Thriving Clergy
Residency Spotlight: Shawn Oswalt High Risk, High Reward in Urban Ministry
Shawn Oswalt was always eager for real-life experience with urban ministry. A pastoral residency program at Awakening Church of Colorado Springs, Colorado offered him the chance to engage in real ministry—but he never imagined the risks they’d joyfully take for...
Chaplain Spotlight: Bryan Purvis — The Ministry of Presence
Chaplain Purvis recently was promoted to Lieutenant Commander – a professional success he attributes to the men he serves. “Promotions have little to do with me and everything to do with those I serve with; they, the enlisted and other officers, make...
How to Flourish: Faith, Work, and Economics
“It’s rare to have an opportunity to be able to help members of your congregation to inhabit their vocation as part of a Kingdom calling, much less work with other church leaders to strategize how to transform your church and community. Psalm 104 gave us...
Wesleyans lead the way at Residency Summit in Chicago
Pictured: Luke and Kyla, residents at All Shores Church in Spring Lake, Michigan. “We should have just had you Wesleyans send us all your materials and not even met” a co-host half-joked to me after the Wesleyans gave a strong presentation of our residency...
Journeys Into Ministry: Rob Rogalski
“When I accepted the Lord in 1983, I dove headlong into lay ministry. I was involved in a senior executives’ small group at the Pentagon; I volunteered in youth, prison, and men’s ministries. But just over two and a half years ago, I felt a calling...
Residency Spotlight: Luke and Kyla
Because we’re pretty young, seeing behind-the-scenes ministry has been tremendously important. Knowing everyday church ministry has been huge, and we’ll be able to apply what we’re learning here at All Shores to our ministry overseas. –Luke &...
Residency Spotlight: Christine Kaye
“I’m still in training, but I get real-life experience. Messy people walking alongside messy people: you can’t get that in a classroom. Until you’re in it, you have no idea.” –Christine Kaye Residency exists to train pastors for lifelong...
The Houghton Way: 3 Ways Houghton College is Making Disciples
“If you want to know God, organize your day around connecting with God.” –Dr. Michael Jordan, Houghton’s Dean of the Chapel Houghton College was founded in 1883. After over 132 years, they still offer an “Academically Challenging,...
Residency Spotlight: Tim Witte
“A lot of people have a hard time believing their pastor loves them; so I learned to knit so I could get closer to my congregation.”-Tim Witte (pictured below) If there’s a resident pastor who knows about loving a congregation, it’s Tim Witte....
Five Surprising Ways IWU is Changing Ministry Education
In 2012, the Kern Family Foundation partnered with the Indiana Wesleyan University School of Theology and Ministry to create a program to help students be ” More hirable, better trained, and less indebted.” Admission to the Kern program is contingent on...
Thrive in 5: Financial- Personal Finances
Few areas in our lives are as sensitive as personal finances. Finances are often a great source of stress for clergy. Yet no matter how much or how little we earn, we are responsible to be good stewards of what the Lord provides
How Our Work Gets God’s Work Done: Revitalizing Wesleyan Higher Education
On May 28, The Division of Education and Clergy Development hosted a meeting of Wesleyan Higher Education faculty at Indiana Wesleyan University for the 2015 Doctrinal Symposium. This year’s symposium was a working meeting that followed up on last year’s...
SWU grad to continue mentor’s work by divine providence
Ashlee (Houser) Tietje is ready to step into her role as Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at Southern Wesleyan University this fall. As she does, the 2006 alumna will be realizing a dream that began while she was pursuing a degree in biology education at...
4 Reasons Why Pastors Should Love Numbers
May 31 brings to close another statistical year for many churches. Whether your fiscal/statistical year aligns with the calendar year or not, I know many pastors dislike statistical reports, and they come up with many reasons for why traditional statistics don’t...
Dr. Wood to lead expanded Wesleyan Seminary Foundation
We are very excited to announce that Rev. Dr. Harry Wood will be the inaugural chairperson of the newly expanded Wesleyan Seminary Foundation. All of you know of his leadership as a General Superintendent and his long tenure as a beloved and effective district...
Lead Practitioners Explore Pastoral Residencies
Early Ministry Initiative hosts a meeting to develop resident pastor positions. Rev. Russ Gunsalus, Executive Director of The Division of Education & Clergy Development, convened more than 50 Wesleyan ministers from across the denomination the last week of...
80+ Attend Inaugural Clergy Care Conference at IWU
Education and Clergy Development in the new quadrennium was to start a conference for clergy care givers—the counselors and others who offer front line assistance to pastors dealing with personal issues. The published focus of the conference is to “investigate best...
Symposium News
In June, 2013, over one hundred leaders from across the North American Wesleyan Church gathered in Indianapolis for a symposium addressing a key mutual concern: the challenges facing clergy development and education. Unlike theological symposia of past years, this one...11
