Season of Renewal In The Anglican Diocese of Toronto

This week on the Ministry Forum Podcast, we’re hosting a conversation between Rev. John and Rev. Canon Dr. Judy Paulsen. 

Judy is an Anglican priest who has spent years teaching, preaching, and leading across a variety of church and academic settings, always with a heart for equipping the church in its witness and worship. In 2024, she released her latest book, A New and Ancient Evangelism: Rediscovering the Ways God Calls and Sends, which explores how we can recover timeless practices of faith and mission in our current moment. She now serves as the coordinator of the “Season of Spiritual Renewal” for the Diocese of Toronto.

We’re excited about this conversation because it’s filled with real, hopeful stories of how churches are stepping into renewal by returning to the basics:

• Prayer

• Scripture

• Worship

• Sharing Your Faith 

...Pst these are things we’re going to talk more about in a couple of weeks - stay tuned!

In this episode, Judy shares the story of how the Season of Spiritual Renewal came about in response to the question:What is God calling us to next?

Through listening sessions held across the Diocese of Toronto, the team identified four key areas to focus on: prayer, scripture, worship, and sharing faith. They began by encouraging people to pray specifically for renewal in themselves, their congregations, and the world. They compiled a booklet of historical prayers from across the church, which spread (they had to reorder more several times). 

Alongside prayer, they offered +40 workshops designed to help lay leaders and clergy grow in confidence and capacity within their unique contexts. Topics included:

• How to lead a Bible study

• How to read scripture aloud in worship

• How to make online services more welcoming

• Others focused on deepening spiritual practices, like Lectio Divina or praying through music.

They also planned five regional worship gatherings in different churches, where they shared music, preaching, prayer, and testimonies from everyday Anglicans about how God was meeting them in real life. These services were open to anyone, and they proved to be a huge success. The cathedral in downtown Toronto was full!

This conversation was so encouraging to us. Hearing stories of renewal happening right now in our local context is such a gift, and we’re already seeing sparks of inspiration for what could happen in the PCC and in other mainline denominations if we too return to the basics. 

And just one last note about this conversation  - as we move out of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18–25), we want to reiterate how grateful we are at Ministry Forum to work alongside leaders from across the Christian landscape: Presbyterians, Anglicans, United Church ministers, Baptists, and beyond. We believe the Spirit speaks through all parts of Christ’s body, and that we are stronger when we listen and learn from one another. We’re so grateful for the opportunity to learn from Judy and her team. 

You can find this episode of the Ministry Forum Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or head over to here to listen and read the full transcript. We hope you’ll take a moment to listen and maybe even share it with a colleague or friend who could use a little encouragement on their own faith or leadership journey.