We Welcome Birmingham’s Newest Cohort!

Not Pictured:  Antonio Alexander, Dave Barnhart, Sherrad Hayes

“In fall of 2017 the Birmingham 2.0 began to form. Considerable periods of prayer and thought went into the ‘asks’ that were made to the women and men that would eventually become this new group. We were particularly sensitive to making sure that the group was diverse-diversity is our great strength. We represent a broad denominational/theological spectrum and we come from all over the city. We come from some of the wealthiest and some of the poorest communities in Birmingham. We range in experience-from a few years to several decades in ministry. We represent old established congregations and burgeoning church plants. We are the pastors of house churches, missionaries, and retreat leaders. We are activists and advocates. We are creatives and analysts. We challenge and encourage one another. We are learning from one another.

Heretofore we have discovered several overlaps in our efforts and we regularly support one another’s local efforts. The relationships we are fostering are life-long. We are becoming a model what the Church should look like. Our love for God and one another, our mutuality and reciprocity, and our genuine affection for one another are bright spots in a very troubling time.

The biggest surprise of our cohort is in the number of us that are going through transitions. Our families are changing. Our ministries are going through changes. Many of us are discerning our next calls. And this is not to mention the awesome shifts in our broader contexts. We are learning to embrace the tension. We are learning to manage conflicts and friction as to produce positive motion. All of us are, in some way or another, striving to be faithful to God even if it means abandoning the familiar and the comfortable. We are, in the words of Tod Bolsinger, ‘canoeing the mountains.’ We are living on a bridge that we are building between our alreadys and our not-yets!

Thank God for the Macedonian Ministry and the support we are able to offer and receive from this experience.”

– Rev. Adam Mixon, Cohort Facilitator, Birmingham 2

 


Meet the Cohort!

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