Your Church Needs Better Photos
The church, God’s ekklesia, is the people. That’s why photos of people in your space are important. Simple, photos of your congregation on a typical Sunday are important, and they’re what people look for when deciding whether to visit.
Photos show more than just what your church looks like.
They show what it feels like to be there.
You Are Not Alone: On Holding and Being Held
In my opinion, The Church is in a particular kind of pain right now.
Decline.
Burnout.
Diminishing resources.
Tipping points.
The slow erosion of what once felt stable and sure.
These are not just institutional challenges. They are carried by people… people just like you… in bodies and in spirits that were not designed to bear weight in isolation.
When there is no one to witness your grief, it doesn't disappear. It goes somewhere else. It gets heavier. And sometimes it manifests in how we are feeling physically.
Courageous Faith in a Time of Fear
Ministry Forum is grateful to co-host, with the Institute for Christian Studies, an upcoming event that addresses the real challenges church leaders face today.
Courageous Faith in a Time of Fear: Pastoral Leadership, Public Responsibility, and the Risk of Taking a Stand will be held May 13–14, 2026, in Toronto. We look forward to welcoming clergy, lay leaders, and community members for two days of meaningful conversation, learning, and support.
Why We Love Faith + Lead
One of the great privileges we have at Ministry Forum is curating and highlighting resources that genuinely strengthen the Church’s ministry across Canada. This week, we’re taking a minute to shine a light on the work of Faith + Lead - a resource that many in our community have already encountered, and one we’ve referenced many times in our emails and website posts.
What If You Didn’t Have To Do It All?
There's a quiet exhaustion that many ministry leaders carry: the sense that everything depends on you. The hospital visits. The Bible studies. The sermons. The administration. The pastoral care. The strategic planning. And somewhere underneath all of it, a nagging feeling that if you drop even one ball, someone will notice.
It's a heavy way to live.
Lay Ministry in 2026
John’s reflection this week touches on something many of us are experiencing right now: the need to share ministry work more fully with others in our communities. This isn’t just because it’s necessary, though that’s often true, but also because it helps us recognize and trust the gifts already present in our congregations. We’ve talked about this in different ways since we started Ministry Forum, and it keeps coming up because it’s such a real and ongoing part of ministry today.
AI, The Church, and The Questions We’re Just Beginning to Ask
Recently, I read a few Barna articles about artificial intelligence, looking at what Christians are thinking and how church leaders are responding to this evolving reality we all find ourselves in. The insights were encouraging but also unsettling - a dichotomy I found in most of the research highlights.
Applications Are In: Virtual Front Porch Update #1
During our launch week in February, we received way more responses than I anticipated! Churches from across the PCC submitted their names or reached out by email (many sharing personal stories from their congregational contexts and excitement about what the project would mean for them).
After that initial interest stage, we released the full application - 35+ questions that required reflection and asked leaders to think carefully about leadership structure, decision-making processes, time capacity, ministry focus, and motivation.
It was not for the faint of heart!
Even so, many churches engaged with it seriously.
Looking for the People Serving the Next Generation
Right now we are in the early stages of this initiative. Over the coming months, our team will be reaching out to churches across Canada through phone calls and emails to help identify people serving in next generation ministries.
We’re hoping to build a national network and contact database that includes those working in all areas of NextGen Ministries.
And we want to connect with everyone involved in this work, whether they are paid staff, part-time leaders, volunteers, or ministry partners.
Lectureships Archive Now Available
As we continue to host lectureships (typically one or two each year), we’ll be adding recordings and materials to this growing archive. If you missed a lectureship when it was first offered (or if a particular topic sparks your interest) we invite you to take some time to explore what’s now available.
A pilgrimage of Vocation, Loss, Endurance, and Unexpected Grace
“Entering the Master of Divinity program required courage in itself. Arriving at Knox College to fulfill the requirements in pursuit of congregational leadership in the Presbyterian Church in Canada, at midlife, is to come, not as a blank slate, but as a person already formed by decades of experience, questions, disappointments, and faith.”
Ministry Forum Intern Rosanne Purnwasie shares her insights and reflections from her time at Knox College.
Resources for Legacy Planning and Retirement
We recently added a small collection of resources to the Ministry Forum Resource Hub focused on legacy and retirement planning.
Creative Ways to Engage with Your Congregation For Earth Day
Here are several creative ways to invite your church into a conversation or rhythm or caring for the land around them. Included below are seasonal practices, hands-on ideas, and spiritual reflections that root environmental concern in our faith, deepen our witness, and spark meaningful action.
Caring for Creation: Upcoming Ministry Forum Webinars
As we approach Earth Day and the wider celebration of Earth Week, we are invited to reflect more deeply on our calling to care for God’s creation. In this season, we might ask what faithful stewardship looks like in our local contexts: how we nurture both people and the land entrusted to us? In that spirit, we’re highlighting two upcoming Ministry Forum webinars that explore creative, and hopeful ways churches can engage in this work.
Podcasts For Creation Care and Discipleship
As Earth Week approaches, many of us are seeking ways to more deeply integrate creation care into our spiritual lives and ministry practices. Sometimes the best way to begin—or to stay encouraged—is simply to listen. These thought-provoking podcasts bring together voices of faith, science, justice, and creativity to help us reflect, grow, and act as stewards of God’s good creation.
A Prayer and A Video to Spark Your Thinking: Holy Week 2026
It is Holy Week! Let’s keep it simple today.
I offer you two things… a prayer… and something to spark some thinking (if you’d like!)
Using Social Media to Guide People in Prayer Throughout the Week
Social media offers an opportunity to extend the spiritual development of the congregation throughout the week by repurposing the meaningful moments already present in your Sunday service. There are so many ways to do this, but this week I want to focus on prayer.
The prayers offered on Sunday are often very pastoral and tuned to the needs, thoughts concerns, and celebrations of the congregation. You put a lot of time into preparing them and with a little extra intention, you can repurpose them to guide your congregations through the week.
A Deeper Way to Connect: What I Learned from Amber Johnson
Amber offers a two step plan to connect more deeply with your loved ones, work colleagues, and new acquaintances. And, you know what, it might also make you feel less alone despite the multiplicity of connections you may have.
Looking for the People Serving the Next Generation
Right now we are in the early stages of this initiative. Over the coming months, our team will be reaching out to churches across Canada through phone calls and emails to help identify people serving in next generation ministries.
We’re hoping to build a national network and contact database that includes those working in all areas of NextGen Ministries.
And we want to connect with everyone involved in this work, whether they are paid staff, part-time leaders, volunteers, or ministry partners.
Celebrating 5 Seasons of The Ministry Forum Podcast
We really covered a lot of ground over the last few months and we’re grateful for the opportunity to catch a glimpse into the many ways God continues to shape and sustain ministry today.