{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"This Strange Land","title":"Pastoring the Future of the Church with Father Elsbett","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":4378,"description":"Jason talks with Father George Elsbett, LC, a priest of the John Paul 2 Center in Vienna who has spent years facilitating a growing, thriving little community of faith that is capturing the minds of young people. In a space where people are leaving the Catholic Church, Father George is leading the way in captivating hearts and bringing them into the love of God. He shares about his openness to reevaluating everything and how his journey with God has led him to unimaginable fruit for the Kingdom.\nSHOWNOTES\nIn this episode you’ll hear about how Father George re-imagined what evangelization can be like in present-day Vienna, and the principles we can all learn from it in an apostolic age. Here are some key moments.\nTimes have changed and our methods of bringing the Gospel need to as well \n3:40 - Although Europe is filled with beautiful churches and masses, the reality reveals that 94% of Catholics no longer practice their faith.8:00 - Unpacking the history and the reality of the Church across Europe. In North America we often romanticize the beauty of churches and cultural heritage of Catholicism, that it’s going to get the faith back.13:20 - We are no longer the Church of the People. People used to come to Church but we don’t live in a Christendom world anymore. The challenge is pastors aren’t necessarily trained for a reality where it’s not the culture that everyone is coming to Church. \nGod’s movement in the life of Father George\n18:26 - Father George shares about his vagabond childhood with his atheist mother and father who was fleeing the police. He shares the beautiful way his mother and in turn him, encountered Jesus in a way that changed their lives forever.27:09 - Father George begins to share about the experiences that started to happen that led to building his thriving little quasi-parish community in Vienna to reach young, unchruched people. He shares about the several unsuccessful starts and how that helped lead him towards growth, including being open...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/IvZQUuuFDBdc51EMBHmWxYCYhxBYO83KUbsAW75PSkc/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS85Yzk3/YWVlZTZhZjg0MWJm/NGQyNmEyNGE0N2E0/MWUxNS5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}