A New Imagination for Ministry: Rev. Rebekah Mitchell and the Future of Congregational Life
As we wrap up Season 2 of the Ministry Forum Podcast, we’re closing with a conversation that invites us not just to think differently about bivocational ministry—but to imagine ministry itself in a new way.
In our final episode, Rev. Rebekah Mitchell of St. Peter’s in Madoc joins Ministry Forum intern Sara Traficante to reflect on her unique call—a call that weaves together congregational leadership, community mental health, and the deeply spiritual work of psychotherapy.
Listen to the full episode now
This episode adds a vital layer to our ongoing conversation about how ministry is evolving - this week are are exploring bivocational ministry from the perspectives of financial necessity and spiritual formation in When Ministry Isn’t Full-Time: A Conversation About Bivocational Leadership and Letting Go of the Myth of the Ideal Pastor. We were inspired by several leaders in the Ministry Forum community and by Jeffrey MacDonald’s book Part-Time is Plenty to dig a little deeper into this evolving topic.
This week our conversation with Rev. Rebekah brings us into a third way of seeing—one that doesn’t start with scarcity, but with possibility.
Rev. Rebekah Mitchell’s story doesn’t fit neatly into traditional categories. She’s not bivocational in the classic sense, and her congregation didn’t switch to part-time out of budget desperation. Instead, what unfolded was a creative, collaborative reimagining of what ministry could look like in a small-town context.
After completing an MDiv and serving in congregational ministry, Rebekah returned to Knox College to pursue a Master of Pastoral Studies (MPS) in spiritually integrated psychotherapy. Her studies, rooted in healing, compassion, and deep listening, became the soil for something new: a ministry that includes pulpit leadership and pro-bono mental health care, church-based programs and community partnerships, pastoral presence and psychotherapeutic tools.
Her congregation embraced the vision. Rather than asking her to choose one call or the other, they said: “Let’s do both.” And they meant it.
One of the most striking aspects of Rebekah’s current ministry is its outward focus. As she shares in the episode, the old model of “come to us” no longer holds. Instead, St. Peter’s is committed to being in the community, asking what people need, and responding with imagination and care.
Whether it's through her Thursday coffee shop office hours, future plans for a mental health café, or simply offering a listening ear to those who might never step inside a sanctuary, Rebekah's work is a gentle but radical reminder: the church can be a healing presence.
This isn’t just creative ministry—it’s deeply faithful ministry. It echoes the sending words of Jesus: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21).
What are we learn from Rev. Rebekah’s call?
Rebekah's story speaks powerfully into a broader truth many ministry leaders are wrestling with: that ministry doesn’t have to look like it used to in order to be real, legitimate, or Spirit-led. Too often, stepping out of traditional full-time congregational roles can feel like a failure. But what if, instead, it's an invitation? A reorientation? A Holy Spirit moment?
Let’s keep the conversation going, this week’s posts and podcast episodes are all part of a wider discussion about how ministry is shifting, and how leaders like you are finding faithful ways forward.
Listen to Rebekah’s Story
When Ministry Isn’t Full-Time: A Conversation About Bivocational Leadership
Letting Go of the Myth of the Ideal Pastor.
As we close this second season of the Ministry Forum Podcast, we want to say thank you—for listening, reading, reflecting, and journeying with us. Ministry today may not look the way it did in the past, but God’s call remains. And at Ministry Forum, we’ll keep showing up to explore where that call might take us next.