ABHMS Center for Continuous Learning offers lifeline to struggling ministry leaders with vocational discernment course
VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 05/03/2024)—Years of unprecedented challenges stemming from the pandemic and political division have significantly strained servant leaders in ministry. The result: many are contemplating leaving the vocation altogether according to recent research. In response to this plight, the ABHMS Center for Continuous Learning announces Listen to Your Life, a four-day intensive course designed to help ministry professionals discern their path forward.
Listen to Your Life offers a unique opportunity for those questioning their call to rediscover how God is speaking to them in a season of uncertainty. Participants will engage with videos and activities that explore themes such as “Listen to Your Ancestors,” “Listen to Your Gifts,” “Listen to a World in Need,” and “Listen by Design.” The journey of self-discovery taken during the day by each participant also includes intentional periods of reflection with others in the cohort in a live gathering each evening.
The course runs June 10-13, and registration is now open. Early bird pricing is $99 through May 17. Thereafter, the cost reverts to the $125 regular price. Both registration options include a StrengthsFinder assessment and daily coaching sessions led by Jennifer Sanborn, ABHMS’ national coordinator for learning initiatives and an experienced coach for ministry professionals.
In addition to Sanborn, contributors to course content include the Rev. Dr. Marie Onwubuariri, ABHMS’ director of Intercultural Ministries; the Rev. Kerwin Webb, ABHMS’ national coordinator for justice and mission engagement; and the Rev. Samuel Kim, associate executive minister of innovation and design for the Evergreen Association of American Baptist Churches.
“Vocational discernment isn’t a one-time event,” remarks Sanborn. “It’s a lifelong process, especially crucial during seasons of significant change. ‘Listen to Your Life’ offers purposeful space to explore your calling, both individually and in community with peers.”
Upon course completion, explains Sanborn, participants will be equipped to articulate their personal narratives, identify core strengths, recognize their draw toward particular global issues, and design experiments to evaluate future work scenarios.
The title “Listen to Your Life” was inspired by novelist, essayist and preacher Frederick Buechner’s wisdom to “see life for the fathomless mystery it is” and invites participants to reflect on their personal narratives on a journey of self-discovery and renewal within a cohort of supportive peers.
For more information and to register, visit the Center for Continuous Learning.
To learn more about ABHMS, visit us online.
American Baptist Home Mission Societies partners with American Baptists to promote Christian faith, cultivate Christ-centered leaders and disciples, and bring healing and transformation to communities across the United States and Puerto Rico.
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.
