When You Work for the Church

Last week, I spent a wonderful morning with a group of new pastors and chaplains as part of the Transitioning into Ministry program of Mennonite Church Canada. A life-time ago, when I started as a new pastor, this kind of group orientation and integration did not exist. But I understand that the vision to support and connect new pastors in this way began with Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC), and the program is now moving nationwide as part of Mennonite Church Canada.

According to MCEC, Transitioning into Ministry (TiM):

provides a three-year formational experience for beginning pastors or pastors new to MCEC to assist them in integrating their seminary training into the life and ministry of a congregation and to develop faithful habits and practices. It also draws on the wisdom of experienced pastors and provides them with the opportunity to help equip and support the next generation of leaders.

I was asked to be part of Learning Session #3 on how new pastors see themselves as leaders. The first half of our time together focused on effective leadership and power, led by David Boshart, president of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary. Then after a short break, I had been asked to lead a session on effective leadership and spiritual practice.

After that inspiring start, I went on to share more examples and stories related to leadership and spiritual practices, loosely following this outline:

Spiritual practices are formative and essential for effective leadership.

Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline outlines three groups of classic spiritual disciplines:  inward disciplines like meditation and prayer, outward disciplines like simplicity and service, and corporate disciplines like confession and worship. My Sacred Pauses explores similar ground with additional practices that have not generally been recognized in the same way: like valuing relationships, making music, getting outdoors, and having fun.

We spent some time on lectio divina, which is a prayerful way of reading Scripture. It was both an inward practice of personal reflection and a corporate practice as I read Mark 6:30–46 for all of us to listen to God in Scripture together, followed by sharing in breakout rooms.

Spiritual practices remind us that we are not God and leave room for God to work.

I shared some examples from my ministry experience and also referenced Healing Leadership Trauma by Nicholas Rowe and Sheila Wise Rowe. (See also my short review of this book for the March/April 2025 issue of The Marketplace.)

Spiritual practices help us to rest, to relieve stress, and to be restored.

More ministry examples, including highlights from Jesus’ ministry and his invitation to come and rest in Matthew 11:28–30.

Spiritual Practices are leadership practices, part of the work of ministry.

More examples of spiritual practices as part of ministry, and a look at Matthew 17:1–17 where Jesus and three of his disciples have a mountain-top experience immediately followed by a rather chaotic encounter with a crowd. On the mountain top of spiritual experience to the daily grind of life and ministry, God is with us. We ended our time together with a prayer of reflection based on this text.

I left our session together much encouraged by David’s discussion on leadership and power and by engaging with these new pastors. I pray that they were encouraged too, that God will continue to equip and guide them in their leadership roles, that they and their churches and other ministry settings will flourish.