I know a family who got hockey sticks and pucks for their two older sons and an electric guitar for their younger son for Christmas. By noon, the boys had broken all of the garage windows and shorted out the electrical system! That family did...
James Baldwin once wrote, “It has always been much easier (because it has always seemed much safer) to give a name to the evil without than to locate the terror within. And yet, the terror within is far truer and far more powerful than any of...
Have you ever made a decision because you wanted to please someone? If the person we want to please is a significant donor in our church, a leader in our ministry, or an important person in our life…we may find it difficult to disappoint that...
“This saber-rattling with North Korea really has me scared.” “I’m worried that with this new tax plan, I will have to quit graduate school.” “I live in fear every day that my son will be deported.” “Of course, I carry a gun. I ‘m afraid...
The Oxford North Carolina Cohort, located in the upper piedmont region of the State, is nestled between a rural and urban setting. We show respect to Oxford’s past, as we spend much time in more progressive Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill. ...
Given the demands of ministry, a majority of pastors experience crippling isolation and seasons of depression. A Pew study notes that as recent as 2012, over 20,000 pastors left congregational ministry. Macedonian Ministry strives to ensure that our pastors receive the necessary support, skills, and...
From Guest Writer — Reverend Neely Towe, Pastor Emerita of Stanwich Congregational Church How humbling it is to be asked to write “a few words” on prayer – when prayer, though often involving words, is so far beyond words!! Prayer - that holy mystery that we people...
We were at a staff meeting recently, praying (one associate of ours calls our staff the, “prayin’est bunch of people I’ve ever seen”) when someone asked, “What does it really mean to tell someone you will pray for them?” It’s a fair question. It can...
Every night, either my wife Jessica or I take my three-year-old daughter through the infinitely long and sometimes excruciating process of picking out pajamas, putting on pajamas (yes, these are two separate processes), brushing teeth, saying prayers, reading a few books, and going to sleep. While...
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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