The Ministry Collaborative program staff (Jennifer Maxell, Ryan Bonfiglio, Adam Borneman, Adam Mixon, and Mark Ramsey) talks about vulnerability, redundancy, and how the faithful community models what resilience looks like....
In this season of gratitude, the Ministry Collaborative program staff (Adam Borneman, Jennifer Maxell, Mark Ramsey, Adam Mixon, and Ryan Bonfiglio) discuss the importance of lament, the difference between gratitude and gratification, and the greed that undermines our ability to be grateful....
The word ‘contentment’ carries for many of us a negative connotation of complacency and ease that is the enemy of progress and productivity, so we’ve been disciplined to resist it. We are driven, motivated, accomplished, and busy. There is always something more to do, another...
Content Curator Adam Mixon shares his reflections on Ezra 3:11-13. This writing originally appeared on our blog in September....
16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does...
An old saying among black folks is that we laugh to keep from crying. We sing and dance in defiance to the dreadfulness of our days. Our joy protests the persistent suffering and instability that has so often shaded our path. Frustratingly, it has left...
"I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth." Psalm 34:1 Our lives are full of constantly shifting circumstances, disruptions, and potential distractions. The one thing that is likely never to change is the reality that everything will and...
And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. Luke 9:62 Remember Lot’s wife. Luke 17:32 One of the greatest things I ever learned from running in track meets in grade school and high...
In a conversation recorded back in February, The Ministry Collaborative program staff (Mark Ramsey, Jennifer Maxell, Adam Borneman, Mark Ramsey, and Ryan Bonfiglio) discuss thriving, finding the beauty in the moment, and learning not to celebrate leaky roofs....
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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