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Engaging Pastors
The Engaging Pastors program of AMBS was a five-year effort, funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc., to transform seminary-church connections. The program fostered collaboration and sustained conversations among pastors, professors and church leaders from 2005 to 2009. More than 250 pastors and church leaders joined with seminary professors to explore issues at the heart of ministry in Mennonite churches.
Designed to transform the way pastoral training programs and the church prepare and support pastors, Engaging Pastors resulted in new observations and questions. The interactions helped to form a “feedback loop” that is strengthening both seminary teaching and pastoral ministry. A summative conference in December 2009 involved participants, educators and conference and denominational leaders. In preparing for the conference, the steering committee identified key themes emerging from Engaging Pastors experiences:
- Both the practice and teaching of ministry are strengthened when pastors and professors regularly engage each other in ways that honor the knowledge and expertise of each.
- There is an urgent need and opportunity for pastoral, biblical and teaching authority to be strengthened in the Mennonite church.
- The church and the seminary need to equip pastors and professors to read and engage their missional contexts with joy.
A book of papers and reflections from the Summative Conference is available for download as a PDF file or by purchase from Mennonite Cooperative Bookstore at AMBS.
Engaging Pastors Mission Statement
Engaging Pastors will transform seminary-church connections through sustained interaction between professors and pastors. Our learnings will feed into our formation of pastors and serve as a primary vehicle for AMBS strategic planning even as we support the ecology of ministry.
Engaging Pastors projects
| Clarifying the Call Several times over the five years, pastors in their first assignment met for a weekend of conversation, support and learning. Peers, seminary faculty and denominational leaders listened to and validated the questions and experiences of early ministry. |
Pastor-Faculty Colloquies Each year, a group of pastors and professors met three times to reflect on and study issues of ministry. Discussions focused on such topics as sustaining pastoral ministry, leadership and the teaching ministry of the church. |
| Pastor-Faculty Colloquies Each year, a group of pastors and professors met three times to reflect on and study issues of ministry. Discussions focused on such topics as sustaining pastoral ministry, leadership and the teaching ministry of the church. |
Pastor Sabbatical Church leaders spent time at AMBS for reflection and study, participating in chapels, forums and campus events and meeting with professors and spiritual directors. Reflection papers and reports are available to professors and students at AMBS. |
| Pastor-Faculty Study Groups Pastors and AMBS professors met multiple times over several months to study the Bible, theological questions or ethical dilemmas. In addition to academic study, gatherings were a time of rejuvenation, worship, nurture and friendship. |
Seminary Course Revision Pastors and professors collaborated to revise several AMBS courses, integrating practical skills and experience with theory. Pastors’ involvement varied from conceptual redesign to lecturing and teaching. |
| Listening Project Individual professors visited selected congregations for a weekend of listening. Church members and pastors talked about ministry in their contexts and reflected on how the seminary can better educate people for pastoral ministry. |
Pastoral Habits Research Project Researchers from AMBS and Eastern Mennonite Seminary interviewed exemplary church leaders. Project findings will be shared in a variety of ways across Canada and the United States. |
| Seminario Bíblico Anabautista Seminario Bíblico Anabautista was a Spanish-language theological education program in Dallas, Texas. Engaging Pastors provided opportunities for AMBS faculty to participate with the Spanish-speaking pastors in several class sessions. |
Summative Conference In December 2009, AMBS hosted a conference to discuss learnings from Engaging Pastors with pastors, pastoral educators, and denominational and conference leaders. Conversations focused on what kinds of structural changes are needed to improve the ways that AMBS and the church prepare, support and nurture pastors. |
| Connections with conference and denominational ministers Ministers in conference and denominational roles contributed to Engaging Pastors by serving on the program’s planning and oversight committees, participating in a Pastor-Faculty Colloquy, meeting with seminary faculty and assisting with survey development and curriculum revision. |
Feature stories about Engaging Pastors experiences
- New pastors find clarity in their call to ministry
- Congregations benefit from listening professors
- Conference minister explores old and new Mennonite churches
- Sabbatical is time for transition, study, reflection for Henry Kliewer
- Pastor-Professor study group explores wisdom in pastoral care
- Pastor and professor teach course bridging gap between Old and New Testaments
- AMBS Engaging Pastors Project fosters collaboration with conference ministers
- Summative Conference explores issues for vibrant congregations
