Move Ministry Leaders from knowledge to Action
We’re living out our calling to ministry in a time of rapid change. We know we need to be nimble, but how do we keep up with new realities and put the latest research into action? Bridging the gap between learning and action is what Vibrant Faith MasterClasses are all about.
Over the course of two 90-minute interactive online sessions, MasterClass Instructors distill new learnings into training experiences that make it easy for participants like you to learn, practice, and use new tools to fuel ministry reinvention.
A MasterClass Includes:
- Two 90-minute, interactive sessions led by an expert Instructor
- An office hour with the Instructor after the second session—to ask deeper questions and dialogue about the topic.
- Access to a community of collegial support- Coming Soon!
What You Gain from a MasterClass:
- New paradigm shifting insights into a topic.
- A clear path to implement what you’re learning, with a tool-kit of action steps
- Renewed energy and momentum for ministry reinvention
- New colleagues in ministry who share your same concerns and are driven by your same hopes.
Private: Emotionally Healthy Spiritual Formation
Thursdays, November 30 & December 7, 2023
12:00 - 1:30 PM EST
In a culture where so many feel unsteady, disoriented, even crushed in their relationship with the church and faith in general, the “good news” we’re offering people no longer seems so good. An endless string of scandals, divisiveness, and a perceived lack of compassion make the church feel like an unsafe option for community and faith growth. This is not what Jesus wants for his people. But how can we move toward the kind of environment He did intend? Anglican bishop Todd Hunter is no stranger to betrayal and pain in the church. But there is hope—spiritual formation and discipleship can be healing while simultaneously deepening faith. More than ever, Jesus is who the world needs, and it’s this laser focus that is central to emotionally healthy spiritual formation. We’ll explore pathways out of the rubble of bad religion, and rebuilding faith among a community of sincere believers. By unpacking the purposes of Jesus, we can expose twisted, toxic religion for what it is and embrace the true aims of the gospel. Help your people find the environment of healing and goodness they’re longing for in a church.
Shannon Hopkins is the co-founder and the Lead Cultivator of RootedGood, a nonprofit based in the U.S. that empowers institutions, social enterprises and entrepreneurs to create systemic change. A Texas native, in 2004 Shannon moved to London and founded the nonprofit Matryoshka Haus. In 2020, Matryoshka Haus became three organizations, including the U.S.-based RootedGood. Hopkins has launched or influenced the formation of 15 campaigns, projects, and organizations and trained over 200 social entrepreneurs. In 2008, Shannon was awarded the Women of the UN and the UK’s Annual Woman of Peace Award for “The Truth isn’t Sexy,” a campaign that addressed the demand side of human trafficking.
Jim LaDoux lives in Burnsville, MN and is on the Vibrant Faith leadership team since 2003. He currently oversees our coaching program. Jim has been a coach since 1992. He has a Master of Management Arts specializing in organizational development and is a certified PCC (Professional Certified Coach) in Training. Jim has been part of church staff for Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian congregations. In his spare time, Jim likes to travel, go hiking, and biking. Jim is author of Surface To Soul: Coaching Spiritual Vitality in Congregations, and he created the Vibrant Faith Coaching School Manual.
Rev. Dr. Nathan Swenson-Reinhold, D.Min, lives in Fairfax, Virginia. He is the lead pastor of a multi-site congregation in Northern Virginia. A coach for nearly two decades, he holds an International Coach Federation credential as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC). He has a Doctor of Ministry in leadership, culture, and change. Nathan is a coach/trainer for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Coach Coordinator for the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Synod, and the owner of Summit Coaching and Behavioral Consulting LLC. Nathan is also a Certified Behavioral Consultant (DISC), and enjoys pen-turning, car-detailing, reading science fiction, and playing acoustic guitar.
Jonny Baker has spent his life innovating, training, and enabling others to build entrepreneurial ministries out of what they see and imagine. He set up the Pioneer Training at Church Mission Society (CMS) in England, which has catalyzed all sorts of wonderful pioneering mission initiatives. He is Director of Mission at CMS in Britain. During the pandemic lockdown he wrote the full-color book Pioneer Practice and is looking forward to sharing some of the ideas and stories from that. The book is available from getsidetracked.co
Dr. Nancy Going is Vibrant Faith’s Director of Research and Resource Development—she was the organization’s Executive Director for six years. She’s one of the directors of Vibrant Faith’s Thriving Congregations Initiative, funded and guided by the Lilly Foundation. She has spent her career in ministry leadership with youth, and she still loves working with kids as a volunteer any chance she gets. Nancy came on board the Vibrant Faith team in 2014 after teaching and providing leadership at Luther Seminary in the Children Youth and Family Ministry Masters Degree Distributed Learning Program. She has authored articles, curriculum, and contributed to books. Nancy lives in Nashville with her husband Art, an Anglican priest. They have launched two new families from their children. You can connect with Nancy at ngoing@vibrantfaith.org
Denise Utter is a speaker, coach, writer, and the author of Engage Every Family! A Parish Guide to Integrated Faith Formation (from Twenty Third Publications available late summer 2022). She works with church leaders at the diocesan and parish level, exploring new approaches to faith formation that promise to encourage, empower and equip parents, and invigorate faith communities. Her other publications include articles for Catechetical Leader, Catechist Magazine, Take Out: Our Faith on the Go! (OSV) and Vibrant Faith’s online Catalyst. She has written online curriculum for Our Sunday Visitor, Center for Ministry Development, and the Archdiocese of Chicago. She has over 30 years of experience in field of education and ministry, having a B.S. in Education and a Master of Arts degree in Pastoral Studies from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Denise lives in Chicago with her husband, Rob. They have three adult children and one grandson.
Rev. Erik Samuelson, PCC, is a Vibrant Faith Coach and Coaching School faculty member, who has served in a variety of contexts including as Director of Vocational and Spiritual Formation at Trinity Lutheran College in Everett, WA. He brings experience and stories from transitional ministry, young-adult ministry, vocational discernment, culture and system change, ministry renewal, formation, and leadership development.
Rick Lawrence is Executive Director of Vibrant Faith, and an award-winning author, journalist, cultural researcher, editor, and national speaker. He creates and leads interactive training for church and cultural leaders, parents, and teenagers and creates interactive online training courses. He’s authored hundreds of magazine articles and is the author, co-author, or editor of 40 books and curriculums. He’s the general editor of the #1 bestselling Jesus-Centered Bible, the recently released devotional Jesus-Centered Daily, and his latest book (co-authored with Dr. Daniel Emina) titled The Suicide Solution. In early 2024 his next book, Editing Jesus: The Last Temptation of the Church, will be published. He created and hosts the popular podcast Paying Ridiculous Attention to Jesus, now in its seventh year. Rick is married to Beverly Rose and has two daughters, Lucy Rose and Emma Grace.
The Rev. Dr. Dwight Zscheile is Vice President of Innovation and Associate Professor of Congregational Mission and Leadership at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Dwight has authored multiple books and essays on innovation, leadership, and adaptive change, working extensively with congregations, judicatory systems, and institutions of higher education. He’s an explorer, pursuing how our faith-informed imagination can shape our vision for the future.
The Rt. Rev. Dr. Todd Hunter is the founding bishop of The Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others, founder of The Telos Collective, and founder of the Center for Formation, Justice, and Peace. He is past president of Alpha USA, former national director for the Association of Vineyard Churches, and retired founding pastor of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Costa Mesa, CA. He’s the author of the upcoming book What Jesus Intended: Finding True Faith in the Rubble of Bad Religion. His previous books include:Christianity Beyond Belief: Following Jesus for the Sake of Others, Giving Church Another Chance, The Outsider Interviews, The Accidental Anglican, Our Favorite Sins, Our Character at Work and Deep Peace. Todd holds a Doctor of Ministry degree and serves as an adjunct professor of evangelism, leadership in contemporary culture, and spiritual formation at a variety of seminaries. Todd and his wife, Debbie, have two adult children and live in Franklin, Tennessee.
