Introducing Credible Witness, a new podcast produced by Mark Labberton and the Rethinking Church Initiative.

In this episode of Conversing, Mark features the full premiere episode of Credible Witness, and is joined by host Nikki Toyama-Szeto and historian Jemar Tisby.

Exploring how Christian witness to the gospel of Christ has become compromised—and what might restore its credibility. Reflecting on five years of candid, challenging conversation among diverse Christian leaders during the wake of George Floyd’s murder and rising Christian nationalism, the three discuss the soul-searching, disillusionment, and hope that emerged.

Together, they examine the cultural fractures, theological tensions, and moral failures that have pushed many to extremes, elevating strident voices as an increased number of people to leave the church.

They articulate the mission and vision of Credible Witness, testify to a persistent hope in Jesus and the power of honest community, face painful truths, and imagine a church that more truly reflects the love, justice, and mercy of God.

Key Moments

1. “We absolutely get that… but we’re still on board with Jesus. And Jesus has always been with us and hasn’t left us.”
2. “This isn’t about leaving Jesus. This is about following Jesus.”
3. “We’ve got a better story to tell.”
4. “It was the church that was putting the church at risk.”
5. “The church has a reputation in the United States… and not a good one by and large.”

About the Guests

Nikki Toyama-Szeto is the host of Credible Witness, and is executive director of Christians for Social Action, equipping the church to pursue justice and follow Jesus in the tension of our times.

Jemar Tisby is the author of The Color of Compromise and How to Fight Racism, and founder of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective. He is the host of Pass the Mic.

Show Notes

• “This isn’t about leaving Jesus. This is about following Jesus.” —Jemar Tisby
• Nikki introduces Credible Witness as a space for honest stories of faith amid moral complexity and social tension
• Mark recalls the origins of the conversation in summer 2020: COVID-19, George Floyd, church division, and racial injustice
• Jemar Tisby clarifies the mission for imagining a more credible Christian witness
• Nikki reflects on trust-building in a space that welcomed “tricky truths” and honesty without pretense
• The group’s five-year journey begins as a short experiment but grows into a lasting community of deep discernment
• “We weren’t trying to replicate any harm.” —Jemar Tisby
• The group names white Christian nationalism and silence on injustice as threats to the church’s credibility
• Ephesians 2 and the power of “coming together of the unlikes” as a witness to the resurrection
• “It was the church that was putting the gospel at risk.” —Mark Labberton
• Nikki explains how church neutrality began to speak volumes: “Choosing silence was actually a loud voice.”
• Discussion on the failure of integrity: “Too many things in isolation” eroded credibility
• Jemar highlights story as central to public theology: “We’ve got a better story to tell.”
• The group wrestles with algorithmic distortion and toxic digital narratives shaping Christian identity
• “Not just message, but embodiment”: The church’s credibility depends on lived ethics, not just theological claims
• Mark emphasizes self-examination: “Are we credible?”
• Dissonance and disagreement as gifts: “What kept people in the room was the gift of dissonance.” —Nikki Toyama-Szeto
• Jemar recalls moments of tension over how to prioritize justice issues while remaining unified in Christ
• The group’s diversity as a deliberate strategy: different traditions, backgrounds, and responsibilities within the church
• Nikki names divine timing: the conversation is more urgent now than when it began
• “We’re not all supposed to be the same... That’s how everything gets covered.” —Jemar Tisby
• Mark frames the church’s failure as internal implosion—not external threat
• “Why is the church seemingly so unchanged?” —Mark Labberton
• Nikki describes how marginalized voices carry wisdom for the way forward
• Jemar articulates the podcast’s goal: a mirror and a window for listeners to see both themselves and the larger church
• Nikki closes with an invitation to slow down and listen generously: “Pull up a chair...”

Production Credits

Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment Magazine and Fuller Seminary.

In the aftermath of the devastating Eaton Canyon Fire in Altadena, California, three Pasadena community leaders—Mayra Macedo-Nolan, Pastor Kerwin Manning, and Megan Katerjian—join host Mark Labberton for a sobering and hopeful conversation on what it takes to rebuild homes, neighbourhoods, and lives. Together they discuss their personal losses, the long-term trauma facing their neighbours, the racial and economic disparities exposed by disaster, and how the church is rising to meet these challenges with grit, grace, and faith.

Their stories illuminate how a community holds fast when the media leaves, when vultures circle, and when the work is just beginning. This is a conversation about sacred presence, practical resilience, and the enduring witness of faithful service—even in the ashes.

Mayra Macedo-Nolan is executive director of the Clergy Community Coalition of Greater Pasadena

Kerwin Manning is senior pastor of Pasadena Church

Megan Katerjian is CEO of Door of Hope Ministries

Helpful Links and Resources

• Door of Hope Pasadena – Family homelessness intervention and fire assistance program
• Pasadena Church – Kerwin Manning’s congregation and relief center
• Clergy Community Coalition of Greater Pasadena – Mayra Macedo-Nolan’s organization supporting pastors and churches
• Isaiah 61:3 – “Beauty for ashes” verse referenced by Kerwin
• Andre Crouch – “Soon and Very Soon” – Gospel anthem of hope quoted by Pastor Kerwin

Show Notes

• CCC (Clergy Community Coalition) rapidly pivoted to virtual meetings the morning after hurricane-force winds and fire struck Altadena.
• “We moved it to virtual … and then we had no idea what was gonna happen that evening and overnight.” —Mayra Macedo-Nolan
• After the fire started, fifty-six participants gathered online, including city leaders and faith-based partners, forming a core response network.
• “Everybody wanted to be together … especially in a crisis like this.” —Mayra
• Pastor Kerwin and his wife Madeline evacuated with almost no notice after hearing the sheriff outside their door.
• “We, Madeline and I, like so many others, were fleeing for our lives.” —Kerwin Manning
• For weeks, they didn’t know whether their home was still standing; the priority became their church and community.
• “We didn’t know if our home was standing … we were more concerned about our church, our community.” —Kerwin
• Pasadena Church began relief work immediately—even before confirming their own housing stability.
• “This is the first interview or anything I’ve done online back in my home.” —Kerwin
• Door of Hope’s CEO evacuated with her children and lost her home; she quickly organized shelter responses for others.
• “I found out that my house had been entirely destroyed.” —Megan Katerjian
• Within ten days, Door of Hope launched a formal housing assistance program for fire-affected families.
• “Door of Hope had launched what we call the Eaton Fire Housing Assistance Program.” —Megan
• The CCC became a spiritual and logistical backbone for Altadena’s recovery, activating two decades of community-building.
• “This was a time that it was really important for the local clergy to be in conversation with one another.” —Mayra
• Pasadena Church became a distribution hub, serving as far east as any organization in the city.
• “We wore our church members out.” —Kerwin
• Over two months, the church distributed daily essentials from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., shifting to a long-term weekly rhythm.
• “We thought we would do it for a couple of weeks … we were doing it every day … for about two months straight.” —Kerwin
• “We might run out of water, we might run out of toothpaste, but we refuse to run out of smiles and kindness.” —Kerwin
• Altadena’s west side—long a haven for black and brown families—suffered the worst structural damage and displacement.
• “Altadena had been a haven really for black and brown families who couldn’t purchase homes anywhere.” —Mayra
• Many affected residents were informal renters or multigenerational households without clear legal housing claims.
• “These are the stories of people … for whom there is no path back to Altadena anytime soon.” —Megan
• Eleven churches were lost or damaged, including small and under-resourced congregations still unsure about rebuilding.
• “We lost ten houses of worship, and one was partially burned … essentially eleven.” —Mayra
• Local churches served both members and neighbors regardless of formal affiliation, often the first to show up with aid.
• “We don’t do any of this work alone.” —Megan
• CCC supports over a hundred churches across Pasadena with infrastructure, grants, emotional care, and community strategy.
• “We want them to be okay … and then as they serve their church members and the neighbors surrounding their church.” —Mayra
• Door of Hope offered security deposits, rent, emergency shelter, tool replacement, and even vehicles to affected families.
• “Beauty for ashes”
• “We just have to do more of it.” —Megan
• Volunteers gave out handwritten cards from kids across the country; some were shared at distribution events.
• “I’ve got a box full of cards from kids … just like it’s going to be okay. We’re praying for it.” —Kerwin
• A guiding pastoral metaphor: vultures circling a wounded deer, and the need to protect the vulnerable from predation.
• “The vultures were circling … and I covered the deer … and the vultures left.” —Kerwin
• “The needs have not slowed. …  Finances always follow just heart and compassion and awareness.” —Megan
• “You learn so much in the middle of crisis. One of the things that crisis does is it confirms character and you realize like what people are made of when you're going through something.”
• “Until. Until the need is gone, until we don’t have to do it anymore.” —Kerwin
• The immigrant community faces a second “fire”—ICE raids and deportation threats layered atop housing loss.
• “The intersection of those … the two fires, the fire that we didn’t know we were gonna have, and the fire that we knew was coming.” —Mayra
• CCC pastors protested ICE actions together, maintaining peace through community presence and music.
• “The pastors were there … and then it’s just … it’s a sacred party.” —Mayra
• Latino cultural traditions of protest, grief, and celebration shaped a healing, communal public presence.
• “We cry and we’re gonna probably celebrate and eat food and dance together.” —Mayra
• Local leaders are pushing back against a ten-year recovery timeline with a goal of rebuilding within three to five years.
• “We reject that. She said three to five years, that’s what we’re gonna push for.” —Mayra
• Community grief deepened when the first burned lot was sold; hope emerged again when the first rebuilding began.
• “There they go … it’s gonna start selling.” / “We think there was … this collective celebration.” —Mayra
• “Soon and very soon we’re gonna see the King.” —Kerwin
• Kerwin invoked Isaiah 61:3: “Beauty will rise” as a spiritual theme for their church’s recovery ministry.
• “We believe that we’re able to continue to do what we’re doing knowing that, trusting that beauty’s gonna rise.” —Kerwin
• The phrase “Altadena is not for sale” became a rallying cry—although some elders opted to relocate for peace.
• “It’s up to you. Our prayer is that more people will want to stay than leave.” —Kerwin
• Ongoing challenges include zoning delays, state and county coordination issues, and political friction at the national level.
• “The church has always been a vital provider of resources, critical social services and resources in communities on an ongoing basis in normal time.” —Mayra
• ”The greatest sense that you get from being there is people are together. There’s a sense of unity and community protection that is very palpable.”
• A sacred party
• Resilience and God’s presence and strength
• “It feels like our president doesn’t like us … our governor … whatever they’ve got going on affects us.” —Kerwin
• “The church … is always a vital provider … of resources, critical social services … in normal time.” —Mayra

About the Guests

Mayra Macedo-Nolan is executive director of the Clergy Community Coalition of Greater Pasadena, where she leads efforts to strengthen faith-based response to systemic inequities in housing, education, and social services. Formerly on pastoral staff at Lake Avenue Church, she’s spent two decades in community leadership in Pasadena and Altadena.

Pastor Kerwin Manning is senior pastor of Pasadena Church and a founding leader in the Clergy Community Coalition. A long-time advocate for youth and justice, he’s served the Pasadena community with a heart for unity, compassion, and spiritual renewal.

Megan Katerjian is CEO of Door of Hope, a Pasadena-based non-profit serving homeless and at-risk families. With over twenty years in non-profit leadership, Megan is also an ordained pastor with deep roots in faith-based social services and community development.

Production Credits

Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.

Are the best days of the church behind us? Or ahead? Kara Powell and Ray Chang join Mark Labberton to discuss Future-Focused Church: Reimagining Ministry to the Next Generation, co-authored with Jake Mulder. Drawing on extensive research, practical frameworks, and decades of leadership at Fuller Seminary and the TENx10 Collaboration, Powell and Chang map a path forward for the church—one rooted in relational discipleship, kingdom diversity, and tangible neighbour love. In a moment marked by disaffiliation, disillusionment, and institutional fragility, they offer a hopeful vision: churches that are brave enough to listen deeply, lead adaptively, and partner with the next generation in mission. This conversation unpacks their “Here to There” framework, the role of human agency in ecclesial change, and why honouring young people isn’t pandering—it’s planting seeds for the future of faith.

Episode Highlights

1. “We believe the best days of the church are ahead.”
2. “Leadership begins with listening.”
3. “Unless strategy emerges out of culture, or unless the culture is changed, it’s really hard to lead.”
4. “Everything rises when we focus on young people.”
5. “Agency is the intersection of knowing, being, and doing.”

Helpful Resources and Links

• Future-Focused Church by Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Ray Chang (InterVarsity Press)
• Fuller Youth Institute—Research and innovation for youth ministry
• TENx10 Collaboration—Movement to help faith matter more for ten million young people over ten years
• Asian American Christian Collaborative—Equipping Asian American Christians for faithful public witness
• ”Churches and Change: Adaptive Leadership”—Heifetz on adaptive vs. technical change (Harvard Business Review)
• Rethinking Church in the 21st Century (Fuller Seminary)—Ongoing work in contextual theology and church innovation

About Kara Powell

Kara Powell is the chief of leadership formation at Fuller Seminary, executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute, and founder of the TENx10 Collaboration. A leading voice in youth ministry and church innovation, she is author or co-author of numerous books including Sticky Faith, Growing Young, and 3 Big Questions That Change Every Teenager. She is co-author of Future-Focused Church: Reimagining Ministry to the Next Generation.

About Ray Chang

Ray Chang is executive director of the TENx10 Collaboration and president of the Asian American Christian Collaborative. A pastor, activist, and writer, Ray’s work focuses on racial justice, next-gen discipleship, and building churches that reflect the diversity of God’s kingdom. He is co-author of Future-Focused Church: Reimagining Ministry to the Next Generation.

Show Notes

• Kara Powell is chief of leadership formation at Fuller Seminary and executive director of the Fuller Youth Institute
• Ray Chang is executive director of the TENx10 Collaboration and president of the Asian American Christian Collaborative
• Future-Focused Church offers a framework for adaptive change, grounded in Scripture, research, and practical leadership
• “Leadership begins with listening”—Kara shares the importance of appreciative inquiry and asking youth what matters to them
• Ray describes today’s church as “a church actively trying to define and redefine itself in tumultuous and complex times”
• Simple but powerful framework: Here to There—understanding where we are and where God is calling us next
• Three checkpoints of a future-focused church: relationally discipling young people, modelling kingdom diversity, tangibly loving our neighbours
• “Everything rises when we focus on young people”—churches flourish when the next generation is centered
• Data shows only one in three senior pastors rank young people among their top five priorities
• Kara: “I wish the problem was that young people were overly prioritized—sadly, it’s the opposite”
• Church innovation isn’t just strategic, it’s adaptive: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
• Ray explains why Covid exposed the difference between technical and adaptive change in the church
• Kara: “We overestimate what we can accomplish in one year and underestimate what we can do in three to five.”
• Biblical foundations explored—Paul’s epistles blend being and doing; Galatians 5 offers a model of fruitful action
• Human agency as divine invitation—Ray: “God invites us to partner in God’s work for the flourishing of humanity”
• Kara’s church story: youth sat in the front, fully engaged—“They prioritized us”
• Simple action steps from churches include showing up to youth events and publicly celebrating young people’s milestones
• Mark Labberton challenges the idea of “pandering” to youth—Kara responds with data and theological reflection
• Ray reflects on the complex dynamics in immigrant and second-gen Asian American churches—“placelessness” and a search for belonging
• Importance of community: following Jesus together, across generations, cultures, and neighbourhoods
• Kara reframes giving: “Young people want to give to people and to purpose—not to perpetuate programs”
• “Culture is where values are held; unless strategy aligns with culture, it will be resisted”—Ray on organizational change
• Intergenerational relationships are critical—older adults model faith and love through presence and commitment
• The book offers not just direction but formation: process, practice, and people matter as much as the goal
• “If there’s ever a moment to care about the church—and young people—it’s now.”

Production Credits

Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.

With a B3 organ, a prophetic imagination, and a heart broken wide open by grace, gospel music legend Andraé Crouch (1942–2015) left an indelible mark on modern Christian worship music. In this episode, Stephen Newby and Robert Darden offer a sweeping yet intimate exploration of his life, spiritual vision, and genre-defining genius.

Together with Mark Labberton, they discuss their new biography Soon and Very Soon: The Transformative Music and Ministry of Andraé Crouch. Through laughter, lament, and lyrical memory, Newby and Darden—both scholars at Baylor University and co-authors of the first serious biography of Crouch—share stories of discovering Crouch’s music, the theological and cultural forces that shaped it, and why his legacy matters now more than ever. They offer insights about modern musical history, spiritual reflections, and cultural analysis, inviting us into the soul of a man who helped bring modern gospel into being.

Episode Highlights

1. “Musical genius is where observation, curiosity, imagination, and humility are baked in the oven.”
2. “He was always tracking what was going on in the room and in his heart. He understood the cues, clues, and codes of what God was doing.”
3. “Andraé felt it was important that the music was just as inspired as the lyrics. It was total praise.”
4. “’Soon and Very Soon’ is an ancient future song—we have to keep singing it, especially now.”
5. “Andraé burned out a lot of musicians—but all of them adore him to this day.”

Helpful Links and Resources

• Soon and Very Soon: The Transformative Music and Ministry of Andraé Crouch by Stephen Newby and Robert Darden (Penn State University Press)
• Black Gospel Music Preservation Project (Baylor University)
• “Jesus Is the Answer,” by Andraé Crouch
• “Through It All,” by Andraé Crouch
• “Soon and Very Soon,” **by Andraé Crouch
• People Get Ready! A New History of Black Gospel Music by Robert Darden

About Stephen Newby

Stephen Michael Newby is a composer, conductor, and scholar. He serves as the Lev H. Prichard III Endowed Chair in the Study of Black Worship at Baylor University and is a professor of music in the Baylor School of Music. A widely recognized expert on gospel, jazz, and black sacred music, he is also affiliated with the Black Gospel Music Preservation Project as an ambassador and collaborator. He is co-author of Soon and Very Soon: The Transformative Music and Ministry of Andraé Crouch.

About Robert Darden

Robert F. Darden is emeritus professor of journalism at Baylor University and founder of the Black Gospel Music Preservation Project. A former gospel music editor at Billboard magazine, Darden is the author of numerous books on gospel music history, including People Get Ready! A New History of Black Gospel Music and Nothing But Love in God’s Water. He is co-author of Soon and Very Soon: The Transformative Music and Ministry of Andraé Crouch.

Show Notes

• Andraé Crouch called the “father of contemporary modern gospel” for his groundbreaking influence on the genre
• Guest Stephen Newby holds the Lev H. Pritchard III Chair in Black Worship and Music at Baylor University
• Guest Robert Darden is emeritus professor of journalism at Baylor and founder of the Black Gospel Music Preservation Project
• Labberton celebrates the book’s narrative, musical, and sociocultural scope
• Crouch grew up in a Pentecostal context that encouraged musical exploration and spiritual improvisation
• Gospel rooted in KoGIC (Church of God in Christ) tradition, blending Beale Street sounds with evangelical fervour
• Darden describes Crouch’s early music as “jazz, pop... but wait, it is gospel—they’re singing about Jesus”
• Crouch and his sister Sandra composed “Jesus Is the Answer,” considered the first modern praise and worship song
• The book includes more than two hundred interviews from gospel musicians, friends, and collaborators
• Crouch read the room and followed the Spirit—every performance was improvisational, responsive, alive
• “Through It All” composed after the heartbreak of a failed relationship; the grief birthed one of his most lasting songs
• Gospel music as lament and praise: “We hear the pain, we hear the resolve, we hear the lament turning to praise”
• Crouch’s “Take Me Back” begins with Billy Preston on B3 organ—“He hasn’t forgotten the church,” says Newby
• Earth, Wind & Fire, Motown, and classical influences shaped Crouch’s orchestration and arrangements
• Darden: “He wanted the music to sound as good as the words. It was obsessive—but it was for God.”
• Andraé’s collaboration with producer/drummer Bill Maxwell led to a string of gospel albums with unmatched quality
• “We are going to see the King”: the timeless hope of “Soon and Very Soon” rooted in the black spiritual tradition
• Crouch’s music was not only groundbreaking—it was pastoral, prophetic, and profoundly personal
• Evangelistic to his dying breath, Crouch witnessed to hospital staff and janitors alike
• The book's subtitle “Transformative Music and Ministry” is more than academic—it’s biographical theology
• Newby and Darden’s friendship mirrors Crouch and Maxwell’s cross-cultural collaboration
• Soon and Very Soon offers readers a chance to read with phone in hand—listening and learning simultaneously
• “Jesus is the answer” remains a musical and theological call across generations

Production Credits

Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.

During a moment of historic turbulence and Christian polarization, Trinity Forum president Cherie Harder stepped away from the political and spiritual vortex of Washington, DC, for a month-long pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago—a.k.a. “the Camino” or “the Way.”

In this episode, she reflects on the spiritual, emotional, and physical rhythms of pilgrimage as both counterpoint and counter-practice to the fracturing pressures of American civic and religious life. Together, she and Mark Labberton consider how such a posture of pilgrimage—marked by humility, presence, and receptivity—can help reshape how we understand Christian witness in a fraught and antagonistic time.

Harder explores how her Camino sabbatical offered her a deeply embodied spiritual liturgy—one that grounded her leadership and personal formation after years of intense service in government and faith-based institutions. She also reflects on the internal and external catalysts that led her to walk three hundred miles across Portugal and Spain, including burnout, anxiety, and the desire to “walk things off.” What emerged was not a single epiphany but a profound reorientation: a reordering of attention, a rediscovery of joy, and a new kind of sociological imagination—one that sees neighbourliness through the eyes of a pilgrim, not a partisan.

Episode Highlights

1. “Being a pilgrim, one is a stranger in a strange land, one has no pretensions to ruling the place. … It’s a different way of being in the world.”
2. “There was a widespread belief in the importance of persuasion … a very different posture than seeking to dominate, humiliate, and pulverize.”
3. “Every day is literally putting one foot in front of the other. And you spend each day outside—whether it’s in sunshine or in rain.”
4. “There’s a pilgrim sociology that is so counter to how we interact in civic space today. … It’s a different way of being in the world.”
5. “You’re tired, and there’s an invitation to stop and to pray.”
6. “I didn’t have an epiphany, but what I had instead was a daily practice that fed my soul.”

Helpful Links and Resources

• The Trinity Forum
• The Way (film) – a film about the Camino starring Martin Sheen
• Off the Road: A Modern-Day Walk Down the Pilgrim’s Route into Spain by Jack Hitt
• Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan (Project Gutenberg)
• Sabbath as Resistance by Walter Brueggemann
• Camino de Santiago Overview – Wikipedia

About Cherie Harder

Cherie Harder is president of the Trinity Forum, a non-profit that curates Christian thought leadership to engage public life, spiritual formation, and the arts. She previously served in multiple leadership roles in the US government, including in the White House under President George W. Bush, and as policy director to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. A graduate of Harvard University, she is a writer, speaker, and advocate for grace-filled public discourse and thoughtful Christian engagement in civic life.

Show Notes

• Cherie Harder is president of the Trinity Forum, a non-profit based in Washington, DC, and focused on Christian thought leadership.
• She previously served in the White House and as policy director for the Senate Majority Leader.
• Harder reflects on how leadership now requires “counterforce just to stay in the same place.”
• She critiques the rise of “performative belligerence” in both civic and Christian life.
• “There’s a premium placed on humiliating and deeply personally insulting the other side—and somehow that’s seen as strength.”
• She contrasts past politics, which valued persuasion, with today’s polarization, which valorizes domination.
• “Persuasion takes others seriously. It assumes they’re reasonable and open.”
• The Camino de Santiago and pilgrimage
• Harder walked over three hundred miles, from Lisbon to Santiago, along the Portuguese Camino.
• She frames pilgrimage as an act of spiritual resistance against anxiety, burnout, and cultural chaos.
• “I need to find a way to walk this off.”
• The daily rhythm of the Camino offered physical and spiritual rest: wake, walk, eat, reflect, rest, repeat.
• “Every day was the opportunity to just move, to see, to attend to what was in front of me.”
• She was struck by the liturgical nature of walking: “There’s no perfect walk, but you have to start.”
• Each step became a form of prayer, an embodied spiritual practice.
• Embodied spiritual formation
• Harder calls the Camino “a liturgy of the body”—a spiritual discipline grounded in physical motion.
• “Being in your body every day changes you—it makes your needs visible, your limits felt, your joy more palpable.”
• She found that physical needs—food, rest, shelter—highlighted spiritual hungers and gratitudes.
• The rhythm reoriented her from leadership stress to lived dependence on grace.
• “I didn’t have an epiphany. But what I had instead was a daily practice that fed my soul.”
• Spiritual renewal and rhythmic practices
• Harder affirms that the Camino gave her a hunger for spiritual rest she hadn’t fully realized.
• “It showed me the deficiency was greater than I thought … I’ve missed this.”
• She explores how practices of solitude, walking, and prayer can carry over into her work.
• Mark Labberton proposes Sabbath-keeping as one way to embody pilgrimage back home.
• “We may not all get to Portugal—but we can still find a Camino in our days.”
• Harder is now exploring how to sustain “a rhythmic alteration of how we hold time.”
• Pilgrim sociology and neighbourliness
• Harder describes a “pilgrim sociology”—a social vision rooted in vulnerability, curiosity, humility, and shared burdens.
• “We’re in a strange land. We’re not here to rule, but to receive.”
• The Camino fostered solidarity through shared hardship and generosity.
• “You literally carry each other’s burdens.”
• She draws a sharp contrast between the posture of a pilgrim and the posture of a combatant.
• “It leads to a much kinder, gentler world—because it’s not a posture of domination.”
• Spiritual lessons from the Camino
• The convergence at Santiago prompted reflection on heaven: “All these people, from different paths, looking up at glory.”
• She was reminded of Jesus’s words, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
• “The Camino literally means ‘the Way.’ You’re relying on direction that is true.”
• The historic path invites pilgrims into the long, sacred story of the church.
• “You feel part of something bigger—millions have gone before you.”

Production Credits

Conversing is produced and distributed in partnership with Comment magazine and Fuller Seminary.