Getting to Nimble is back for a check in! Bill and I talk about what this past year has meant for us and our churches. Get in touch: sarah-bereza.com/gtn-31

Getting to Nimble

Vaccines and Variations

We're back! Bill and I share updates on our lives (new baby! co-first-grade-teacher!) and then drive into what we're all experiencing these days: Covid fatigue. Our Reads of the Week Your ‘Surge Capacity’ Is Depleted — It’s Why You Feel Awful - Tara Haelle About Getting to Nimble For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Check out all the Getting to Nimble podcast episodes here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Maternity Leave and Covid Fatigue

We don't know what the future is bringing, but we can be active right now to imagine the New that we're heading toward. A note for listeners: this is our last episode for a few months while Sarah is on maternity leave. Stay nimble! Resources We Mentioned Salisbury Cathedral - "Our Purpose and Values"The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why - Phyllis Tickle About Getting to Nimble For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Check out all the Getting to Nimble podcast episodes here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Imagining the New (and Why)

Here's how we're planning for the fall - with curiosity and a focus on the big "whys" of the ministries we lead. Joining us is Christine V. Hides, Director of Christian Education at Kenilworth Union Church. Resources We Mentioned Must- Have Online Ministry ToolsFaith Formation PlaylistsIt's Flowchart Time About Getting to Nimble For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Check out all the Getting to Nimble podcast episodes here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

"I'm Curious" - Planning for the Fall with Christine V. Hides

Freedom to move, to eat, to coffee. This and other ways we see in-person worship changing because of our extended time at home. (Spoiler alert: Sarah's keeping the comfy pants.) Our Reads of the Week Flow: The Ancient Way to Do Contemporary Worship - Lester Ruth About Getting to Nimble For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Check out all the Getting to Nimble podcast episodes here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Where Is In-Person Worship Headed? On Getting to Nimble Ep. 27

It's often easier to change while we're already in the midst of change because our old habits and systems are in flux. Bill and Sarah talk about using this changing season to think through our systems at church. Resources We Mentioned on This Episode Change Your Life When You're Changing Your Life - Happier with Gretchen Rubin About Getting to Nimble For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Check out all the Getting to Nimble podcast episodes here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Changing in the Midst of Change, on Getting to Nimble Ep. 26

A snapshot of where we are in terms of emotions and how we're planning/not-planning, then a longer conversation about starting (or hopefully, continuing) anti-racist work in our churches starting with one-on-one relationships. About Getting to Nimble For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Check out all the Getting to Nimble podcast episodes here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Currently: Emotions, Reopening, and Anti-Racist Work in Our Churches

Online worship, nimbly opening (while expecting future closures), and planning in a season of flux. About Getting to Nimble For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Check out all the Getting to Nimble podcast episodes here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Online Forever?

Last summer, my colleagues and I at First Congregational of St. Louis developed a creative, intergenerational worship series. Then, the four of us - Hannah Rice and Emily Stokes, plus Bill and I - turned the series into a 14-week curriculum for other congregations to use. In this episode, the four of us talk about our collaborative process, surprises along the way, and the opportunities for healthy vulnerability that our summer worship gave us. On This Episode We Mentioned: A Neighborhood Summer: A 14-Week Intergenerational Worship PlanPotBangerz About Getting to Nimble For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Check out all the Getting to Nimble podcast episodes here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

A Neighborhood Summer

Changing our musical habits is hard (and oddly enough right now, maybe both easier and harder than ever). In this episode, we talk with Paul Vasile about being open to musical change and helping others embrace the new, even when they're sure they only want what they already know. Find Paul Vasile online here. About Getting to Nimble For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Check out all the Getting to Nimble podcast episodes here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Music and Change, on Getting to Nimble Ep. 22

Climbing up a learning curve. Running down a sand dune, trying not to face plant. Throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks. Just a few metaphors for the work we're doing lately! Emily Stokes, a minister for children and families, joins us to talk about our approaches to ministry right now. Our Reads of the Week A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny. Bill says, "It was one of those books I finished and said a little silent thank you to the author." About Getting to Nimble For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Check out all the Getting to Nimble podcast episodes here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Climbing Up A Covid-19 Learning Curve

What a strange time we are in, especially as church leaders. Bill and Sarah share what they are currently doing to respond to COVID19, especially in terms of pastoral care and spiritual connection in a time of physical distance. We can still "worship in spirit and in truth" whether or not we are in-person. Resources We Mentioned in the Episode We Are the Church About Getting to Nimble For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Check out all the Getting to Nimble podcast episodes here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

COVID19 and the Church

What are the advantages (and disadvantages) to getting an advanced degree when you're in church ministry? Bill and Sarah talk master's degrees, doctorates, certificates. Our Reads of the Week If you purchase through some of the following links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thank you for supporting the work we do!  How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss - Michael Greger About Getting to Nimble For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Check out all the Getting to Nimble podcast episodes here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Advanced Degrees for Church Staff

Why do we worship corporately on Sunday mornings? When would we worship if we removed the "but we've always..." from our thinking? Our Reads of the Week If you purchase through some of the following links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thank you for supporting the work we do!  Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life - Nir Eyal About Getting to Nimble For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Check out all the Getting to Nimble podcast episodes here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

When to Worship Together?

We church leaders have a lot to learn from game theory - and especially, how we should think of churches as part of an "infinite game" rather than a "finite game." Drawing on Simon Sinek's new book The Infinite Game, Bill and Sarah share how infinite games provide a conceptual grounding for leading churches in the 21st century. Our Reads of the Week If you purchase through some of the following links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Thank you for supporting the work we do!  The Infinite Game - Simon Sinek About Getting to Nimble For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays. Check out all the Getting to Nimble podcast episodes here, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Infinite Games

For 50 years between them, Pastor Bill Smutz and musician Sarah Bereza have survived and thrived in churches big and small, urban and rural, good and not so good. With generous hearts and healthy boundaries, they share practical advice for church staff about working smart, cutting out the bs, and embracing the good in ministry. New episodes on 1st and 3rd Tuesdays.

hubhopper

Getting to Nimble

hubhopper