The Ministry Collaborative Podcast: Highlights from Our First Year
In the wrap up to our series on the future of theological education, The Ministry Collaborative's Mark Ramsey, Jennifer Maxell, and Ryan Bonfiglio discuss the difference between diversity and belonging, seminaries as conduits instead of gate keepers, and the possibilities that collaboration brings to the...
In our fifth conversation on the future of theological education, The Ministry Collaborative's Jennifer Maxell and Ryan Bonfiglio welcome the Rev. Dr. Willie Jennings (Yale Divinity School) to talk about his new book, the importance of belonging, and why theological education needs to find its...
In our fourth conversation on the future of theological education, The Ministry Collaborative's Jennifer Maxell and Ryan Bonfiglio welcome Dr. Kwok Pui-Lan (Candler School of Theology) and Dr. Patrick Reyes (Forum for Theological Exploration) to talk about de-colonization, embracing global and local diversity, and how...
In our third conversation on the future of theological education, The Ministry Collaborative's Jennifer Maxell and Ryan Bonfiglio welcome Dr. Leah Gunning Francis (Christian Theological Seminary) and Dr. Ted Smith (Candler School of Theology) to talk about identity formation, the changing partnerships of theological education,...
In our second conversation on the future of theological education, The Ministry Collaborative's Jennifer Maxell and Ryan Bonfiglio welcome the Rev. Porsha Williams Gates (Porshanality Media) the Rev. Dr. Denise Thorpe (Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) to talk about the importance of a deep learning community, reimagining...
In our first conversation on the future of theological education, The Ministry Collaborative's Jennifer Maxell and Ryan Bonfiglio welcome the Rev. Dr. Kelly Farrow (Circle of Sacred Fire) and Rev. Laura Cheifetz (Vanderbilt Divinity School) to talk about how our rapidly changing world is transforming...
“The rush back to normalcy is aggressive. Give us a minute.” Unknown This morning as I began my day and clicked onto Instagram, this was the quote that greeted me. I couldn’t comment “Amen” fast enough and I wasn’t alone. Within an hour hundreds of people...
Program Curator Jennifer Maxell speaks with the Rev. Dr. Denise Thorpe (Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) about re-souling ourselves, carrying our piece of the dream of God, and the difference between joy and happiness....
“When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.” Matthew 28:17 At the beginning of the pandemic, a friend was asking me about my thoughts on quarantine life. I told her I didn’t think it was going to be as quick or easy as some...
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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