Theological Reflection for Ministry

Facilitated by Chris Wilkerson, our intern in the vocational discernment program (the first step in discerning the call to Holy Orders in our diocese).  Please give prayerful consideration to making this new class part of your pilgrimage in moving closer to God.

But what is theological reflection?  It is one particular way of talking about, and hopefully with, God, a way that helps us to make more direct connections between God, the teachings of our Church, the Scriptures we study, and the experiences we undergo in our individual lives.  In theological reflection, we begin with a single experience, image, or bit of Scripture, and we examine it in depth, from four distinct perspectives (the world of our experience, the world of Church tradition, the world of popular culture, and the world of belief).  In doing so, we discover new ways of seeing ourselves, our world, and our God, and we discern meanings and connections we may never have noticed otherwise.

Chris will be leading workshops on Wednesday nights after the Celtic Eucharist. He invites everyone who is already actively involved in any form of ministry at St. James (be it lay reading, volunteering at the Frazee Center, etc.) to consider getting involved in theological reflection ~ it is especially helpful as a method for ministers to make sure they have the spiritual nourishment to maintain their vitality and enthusiasm for their respective ministries.  That said, it is also an outstanding means by which folks can identify ministries to which they may be called, so even if you're not currently serving in any particular capacity as a minister, you are also invited to come by and participate in theological reflection.  It really does offer something for everyone.