Todd Seifert provides a podcast that usually appears on this site Fridays. Some are stories or interviews that reflects on the Christian faith by telling the story of a person, a congregation or even a community.
Other weeks, Todd provides reflections on scriptures in the Bible. His passion is for helping the Bible come alive for people who either haven’t read the Bible before, find the Bible confusing or who simply want a refresher on what the passages mean for us in the 21st century.
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Award-Winning Episodes
2021 Religion Communicators Council winner — In the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, Todd produced a 4-episode series featuring African-American pastors telling their stories.
- Black Lives Matter — Six pastors share their life experiences.
- Response to Racism — Educating ourselves about white privilege.
- Let’s Talk About Race — Pastors white and black serving in small towns and throughout the UMC.
- Color of Law — Author Richard Rothstein explains redlining and economic disparities.
2019 United Methodist Association of Communicators — In this premiere episode, Todd tells the story about brokenness and resurrection of an entire town. On May 4, 2007, the Rev. Terry Mayhew found out he was being moved from Plains and Kismet United Methodist Churches to the town of Greensburg. Less than an hour later, a tornado nearly wiped Greensburg off the map. People from near and far worked together to serve as Christ’s hands and feet to rebuild. Download the episode.
Recent Episodes
Episode 87 — Enhancing Worship & Protecting Your Church — CCLI and similar licensing services allow for churches to make song sheets, project lyrics and use other tools to enhance worship. Their efforts support the composers whose work we use while also protecting churches from copyright concerns. Todd talks with two representatives from CCLI, who explain how they work and what CCLI and other similar organizations do.
Episode 86 — Laity Summit 2023 — One of the newer traditions in the Great Plains Conference is our annual Laity Summit. Guests in this episode include Lisa Maupin, conference lay leader, and Rev. Rebekah Simon-Peter, our keynote speaker for this day dedicated to training and education specifically for laity. The 2023 edition is scheduled for March 18. The theme this year is “And They Dreamed.”
Episode 85 — Center for Pastoral Effectiveness — Our world today is filled with anxiety, and the church is not immune. The Rev. Bill Selby recognized that long ago and launched what is known as the Center for Pastoral Effectiveness. He has made it his ministry to help pastors better navigate anxiety and improve connections with congregants and their communities.
Episode 84 — Space at the Table — The Space at the Table event in mid-November talked about the bright future of The United Methodist Church and featured Rev. Dr. Mike Slaughter, panels of young clergy, academics and bishops, and discussion about how to strengthen the Black church. This episode features excerpts and brief interviews from Lovers Lane UMC in Dallas.
Episodes 77-83 — Episcopal Candidates for the South Central Jurisdiction.
This short series features brief interviews involving the seven known candidates for bishop in the South Central Jurisdiction of The United Methodist Church.
- Rev. Dee Williamston, director of clergy excellence and assistant to the bishop in the Great Plains Conference.
- Rev. Dr. David Wilson, assistant to the bishop in the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.
- Rev. Dr. Laceye Warner, associate dean for Wesleyan Engagement and the Royce and Jane Reynolds associate professor of evangelism and Methodist studies at Duke University Divinity School.
- Rev. Dr. Eddie Rivera, provost of the New Mexico Conference.
- Rev. Dr. Randall Partin, senior pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
- Rev. Laura Merrill, Capital District Superintendent in the Rio Texas Conference.
- Rev. David Gilmore, Northwest District Superintendent in the Missouri Conference.
Episode 76: Future of the UMC — Bishop’s Reflections — Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr. shares some reflections on what has transpired in The United Methodist Church, the process of disaffiliations, and his hope for the future of the denomination as we conclude a short four-episode series on the future of the UMC.
Episode 75: Future of the UMC — Disaffiliation & Relationships — In the third of four episodes in the short series, we learn about what it means to disaffiliate, a perspective from a church that is leaving the denomination, and the philosophy used by trustees as they work with disaffiliating churches.
Episode 74: Future of the UMC — Where We Have Been — Our short series on the future of The United Methodist Church continues with a look at the history of the human sexuality debate within the denomination. Todd is joined this time by Rev. David Livingston and Randall Hodgkinson, who provide their perspectives and some historical context to what has happened since the first debate in 1972 through today.
Episode 73: Future of the UMC — Where Things Stand — A new series looking at the future of The United Methodist Church kicks off with this episode that examines where things stand at this moment in the life of the denomination. The series kicks off with an interview with the Rev. Adam Hamilton, lead pastor of United Methodist Church of the Resurrection, the largest congregation in the denomination based in Leawood, Kansas, but with five campuses across the Kansas City area.
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Episodes are listed in order of most recent to oldest.
In Layman's Terms 