The GlobalChurch Project podcast mainly features interviews with Christian leaders from Indigenous, African-American, diaspora, and  Majority World communities and cultures (including Christian leaders from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Oceania, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and more).

So what conversations and subjects got the most downloads in 2016?

Here are the top 10 podcast episodes from The GlobalChurch Podcast for the year.

I released 42 podcast episodes in 2016, and here are the ones that got the most downloads.

To be honest, I’ve been stunned by the success of the podcast.

Many thousands have downloaded podcast episodes.

I’m thrilled that so many thousands of people have taken the time, through this project, to listen and learn from Majority World voices in 2016. I couldn’t be happier! It’s an answer to prayer.

If you haven’t subscribed to the podcast yet, please do! It’s easy and free.

Click here to subscribe via iTunes.

Click here to subscribe via my website.

You can also get updates on podcast episodes, video episodes, and blog posts on our App! It’s easy and free too.

Click here to get the App from iTunes. 

Click here to get the App from Google Play.

So, here are the top 10 most downloaded episodes in 2016.

Want to grow spiritually in 2017? These 10 podcasts will help you grow while you're on the go. Click To Tweet

 

#25: Lisa Rodriguez-Watson – Forming Christian Responses to Undocumented Neighbors, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers

Lisa Rodriguez-Watson offers a Christian response to undocumented neighbors, refugees and asylum seekers. She serves as co-founder of a grassroots organization committed to mobilizing Christians to love their undocumented neighbours. She challenges Christians to consider appropriate, Christ-honoring responses to immigration.

Here’s the audio (note that you can also access all these 10 podcasts on iTunes, here):

 

#18: Jack Sara – Serving Christ in Palestine, Israel, and Globally

Jack Sara discusses his ministry of Christian education, peacemaking, and service in Palestine, Israel, and across the globe. Jack Sara is a Palestinian Christian. He grew up in the Old City of Jerusalem, near the eighth station of the cross. After his conversion to Christ, Jack Sara got involved in a Palestinian led evangelical congregation in Jerusalem’s Old City. After completing his studies, he returned to pastor that same congregation. Under his leadership, this Palestinian church become a church planting movement, reaching out to Palestinian people and Arabs with the love of Christ. Today, Jack Sara trains people for ministry in Palestine, and other parts of the Middle East. He travels around the globe, teaching about missions and peace and reconciliation in the Middle East.

Here’s the audio:

 

#33: Soong-Chan Rah – Freeing Church from White, Western Cultural Captivity

Soong-Chan Rah unpacks emerging forms of evangelicalism, and why we need to release the church to cultural diversity and free the church from white, western cultural captivity. Soong-Chan Rah served as the founding pastor of a multi-ethnic, urban ministry-focused church, committed to living out the values of racial reconciliation and social justice in the urban context. Today, Soong-Chan Rah teaches and writes about church planting, church growth, leadership, and evangelism. Soong-Chan Rah shows how evangelicalism has long been held captive by its predominantly white cultural identity and history. He calls the churches of the West to escape their captivity to Western cultural trappings and to embrace a diverse and multiethnic future. Spiritual renewal is happening within the churches of the West, from corners and margins not always noticed by those in the centre.

Here’s the audio:

 

#41: Alexander Chow – Learning from Public Faith, Theology, and Witness in China Today

Alexander Chow unpacks what we can learn from and about public faith, theology, and witness in China today. There were probably 4 million Christians in China in 1949. There are between 70 and 100 million Christians in China today. China is on track to have more Christians than any other country by 2030. Alexander Chow helps us see what we can learn from (and about) public faith, theology, and witness in China today. Alexander Chow teaches at the Centre for the Study of World Christianity, at the University of Edinburgh.

Here’s the audio:

 

#27: Noel Castellanos – Serving with Christ Among Urban & Undocumented Neighbors

Noel Castellanos challenges us to join Jesus Christ among urban communities and undocumented immigrants and neighbors. The incarnation is the linchpin of mission today. We discuss developing a passion for urban mission, and for serving among undocumented immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. Jesus of Nazareth puts the margins at the center of his love and concern. What would it mean for the church to do the same? We also discuss the unique qualities of Latino faith. Hispanics/Latinos may surpass the 132 million mark in the U.S. by 2050, accounting for 30% of the U.S. total population. What is God doing today through these dramatic shifts in church and society?

Here’s the audio:

 

#01: Miroslav Volf – Moving from Exclusion to Embrace

Miroslav Volf helps us think about what it means to move from exclusion to embrace. He helps Christians enrich our approaches to public faith and to Muslim-Christian relations. In this podcast, Miroslav Volf invites us to overcome hatred and conflict and indifference. He challenges us to embrace the “other.”

Here’s the audio:

 

#03: Ruth Padilla DeBorst – Practicing Hospitality & Mission

 

#14: Jo Saxton – Empowering Women in Leadership and Creating Missional Churches

In this podcast, Jo Saxton and I discuss empowering women in leadership, and creating missional churches. Jo Saxton is a director in 3DM a movement/organization with a vision and passion to change the world by putting discipleship and mission back into the hands of ordinary people. Her responsibilities include leadership for 3DM STAND, a new initiative equipping women for leadership and influence wherever God has placed them. Here we talk about ways churches can empower and release women in leadership, and about ways to make disciples, and about ways to create innovative missional churches.

Here’s the audio:

 

#23: Kevin Doi – Valuing Neighborhood, Place, Community, Justice, Healing, and Mission

In one of our most popular podcasts ever, Kevin Doi discusses how we can plant and build churches that value neighborhood, place, community, justice, healing, and mission. We talk about embracing and loving our neighborhoods and place, and cultivating slow and deep relationships and discipleship. How can you join with Jesus in mission in your neighborhood, while leading people toward transformational discipleship?

Here’s the audio:

 

#24: Lamin Sanneh – Engaging Islam, and the Post-Western Christian Awakening

In the light of recent conflicts, it’s more important than ever that Christian understand Islam, and think clearly about how to engage Muslims. What should Muslim-Christian relationships look like in the 21st century? Lamin Sanneh unpacks how we can engage Islam and our Muslim neighbors. He also discusses the rise of the church outside the West. What does this post-Western Christian awakening mean for the global church, and for those of us who live in Western cultures?

Here’s the audio:

 

What Other Podcast Episodes Impressed You This Year?

Those were the top 10 podcast episodes by number of downloads in 2016.

What other The GlobalChurch Project podcast episodes impacted you this year?

Feel free to share these in the comments below.

 

Graham Hill

Dr Graham Hill is the Founding Director of The GlobalChurch Project – www.theglobalchurchproject.com. He’s the author of “GlobalChurch: Reshaping Our Conversations, Renewing Our Mission, Revitalizing Our Churches” (IVP, 2016), and 3 other books.

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