Reflections
To My Younger Pastor Self
Dear 28-year-old Libby, As you assume pastoral leadership of a holy, beautiful, complex, and complicated local Christian church, I share a few ideas intended to serve as guideposts for the journey. I remember so clearly how much energy and confidence you have. But I want to make sure you don’t rely on your own gifts…
Continue reading »Moondust and Ministry
Derek Nelson April 6, 2022 What does it take to keep a good early career pastoral leadership program thriving? Some provocative answers emerged from a seemingly unlikely place last year: the hit Netflix series The Crown, a behind-the-scenes dramatization of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth’s faith was strong, but the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip,…
Continue reading »Calling People to Care for One Another: A Conversation With the Mayor
by Grace Burton-Edwards Rector, St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Columbus, Georgia A few weeks ago, I had a phone conversation with my new Mayor. My city is not small but not huge (population around 200,000). I had met the Mayor a few times before he took office in January. His sister is a member of my…
Continue reading »Exactly Where I Need To Be
by Aaron Stamper Pastor of Youth and Family Ministry, Cross of Grace Lutheran Church, New Palestine, Indiana Questions started to bubble up in the back of my mind not long into my new career as a parish pastor. The questions were typically variations of “What does ‘success’ look like in my congregation?” and “How will…
Continue reading »A Calling Beyond Borders
by Whitney Rice Associate Rector, St. Francis-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, Zionsville, Indiana I had no idea how inwardly focused my ministry was until I had the opportunity to participate in the Wabash Pastoral Leadership Program. There is very clear dividing line in my ministry: pre-Wabash versus post-Wabash. And before, I didn’t realize how small of a…
Continue reading »Conversations of a Lifetime
by Tracy Paschke-Johannes Pastor, Epiphany Lutheran Church, Centerville, OH, and chaplain in a non-profit hospice in Cincinnati, OH Over the past three years, I have had the opportunity to live out my call serving part time in a congregation and part time as a hospice chaplain. It is a sacred opportunity to build long term,…
Continue reading »Community & Calling Intertwined
by Rev. Stacee Fischer Gehring Pastor, High Street UMCMuncie, Indiana “I have a pulpit every Sunday morning, and I plan to use it.” The words came out of my mouth before I realized just how threatening they sounded. The audience and the moderator laughed, but the truth is, I was serious. When it comes to speaking…
Continue reading »Alignment: Personal and Public
by Christopher Cox Associate Director, Seventh Generation Interfaith Coalition for Responsible Investment A member of cohort one (2009-2010), I loved the experience of being a part of the Wabash Pastoral Leadership Program. The only Catholic in the group, I welcomed the theological diversity, pulling me into dialogue with theologians and thinkers afield from the bibliographies…
Continue reading »Sanctuary
by Amanda Wagoner Meade Pastor, First Christian Church, Jeffersonville, Indiana At the lowest moment of my ministry, I was standing in the back of my own worship space trying to figure out where to sit. It was a prayer service for my senior pastor who had been arrested and then committed suicide and I needed…
Continue reading »Building Community Outside Our Walls, Starting Inside Our Walls
By Matthew Stultz Pastor, Acton United Methodist Church, Indianapolis, Indiana In our church building, we have scouts, parent groups, AA, and a preschool. During the Advent season this year, I got busy and wrote a different letter for each group using our building, first stating because of their commitment to help others in this community…
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