3 Minute Ministry Mentor

3MMM Episode 52: Spacious Conversations Rev. Dr. Danielle Tumminio Hansen, of Seminary of the Southwest, talks with host Eileen Campbell-Reed about how ministers, activists and theologians make connections between literature and theology. Danielle shares her story of walking alongside her friend's infertility journey. She explores what embodied theology looks like in the #practiceofministry and wh...

“It’s not just about reading a text, it’s about reading a text in the midst of a community. . . it means listening to what is going on in the world.”  Thinking theologically . . . Thinking with Imagination Thinking with Curiosity Thinking in Community Rev. Dr. Eric Barreto of Princeton Theological Seminary reminds us of the imaginative work that pastors, activists, and theologians do in this conve...

# 3MMM Episode 39: Pulled Up Short  When it goes well, we learn to practice ministry with improvisation. Even when it does not go well, we can learn from our failures to grow in the practice and expand our repertoire of possible responses, try new modes of recovery, and learn how not to lose our balance entirely. What has pulled YOU up short lately? How are you recovering and learning from the exp...

#3MMM Episode 49: Boundaries Boundaries can serve us well in the practice of ministry. When boundaries give clarity to relationships and prevent the abuse of power, they are worth maintaining. Boundaries can also become barriers in the work of ministry. How does this happen? In this episode of Three Minute Ministry Mentor, see how Pastor Randall leads a congregation to consider the physical bounda...

This episode of #3MMM explores what it means to embrace joy in ministry --“Your call is what brings YOU joy and energy.” http://3mmm.us/episode50 “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” - Howard Thurman #embracingjoy #joyinministry #womeninministry #howardthurman 

  Episode 48: Holy Fierceness Identify the complexities of sustaining "holy fierceness" in your practice of ministry. This week, #3MMM asks - What healing and compassion do I need in order to lead with holy fierceness? 

3MMM | Episode 47: Congruence  “I think it’s sustaining to me to have some basic congruence between what I’m doing and what I think is important.” – Rebecca This week’s episode of #3MMM is a story about Rebecca. She has some things to say about congruence, integrity and ministry. Her stories help us think about what it means to embody our values in ministry. How are you cultivating congruence? How...

Episode 46: Knowledge Use  #3MMM  How am I making practical use of the knowledge I have acquired?  http://3mmm.us/episode46  

Conflict in ministry is hard. It is hard because it often feels personal. It is hard because it can evoke feelings like anger, self-doubt, fear or shame, feelings that are unpleasant to digest. And it is hard because change of any kind is often accompanied by some conflict. Yet change is also essential for flourishing in ministry. And it follows that conflict is often one aspect of health and grow...

In this Episode of Three Minute Ministry Mentor, we explore DEFINING MOMENTS. These kind of experiences -- emotional, uplifting and surprising -- help crystallize the defining moments in someone’s life. What are the defining moments, epic experiences, small or large, that have brought you to where you are at this point in your life? #3MMM #definingmoments  

#3MMM Episode 43: Facing Fear. It can be hard even to admit our fears, much less face them. Fear of loss. Fear of disappointment. Fear of not getting what you want and fear of getting it. Fear of walking down the street. Fear of making the wrong decision. Fear of staying in a relationship. Fear of leaving it. Fear is a powerful motivator for action and inaction. Fear can play a role in every aspec...

In Episode 42, Three Minute Ministry Mentor explores the idea of "blueprint stories." These stories that keep repeating themselves tend to function like a blueprint in your #practiceofministry. Host Eileen Campbell-Reed tells a story that keeps repeating itself in her life, and calls us to recognize how our stories can impact our practice of ministry.  #3MMM

#3MMM Episode 41: Two Vocations  Vocation. Work. Calling. Ministry. Family. Life.  Vocation is a word that often evokes the idea of work. Yet vocation is not just work. Vocation may bring to the top of your mind the idea of calling. Yet vocation is more than calling.  Vocation is often synonymous with ministry or religious service to the church. And yet vocation is not limited to working in or for...

Episode 40: Change over Time By looking at the change over time that happens for others who are learning the same practices we are learning, there might be a way of making out at least a framework for change that is on our horizon. Also, and not insignificantly, our own past experience may also give us hints and clues about what is coming next or what may shift for us over time. The only way pract...

#3MMM Episode 38: Action + Reflection in Preaching  Speaking is a major part of leading in the practice of ministry. It might take form in delivering sermons, or working to inspire volunteers and employees, or telling the story of your organization and its purpose in the world, or leading a protest or rally, or simply chairing a planning meeting. Like other aspects of the practice of ministry it t...

3MMM Episode 37: Salience Pastoral Imagination is thinking in action, an embodied and relational capacity to see the complexities of a situation in the pastoral life and know how to respond. How do we know what should keep our attention?  In this #3MMM episode, we are learning about developing a sense of salience.  #pastoralimagination   

Becoming fluid and graceful at improvisation in ministry can take years. Yet, there are times when we may surprise ourselves at how fast our ability to improvise shows up when life just happens. In Episode 36, Pastor Greg's improvisation skills took him from “Oh, no!” to “Oh, Wow!” when he learned to share leadership. Improvisation is not simply what we do when we fail to plan. It is also planning...

Erosion. Sometimes, the routines and daily rigors of the work can wear ministers down emotionally, relationally and spiritually. How can we engage practices that lead to flourishing in ministry?  #3MMM  #flourishing 

3MMM | Episode 34: Action + Reflection - For Beginnings Using the action-reflection model to guide first steps in a new community and assess your practices of ministry. #3MMM #practiceofministry #actionreflection

3MMM | Episode 33: Cultivating Questions We are exploring the good and holy work of asking questions. As we become cultivators of ministry questions, we can begin by listening to the questions around us. Hear about one pastor’s experience of asking better questions in a ministry context, and consider your own questions. https://3mmm.us/Episode33 #3MMM

In Part Three of our series on Learning Goals, Episode 32  explores how to bring ministry goals to life. With these big goals in mind, we can set objectives, determine specific tasks, and identify resources that will support learning. Host Eileen Campbell Reed invites ministers to think about how accountability with people who support your practice of ministry matters. What objectives, tasks, reso...

What is the long-term value of learning goals for ministry? We are thinking about this in Part Two of our series on Learning Goals. In this episode of #3MMM, Eileen Campbell Reid invites ministers to consider their fears as they develop learning goals. Paying attention to what excites us and scares us can shape the way we develop ministry goals. We can begin to see the patterns of life, the doubts...

In this episode, Eileen Campbell Reid invites ministers to consider their learning goals. Whether you have been in a ministry setting for years or you are in seminary, creating goals can shape your ministry. How do you set learning goals for your ministry? Eileen offers three helpful ideas to help you set meaningful goals in this episode of #3MMM. 

While some ministry situations still allow for apprenticeship to a person, more often the apprenticeship is to the situation of ministry itself. How can we be apprenticed to a community? With many teachers and opportunities to learn just around every corner, we consider the way ministers are apprenticed to particular contexts. This week's episode  of #3MMM features Pastor Wanda, a participant in t...

Thinking spiritually and theologically – especially when that thinking takes on form and action in our bodies, relationships, and lives – is a significant gift that the world needs now. Thinking theologically involves stories and embodied experience, not just thinking. In this episode, you are invited to expand your capacity and skill for thinking theologically. #3MMM