Overcoming Negative Church Culture | An Interview with Steven Hitz

Leading Saints Podcast

Leading Saints

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.9 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 26 January 2025

⏱️ 39 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Steve Hitz is a co-founder of Launching Leaders Worldwide, a faith-based nonprofit leadership program which helps young adults examine their lives, determine where they are now, where they want to be, and how to create their future while embracing their faith. He has founded companies, served as a young single adult bishop, and considers himself a Baby Boomer with a Millennial heart. Steve and his wife Ginger are blessed with three sons, two daughters, and eleven beloved grandchildren.

Links

Igniting the Holy Flame: Building Communities of Love from the Ashes of Negative Religious Culture
Launching Leaders Worldwide
Launching a Rising Generation of Leaders | An Interview with Steven Hitz and Michael Leonard
Coming Alongside Youth & Young Adults | An Interview with Steve Hitz
Steve Hitz articles at LeadingSaints.org
Share your thoughts in the Leading Saints community
Transcript coming soon
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Highlights
Steve shares his personal journey following the loss of his son to suicide, which prompted him to explore the intersection of faith, community, and mental health. He discusses concerning statistics regarding church attendance and the challenges faced by young adults in maintaining their faith, particularly within the context of negative religious cultures that often emphasize rules and conformity over love and understanding.

Steve introduces the concepts of "fabricated fellowship" and "harmful religiosity," explaining how these elements contribute to feelings of shame and disconnection among church members. He advocates for a shift towards authentic fellowship, where relationships are built on genuine care rather than obligation. The conversation delves into the idea of orthodoxy, contrasting "tight-fisted orthodoxy" with "open-hand orthodoxy," and emphasizes the need for leaders to be flexible and responsive to the spiritual needs of their congregations.

Throughout the episode, Steve shares anecdotes and insights that illustrate the importance of love, mercy, and grace in religious practice. He encourages listeners to embrace a more holistic approach to worship that prioritizes personal connection and understanding over rigid adherence to rules. The episode concludes with Steve reflecting on the positive feedback he has received from readers of his book, who have found solace and inspiration in its message.

01:41 - Introduction to Igniting the Holy Flame by Steve Hitz
02:32 - The Impact of Personal Tragedy on Faith
06:04 - Statistics on Religious Attendance and Faith
09:24 - The Role of Questions in Faith
10:13 - Defining Religious Culture
12:27 - The Importance of Authentic Fellowship
13:36 - The Balance of Doctrine and Culture
15:41 - Understanding Orthodoxy: Open vs. Closed Fist
20:22 - The Role of the Holy Spirit in Leadership
23:06 - The Need for Authentic Relationships
25:06 - The Concept of Fabricated Fellowship
27:52 - Solutions for Authentic Fellowship
30:30 - The Importance of Living the Gospel

Transcript

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0:00.0	Have you ever tried to help youth with their mental health? That's a tricky road to travel.
0:06.7	I have to tell you about an inspiring presentation we recorded with a one and only Jody Moore.
0:12.1	Yes, that life coaching Jody Moore. A few years ago, she recorded a fantastic presentation
0:18.0	covering topics like normalizing tough feelings with youth, a more positive
0:22.7	understanding of stress, how to minimize shame, and mastering the skill set of empathy and better
0:28.7	understanding anxiety. I want you to see this presentation as soon as you finish this podcast
0:33.8	episode. You can go to leadingsaints.org slash 14 and this will get you access to the entire video library at no cost for 14 days.
0:42.9	Jody's presentation is in the Mentally Healthy Saints Library,
0:46.3	and you'll be a better leader or parent when you finish it.
0:49.8	Again, go to leadingsaints.org slash 14,
0:52.1	or check out the show notes for the link.
0:59.1	Hey, if you're a newbie to leading saints is important that you know, what is this
1:03.2	leading saints thing? Well, Leading Saints is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping
1:08.4	Latter-day Saints be better prepared to lead. And the way we do
1:12.6	that is through content creation. So we have this phenomenal podcast. We have a newsletter. We have
1:17.5	virtual conferences. So much more. Articles on our website. I mean, I could go on and on, right?
1:22.8	And we encourage you to jump in, check out Leading Saints. Go to the search bar at leadingsaints.org and type in some topics and see what pops up.
1:31.7	We're just glad you're here to join us.
1:37.5	Hey there, I got another book for you to read.
1:39.8	It's called Igniting the Holy Flame, Building Communities of Love from the Ashes of Negative
1:45.8	Religious Culture.
1:47.0	And it's by my good friend Steve Hitz, who has been on the podcast a few times.
	...

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