Pastor and Author Natalie Runion Joins for Second Soundcast Series
In early 2023, a relationship began between The Salvation Army and acclaimed author and pastor Natalie Runion that continues to bear fruit. Emaniel Brifil, divisional Christian education director for the Florida Division, was tapped to host a podcast series and explore different subjects. He formed a connection with Runion through social media, eventually reaching out to her to join Soundcast’s Words of Life program as a guest. That connection led to what is now a pair of full series in which Runion joins with The Salvation Army to further its mission to bring individuals to Jesus Christ.
Runion penned a book titled “Raised to Stay,” which is captioned “persevering in ministry when you have a million reasons to walk away,” and is described as “an honest exploration of disappointment with the Church.” This book was scheduled to be published just as the first Soundcast series featuring Runion debuted, but Chris Benjamin, Soundcast’s director of production and operations, indicates that this was not purposeful, but rather “one of those great God’s timing things.”
After laying the foundation in early episodes of the initial series, the conclusion was notably strong. Episode 5 answers the question of “Do I Even Need a Church?” and encourages listeners who may be tempted to give up on finding a new congregation to persevere. Then, the concluding Episode 6 centers on “New Beginnings,” with Natalie offering advice on how to protect one’s heart and learn to trust again.
That series has received more than 160,000 video views and counting, boosted in part by Runion’s own following, helping The Salvation Army spread the good news. The second series, which was originally published in April and May 2024 and is available now, came together through similar means.
Soon after the implementation of the Southern Territorial Priorities and establishment of discipleship as a focus for 2024, Benjamin discovered that Runion had created a six-week discipleship course for women. That led to another connection for the second series, touching on each topic laid out in Runion’s six-week course.
The follow-up series focuses on community, the struggles women face in leadership roles, how to use the gifts God has blessed us with, prayer life, and much more. Runion is joined by Bernie Dake, territorial director of communications, for the discussions.
Once again, the stars aligned and the timing of the women’s discipleship series coincided with Runion’s second-ever book release, “The House That Jesus Built.” Benjamin smiled at the revelation, again indicating it is a “beautiful God’s timing thing,” and the reception for the series has been exceedingly positive. More than 10,000 people viewed the debut episode on its first day, with a rapid growth trajectory emerging.
“We’re wanting to reach out beyond the walls of the Army,” Benjamin says, mentioning the doors that can be opened with connections like this one with Runion. “We’re wanting to hear from interesting authors, pastors, and speakers. I think this is a good example that each of our individual reaches is bigger than we may think they are.”
“People love The Salvation Army,” Benjamin continues. “When you present an ask to someone and they see that you are from The Salvation Army, doors tend to open. It means something. If anyone is trying to do anything similar, even if it is to secure a speaker at a corps, people will go out of their way for the Army more than you think and be happy to do so.”
Words of Life is the flagship show of Soundcast, with worldwide distribution as a program of hope, and it can be found anywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Spotify. Following the women’s discipleship series featuring Runion, a Father’s Roundtable series began on May 19. This six-week series features Major Todd Hawks, Major Patrick Richmond, and Captain Josh Keaton along with Bernie Dake, and focuses on fatherhood with discussions on parenting, discipleship of children, social media, and more.
Visit salvationarmysoundcast.org for information on current and past series of Words of Life and other Soundcast shows.