When I was in fifth grade, I didn’t know I would spend the majority of my adult life in leadership. All I knew was the world I associated with my everyday life: school days, awash in my navy and blue jumper with white blouse (peter pan collar, of course) navy blue uniform sweater, white knee socks, and black penny loafers. My world was long division, copying spelling words, social studies, and Girl Scouts and piano lessons after school. Me, a... Read more
The term “The Ministry of Ordination” sounds very serious and official. I have titled such on purpose, for that very reason: ordination is a crux of ministry. It is both a beginning of ministry and the receipt of ministry, at once. When one goes into ministry, they are at the beginning of their service (the word ministry means “service”) as an individual and are receiving the benefit of service from a spiritual leader. It reflects a number of different ideas... Read more
Patheos’s new project, Sacred Spaces: The 100 Most Holy Places on Earth has me thinking about the concept of “sacred space.” Growing up, it wasn’t uncommon to hear of people taking huge trips to different sites, each with the hope that their pilgrimage would render a special blessing. One woman claimed she was healed at Medugorje, Yugoslavia (a place where a group of children claimed to have an apparition of Mary, mother of Jesus). A few people made trips to... Read more
We go into ministry because we love God and want to serve others. We also go into ministry because we enjoy attention, encouragement, and the words, “Job well done!” Even though we don’t talk much about the latter, I firmly believe God uses these things to help propel us into His work. There’s nothing wrong with loving every aspect of ministry, including those that get us attention and praise. Not everyone has the ability to speak in front of groups... Read more
It’s not a secret to say the issue of women in ministry may be one of the most decisive present throughout church history. It continues to be a topic of controversy, no matter the evidence that speaks for itself. While current statistics cite that more than seventy percent of Evangelicals support public ministry roles for women, seeing women in top church leadership roles remains relatively rare. This is true across a number of major Christian denominations, notwithstanding entire denominations, such... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In