Program Curator Adam Borneman speaks with colleague Jennifer Watley Maxell and friend Chad Knudsen, along with their high school juniors Skylar and Kate, about what they see among their peers when it comes to faith, how service shapes young people, and the importance of being...
As Ted Gioia recently observed, [caption id="attachment_10148" align="alignright" width="392"] John Martin, “Ruins of an Ancient City” c. 1810–20 , oil on paper, mounted on canvas Cleveland Museum of Art[/caption] “The biggest changes often happen long before they even get a name. By the time the scribes notice,...
TMC Staff Amy Valdez Barker and Adam Borneman speak with Kelly Carpenter and Greg Oberg about their view of church as active laity, how friendship and discipleship intersect, and why it's important to explore the world outside of church on a Sunday morning....
Program Director Adam Borneman speaks with the Rev. Dr. David Shelor (First Presbyterian, Dunedin, FL) and two of his congregants, Dr. Robin Rose and David Bramley, about their church's historic ties to the community; their recent intentional efforts to listen closely to the broader community;...
Focus. Attention. Wonder. Stillness. “Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways.” - Proverbs 4:25–27 I recently finished reading Johann Hari’s Stolen Focus. Hari reflects on a...
Program Director Adam Borneman continues his conversation with Marthame Sanders (Mudeif Productions) and Terrence Smith (Kill Pride Club) about their current perspective as "lay people", the need to move away from seeing ministry through the lens of "return on investment", and why traditional and non-traditional...
Program Director Adam Borneman speaks with Terrence Smith (Kill Pride Club) and Marthame Sanders (Mudeif Productions) about their transition from congregational pastors to alternative forms of ministry, the connection between intuition and disruption, and how the institutional church cannot contain the fullness of the gospel....
Program Director Adam Borneman continues his conversation with Elizabeth Lynn (Lake Institute on Faith and Giving) and Andrew Yeager about the disruptive power of parables, the important tension between prescriptive and open interpretation, and how stories can help preachers engage their congregations....
Consider these stanzas from the opening section of Walt Whitman’s Song of the Open Road: Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road, Healthy, free, the world before me, The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose. … (Still here I carry my old delicious burdens, I carry...
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I was the Facilitator for the first New York City cohort, and at the time, I was working in theological education on Christian leadership formation, so it seemed like a natural fit. What I discovered, though, was something quite different from my “day job.” While the content and topics of the curriculum was a crucial part of our gatherings, it was the community of mutual care and support that made the content relevant, not the other way around. And second, having three years of strong bonding created an extraordinarily resilient community that, in turn, was able to build up resilience in our leaders. I think every member of my cohort went through significant seasons of both joy and heartache, professionally and vocationally, during our time. And the cohort, in turn, lived out the exhortation of Romans 12:15, “rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep,” with a depth and integrity that I have rarely experienced, and often doing both in the same gathering. It was a privilege and a blessing to me and my own faith and ministry to be their facilitator, and I am eternally grateful to the Ministry Collaborative for calling me to that work!”
“It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It was unique to my particular situation. It was needed, appreciated and healing. It was affirming. Most valuable was the unspoken understanding of what we all were facing in our ministry context. There was a sense that we could finish each other’s sentences. Solidarity and empathy.”
Graduation Date:
May 23, 2021
“It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. It was unique to my particular situation. It was needed, appreciated and healing. It was affirming. Most valuable was the unspoken understanding of what we all were facing in our ministry context. There was a sense that we could finish each other’s sentences. Solidarity and empathy.”
Graduation Date:
May 23, 2021
“I truly looked forward to this every week. The discussion topics, activities, and small group conversations were all very rich and meaningful. This experience gave me space to reflect on what’s happening right now in my congregation and community. It helped me to think about what might be next in my own ministry. It offered some very concrete ways I might work on equipping leaders in my congregation. I really enjoyed meeting colleagues from different places, denominations, and contexts–and learning from their experiences and reflections. I also appreciated hearing further conversation and reinforcement in the podcasts.”
Graduation Date:
July 14, 2021
“The experience was, in one word, enriching. It was timely as well. I was at a critical point in my own ministry and this literally breathed life back into me. The time went by so fast that I didn’t even realize two months had passed. To be able to share that type of camaraderie with other preachers, and realize that my struggles are not isolated, was liberating.”
Graduation Date:
March 18, 2021
“It was great to find confirmation and affirmation of my ministry through the voices of other pastors. I particularly enjoyed the focused time on talking about each of us as individuals and pastors, and not so much on what our churches look like.”
Graduation Date:
January 31st, 2020