This month I am having conversations with friends, family, students, fellow church members. In person (rarely), on phone calls, in texts, and by email. And in these conversations, I hear a resounding theme. We are exhausted, grieved, and uncertain about…
Read MoreThe topics and videos in Three Minute Ministry Mentor prepared the way for Pastoral Imagination: Bringing the Practice of Ministry to Life – available now! Find your copy of Pastoral Imagination, the companion journal, and gift set here. Season…
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What do pastoral imagination and pastoral care have to do with each other? I’ve been working on that question for a dozen years. And recently I received a question from a friend that inspired me to articulate the relationship between…
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This week, Eileen Campbell-Reed is enjoying some time away to rest and rejuvenate. Many thanks to Erin Robinson Hall for today’s post. She has 10 fantastic ways to show appreciation and honor clergy who make difference in your life. It’s…
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Preach It is the best of preaching times. It is the worst of preaching times. Headlines are full of natural and human disaster. People’s lives full of uncertainty and grief and lament. We all could use a word. But which…
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“Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid.” ― Frederick Buechner This is the kind of week when many terrible things are happening. In New Orleans and southern Louisiana. And in Afghanistan. In Southern California.…
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What is the most Important question someone ever asked you? Or short of that, what is the question someone asked you that changed the direction of your life? One of the questions I continue to return to comes from poet,…
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Christians are reimagining resurrection. Today we meet a pastor, a chaplain, and a researcher who are asking big questions about person and meaning of Jesus. Do you live with inspiration or with tension about the life and teachings of Jesus?…
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Just returning from the beach. Time away at a place that nourishes my soul. Walking by the sea always reminds me of my size and place in a very large world. And it also puts me in touch with sacredness…
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Recently, Kyndall Rae Rothaus shared a story on Instagram TV about pronouns for God. As I listened, she shared about a time when someone read scripture in a worship service and used the gender-inclusive pronoun Ze/Zer for God in the…
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Editor’s Note: This week’s author conversation is about the #MeToo movement and the church’s failures to respond. It may be difficult for some readers. Mentoring relationships for ministry: at their best, they provide support and direction and care. They teach…
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Join us in welcoming Rev. Dr. Donna Fowler-Marchant as our guest blogger this week. She is a Christ-follower in the Wesleyan tradition and an elder in the United Methodist Church. She is passionate about Wesleyan theology and how it relates…
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This week we continue our conversation with Dr. Stephanie Crumpton about caring for girls and women who have experienced violence. Earlier we talked about the complexity and intentionality of care, particularly for Black women and girls. Our focus today is…
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Sometimes the word of the Lord comes. It might be while you’re doing the dishes. It happened that way for Dr. Stephanie Crumpton. It was her first semester teaching at Lancaster Theological Seminary. It was 2014. Her new students were…
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We got a wonderful start with our second season of Three Minute Ministry Mentor! And we were so thankful that Eric Barreto was our featured guest for Episodes 51-54 in January. Catch up with all the wisdom he shared in…
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“You have to meet people where they are for any conversation to be meaningful.” – Rev. Dr. Danielle Tumminio Hansen I am a fan of Harry Potter. I like him of course, but even more I like the whole world…
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This week we want to share a wonderful guest blog by my friend, recent graduate of Vanderbilt Divinity School, and new minister, Anita Peebles. When I asked, Does it feel better to be in the second year of ministry? She…
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Advent is here. For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, “Peace be within you.” (Psalm 122: 8) Advent is one of the intense seasons of life, especially if you lead a congregation or any people of…
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When I was in college and seminary, I took a lot of tests. I made really good grades on most of them. I memorized dates, names, cities, battles, theorems, species, genus, phylum, periodic tables, chemical compounds, and rules of grammar…
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Facing our fears. It can be hard even to admit our fears, much less face them. Fear of loss. Fear of disappointment. Fear of not getting what you want and fear of getting it. Fear of walking down the street. Fear…
Read More Welcome to Season One of Three Minute Ministry Mentor. This index will help you link to weekly episodes: blogs, videos, and podcasts. Season One features fifty topics for learning ministry in practice. These topics are the focus of 50…
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