“How do we live a life of (un)successful significance rather than meaningless influence?” – Pete Portal The latest BARNA research has made the bold statement that “Americans are slowly edging away from Christianity.” Barna notes that, “Christian Identity is on the decline,” and “so is the importance...
Ministry Collaborative program staff (Adam Borneman, Adam Mixon, and Beth Daniel) about the enduring presence of Jesus, the peril of retreating into our enclaves, and the wisdom of Ecclesiastes for such a time as this....
…we are each other’s Harvest: We are each other’s Business: We are each other’s Magnitude and bond. ~Gwendolyn Brooks, “Paul Robeson,” 1970 These concluding words of Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem, “Paul Robeson,” hit me like a ton of bricks. Of course, we are each other’s harvest. WE collectively are what we communally and...
Program Staff Amy Valdez Barker and Jennifer Watley Maxell speak with the Andy Hendren (Wespath) about the overall frustrating trends in clergy health, places where positive impact is happening, and what it might look like to redeploy church assets for communal well-being....
I read dissertations as part of my job, and so I regularly encounter language about God that is filled with theological abstractions and lofty speech. It’s painful. But the problem isn’t just with dissertations. I’m noticing similar tendencies these days in sermons, blogs, podcasts, and church...
Program Staff Jennifer Watley Maxell and Amy Valdez Barker speak with the Rev. Dr. Danielle Buhuro (Sankofa CPE) about the difference between hurt and trauma, the importance of clinical pastoral education, and what the Japanese practice of Ikigai can teach us about differentiating our call/s...
Given the complexities and challenges facing faith communities, it is understandable that pastors and lay leaders look for a magic key that will open a clear path to the future. The temptations around this are legion. The expanding job descriptions for clergy, especially post-pandemic, make...
Program Staff Amy Valdez Barker and Jennifer Watley Maxell speak with the Rev. Matthew Watley (Kingdom Global, Calverton, MD; TKN Leadership Summit) about doing ministry at a high level, the challenge and barrier of pleasing stakeholders, and the gift of rising to meet the crisis....
"For now we see only a reflection, as in a mirror, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known." - 1 Corinthians 13:12 Picasso's famous “The Old Guitarist”...