves as an executive coach to clients all around the world. Randall brings years of personal and family counseling experience to help business clients focus on the element of relational intelligence. In this conversation, he reveals the critical starting point for improving this aspect of our lives.

In this episode, Reggie talks with Mike Linger, the Executive Director of House of the Carpenter (HOC) in Wheeling WV. HOC delivers an amazing variety of services to its surrounding community, a city hit hard economically in recent decades. The interview begins with an investigation of the breadth of aid offered by HOC, then focuses on a couple of specific expressions of ministry that provide help and hope to its neighbors for escaping poverty.

Jesus wants his followers to be viral kingdom agents, always working to find ways for the kingdom of heaven to show up on earth.  In this podcast series, Reggie looks at three different levels of kingdom expression: cultural, community, and personal. Like twisting a kaleidoscope, different shapes and patterns come into focus as we seek first the kingdom in all of life’s dimensions.

This podcast captures a presentation that Reggie recently made to several dozen city network leaders focusing on our current cultural milieu.  After detailing some of the threatening currents that are buffeting our national well-being Reggie highlights the challenges they pose to the church. How the church responds to the changed spiritual landscape will determine its future. As kingdom people we should be offering a narrative of hope amidst all the darkness.

This podcast features a conversation between Reggie and Greg Wigfield, a business owner and entrepreneur, who is seeking to serve his city as a kingdom agent. Greg details his journey from church-centric to kingdom-centric thinking and engagement with what God is up to in his community. Hopefully this episode inspires you to make sure your own spiritual quest aligns with God’s kingdom.

Jesus-followers rightly focus on the celebration of his birth during the Christmas season. His coming into the world opened up for us the possibility for life as God intends. His birth also entailed enormous sacrifice, foreshadowing the death that awaited him. In this brief podcast, Reggie reflects on some of the parallels between Bethlehem and Calvary so that our celebration can attain even deeper appreciation for what God has done for us in sending a Savior.

Reggie was recently involved in a discussion of kingdom-based leadership for the Advance Leadership podcast - hosted by Lee Clamp, chief strategist for the South Carolina Baptist Convention. In this conversation, Reggie focuses his comments to church leaders who want to become more missionally aligned with God’s kingdom agenda. He begins with some cultural analysis that points to an opportunity for kingdom advance, then moves to specific advice for those who want to lead those in their constellation to be more kingdom-focused.

Reggie was recently interviewed by Scott Gress, leadership trainer, coach, and consultant, for his “Growing People for Ministry” podcast. In this session, Reggie examines one of the hallmark characteristics of kingdom leaders: their commitment to developing the people in their leadership constellation. Reggie describes the kind of environment and approaches that these leaders pursue as they create a people-development culture around them.

Reggie was recently interviewed by Scott Gress, leadership trainer, coach, and consultant, for his “Growing People for Ministry” podcast. In this wide-ranging interview, Reggie discusses some of the unique challenges that kingdom leaders face.  With his conviction that nothing less than a culture shift is required of the Western church, Reggie outlines the fundamental shifts that leaders must make for the church to become kingdom-centric in its ministry agenda.

God’s desire that people experience the abundant life he envisions for them extends to spiritual leaders, not just to those in their constellation of influence.  In this final episode of conversations focusing on the future of the church, Reggie identifies some key challenges that confront church leaders and offers some reflections and suggestions for building resilience needed for the way forward.  This podcast is the audio portion of a series of ten videoed conversations called the “Future Church Symposium,” a discussion on the reposition of church-as-institution to church-as-movement amongst Reggie and pastors Jordan Rimmer and Chris Thomas. Anyone who dreams of a more impactful church will resonate with these discussions.

When it comes to helping people, it’s not enough to just care. We need capacity as well, the ability to deliver competent help.  In this podcast, Reggie raises 5 questions that can help followers of Jesus become better positioned as viral kingdom agents, people capable of blessing those around them. This podcast is the audio portion of a series of ten videoed conversations called the “Future Church Symposium,” a discussion on the reposition of church-as-institution to church-as-movement amongst Reggie and pastors Jordan Rimmer and Chris Thomas. Anyone who dreams of a more impactful church will resonate with these discussions.

At the onset of this episode Reggie asks the question, “what kind of environment is required to foster life transformation?” The discussion identifies some specific factors that play key roles in creating a life-shaping culture and considers how they might be applied to the church. This podcast is the audio portion of a series of ten videoed conversations called the “Future Church Symposium,” a discussion on the reposition of church-as-institution to church-as-movement amongst Reggie and pastors Jordan Rimmer and Chris Thomas. Anyone who dreams of a more impactful church will resonate with these discussions.

The program-driven church focused on creating customers of its program processes and content and called this discipleship.  A kingdom-centric approach focuses on shaping viral kingdom agents. This calls for a different strategy and environment, one that fosters people development. This podcast is the audio portion of a series of ten videoed conversations called the “Future Church Symposium,” a discussion on the reposition of church-as-institution to church-as-movement amongst Reggie and pastors Jordan Rimmer and Chris Thomas. Anyone who dreams of a more impactful church will resonate with these discussions.

A third element of culture shift that the church must embrace for realigning its mission with the kingdom centers on the church’s sense of stewardship. The church’s stewardship reflects what the church feels responsible for. Kingdom leaders assume responsibility for the quality of life in the community, not just the quality of church programming. This podcast is the audio portion of a series of ten videoed conversations called the “Future Church Symposium,” a discussion on the reposition of church-as-institution to church-as-movement amongst Reggie and pastors Jordan Rimmer and Chris Thomas. Anyone who dreams of a more impactful church will resonate with these discussions.

In this podcast, Reggie makes the case that the current church scorecard (what it celebrates) reinforces a church-centric ministry agenda and expression. A kingdom-centric approach demands a different scorecard. Reggie offers some practical advice for reallocating church resources to support a kingdom agenda. This podcast is the audio portion of a series of ten videoed conversations called the “Future Church Symposium,” a discussion on the reposition of church-as-institution to church-as-movement amongst Reggie and pastors Jordan Rimmer and Chris Thomas. Anyone who dreams of a more impactful church will resonate with these discussions.

The initial element for changing church culture is changing the story that the church is telling and living out.  A church-centric narrative contends that if we build great churches – serving as vendors of religious goods and services – we will usher in the kingdom.  In this podcast, Reggie debunks this notion and offers suggestions for shifting the narrative to a kingdom-centric story.  This podcast is the audio portion of a series of ten videoed conversations called the “Future Church Symposium,” a discussion on the reposition of church-as-institution to church-as-movement amongst Reggie and pastors Jordan Rimmer and Chris Thomas. Anyone who dreams of a more impactful church will resonate with these discussions.

Reggie contends that nothing short of a shift in church culture will bring the church back into missional alignment with God’s kingdom agenda. In this conversation, he identifies the three elements of culture shift that must be addressed: story, scorecard, and stewardship. This podcast is the audio portion of a series of ten videoed conversations called the “Future Church Symposium,” a discussion on the reposition of church-as-institution to church-as-movement amongst Reggie and pastors Jordan Rimmer and Chris Thomas. Anyone who dreams of a more impactful church will resonate with these discussions.

God didn’t create the pandemic, but he certainly has used it to bring the church back into engagement with his primary mission of the kingdom. This observation and commentary provide the launch point for this episode’s conversation calling the church back to missional alignment. This podcast is the audio portion of a series of ten videoed conversations called the “Future Church Symposium,” a discussion on the reposition of church-as-institution to church-as-movement amongst Reggie and pastors Jordan Rimmer and Chris Thomas. Anyone who dreams of a more impactful church will resonate with these discussions.

Earlier this year, Reggie sat down with pastors Jordan Rimmer and Chris Thomas for a series of ten videoed conversations called the “Future Church Symposium.” This podcast series is the audio portion of these conversations. All are designed to help church-as-institution reposition itself as church-as-movement. Anyone who dreams of a more impactful church will resonate with these discussions. In this podcast, Reggie discusses the impact of the digital revolution on the spiritual landscape of the culture and highlights some implications for post-congregational church expression as a response.

The Church of God (Anderson, IN) is a worldwide movement with presence in over 90 countries. Natalie Royer serves as the Chief of Staff for this organization, responsible for resourcing its leaders, congregations, and ministries. The interview focuses on the C4 initiative she has helped to shape, coaching church leaders into how to come out and play in their communities, fulfilling their role as kingdom leaders.

For almost two decades, Melanie has served in South Carolina state government as a leader in educational research and policy. Her current position is Senior Advisor for Education in the Governor’s Office, where everyday she fields phone calls and emails from various constituencies while helping to formulate policy and initiatives to improve the education opportunities for her state’s children. Through her conversation with Reggie, we learn that she sees her role as a kingdom assignment and opportunity.

As director of Fuller Seminary’s Professional Doctoral Studies (including the DMin program), Julia has a unique perspective on the leadership needs and development opportunities of spiritual leaders. In this wide-ranging interview Reggie talks with Julia about the challenges of shifting training of ministers from a church-centric to a kingdom-centric approach.

Jeremy serves as a Senior Consultant with the Gallup Organization. In his role he connects with large corporations (like Fortune 1000 companies) to help them develop workplaces where workers report high engagement and satisfaction with their jobs and places of employment. You can hear more about this in the interview, plus how Jeremy views his role as a kingdom agent.

Faith leaders who want community access and engagement need look no further than the local school. In this interview, Reggie traces the remarkable story of SchoolConnect with its founder and executive director Tracey Beal. Learn how this initiative has grown from serving one school to touching half the schools in Arizona and into five other cities nationwide.

Tim Hallman’s unique role as Director of Christian Emphasis at the YMCA of Fort Wayne, Indiana gives him a city-wide perspective of kingdom sightings. This Y touches 1 out of 5 people in the community with its engagement through 14 locations. Tim is working to make sure that this position of community influence is turning into kingdom advancement.

In his role as the Executive Director of the Churches of God General Conference, Lance sets the tone and agenda of the hundreds of congregations in this world-wide movement. Reggie explores with Lance where he sees evidence of the kingdom of God breaking out and into our world. The conversation is chocked full of leadership insights.

The kingdom of God is a movement. It represents God’s commitment to our experiencing the life he intends for us. It impacts every sector of society and domain of human endeavor. All of us who are Jesus-followers are commissioned to lead in the kingdom movement, to live as viral kingdom agents where we live, play, work, go to school - wherever we hang out. This episode offers some practical advice for living up to this challenge and opportunity.

In this episode, we discuss some of the elements that make the kingdom saga compelling enough to change our lives. Reggie helps us understand that the kingdom of God is primarily a mission, not just a message. The discussion encourages us that the kingdom is unfolding just fine and that we are living in the biggest story in the universe.

Reggie contends that this shift of perspective is like unto the shift from a Ptolemaic universe (earth-centric) to a Copernican understanding (helio-centric). The center of gravity shifts; the points of reference undergo substantial revision. In this episode, Reggie details some signs of church-centric thinking, offers some kingdom correctives, then identifies the three shifts that are essential in bringing the church culture into alignment with God’s mission.

Jesus told us we need to become like children to enter the kingdom of heaven. If we hold the prevalent idea that children are “someday” going to grow up to understand God and spiritual things, that makes no sense.  If, however, you are a child in Leanne’s ministry constellation, you are already a full participant in what God is up to in his kingdom. “Someday” is now!

Listen to this remarkable story of how one group of Jesus-followers figured out how to serve their community in northern California, a place not known for its hospitality toward the church. It all started with one act of kindness in one middle school.  Pastor Gary Gaddini narrates the story—packed full of kingdom insights—and tells how God is at work to bring people closer to him.

Getting locked out of the church proved to be a pivotal moment for this pastor.  He’s been out in the community ever since.  Andre Alexander is working in St. Louis to build a better community – fixing up buildings, helping people gain home ownership and creating a community center that brings several sectors together (technology, health care, education, etc.).  He evidences some key elements of leaders who are kingdom collaborators.

“Hope” is the operative word and kingdom gift of the work of the CyHope foundation and HopeDisasterRecovery.  Godfrey Hubert takes us on a journey of the birth of these ministries in the northwest part of Houston TX.  You’ll be astounded at the scale of help that is being delivered to people who face scarcity day-to-day as well as those who are visited by disaster.

In this episode we visit with Larry Stoess, who planted a restaurant with a church inside of it in the historic Portland community in Louisville KY.  Find out how The Table Café is serving food but so much more . . . and get a heads-up on the new Promise Housing Plus project that is helping to fight gentrification threatening to push people out of the community.

We all have a desire to experience our life as God intends. This hope characterizes humanity’s belief that something better exists than what we are now experiencing. So, how exactly do we get there? How do we become viral kingdom agents on our search for our purpose on Earth? This episode will help position us all for this powerful and purposeful journey.

Controversial opinion: Jesus didn’t come to establish the church. He came to reveal the kingdom. Jesus established the church with a specific role to play in the kingdom saga: to be the people of God partnering with him in his redemptive mission in the world. The church does not have a mission; the mission has a church. In this podcast episode, we delve into how and why the Western church has become more church-centric as opposed to kingdom-centric and how we can revert back to Jesus’s intentions.

Did you know Jesus reference the “kingdom” over ninety times in the gospels? Jesus was obsessed with the Kingdom of God. It was always used as his point of reference throughout his ministry. He demonstrated its reality and power to realign our life and world with God’s intentions. We discuss the content and character of the kingdom and what Jesus revealed about the kingdom in this podcast episode.

We’re kicking off our first podcast series with a discussion on the Kingdom and God’s mission. The kingdom has, and always will be, God’s chief expression of his intended purposes. In this episode, we discuss the eternal link between God and His Kingdom and the biblical and theological basis for connecting life as we know it to God’s Kingdom.

In this introductory podcast, Reggie McNeal lays out why he thinks a podcast devoted to the kingdom of God is important and instructive for our lives today.  In addition, Reggie shares some insights into Jesus' command to his followers to "seek first the kingdom of God."  He suggests that this pursuit in our lives can help us through troubled times.