This week, Shannon Hopkins and Rev. Mark Elsdon continue their takeover of the Igniting Imagination podcast, exploring the transformative potential of reimagining church properties to serve the community in new and meaningful ways. Rev. Chrisy Ennen, Minister of Word and Sacrament at First Presbyterian Church of Gulf Shores, in Gulf Shores, Alabama, shares how her congregation revitalized their church space into a thriving business center. By listening and fostering partnerships, the church discovered how to meet community needs while strengthening its mission and financial stability.

Join us as we look at what’s possible when a church steps beyond traditional roles to embrace its full potential as a force for good.

Co-Hosts

Shannon Hopkins is Co-Founder of Rooted Good and a Locke Innovative Leader. She is an extreme networker and social entrepreneur living in East London. Her passion for community and individual transformation has launched or influenced the formation of fifteen campaigns, projects, and organizations — and trained over 200 social entrepreneurs. In 2008, Shannon was awarded the Women of the UN and UK’s Annual Woman of Peace Award for The Truth isn’t Sexy, a campaign that addressed the demand side of human trafficking.

Rev. Mark Elsdon is Co-Founder and Lead Builder of Rooted Good. He lives and works at the intersection of money and meaning as an entrepreneur, nonprofit executive, author, and speaker. He is the author of We Aren't Broke: Uncovering Hidden Resources for Mission and Ministry (2021) and editor of Gone for Good? Negotiating the Coming Wave of Church Property Transition (2024). In addition to his role as a Director with RootedGood, Mark is also Executive Director at Pres House, where he led the transformation of a dormant non-profit into a growing, vibrant, multi-million dollar organization.

Guest

Rev. Chrisy Ennen serves as Minister of Word and Sacrament at First Presbyterian Church of Gulf Shores, in Gulf Shores, Alabama. She is married with two adult children and three amazing rescue dogs. She has an MDIV from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, an MA in Leadership and Ministry from Greenville College, an MBA from SIUE, and a BA in Business Management from Greenville College. Rev. Ennen is passionate about the important role the church plays in the flourishing of the local community and is grateful for how she gets to live that out on the Alabama Gulf Coast.

Episode Highlights

The church's property can serve the community in transformative ways beyond housing.
Effective community engagement and collaboration are essential for successful church property projects.
Listening to local needs can lead to innovative uses of church facilities and resources.
Transformational church initiatives can be achieved with minimal upfront investment and quick execution.
Building partnerships with community organizations can enhance the church's mission and outreach efforts.

Timestamps

(00:00) Intro

(01:54) Shannon and Mark’s intro to the episode

(06:12) Interview with Rev. Chrisy Ennen

(41:10) Rev. Chrisy Ennen answers rapid-fire questions

Links

Visit our show’s website at www.ignitingimagination.org.

To view videos of podcast episodes, please go to the Igniting Imagination YouTube.

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Besides Housing, What Are Other Ideas for Re-Imagining Church Property? with Rev. Chrisy Ennen