Houghton alumni spotlight: Travis Trotman
Another critical aspect of Houghton was a culture that made it easy for conversations about Jesus to flow freely, helping Trotman to expand in his faith.
ECD Curator Access
Learning to ‘know people’: Michaela Wickham’s experience at SWU
As Michaela was growing in her “seeing” of spiritual realities, SWU was giving her plenty of opportunities to develop leadership and discover her calling.
Thrive In 5: Emotional
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...
Mejor juntos: el ministerio de Rodrigo Azofeifa
La imagen en Apocalipsis 7: 9 de una gran multitud de todas las naciones, tribus y personas inspira la pasión del reverendo Rodrigo Azofeifa por la adoración inclusiva.
Better together: Rodrigo Azofeifa’s ministry
The image in Revelation 7:9 of a great multitude from every nation, tribe and people inspires Rev. Rodrigo Azofeifa’s passion for inclusive worship.
This work in multicultural church unification has become a passion for Azofeifa.
Thrive in 5: Physical
Living a healthy lifestyle requires physical activity.
Thrive In 5: Spiritual
Delighting in the Trinity- What is your Christian life like?
Thrive In 5: Relational
What is a secret to strong relationships? In his book “The Relationship Cure,” relational researcher, John Gottman, suggests that we should be on the lookout for “bids for connection” and turn toward these bids whenever we can. What is a bid for connection? A...
She said, he said: handing the mic to pastors’ spouses
While pastors’ spouses are as much in the spotlight as their partners, they’re less often handed a live microphone and an empty stage. We wanted to find out what pastor’s spouses – both pastors’ husbands and pastors’ wives – had to say about life in
Thriving in ministry: the best young pastors
Stepping out of college and into the world of ministry can be a daunting prospect. After graduation, young ministers often feel unsure of how to use their education and apply it in the “real world.”
Board of Trustees Conference
2019 Board of Trustees Conference in Orlando, Florida.
Thrive In 5: Emotional – Anxiety
Here are five things you can do to turn off your God-given anxiety alarm bells when they are over active.
Thrive in 5: Financial
The Importance of Saving Money Saving money is an important part of your personal financial journey. In John Wesley’s message on money, his three main points were earn all you can, save all you can and give all you can. Unfortunately, many people are not saving these...
Growing the kingdom: Rev. Kenneth Figgs
Ask anyone in Harrington, Delaware, where the Wesleyan church is, and they’ll point you to the place where cars overflow the parking lot and line the streets any Sunday. Harrington is a town of 3,300 people, and about one in five call Calvary Wesleyan Church their...
Avoiding the Isolation Trap
People in helping professions are often surrounded by others, but when healthy friendships are not fostered, it can be easy to get caught in a trap of isolation. Co-Director of Worship Arts at College Wesleyan, Jordan Rife sees fostering healthy frie
Formation of clergy: SWU higher education purposes to serve the church
The approach to formation of clergy is changing for the Religion Division of Southern Wesleyan University (SWU) as they study and innovate ministerial programs. Dr. Michael Tapper, chair of the Religion Division, shared how SWU is working toward preparing pastors for...
Thriving in ministry: Rev. John Fowler
About two years ago, Southside Fellowship Church in Owensboro, Kentucky, started to explore the idea of doing church differently. The call to examine the structure of the church came from their pastor, Rev. John Fowler, who had experienced a personal
Thrive in 5: Physical
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (the Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20). God has created human...
Thrive in 5: Relational Attunement
Neuroscientists affirm that we are “wired for connection” from birth. Infant brains develop best when caretakers are in sync—attuned—with babies’ physical, emotional, and relational needs. Obviously, no caretaker is in sync 100 percent of the time; caregivers provide...
Thrive in 5: Use Your Brain the Way God Intended
“I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.” –Galileo Maintaining intellectual health is often a neglected part of pastoral well-being. Yet, Jesus included loving...
Thrive In 5: Emotional
How do you feel about the person you are with when you are all alone? This is when your capacity for self-loathing or self-liking reveals itself. The odds are good that you may experience either attitude about your “self” at one time or another. As a pastor,...
God knows what he’s doing: Abby Powell
Abby Powell realized she wasn’t the typical Oklahoma Wesleyan student one day in an intercultural studies class, when asked to fill out a 10-question quiz about emotional “baggage” she carried. Each question answered “yes” indicated some wound or negative experience...
Dr. Marcus Dean: No ivory tower
Whether in an office at Houghton College or a board room at Fillmore Wesleyan Church, Dr. Marcus Dean lives a life in service to the local church. Dr. Marcus Dean’s life has been spent in two worlds that don’t always play nicely with one another – the academy and the...
Thrive In 5: Planning For Retirement
One of the hardest things for some pastors to think about is preparing for retirement. There are so many aspects to think about, it can boggle the mind. Yet, it is one of the most important life events many of us will ever experience from both a personal and...