Worship 101 with Anne Miller
We’ve had the privilege of working alongside Anne Miller over the past few months as she prepared to launch her newest resource for lay preachers and worship leaders: Worship 101: A Guide to Planning and Leading (out now!!).
The Preaching Collective: A Conversation with Rev. Dr. Sarah Travis and Participants.
Rev. Dr. Sarah Travis and participants from Knox College’s Preaching Collective—a retreat and ongoing community designed to equip and encourage preachers across Canada. The group shares honest reflections on the joys and anxieties of preaching, the power of collaboration, and the growing role of lay leaders in worship leadership. Together, they explore what it means to preach faithfully in a changing church and how companionship in ministry can renew courage and creativity in the pulpit. This episode is a reminder that no one preaches alone—and that the Spirit works best in community.
Asking Better Questions | Highlighting St. Paul’s in Hamilton
This past June, as part of our Creative Ways 2025 conference in Hamilton, we had the privilege of welcoming The Rev. Dr. Mark Lewis, interim moderator of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, to reflect with us on just this kind of question. Many of you in the Presbyterian Church in Canada may already know Mark as the Moderator of the 128th General Assembly in 2002. Today, he continues to offer thoughtful, grounded leadership at St. Paul’s Hamilton. Today we wanted to share a bit of the congregation’s story with you because we believe it offers a compelling example of what it means to listen deeply to one’s context and respond with courage and care.
Canadian Church Research Gathering 2025 at Wycliffe College
If you’re someone who loves graphs, spreadsheets, and data that tells a story—you’ll want to go deeper into what the data is saying about the Christian Church in Canada… so mark your calendar for the upcoming Canadian Church Research Gathering at Wycliffe College.
Christianity is the choice for Gen-Z
Could it be true? Is Gen Z really leading a resurgence in church attendance? From the UK to the US—and even here in Canada—data points to a surprising and hopeful trend: young adults are re-engaging with the Church. Reports from the Bible Society, Barna, and CTV’s Your Morning suggest that younger generations are attending more regularly than their elders—a reversal of decades-long patterns. But what does this mean for our congregations, our rhythms, and our readiness to welcome them? At Ministry Forum, we’re digging into these questions and listening closely to those ministering with the Next Generation. We want to know—are you seeing it too? Let’s keep the conversation going.
Understanding the Canadian Church - A Reading List
If you’re the kind of leader who likes to dig deeper—who finds clarity through books, research, and reflection—this list is for you. We’ve gathered a few recent and insightful titles that speak directly to the Canadian church: where we’ve been, where we are, and where we might be heading.
Resources for Faith Formation & Discipleship
When we invest in Scripture, prayer, and shared practices over time, confidence grows, our ability to share our faith becomes easier, and ministry has deeper roots to weather change and challenges. To help you and your congregation invest in spiritual growth and formation we’ve gathered a roundup of resources from our Resource Hub. You’ll find tools for personal devotion and small groups, guides that teach the faith in plain language, simple helps for household prayer, and practical aids for sharing hope in Christ with kindness and clarity.
Centred Leaders, Healthier Churches
An anonymous voice nudged me to revisit Eugene Peterson’s Working the Angles and its enduring claim that prayer, Scripture, and spiritual direction are the basic pastoral acts - BEFORE anything else. If this stirs something in you—encouragement, resistance, or questions—you’re in the right place. Let’s keep practicing.
Tradition, Tension, and What the Church Could Look Like Beyond 2025
The following post gathers some key ideas that stuck out to us from the Dr. Stuart Macdonald podcast episode. This post is meant to be a place where we can revisit, discuss and apply some of what is put forward in the podcast episode. For additional context, we encourage you to listen to Rev. John’s earlier conversation with Dr. James Tyler Robertson.
Master of Psychospiritual Studies at Knox College
The Master of Psychospiritual Studies at Knox is a growing program with more and more students (of all ages) entering each year. We’ve had the pleasure of partnering with those who lead this program at Knox and in we though the week was the perfect time to highlight this program to you. Thinking about going back to school? Feeling called to Ministry? Know someone who is? Check out the MPS program at Knox.
Empowering Research in Spirituality: Reflections from Sara Traficante
Sara Traficante, our returning intern with Ministry Forum and a final-year Master of Psychospiritual Studies student at Knox College, recently attended the one-day "Empowering Research in Spirituality" conference, co-hosted by Ministry Forum and the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC/ACSS) on October 3rd.
Young People Are *Returning to Church.
As younger adults—especially Gen Z and Millennials—begin returning to church, it's tempting to celebrate this as a sign of spiritual renewal. But as Dr. James Tyler Robertson points out in a recent Ministry Forum Podcast episode, we should be cautious before drawing conclusions. New research from Barna reveals a complex picture: the increase is driven primarily by young men, while young women, particularly single mothers, are disengaging. This shift calls for deeper reflection. Rather than rushing to capitalize on attendance trends, ministry leaders are invited to listen well, consider who’s not in the room, and faithfully discern what the Spirit might be doing in this moment. This is not just a resurgence—it’s a realignment. And it demands our careful, curious attention.
First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament
Released in 2021 and led by Terry M. Wildman (Ojibwe and Yaqui), the First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament is exactly what its name suggests—Scripture translated by Native North Americans, shaped by Indigenous storytelling traditions, and offered in English for both Native and non-Native readers.
The FNV is an invitation to listen differently.
Spiritual Practices That Carry Me Through
Everyday for the last decade or more, I get up before everyone else in my home. Over the years, the practices themselves have evolved. It started initially with a meditation practice that transformed my quite unhinged life at the time (if I’m honest).
It started with a minute or two and grew and grew and grew to an average of 20 minutes a day.
Ministry Forum is Thankful for YOU!
Ministry Forum was born into this digital space in 2023 with the hope that it could be a place of encouragement, dialogue, and practical support for leaders across the Canadian church. We didn’t know how it would unfold, but we knew we wanted ministry leaders to feel connected, supported and that they were not alone in their calling.
Now, two years later, as we come out of Thanksgiving weekend, we’re full of gratitude—for you.
Social Media as a Window for Ministry
Social media can feel like an endless scroll of noise, distraction, comparison and negativity.
Yet, for those of us in ministry, it also offers a window into the lives of the people we serve. A peek into the questions they’re asking, the struggles they’re carrying, the stories they’re sharing.
Social channels can also be into your church. Your feed can be a place where your mission, values, and hospitality are experienced before someone ever walks through your doors.
STUCK: Revisiting the Conversation with Dr. Todd Ferguson
Earlier this year, Ministry Forum hosted a timely and impactful gathering: Are You Stuck? — an immersive and small group event at Crieff Hills Retreat Centre with Dr. Todd Ferguson, sociologist, pastor, and co-author of Stuck: Why Clergy Are Alienated from Their Calling, Congregation, and Career. For many who attended, it was a clarifying, even healing experience. One that named the unspoken tensions ministry leaders have carried in silence for far too long.
Today we’re sharing with you a part of that experience through our Podcast feed.
Are We Even Making A Difference?
Ever since I left congregational ministry to take on my role at the Centre for Lifelong Learning - and honestly, even as I discerned whether I would say YES to the invitation to serve in this new way, there has been something inside that has questioned my place in the world.
As I reflect on it, that niggling has always been around. Challenging me on my purpose, my effectiveness - ultimately on whether how I was spending my time mattered amidst the tossing and turning of this world around us. I don’t know if this has been true for you too.
I mean, am I doing life well enough if I spend my weeks writing content and sending it into the ether like this one?
Truth & Reconciliation 2025
May we continue to educate ourselves, reflect, and be spurred to action as we pursue justice and healing for Indigenous peoples in Canada.
Resources for Learning, Truth & Reconciliation
Today we pause to reflect, lament, and recommit ourselves to the work of healing and justice. At Ministry Forum, we’re marking this week by weaving threads of reconciliation through everything we do—our podcast, blog, social media, and resource hub. Today, we offer you a curated roundup of past posts and a few fresh resources to support your own learning and leadership in the work of reconciliation.