VOX Mini - Empowering Micro Communities: Creating Safe Spaces for Honest Faith Conversations

Voxology

Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 7 December 2019

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

How the Voxology vision of micro communities is providing spiritually curious and deconstructed Christians a new path forward. Hosts Bonnie Lewis, Tim Stafford, and Mike Erre respond to listener emails and dive into what it takes to start a local micro community—spaces for meaningful conversation, vulnerability, spiritual practice, and radical inclusion without the pressure or performance of a traditional church model. Tim shares his real-world experience launching a micro community in Auburn, California, offering both inspiration and practical wisdom for anyone asking, “Is church still necessary?”

Key Takeaways:
• Creating Micro Communities for the Spiritually Homeless – Explore what it means to build safe, open, and inclusive spaces for faith beyond traditional church gatherings.
• Community Over Institution – Why centering conversations around Jesus, mutual care, and open dialogue is often more life-giving than Sunday services.
• Simple but Intentional Gatherings – Hear how Tim started with friends, built trust, and allowed the community to grow organically—no pastors or pulpits required.
• Theological Openness – Micro communities are not church “replacements” but are intentional spaces to explore hard issues, listen to one another, and focus on marginalized voices.
• Practical Examples – How to facilitate topics, include young families, rotate meeting times, and develop guiding values for your group.

Guest Highlights:
Tim Stafford – Voxology co-host and impromptu micro community leader who shares the origin and growth of his Auburn-based group—including how he structured it, the kind of people who show up, and the welcoming ethos they live by.

Resources Mentioned:
• World Relief – https://worldrelief.org/
• Topic Ideas – Voxology Podcast back catalog
• Mike's quote: “If we can agree on Jesus, we can break bread.”
• Well vs. Boundary-Centered Communities – A model of inclusion and growth
• Skyline Chili (but only in passing…)

Join the growing Voxology movement by starting your own micro community or exploring how to step into deeper spiritual conversations outside the institutional church. Subscribe to the podcast, share your thoughts, and follow us on social media to keep the dialogue going.

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV

Our Merch Store! ETSY

Learn more about the Voxology Podcast

Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify

Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

As always, we encourage and would love discussion as we pursue. Feel free to email in questions to [email protected], and to engage the conversation on Facebook and Instagram.

We're on YouTube (if you're into that kinda thing): VOXOLOGY TV.

Our Merch Store! ETSY

Learn more about the Voxology Podcast

Subscribe on iTunes or Spotify

Support the Voxology Podcast on Patreon

The Voxology Spotify channel can be found here: Voxology Radio

Follow Mike on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mikeerre

Music in this episode by Timothy John Stafford

Instagram & Twitter: @GoneTimothy

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey everybody, Vox Podcast here.
0:08.3	Welcome to the show with your hosts today.
0:12.4	Tim Stafford producing, Bonnie Lewis hosting, and Michael Erie Roasting.
0:20.3	That's what's happening. That's what's happening.
0:23.0	That's what's happening here.
0:25.1	We're doing some many episodes.
0:26.5	We've gotten a lot of questions around the idea of micro communities.
0:30.7	We introduced this several episodes back in terms of where we want to take this thing.
0:35.7	And we've heard from people in Maine and Alaska and New Zealand,
0:41.4	Corona, California, Auburn, California, the Bay Area, Phoenix, Cincinnati, Dallas, Fort Worth,
0:47.6	northeast Ohio, Washington, D.C., Alexandria, Virginia, Folsom, San Diego, San Luis,
0:52.9	Obispo County, Springfield, Ohio,
0:55.6	and other places that I have forgotten.
0:58.5	We have heard from a ton of people who want to be a part of these things, but we've gotten
1:01.8	some specific questions around what these are, and so we thought today we'd have our very
1:09.6	own Tim Stafford, or as Seth calls him, Tim Staff.
1:13.2	He does.
1:15.0	Tim Staff.
1:16.1	And then he, I have to bring him in sometime to have him say Bonnie Lewis because he says it.
1:21.0	He just says it the cutest way possible.
1:23.0	I love him.
1:24.2	So, Tim Staff.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Voxology, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Voxology and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.