Renewal and Resources for Ministry in 2024
This morning I’m just wrapping up an amazingly meaningful pastors retreat held at Crieff Hills Retreat Centre and offered at a discount through sponsorships from St. Andrew’s Hall, the Presbytery of Waterloo Wellington, Crieff’s Wellness Fund, and Ministry Forum. I’m hoping the some of what we learned together will frame future initiatives coming from the Centre for Lifelong Learning at Knox College.
Some of what we heard from the retreat participants certainly connected with what we’ve been reading and learning as we’ve connected with other ministry leaders. There is lots of recent research that is speaking into the reality we find ourselves in. One of the challenges that we hear a lot is how do we pass on the faith to the next generation or even just sharing the Good News in a society that is so far removed from it. Perhaps the Season of Lent is a good time to think about these kinds of questions since in the early Church these 40 days were a period of learning, discernment, and preparation for becoming a newly baptized member of the Church. If you are interested in exploring these questions further, we’ve added a collection of resources on our website.
The Stories We Tell Conference
The presenters at “The Stories We Tell” Conference hosted by the Tyndale Intercultural Ministry Centre in mid-January spoke into these kinds of questions. You can watch the recordings here
Explosively Alive: Stories of Catholic Renewal
Dr. Catherine Holtmann and Dr. Sam Reimer share their findings.
Resonant Relationship and Contemplative Spiritual Disciplines as a Congregational Focus
Dr. Mark Chapman shares his findings.
Congregational Storytelling and Culture Building: Navigating Transitions in One Catholic Parish
Dr. Joel Thiessen share his findings.
Cultivating Repertoires of Resilience: The Power of Stories to Redefine Times of Challenge & Change
Dr. Katie Steeves and Dr. Jason Burtt share their findings.
How (and Why) Canadians become Christians:
Five Lessons from Recent Research.
A new colleague at Wycliffe College, Jeremy McClung - the Transitional Director of the Institute of Evangelism - recently shared an article on this topic entitled: How (and Why) Canadians become Christians: Five Lessons from Recent Research.
In the article Jeremy references a report he coauthored with John Bowen, the former Director of the Institue of Evangelism - Finding Faith in Canada. The report reveals some interesting and exciting data including that Canadians continue embracing Christianity, highlighting the complexity of conversion, the simplicity of effective evangelism, and the significance of both church involvement and Scripture in spiritual journeys.
Research-based guidelines for leading the church in a new era of ministry
One of our Ministry Forum community members passed along the article “Researched-based guidelines for leading the church in a new era a ministry. to me recently. Again, based on recent research, it touches on some of the realities / tensions that ministry leaders are encountering today including:
Recognizing Change
Embracing Hybrid Options
Listening to Woman
Care For Lose and Grief
New Forms of Collaboration
Confronting Racial Injustice
And more
Co-Creating Plausible Futures for the Canadian Church
I’m wondering if we might hear some similar things as we look forward to attending the New Leaf Network’s Co-Creating Plausible Futures for the Canadian Church (an event that we are sponsoring) this weekend.
About Co-Creating Plausible Futures for the Canadian Church
As the church navigates the complexities of post-Christendom Canada, we know that people are seeing the trends in Canada that point to hopeful futures. We invite you to join this first symposium in the new series Conversations in the Canadian Church as we explore these hopeful themes.
This event aims to explore innovative ideas, cutting-edge research, and actionable strategies for the church.