Over the course of the last 15 years, never once have I had to wonder as so many do, “Who is the pastor for the pastor?” Never one time, even in the most difficult days of my ministry have I thought, “I am so alone.” Never have I worried about who I might call when I needed someone to be in prayer for me, my family, or my congregation. I know, in the deepest part of my soul, that being connected with a community on this journey rooted in prayer and systematic trust, has made me a better woman, wife, mother, friend, and minister
Over these last years, I’ve traveled the difficult road of vulnerability and asking for help, the scary path of authenticity and humility, the hopeful path of collaborative leadership and relationship building. These are the paths of the Bethany Fellowships Way. These are the roads that I continue to lead my congregation down each and every day because I know the difference it makes to have a community of people with whom you can journey as your truest self, your most broken self and how walking with such a beloved community can not only sustain you, but heal you and save you.
By Rev. Shanna K. Steitz
Senior Pastor, Community Christian Church
Bethany Fellows Alum and Board Member
“During Paul’s lifetime, the Christian church was not yet an institution or a centrally organized set of common practices and beliefs. It was a living organism that communicated the Gospel primarily through relationships. This fits with Paul’s understanding of Christ as what we might call an energy field, a set of relationships inside of which we can live with integrity” (Rohr, 2018).
Founded in 1999, Bethany Fellows is an energy field, a set of relationships inside of which pastors can live with integrity. It is a mentoring and spiritual leadership ministry for young clergy in their earliest years of congregational service. The initiating mission of Bethany Fellows was to serve congregations by helping young pastors transition from seminary to sustained congregational ministry with a strong and healthy pastoral identity. At the heart of this ministry is an innovative mentor/leader team model.Originally developed through Transition into Ministrygrants from the Lilly Endowmentin partnership with HELM, Bethany Fellows helps meet the country’s need for bright, healthy and spiritually savvy clergy to meet the challenges of today’s and tomorrow’s changing and emerging church and world landscapes. Bethany Fellows launched its Ecumenical Fellows (EF) group three years ago and now has a waiting list of 40 for both the Disciples and EF groups. Today Bethany Fellows is sustained through individual and congregational support.
For more information visit www.bethanyfellows.orgor contact Director, Rev. Kim Gage Ryan, kim@bethanyfellows.org
Rohr, Richard. Church as Living Organism. Center for Action and Contemplation; May 7, 2018. https://cac.org/church-as-living-organism-2018-05-07/