FTE’s podcast on meaning, purpose and vocation is back starting September 10. Subscribe today on the platform you enjoying listening to. New to our podcast? We have 10 episodes ready for you to binge! https://fteonline.org/sotg
Read More »By: Patrick B. Reyes September 08, 2021
Sound of the Genuine is the Forum for Theological Exploration’s podcast exploring meaning and purpose. In each episode, we’re invited into the vocational journey of leaders of the church and academy. In the first episode of our limited audio series, Rev. Dorlimar Lebrón explores her call to ministry from suburban churches in New England to her current congregation in New York, the People’s Church, once home to the Young Lords.
Read More »By: Patrick B. Reyes May 28, 2021
Meet Montague Williams, associate professor of church, culture, and society at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California. He is also the author of Church in Color Youth Ministry, Race, and the Theology of Martin Luther King Jr. In his Q&A, Montague shares what inspired him to write this book, why churches need a re-reading of Dr. King’s work, how he views mentorship, and his hope for the next generation of faithful leaders.
Read More »By: Angela Giles January 28, 2021
Meet Rev. Joe Ella Darby, an FTE Alum based in Nashville, Tennessee, where she serves as the vacation bible school coordinator for the Sunday School Publishing Board and the assistant to the pastor for discipleship at First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill. She is also currently participating in a Chaplain residency program serving the VA hospital. In her Q&A, Rev. Darby shares what excites her most about FTE’s work, how her ministry has changed during the pandemic, and advice to young adults discerning their call.
Read More »By: Joe Ella Darby November 19, 2020
Just days after our daily lives shifted dramatically with the COVID-19 crisis, FTE virtually convened the first Community of Practice Cohort. In light of the massive changes that had taken place over the course of the previous three days, I started the meeting asking two questions:
Read More »By: Christina Repoley May 29, 2020
On April 22, 2020, Earth Day turns 50. During that first celebration in 1970, more than 20 million people, including many religious leaders and young adults, went outside to demand a better world. In that same year, the National Environment Protection Act went into effect establishing the Environmental Protection Agency.
Read More »By: Patrick B. Reyes April 21, 2020
Last week I had the privilege to facilitate a cohort of amazing women for an Inaugural Thriving in Ministry retreat in Pine Mountain, GA. During this time, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic status for COVID-19.
Read More »By: Darlene Hutto March 24, 2020
We are all too familiar with Sunday morning small talk.
“How are you doing Beverly?,” asks the pastor. Beverly is a long-time parishioner who volunteers for the flower guild and teaches Sunday School.
“I’m fine pastor,” said Beverly. “Thank you for asking!”
Read More »By: Alexis Chase May 30, 2019
At a recent academic conference I attended, a keynote speaker presented research on the faith journeys of young adults in their twenties and thirties. According to the speaker’s findings, a substantial number of participants reported leaving the Christian faith after struggling with the exclusionary implications of their church’s theologies. For many, the departure from the communities that formed them so deeply at one point in their lives was a complete break from Christianity itself. Listening to the stories these young adults shared touched a raw place in my heart.
Read More »By: Easten Law May 13, 2019
This past year has been a roller coaster of questions, reflection, doubts, and fears. After spending my whole life thinking I knew what I wanted to be in this world, I decided I had been wrong. I was not called to a life of practicing medicine. When I made that decision, I voiced it aloud to various groups I belong to, including my campus ministry, which voiced affirmations and support, making me feel secure in my decision.
Read More »By: Zoie Sheets July 27, 2018
Today we grieve the loss of Rev. Dr. James H. Cone, a Bill & Judith Moyers Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary. He was a friend and mentor to many in the FTE community and will be missed dearly. On behalf of FTE, I offer our heartfelt condolences to Dr. Cone’s family, friends, and colleagues.
Read More »By: Matthew Wesley Williams May 07, 2018
With her vibrant congregation, new Doctor of Ministry project, successful social media presence, and network news experience, the Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis is a living inspiration to which many Ph.D. candidates might aspire. But Lewis’ vocational trajectory has twists and even obstacles that many on a doctoral journey might find familiar.
Read More »By: Erica Ramirez April 17, 2018
A short time ago if you had told me that I would be moving states for a church, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. I had been deeply wounded by a church in the past and finally found a safe place. Yet as unexpected as it was, that is exactly what my husband Will and I did! It all started like this:
Read More »By: Ashley Easter January 18, 2018
The “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia spurred a lot of subsequent activity, not only in the United States but also up in Canada. In Vancouver several groups organized an anti-immigration rally at our city hall. This rally elicited the organization of a counter-protest on the same day, in the same place. Upwards of 4,000 people quickly signed up to attend.
Read More »By: Roger Revell January 12, 2018
A poem on peace written by Christina Schmitt, a 2015 Regional Discernment Retreat participant.
Read More »By: Christina Schmitt November 06, 2017
“Where are the mentors?” This question is my constant companion as I navigate the unchartered waters of the next great emergence in the Christian church.
Read More »By: Kathleen Braafladt August 15, 2017
I never knew what question I was seeking the answer to until June 1, 2017. After worship one night during the Christian Leadership Forum dinner I busted into deep, flowing tears…
Read More »By: Queen Frye June 23, 2017
Eleven days after my seminary graduation, I boarded a plane to Atlanta for the Forum for Theological Exploration’s 2017 Christian Leadership Forum. While I was already excited to join my cohort and meet scholars whose work I admire, I walked away from the Forum feeling thankful for an additional gift: FTE’s hospitality that demonstrated that I was welcomed, honored and affirmed as a member of this community of Christian leaders.
Read More »By: Jasmin Figueroa June 22, 2017
The weekend just prior to the Christian Leadership Forum, I ran my first marathon ever. As a college cross country and track runner, I have long considered myself a distance runner. My routine 8k and 10k race distances, however, pale in comparison to the toll the marathon took on my body, mind, and spirit. I have since been relishing both the physical and the psychological break from running before I begin a new training cycle toward another fall cross country season.
Read More »By: Isaiah Friesen June 07, 2017
This past year as I applied to Lutheran Volunteer Corps, one of my mentors asked me why I had chosen a faith-based organization focusing on social justice, rather than a secular organization. This question caught me completely off guard—I had never considered that my passion for social justice could come from anything but my faith. So many of the Scripture passages that speak to me most deeply are those that call for an end to oppression and injustice, that call for us to care for those who are in need, for those who are rejected and for those who are forgotten. From Jesus to Martin Luther King, Jr. my models of social justice are strongly tied to faith.
Read More »By: Kasey Shultz April 28, 2017