Much has been written about the demands on a local church pastor: to be omnicompetent,1 to be an expert on theology, organizational management, and social psychology. She must be intelligent, likable, funny, wise, charming, and savvy. The list of disciplines and characteristics in which one is expected to excel is long and unrelenting in its demands.
I’ve felt that pressure for much of my twenty plus years of local church ministry. This pressure has a deleterious effect on my soul. I either try and push to live up to these expectations or experience shame that I simply cannot measure up. And when I’m pushing and posing – or sulking and feeling ashamed of myself – I find I’m not…
Pilgrimage is Almost as Old as Christianity Itself
“For the next three days, we will be on a pilgrimage together.”
These are the words my co-facilitator and I greet the groups which join us for The Sankofa Journey,1 an interactive…
*Editorial Note: Gaby Viesca has been an important voice within our Writing Collectives for some time. Earlier this month, Gaby officially joined our Missio Alliance team as the Director of Strategy & Partnerships as well. Read more about her discernment…
Karl Barth was onto Something Profound
“As Jesus Christ calls us and is heard by us He gives us His Holy Spirit in order that His own relationship to His Father may be repeated in us” (Barth, Church Dogmatics, italics…
On the west side of Chicago stands a large brick building that reads New Moms. As a nonprofit transitional housing facility, New Moms is a safe haven for new mothers between the age of 18 – 24, the majority of…
