Shows
EquipCastHow Curiosity Transforms Evangelization + A New Resource to Elevate! Your Small GroupsWhat’s the secret sauce to evangelization? Aside from the Holy Spirit, it's curiosity—genuinely wanting to know and understand the person in front of you. When you show sincere interest in someone's story, experiences, and thoughts, you create space for authentic connection. This curiosity builds trust and opens the door to deeper conversations where faith can be shared naturally. Evangelization isn’t about having all the answers—it’s about being present, listening, and letting relationships grow organically.
To help you do this, our team has developed Elevate!, a new small group resource designed for meaningful conversati...2025-02-2534 min
EquipCastNarrow the FocusOur lives are busy. If you are like me, every day, there are demands on your time. I have obligations as a father, as a full-time employee, and as a faithful parishioner. If I say yes to every good idea that comes my way, then I won’t have time for the most important things. So, how does one choose?
Today, I pull another teammate in front of the microphone to talk about how to “narrow the focus”. The overabundance of good things to say yes to is not just a problem in our daily lives, it also s...2022-09-2037 min
EquipCastSkill Demo 7: Four Benefits of a Clear PathIf you have been listening to the EquipCast for a while, you know that the Clear Path to Discipleship is one of the Key Characteristics of a Missional Church. Even though I've talked about this characteristic a lot, I still find that there are misconceptions about it.
So I ask Andy Dejka, one of the Coaches on the Parish Support Team, to break it down in 10 minutes. (Well, actually it took him 13, but I promise the extra 3 minutes are worth it!)Special Guest: Andy Dejka.2022-01-1813 min
EquipCastSkill Demo 4: How to Lead a Discernment RosaryGrowing as a missional community often means taking steps into the unknown. It means opening ourselves to the newness that God desires for us, and this often includes changing our habits, our processes, or even our expectations of what's possible. But sometimes, in our planning efforts, we don't actually make space for the only one who really knows what's going on and what needs to be done in our parishes. This week, Andy Dejka leads us through one of my favorite tools for discernment, the Discernment Rosary.
A Production of the Archdiocese of Omaha2021-06-2907 min
EquipCastDads Who EvangelizeHave you ever struggled to pass on your faith to your children?
I know I'm not alone when I say that talking about the faith in an age appropriate way to my children is hard. When they are young, just getting the threenages to sit still at mass is difficult. And when they are older...well...nothing I do impresses the teenagers.
While I'm not an expert in religious education, I am a father. So I invited other passionate fathers to join me in a conversation about evangelizing our own children.
Here's some...2021-05-181h 04
EquipCastPrinciples of Team PrayerI've been on many teams throughout my career with FOCUS and at the Archdiocese. One thing I've learned is that for a team to be truly collaborative, it must have prayer as a foundation.
This foundation of prayer not only leads to greater trust among team members, it also keeps our team goals focused on God's mission for us. Effective team prayer offers the opportunity for teams to grow and discern together.
Today's podcast offers 5 principles for effective team prayer.Special Guest: Andy Dejka.2021-02-2355 min
EquipCastThe Clear Path to Discipleship: Steps 3 & 4We spend a lot of time on the EquipCast talking about reaching the lost and that parishes must be outward focused in order to grow. But I hear from many of you, "What about the already converted? We can't leave them behind either!" Steps 3 & 4 of the Clear Path to Discipleship focus on just that. How do we help disciples grow in their relationship with God, and how do we prepare them for mission?Special Guest: Andy Dejka.2020-09-1553 min
EquipCastThe Clear Path to Discipleship: Step 1We all know that there is no silver bullet, no one program that will completely renew our parishes.Even the best programs fail if our parishioners don’t know what’s next. Parishioners will simply hop from program to program if we don’t tell them the process that will lead to growth in their relationship with God. We call this a clear path to discipleship. When a person enters a parish, do they know what steps to take in order to grow in their relationship with God? Today, Andy Dejka tells us that the first step on the clear...2020-09-0145 min
EquipCastThe Clear Path to Discipleship: Step 2 (Start Your Engines: The Driving Force of Conversions)Have you heard a compelling presentation of the gospel that transformed your life? The power of our own conversions has led us to the belief that every parish needs a Conversion Engine. Join Andy Dejka and I (Jim Jansen) as we tell a little of our own stories and converse about questions such as: Why do we need a specific program or ministry for conversion if evangelization is everyone’s job? And, If our parish does decide to adopt a Conversion Engine, what should it look like?Special Guest: Andy Dejka.2020-06-2357 min
EquipCastWhere Church HappensWe’ve always said, “It’s not about the building.” So if it’s not about building, then where does church happen? And where can it happen now? Join Calvin Mueller and Andy Dejka for Friday’s EquipCast as they discuss building a culture of community in small groups during the pandemic crisis and beyond.
Members of our Evangelization team here in the Archdiocese of Omaha, Andy and Calvin are both former FOCUS Missionaries who have extensive experience translating those missionary values into parish life.Special Guests: Andy Dejka and Calvin Mueller.2020-04-0351 min