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Ministry Reflection

Lasting Friendships in Ministry

It feels weird to have been at this work long enough to actually have some perspective. But the calendar doesn’t lie! This year marks 43 years in ministry, and in December I will step down from a 28-year ministry with Hopwood Christian Church in Elizabethton, TN. On to more adventures!…
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Adaptive Leadership

Flourishing in the First Five Years of Ministry

Researcher Matt Bloom begins Flourishing in Ministry, his work on pastoral wellbeing, with the story of Carolyn. Carolyn discovered a love for theology and ministry in college and switched vocational paths from medicine to ministry. Her time in…
EmptyPews
Ministry Reflection

The Joys of Interim Ministry

Interim minister. Six times I’ve proudly worn this title, starting in Johnson City, Tennessee, with East Unaka Church of Christ. My day job was as a newbie professor at Milligan College (where I joined the faculty in 1965), but weekends belonged to the church. Then, in June 1968, I began…
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Adaptive Leadership

Conflicting Formation

A conflict begins—disagreement, debate, dispute—a tinderbox of ideas and agendas generating sparks directly proportional to the force of the argument and the resistance encountered: Which side are you on? Who do they think they are? Can’t they see how wrong it is? Why do we even have to discuss a…
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Ministry Reflection

Prioritizing What We Value

Earlier this year, just as spring was beginning, our good friend John came down from Philadelphia for a visit. I was in the midst of a sabbatical from teaching – a time granted to theological educators to pursue new lines of research and writing that bring fresh perspective and learning…
Lament
Ministry Reflection

Lament As a Means to Flourishing

We were lying in bed. For days, she had been languishing with nearly unbearable pain. Most mornings, we were unsure if she would be able to get up out of bed, to eat, to drink, or to move downstairs. But this day she had spent a few hours in the…