Ministry Forum Podcast

In this special episode for Spiritual Health Awareness Week, Ministry Forum intern Sara Traficante joins John Borthwick as a co-host to speak with students from Knox College’s Master of Psychospiritual Studies program. Together, they explore what drew them to this unique field, how their sense of calling has evolved through study and clinical experience, and why psychospiritual care matters in tod...

Dr. James Tyler Robertson joins John Borthwick to explore the overlooked origins of Canadian Christianity. Drawing on his book Overlooked: The Forgotten Origin Stories of Canadian Christianity, Robertson uncovers surprising parallels between the 19th-century church and today’s realities—declining attendance, social change, and cultural anxiety. The two discuss how immigration, economics, and every...

In this episode, sociologist and former pastor Todd Ferguson shares insights from his book Stuck: Why Clergy are Alienated from Their Calling, Congregation, and Career. Drawing on interviews with over 40 pastors, Todd uncovers why so many clergy feel trapped—not because they’ve lost their faith, but because of the structures of ministry itself. He names the pressures of congregational decline, bur...

In this special conversation, we hear from Mennonite congregations who have signed onto the 1% Spiritual Covenant (committing one percent of their annual budgets to Indigenous-led organizations as an act of repair and reconciliation). Leaders share the long journeys that led their churches to this decision, the questions and challenges they faced, and the surprising ways generosity has deepened co...

Laura Alary returns to the podcast and shares the stories behind two new children’s books—one inspired by the Toronto ice storm of 2013 and the other exploring why all living things need darkness. Together, these works invite us to see both the physical and spiritual gifts that come when plans unravel, lights go out, or fear creeps in. John and Laura reflect on how darkness can hold lessons of res...

We’re back with Season Four of the Ministry Forum Podcast, designed to move with the rhythm of your ministry life. This fall, we’re diving into fresh conversations with returning voices like Laura Alary—author, storyteller, and Knox College colleague—whose new books promise rich inspiration. We’ll also hear from Mennonite congregations living out a 1% spiritual covenant, offering reparation paymen...

In this closing episode of the Tending Tomorrow lecture series, Rev. Dr. Joni Sancken addresses the complex task of preaching in a secular age. Drawing on the insights of philosopher Charles Taylor and her own pastoral and academic experience, Sancken explores how secularism, trauma, and the “buffered self” have reshaped how sermons are heard and what people expect from the pulpit. She challenges...

Rev. Dr. Sarah Han offers a compelling lecture on preaching in Canada today, casting a vision for an “epic” homiletic that is eschatological, proclamational, incarnational, and Christological. Speaking from her own experience as a Korean-Chinese-Canadian preacher, Han weaves personal narrative with sharp cultural analysis to ask what gospel meta-narrative can hold Canada’s growing diversity togeth...

In this episode of the Tending Tomorrow lecture series, Rev. Dr. HyeRan Kim-Cragg explores the past, present, and future of feminist and womanist preaching within the Canadian context. Drawing from history, she outlines three key insights for future homiletics: the power of testimony, the need to move beyond solo preaching, and the importance of inclusive and expansive language about God. Kim-Crag...

This episode launches a special series from the 2025 Lois Klempa Memorial Lectureship, focusing on the future of preaching in Canada through the voices of Canadian women homileticians. Rev. Dr. Sarah Travis opens the series with a powerful lecture titled “Preaching Wild Hope in a Foreign Land.” Travis challenges the myth of Canadian tolerance and explores how preaching must respond to the realitie...

Rev. Dr. Peter Coutts brings decades of ministry, academic insight, and coaching experience to a deep and practical conversation about leadership in the church today. The episode explores the concept of “self-leadership”—the intentional practice of self-awareness, reflection, and personal growth—as a vital skill for clergy navigating the complexities of ministry. Drawing from personal stories and...

In this episode, Rev. Dr. Sandra Beardsall reflects on her lifelong journey with ecumenism, from early personal curiosity to decades of practical engagement. She discusses her role with the World Council of Churches’ Nicaea 2025 initiative, the rich history and evolving role of the Nicene Creed, and the broader movement for church unity. A significant portion of the conversation explores ecumenica...

Season Three of the Ministry Forum Podcast launches May 20! After wrapping Season Two before Holy Week to give listeners time to catch up, we’re excited to share what’s ahead. We hope your Easter season was both meaningful and renewing. This new, shorter season begins with an inspiring conversation with Rev. Dr. Sandra Beardsall on ecumenical shared ministries—models that offer hope for smaller co...

In this episode of the Ministry Forum Podcast, Ministry Forum Intern Sara Traficante joins Rev. John Borthwick to host a conversation with Rev. Rebekah Mitchell, minister at St. Peter’s in Madoc and a two-time Knox College alum,. Rebekah shares her journey from pandemic burnout to rediscovering her call to ministry through psycho-spiritual therapy. Rebekah reflects on her studies in the MPS progra...

In this episode of the Ministry Forum Podcast, Rev. Dr. Patricia Dutcher-Walls, Moderator of the 149th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, joins us for a rich conversation about vocation, change, and hope in the church today. With wisdom drawn from decades of teaching and ministry, Dr. Dutcher-Walls reflects on her calling, the evolving role of the church, and what it means to s...

Rev. John Borthwick is joined by ministry leaders Gale Macdonald, Meg Patterson, Matthew Brough, and Matthew Sams to discuss their personal experiences with the Presbyterian Church in Canada’s Intermission policy—a 10-week paid leave available every five years for rest and renewal. Each guest shares how they discovered the policy, what motivated them to take it, how they prepared, and what they ex...

This episode of the Ministry Forum Podcast features a special recast of a sermon by Rev. Dr. Pablo Kim Sun, the Intercultural Liaison for the Presbyterian Church in Canada. His message, originally delivered during an ecumenical service at Knox College, explores mutual engagement and epistemological humility in an ecumenical context. Pablo shares his personal journey across various denominations—in...

In this episode of the Ministry Forum Podcast, Rev. John Borthwick sits down with Rev. Amanda Currie, former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Canada and current President of the Canadian Council of Churches. They explore the significance of ecumenism, the role of the CCC in fostering unity among diverse Christian traditions, and how churches can work together despite theological and histori...

In this episode of the Ministry Forum Podcast, Rev. John Borthwick sits down with three retired Presbyterian ministers—Rev. Scott Sinclair, Rev. Duncan Jeffrey, and Rev. Mark Gaskin—for a candid conversation about life in ministry and the transition into retirement. Recorded live at the Sumac Centre, they reflect on the joys and challenges of pastoral work, how ministry has evolved over the years,...

In this episode of the Ministry Forum Podcast, guest host Rachel Kennedy-Proctor sits down with Brian Recker and Rev. John Borthwick to discuss faith, deconstruction, and what it means to follow Jesus outside of traditional evangelical spaces. Brian shares his journey from being a pastor to rethinking his beliefs, navigating shifts in theology, and building a platform that fosters inclusive conver...

Rev. John Borthwick sits down with The Rev. Dr. P.A. Sandy MacDonald, a Knox College alumnus, former Moderator of the General Assembly of The Presbyterian Church in Canada, and a minister whose remarkable 56-year pastorate at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, exemplifies a life of steadfast faith and service. Sandy reflects on his rural upbringing near Stratford, Ontario,...

In this unique episode of the Ministry Forum Podcast, John Borthwick engages in a fascinating conversation with ChatGPT, an AI developed by OpenAI. Together, they explore key issues facing the Presbyterian Church in Canada, including membership decline, ministry leadership challenges, reconciliation efforts, and the future of the denomination. ChatGPT shares insights on adaptive leadership, clergy...

In this episode of the Ministry Forum Podcast, John Borthwick speaks with The Reverend Dr. Stuart Macdonald, professor of Church and Society at Knox College, about the changing landscape of Christianity in Canada. They discuss the historical trends that led to declining church membership, the challenges of ministry in a post-Christendom era, and the importance of fostering faith formation over cul...

In this episode of the Ministry Forum Podcast, brings together highlights from a series of conversations with Dr. Irwin, including excerpts from his formal book launch and a lively discussion with Knox alumni, colleagues, and friends. Dr. Irwin’s book takes a deep dive into dispensationalism, a theological framework that has shaped how many Christians interpret scripture and think about the end ti...

This is part two of John's conversation with Two Rivers Church, looking at how Ministry Forum is supporting church leaders, where the new leaders are coming from, and how the definition of what church is in the 21st century is changing.