Dr. Virginia Holeman |
April 17, 2019 |
Blog Thrive in 5
Peacefulness through Prayer May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the Lord. Psalm 104:34 This Lent I (Dr. Toddy Holeman) committed to engage in 20 minutes of centering prayer every day until Easter. Centering...
Jessica White |
April 11, 2019 |
Blog Colleges Education & Clergy Development Featured Blog News
In its first year, Southern Wesleyan University’s (SWU) online doctorate program in curriculum and assessment has 37 students enrolled. The faculty at SWU is excited about how well the program has taken off and looks forward to positive outcomes as it progresses. Many...
Gabriela Garver |
April 9, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Featured Blog
IWU alumnus spotlight: Josh Grimmer If you meet pastor Josh Grimmer on the streets of Portland, he won’t invite you to his church. He’ll likely invite you to play spike ball or to join a board game club. On an average day, you’ll find Grimmer baby-sitting for other...
Dr. Mark Rennaker |
April 3, 2019 |
Blog Thrive in 5
Thrive Financial Initiative The Wesleyan Church was blessed with a second million-dollar grant from the Lilly Endowment. The program, offered through Education & Clergy Development, is called the Thrive Financial Initiative (TFI) and is designed to help pastors...
Sarah Linder |
April 3, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development
“Church in prison is my favorite church anywhere,” said Judy Adams, a correctional institutional chaplain in Canada. Adams was a teacher at the institution for 13 years and has served as its chaplain for the past four years. Adams’ draw toward organizing and taking...
Dave Higle |
March 15, 2019 |
Blog Thrive in 5
Reflecting God’s own triune nature, we are created to live in loving community with others as well as with God. Too much isolation can lead to loneliness, depression, and sense of abandonment. Our perceptions can become distorted. A healthy pastor will...
Dave Higle |
March 15, 2019 |
Blog Thrive in 5
Reflecting God’s own triune nature, we are created to live in loving community with others. As pastors who love, it is essential that we empathize with others: to feel what others feel. People must sense that we understand them. People will know that we...
Dave Higle |
March 15, 2019 |
Blog Thrive in 5
Jesus said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” implying that our physical bodies and energy levels do have an impact—for better or worse—on our spiritual lives and ability to be there for others. Sometimes the best thing you can do for your...
Dave Higle |
March 15, 2019 |
Blog Thrive in 5
Stewardship includes taking healthy care of ourselves so we can be there for others. It also involves thinking ahead to care for those we love in the event of a tragedy. Some believe that purchasing life insurance indicates a lack of faith in God’s...
Michelle Wood |
March 15, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Thrive in 5
As a pastor, you know how important your emotional vitality is to ministry. The pastoral vocation is unique in nature compared to all other helping professions. Ministry is not a 9-5 job; insisting on “normal hours” will...
Michelle Wood |
March 15, 2019 |
Blog Thrive in 5
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. Stewardship includes taking healthy...
Michelle Wood |
March 14, 2019 |
Blog Thrive in 5
Jesus said, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,” implying that our physical bodies and energy levels do have an impact—for better or worse—on our spiritual lives and ability to be there for others. If we do not maintain good physical health...
Dr. David Higle |
March 14, 2019 |
Blog Thrive in 5
As a pastor, you are a Christian spiritual leader of others. You know how vital it is to your well-being to maintain an active intellectual life and engage key leadership practices. Here are five suggestions that can help you stay ahead of the curve and position...
Dave Higle |
March 14, 2019 |
Blog Thrive in 5
Thrive in 5 – Spiritual Sustaining Pastoral Excellence The most fundamental level of self-care is the pastor’s personal relationship with God in Christ through the Spirit. Everything in the pastor’s life flows from and is dependent upon the spiritual...
Dave Higle |
March 14, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Thrive in 5
As a pastor, you know how important your emotional vitality is to ministry. Pastoral ministry requires the ability to withstand the emotional stresses of life and be “present” and empathetic to others. Emotional...
Linda Gist |
February 26, 2019 |
Education & Clergy Development Thrive in 5 Thriving Clergy
Thrive in 5 – Spiritual Have you ever noticed the irony of being a pastor working with people every day and yet personally experiencing deep loneliness? Do you sense that longing in your heart for deep, intimate friendship? Are you open to re-imagining your...
Gabriela Garver |
February 15, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development
Winsome. That’s the first word Grant Wood’s professor Rev. Mark Wilson chose to describe the Southern Wesleyan University (SWU) graduate. When I asked Wood, who is now working as a resident pastor, what he thinks his peers remember him for most, he said: a sense of...
Jessica White |
February 13, 2019 |
Blog Colleges Education & Clergy Development News
“We want to blow the doors off Kingswood Extended, so everyone understands, this could be for you if you want to be an effective lay leader in your church,” said Andrea Gunter, director of Kingswood Extended. Are you a pastor who would benefit from pursuing higher...
David B. Lewis |
February 12, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Thrive in 5 Thriving Clergy
Thrive in 5 – Physical Developing an Exercise Routine – Part One Faith is active – it is demonstrated by what we do. As the Scriptures declare: “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:17). Applying this spiritual principle to our...
Dr. David Higle |
February 4, 2019 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Thrive in 5 Thriving Clergy
The Emotionally Healthy Leader As a pastor, you know that leadership is much more than knowing solid management techniques or creating and casting vision. First and foremost, you lead out of who you are. Who you are will manifest itself in how you lead others. The...
Dave Higle |
December 17, 2018 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Reclaim Sabbath
Throughout 2018, Wesleyan clergy encouraged each other to “Reclaim Sabbath” by coming to a full stop every seven days in order to recognize that our ultimate center is God. Not our work, or our pedigree, or our ministry, but God himself. Henri Nouwen encourages us to...
Jessica White |
December 14, 2018 |
Blog Collegate & Student Education & Clergy Development
Travis Trotman’s journey to Houghton College was across several thousand miles and a stark climate contrast – from the Caribbean island of Barbados. Trotman arrived at Houghton focused on studying music and communications, but his goals for higher education began to...
Gabriela Garver |
December 14, 2018 |
Blog Collegate & Student Education & Clergy Development
Michaela Wickham was in her second year at Southern Wesleyan University (SWU) when she had to miss the division of religion’s annual weekend retreat. The reason was poignant: her parents were getting divorced. Wickham went home to Columbia, South Carolina, to be with...
Dr. Virginia Holeman |
November 27, 2018 |
Blog Education & Clergy Development Thrive in 5 Thriving Clergy
If you have read A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, are you an Eeyore or a Tigger? “Eeyores” are your typical pessimists. Life is one disappointment after another. Positive things are never as good as imagined. Neutral things are worse than expected. Negative things are...
