Beginning in 2008, nine pastors from around the United States began a journey of education, spiritual growth, leadership development, and community building. Coming from Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Utah, we started the Beeson Pastor Program Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Preaching and Leadership at Asbury Theological Seminary.
Every August we have come to the Wilmore campus for classes and writing. We have traveled to Chicago, Houston, South Korea, and Cincinnati to visit innovative ministries and learn from creative and effective leaders. We’ve visited everything from a 20-something postmodern church, to a house church, to the largest church in the U.S., Joel Osteen’s Lakewood, to the largest Methodist Church in the world, Kwanglim in Seoul, to the largest church in the world, Yoido Full Gospel, also in Seoul. Early next year we will travel to Costa Rica.
It’s been fun so far! This year our classes are the “Advanced Biblical Preaching Seminar” and “Anthropology for the Global Church.” We are all moving forward in writing our dissertations. My working title is “Equipping the Saints Using a Strengths-based Ministry Process.”
It has been a real honor to receive the Beeson Pastor Fellowship, which is a full-ride scholarship including room and board, books, tuition, travel, and even a laptop computer. It’s been an even bigger honor to get to know my colleagues in this cohort and the other cohorts that have travelled with us and shared campus time with us. In the next few weeks I will share some brief bios of some of them so you can get to know with whom I am spending all my time during these Augusts that I have been away from Christ Church.
So, I will be here in Wilmore, getting ready for my dissertation proposal, finishing up some work for the upcoming classes. On the weekends we’ll be making church visits. We will be on campus until August 26th. I am so appreciative of this time away from the responsibilities of pastoring the church to hone my skills, grow deeper in my relationship with Christ, and be shaped by some incredible colleagues and leaders. I know that Brenda, Andy, Mark, and Randy and our slate of small group leaders are filling in the gaps with grace and skill in my absence. Thank you for your endorsement and support!!
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