Content Curator Adam Mixon speaks with the Rev. Dr. Jim Truesdell (Frontier Fellowship) about holy discontentment, transitioning out of institutional church ministry, and God's abiding presence in the midst of our hardships. ...
Over the next several weeks my colleagues and I will be reflecting on the “Where of Faith Formation.” The challenges of doing our work as pastors and clergy are already numerous. With so many of us displaced from our places of worship over the last...
Executive Director Mark Ramsey and Content Curator Adam Mixon speak with the Rev. Marthame Sanders (AIJCast, Mudeif Productions) about improv, adversity, and the fraudulent line between sacred and secular....
The Ministry Collaborative program staff (Jennifer Watley Maxell, Ryan Bonfiglio, Mark Ramsey, Adam Borneman, and Adam Mixon) talk about remaining curious, the recurring nature of call, and the false dichotomy of "stay or go"....
Over the next several weeks, I and my colleagues will be thinking through the Complexity of Navigating Vocational Discernment during these strange and wonderful times. If you’re like me and have a poor sense of direction, it’s very easy to get lost. But finding one’s...
The Ministry Collaborative program staff (Adam Mixon, Mark Ramsey, Ryan Bonfiglio, Jennifer Maxell, and Adam Borneman) talk about outdated benchmarks, faithful tending, and the care of souls....
Content Curator Adam Mixon speaks with the Rev. Dr. Tyshawn Gardner (Plum Grove Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Stillman College) about where we go from here, seeing Jesus as an agent of redemptive disruption, and trusting in the promise of God....
Over the next several weeks, as a follow to our recent Roundtable Podcast (Check it out if you haven’t already: What's at Stake?), we will be reflecting on the question, “What’s at Stake?” We are surveying our experiences over the last several years in an attempt...
The Ministry Collaborative program staff (Jennifer Maxell, Mark Ramsey, Ryan Bonfiglio, Adam Mixon, and Adam Borneman) kick off the year talking about the nature and purpose of the church, the shape of our calling, and how quickly ministry can devolve into constituent services....
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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