Episode Description
On this episode of Compass: Finding Spirituality in the Everyday, host Ryan Dunn sits down with Tyler Sit, pastor of New City Church in Minneapolis, to explore how faith communities navigate the complexities of politics, crisis, and community care. Set against the backdrop of heightened ICE activity and community unrest in Minneapolis, Tyler Sit shares firsthand stories of fear and resilience, and how his congregation has transformed both its ministry practices and its spirit of support in response to events in early 2026.
Rev. Tyler Sit is the planting pastor of New City Church in Minneapolis, a second-generation Chinese American, speaker, and author of Staying Awake: The Gospel for Changemakers. He dedicates his work to justice, inclusion, and mobilizing spiritual communities for collective care and transformation.
In this episode:
(00:00) Navigating faith, politics and partisanship
(01:44) Who is Rev. Tyler Sit?
(03:01) How has Operation Metro Surge affected Minnesota and the church?
(04:21) The role of a pastor is to set up blessing
(05:05) Stories of blessing
(09:00) Romans 13 and speaking truth to power
(11:07) Faithful protest
(20:24) Forgetting and rediscovering we are family
(22:40) What the operation is costing Minnesotans
(27:00) A clearer understanding of church
(34:49) Faithful responses from outside Minnesota
(40:10) More episodes to check out!
If this conversation inspired you, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and leave a review. Find more episodes of Compass: Finding Spirituality in the Everyday, brought to you by United Methodist Communications.