Scripture Untangled

Season 11: Episode 10 | Joni Sancken | How is Gen Z Discovering Scripture?

You can also watch on YouTube, listen to and/or subscribe/follow Scripture Untangled on: Apple, Spotify and iHeartRadio.

Explore more Scripture Untangled episodes.

In this episode, Joni and Andrew discuss:

• Joni’s journey into preaching and they explore how faith, family, and church community shaped her calling, and look at how Scripture moves from the page to the pulpit.

• What happens when congregations lose Bible fluency as they unpack Paul Wilson’s “Four Pages of the Sermon” as a way to move from trouble to grace.

• They wrestle with the disruptive power of the Gospel and reflect on preaching with honesty in a world of trauma and uncertainty.

• How Scripture gives us language when words fail. Joni talks about the space Scripture has for lament, questions, and encounters with God.

• The “thin place” of preaching – where God moves between text, preacher, and listener and how the Church can reclaim a wilder, untamed Jesus.

• The subversive power of the parables and how to preach them in ways that awaken instead of dull the imagination.

• What’s Stirring in Gen Z and the Future of the Church? Joni and Andres explore Gen Z’s hunger for authentic faith and consider what this means for the future of the Church.

Joni Sancken’s approach to preaching is interdisciplinary and theological. Sancken (PhD, Toronto School of Theology, Emmanuel College) holds the Butler Chair of Homiletics and Biblical Interpretation at Vancouver School of Theology. She was formerly Professor of Homiletics at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH where she served for a decade and Assistant Professor of Preaching and Practical Theology at Eastern Mennonite Seminary in Harrisonburg, VA. She is the author of several books including, Stumbling Over the Cross: Preaching the Cross and Resurrection Today (Cascade, 2016), Words that Heal: Preaching Hope to Wounded Souls (Abingdon, 2019), All Our Griefs to Bear: Responding with Resilience After Collective Trauma (Herald Press, 2022,) and Getting to God: Preaching Good News in a Troubled World (co-authored) (Cascade, 2023.)

Sancken is passionate about supporting and encouraging pastors and church leaders. She grew up in a Mennonite congregation near Champaign-Urbana, IL and is an ordained pastor in Mennonite Church USA. She is energized by ecumenical and religious diversity having studied, served, and worshipped in Presbyterian Church USA, United Church of Canada, and United Methodist settings, and has completed training in the interfaith practice of scriptural reasoning. She is committed to non-violence and conflict resolution. She has completed two levels of training in Strategies for Trauma and Resilience (STAR) at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University.

Sancken lives in Vancouver, BC with her Presbyterian pastor spouse, Steve Schumm, children Maggie and Teddy, and dogs Bella and Pax. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching low-stakes reality TV, and exploring the natural beauty around Vancouver.

Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling was the Senior Minister of Timothy Eaton Memorial United Church in Toronto, one of Canada’s largest United Church congregations and was responsible for leadership and administration at Timothy Eaton from 1998 until his more recent retirement. Overseeing staff, providing visionary leadership, acting as the public representative of over 1,500 members and managing a dynamic and ever-evolving ministry to the city of Toronto and beyond.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Law from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, a Master of Divinity from the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Nova Scotia and a Doctor of Ministry in preaching from Acadia Divinity College, Wolfville, Nova Scotia. In 2008, Wycliffe College, Toronto, recognized his contribution to preaching with an honorary Doctor of Divinity.

Rev. Dr. Andrew Stirling is now the Ambassador for the Canadian Bible Society building relationships with churches, academic institutions and individuals across Canada.