In this episode of Shalom Speaks, Ash Dulin and Rev. Bob Clark are joined by Rev. Ray Altman—newly appointed director of Congregational Vitality and New Faith Communities in the Rio Texas Conference.

Raised in the rhythms of church life as a pastor’s kid and now called to reimagine the institution he inherited, Ray brings both tenderness and clarity to the sacred tension between tradition and innovation. From invisible church to embodied community, neighborhood gatherings to digital parishes, he invites us to see the Church not as a static structure but as a living body—always in motion, always being reshaped by a living God.

Together, we wrestle with questions that matter for every believer and leader today:
🔸 How do we bless the past without being bound by it?
🔸 What does it mean to notice God at work on the margins?
🔸 How do we rediscover “parish” in a world of both hyper-local neighborhoods and digital communities?
🔸 Can disruption be holy—and even necessary—for the Church’s future?

✨ Whether you’re weary of institutional decline, longing for renewal, or simply asking “what is the Church really for?”, this conversation is for you.

This episode reminds us:
🔹 God’s Spirit is alive, present, and leading—if we have the courage to follow.
🔹 Innovation doesn’t erase tradition; it extends it.
🔹 The Church is not a brand or a building—it’s a gathering, a body, a people bound in love.
🔹 Discomfort can be sacred ground for transformation.

🕊️Listen in and imagine with us. Share this episode with someone who’s hungry for hope and open to the holy disruption that just might spark new life in the Church.

Shalom, y’all. ✨🔥🫂