Formation · Conversations
Structured questions and practices for reflection, relationship, discernment, and shared learning.
The Slow Work of Forming Healthier Christian Communities With assistance from Judy Mitchell and Josh Daum Why Doesn’t Anything Really Change? It happens almost every Sunday. Worship has ended. People gather around…
Leadership Conversations
Open resource →Foundation #1: God’s Mission “The good news of the Gospel is that the triune God…creates, redeems, sustains, rules, and transforms all things and all people.“ F-1.01 God’s Mission The work of ministry…
Foundations Conversations
Open resource →Recognizing God’s Grace in One Another Most churches can tell stories about people who helped them become what they are today. Perhaps it was a pastor who faithfully served for many years.…
Conversations Among Small Congregations
Open resource →004 What Kind of Community Are We Becoming? Reflections on faithfulness within and beyond the church You Give Them Something to Eat In Mark 6, the disciples are tired. They have been…
Leadership Conversations
Open resource →Faithful Discernment in a Time of Institutional Change Acts 15 and the Work of Discernment In Acts 15, the early church faces a crisis of becoming. Gentiles are entering the community in…
Leadership Conversations
Open resource →Building Relationships As we come to this fourth conversation, we turn to a story that feels strikingly familiar to many of us—the journey on the road to Emmaus Luke 24:13–35. Two disciples…
Open resource →Building Relationships In Scripture, faith is not formed only in moments of clarity or blessing. It is often forged in loss, uncertainty, and the long middle where nothing seems to resolve. The…
Open resource →Building Relationships In Scripture, we are rarely formed alone. Again and again, we see that who we become is shaped through relationships—through people who walk with us, challenge us, protect us, and…
Open resource →Building Relationships Names Matter In the Bible, names are not just labels—they carry identity, story, and calling. Sometimes a name tells you where someone has come from. Sometimes it reveals who they…
Open resource →Preparing for ministry without losing the center When something important is approaching, ministry teams often become consumed with the work around the work. Messages need answered. Materials need gathered. Food must be…
Leadership Conversations
Open resource →001 Mission in the Front Seat: Keeping Vision and Relationships Ahead of Management and Structure A Leadership Conversation, 001 March 10, 2026 Church boards spend enormous amounts of time discussing budgets, staffing,…
Leadership Conversations
Open resource →Living Faithfully in the Mess (Longer Conversation) Order, Risk, and the Call to Follow Christ Our Instincts When uncertainty or discomfort arises in the church, what do I reach for first? structure?…
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