The Ministry Collaborative Podcast: Highlights from Our First Year
Thermodynamics is a field of study which addresses the phenomena and the laws of heat. One of its most esoteric concepts describes the tendency of all things in the universe to run down, cool off, and become increasingly more disorganized. Things never get hotter or...
There is nothing like epic flooding to reorder priorities. In the wake of Harvey which rushed ashore a week ago inundating Houston and South Texas has come a rush of rescue workers – some governmental, many more neighbors and strangers – whose only concern is...
Have you ever felt like YOU are the “Director of Everything” and that the weight of the world is on your shoulders? The country Western singer Johnny Paycheck felt that way. He wrote a song, years ago titled, “Take This Job and _______.” (You can...
It was Christmas Eve. Every member of Bill’s family was on their way home for Christmas dinner, followed the traditional 11:00 Candlelight Christmas Eve service. Just after midnight, the family would exchange gifts. It would be a glorious Christmas…except for the elephant in the room....
It was “Question and Answer” time at a worship workshop in Indiana. My friend, Dr. Tom Long, a Macedonian Ministry faculty member, was discussing the nature of reformed worship. After his brilliant lecture, he opened the floor to questions…one hand shot up immediately! A Lay...
When our son Ryan was in college, he was captain of the varsity crew team at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. The sport of crew suited Ryan perfectly. In other sports, individual achievements are recognized such as … a touchdown, a basket, or a...
From Guest Writer: Rev. David Feltmen, Pastor to the Presbytery, North Central Iowa It’s an old preachers joke. The preacher says she will not begin preparation on her sermon until there is a word from the Spirit. Monday, is quiet. Tuesday, Wednesday – nothing. By Friday, there...
Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, was sitting by the road. When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Many sternly ordered him to be quiet, but he cried out even more loudly, “Son of David,...
It took Jesus 30 years to prepare for his ministry. I’ve tended to see Jesus as a relatively spontaneous guy. After all, think how quickly he responded off-the-cuff to questions that the disciples or the Pharisee’s would ask him. Think of the way be seemed...
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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