Season 16: Reimagining and Remapping the Religious Landscape | Bonus Episode
Analyzing 2026 Disruptive Church Trends
Overview
This week on the Igniting Imagination® podcast, Rev. Lisa Greenwood steps into the fault lines shaping the future of faith with Anna Del Castillo, Executive Director of Our Own Deep Wells, and Dr. Josh Packard, co-founder of Future of Faith. Together they interrogate the disruptive trends already redefining church life, inspired by Carey Nieuwhof’s 2026 forecasts. Why is Generation Z returning to church, and what does that say about hunger, belonging, and spiritual depth?
They confront the unsettling possibility that algorithms may be discipling us more effectively than pastors, and ask who is really shaping belief and practice. This conversation is an invitation to rethink how faith is being formed and what kind of church the future is already demanding.
Meet Our Guests
Anna Del Castillo
Anna Del Castillo is a Peruvian-Bolivian American, healer, and activist who served as Deputy Director of DEIA in the Biden-Harris White House. A Harvard Divinity School Dean’s Fellow, she now champions healing and justice as Executive Director of Our Own Deep Wells, taking part in a collective that is providing resources for healing and revolutionary love.
Dr. Josh Packard
Dr. Josh Packard is the Co-Founder of Future of Faith and one of the foremost experts in the spiritual lives of American youth. He is an accomplished researcher in the sociology of religion and new forms of religious expression. He has authored numerous books and articles in both popular and academic outlets, including Church Refugees: Sociologists reveal why people are DONE with church but not their faith and Meaning Making: 8 Values That Drive America’s Newest Generations. His newest book is Faithful Futures: Sacred Tools for Engaging Younger Generations.
Show Notes
Anna Del Castillo is a Peruvian-Bolivian American, healer, and activist who served as Deputy Director of DEIA in the Biden-Harris White House. A Harvard Divinity School Dean’s Fellow, she now champions healing and justice as Executive Director of Our Own Deep Wells, taking part in a collective that is providing resources for healing and revolutionary love.
Dr. Josh Packard is the Co-Founder of Future of Faith and one of the foremost experts in the spiritual lives of American youth. He is an accomplished researcher in the sociology of religion and new forms of religious expression. He has authored numerous books and articles in both popular and academic outlets, including Church Refugees: Sociologists reveal why people are DONE with church but not their faith and Meaning Making: 8 Values That Drive America’s Newest Generations. His newest book is Faithful Futures: Sacred Tools for Engaging Younger Generations.
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More From Season 16: Reimagining and Remapping the Religious Landscape
Sacred Listening and the Faithful Futures of Young People
With Dr. Josh Packard and Kris Jordan