We welcome Rev. Dr. Kris Bentley as our guest blogger this week to share what she learned writing her first book Bivocational Ministry: Field Notes for Congregations and Ministers. Kris teaches at Lexington Theological Seminary, directs research with bivocational ministers,…
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What do you know firsthand about “conflicted callings”? Welcome to Part III of my conversation with Dr. Bonnie Miller-McLemore about her new book Follow Your Bliss and Other Lies about Calling. This week we are taking her third chapter about…
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Whatever ministry we are considering, it is profoundly important that we ask the children. And after we ask them, it is even more important to listen. This week I have been with a cohort of nine churches. We are considering…
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I just returned home after being away most of January. I took a lovely vacation with my daughter and my mother-in-law. We traveled to Hawaii, a beautiful place that I truly love. It was the only state of the United…
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Gratitude is rightly our focus during clergy appreciation month, yet as part of our acknowledgement of clergy today, let’s also attend to the reality of vocational grief. While it can be hard to name and process, and typically remains out…
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It’s clergy appreciation month and we have some ideas for you to express gratitude to the ministers, pastors, chaplains, and ministry professors in your life. Maybe you In this week’s episode, you will find: 5 questions to ask 4 studies…
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For women in ministry and lgbtiqa+ ministers*, everyday ministry puzzles are an unavoidable part of living into one’s calling and work. When I listen to the ministers I study, seminary students, friends, and colleagues in ministry, I hear stories about…
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Blessed are you who are called by God to serve the church… Then along comes someone saying surely you misheard. Or that you don’t know what you are doing. They practically shout, wrong number! They are the ones who are…
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Editor’s Note: Today we welcome Rev. Jake Hall as our guest! Jake lives in Macon, GA with his wife Erin and their children. He is the Director of Initiatives in Faith and Culture at Mercer University’s Eula Mae and John…
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Integrity. Congruence. Consistency. What is preaching without integrity? Not much. This week we are continuing our focus on the practice of preaching as we support the NeverthelessShePreached Conference. We are celebrating preaching by women and LGBTIQA+ clergy in lots of…
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What brick walls have you come up against in your ministry? Quite a few come to mind. Some of those walls are of our own making. In an effort to protect ourselves we build walls. Walls of self-reliance. Defenses that…
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Has the Spirit been speaking to you in the course of this pandemic year? Where? How? Through whom or what? The past year has been quiet in some ways, making listening easier as many of us work from home. We…
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International Women’s Day Today is International Women’s Day around the globe. The theme for this year focuses on challenging the world in order to make it more equitable for women. Here at 3MMM we want to be explicit and clear…
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Eric Barreto is someone I have been joyfully collaborating with in different ways for about ten years. We share interests in seminary teaching, learning the practice of ministry, and working for justice. Last year Eric was our first guest in…
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On Friday, we shared a “Love Letter to the Black Church” from Rev. Alisha Smith Haddock. This week we have another love letter. This one is addressed to white Christians and churches from Rev. Dr. Judy Cummings. We have been…
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Nashvillians know Rev. Dr. Judy Cummings as a social justice advocate, pastor, and community organizer. Yet she understands herself to be a shepherd at heart. Dr. Cummings, pastor of New Covenant Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, is a recognized leader,…
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Beyoncé. Kim Kardashian. Chadwick Boseman. Gwyneth Paltrow. Notorious RBG. Whether they are trending on Twitter, headlining their next big movie, speaking out on social issues, or suddenly gone from this life, celebrities and the culture of celebrity have a powerful reach…
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Editors Note: Rev. Lisa Hammonds is pastor of St. John AME Church in North Nashville. We asked her to share her story of pastoring her congregation through the March 3 Nashville Tornados. If you would like to support the church…
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This week we are sharing our final conversation with Rev. Alisha Smith Haddock. What a joy to speak with her this month about her calling to do justice work and her many collaborations to rebuild North Nashville after the March…
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This summer has been one of the hardest on record. What a gift to have the wisdom, insights, and pastoral presence of Rev. Dr. Stephanie Crumpton to guide and inspire us! This week, Dr. Crumpton, who is associate professor at …
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Please enjoy this post by my friend, recent graduate of Central Seminary, and chaplain, Kim McKay Allen. In today’s blog she tells us how she survived the onset of the global pandemic this spring while completing her internship and seminary…
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