Anabaptist and Quaker essays, sermons, and other writings
This month marks six months into my first pastorate. As I continue to settle into my new role as Co-Pastor at Harrisburg First Church of the Brethren and integrate myself into different aspects of the city, I am constantly reminded that there is never a dull moment in urban ministry. […]
As previously examined, EYN is experiencing a paradigm shift regarding pulpit ministry. The contemporary pastors of the Ekklisiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria are dilapidated, and the pulpit ministry is about to collapse. The EYN modern pastors are increasingly abandoning the responsibility of keeping the flock attentive to God. Many who are engaged […]
Introduction This was a sermon preached on my first Sunday back after maternity leave. That week as I transitioned back into ministry, I found myself reflecting on my new dual roles: mother to my new son Leo and pastor to Pomona Fellowship Church of the Brethren. I have been the […]
The definitions of the word encourage are explained in three ways which mean to give support, confidence, or hope to (someone), or persuade (someone) to do or continue to do something by giving support and advice or stimulate the development of (an activity, state, or belief). Developing the attitude of […]
Recently, several of us had an extended conversation after church, regarding church theology. Part of the discussion centered on comparing the Church of the Brethren and Orthodoxy on church hierarchy and power relationships. The comparison was not aimed at defending one or the other or proving one was better but […]
As I sat and began to think about what to write for this second article with the goal of some kind of practical equipping, I thought back on some of the most important lessons that I’d learned – some of the most memorable and influential aspects of my spiritual life. […]
Living and working in Belize, I have the great joy of being right near the second largest coral reef in the world. A surprising new activity that I have been able to start enjoying, along with my husband and our oldest son, is scuba diving. We’ve only been able to […]
One of my modalities of self-care is to receive a regular massage from a licensed massage therapist. When many assorted tasks are pressing on me in my work as a pastor – and especially when there are members of my congregation or circles who are going through a tough time […]
The Liberty Bell numbers among our best-known national icons. There is a biblical quote inscribed on the bell: “Proclaim liberty throughout the land unto the inhabitants thereof. Lev. XXV v. X.” Curiously, those words were cast into the bell about a generation before the Declaration of Independence, at a time […]
My name is Joanna Willoughby and I am a lay-leader at Common Spirit Church of the Brethren in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a microchurch in the Michigan District that started 10 years ago. Together with Roya Stern and Randall Westfall, we make up the leadership team using a Nonsalaried Team Ministry […]