What does it mean to live into ministry in a sustainable and wholehearted way? Here are two big keys needed for unlocking ministry that is sustainable. Rev. Callie Swanlund. talks with Eileen Campbell-Reed about what burnout can look like and what it means to live into a sustainable and wholehearted ministry. Swanlund's new book is called From Wear…

Remembering her ordination is necessarily tied up with stories, Eileen Campbell-Reed tells us. It means tending to the legacies of love that nurtured a calling, and being intentional about the ways we might carry out that legacy in these impossible times. Have a listen to this story of ordination, and consider what following a calling means. This s…

Imagine advocating for a place where women and lgbtiqa+ people preach and lead most Sundays. A place where seminary students seek to learn from wise pastors. Where every age person from youngest to eldest has a place and a role in the ministry, education, and worship of the congregation. Eileen Campbell-Reed offers 10 questions to inspire our #past…

Whatever ministry we are considering, it is profoundly important that we ask the children. After we ask them, we must listen. Eileen Campbell-Reed discusses her recent experience in a cohort to prioritize the well-being of children. The Children’s Defense Fund shaped this thriving congregations cohort to recalibrate our ministries by listening to y…

You who are called by God. We know you have heard it. Someone saying surely you misheard. That you don’t know what you are doing. You see the problems in the Church and the world, and you are ready with thoughtful and creative ways forward. They may say you are too young. Too old. Too busy raising children. Or too single. Too ambitious. Driven. Too…

"You're feeling vocational grief." 3MMM Host Eileen Campbell-Reed shares this realization, and what it meant for her. In this episode, an excerpt from our All Saints Day Virtual Service, we invite you to take time to honor your loss and grief. You may want to gather up a piece of paper and a marker or pen. As you listen, let yourself pay attention …

How do women thrive in ministry? Eileen Campbell-Reed explores this question by imagining a future where women in ministry are thriving - 5 "future stories" that look like this: Women thrive in ministry because churches pay equitably Women thrive in ministry because leadership is collaborative. Women thrive in ministry when men focus on care for th…

Episode 87: Baptized and Ordained Eileen Campbell-Reed tells about how women and queer clergy are changing ministry for good. Baptized and Ordained is a year-long community, advance reading and feedback group, opportunity for live events. Sign up and find out more: https://BaptizedAndOrdained.org Questions answered in the video: 0:20 A new book & c…

3MMM | Podcast #86: How Women Thrive in Ministry Three Minute Ministry Mentor (3MMM) host Eileen Campbell-Reed is answering the question, how do women thrive in ministry? She shares 5 ways to imagine future stories in which women are thriving. This conversation opens up more about Eileen's latest book: "Baptized and Ordained" (working title). This …

Have you ever simply run out of words? 3MMM Host Eileen Campbell-Reed tells us about how she did. And how she "learned to pray in God’s language" of silence. Perhaps you would like to give it a try? How to Start Meditating - a simple, step-by-step guide to a practice of silence and prayer. More: 3MMM Episode 199: Pray, Read, Write How will you noti…

In this episode, we offer a Mother’s Day prayer. Yet, it is not like the ones Eileen Campbell-Reed grew up hearing. This prayer is more of a psalm and a lament. It lifts up to God the painful and unspeakable facets of mothering and #mothersday. It also honors the gifts and graces of mothering. God in her wisdom sees and hears it all. There is no tr…

Episode 83: Finding Our Way Has anything changed over the past three years in your ministry? If your answer is yes - check out this new resource. Our goal in studying and seeking to understand the lives and practices of Christian ministers over the last 20+ years is to make this work more understandable. To support the people called to it. And, aft…

Episode 82: Talking Through Tragedy How do we talk children through tragedy? What about parents and teachers, especially when the tragedy has impacted children and the places where children go, like schools or churches? And what about caring for congregations as a whole? Last week in Nashville, we experienced what is reaching epidemic proportions i…

Episode 81: Beauty of Motherhood There is beauty in parenting. Not because the work is all glamorous or easy, but because God’s presence and grace is woven through it, even when it is messy and fraught and full of pain and tears and uncertainty. In this FULL CONVERSATION with Erin Strybis, Kimberly Knowle-Zeller, Erin Robinson Hall and Eileen Campb…

This week we are talking once again with Kim Knowle-Zeller and Erin Strybis about their new book, The Beauty of Motherhood. 3MMM Host Eileen Campbell-Reed tells us: There is beauty in parenting experiences. Not because the work is all glamorous or easy, but because God’s presence and grace is woven through it, even when it is messy and fraught and …

Graceful parenting. That’s not a description but rather an aspiration and a need. Authors Erin Strybis and Kim Knowle-Zeller talk with Erin Robinson Hall and Eileen Campbell-Reed about their new book. The Beauty of Motherhood: Grace-filled Devotions for the Early Years, written especially for progressive Christian parents. We want share the first p…

We are talking about the mental wellbeing of our children and teens. These years of forming identity, re-modeling the brain, and flying further from the nest are already a big challenge. Add three calendar years of isolation, disrupted schedules and rites of passage, missed friendships and opportunities. Then stir in what Dr. Joyce Ann Mercer calls…

Leading in loss is one of the great challenges of this moment. Why? The losses are monumental. The leaders are overwhelmed. And grief is rarely easy. Our guest Dr. Joyce Ann Mercer shares wisdom for attending to loss and grief for pastors, priests, chaplains and ministers. No matter your role, if you are leading any faith based or religious organiz…

Self compassion. Who needs it? Well, all the humans. It is hard, however, to love others when we struggle to love ourselves. This can be reality for many people. Sometimes it is just a season. For others it is an enduring struggle. Have a listen to this conversation with Eileen Campbell-Reed and Dr. Joyce Ann Mercer of Yale Divinity school talking …

We continue our conversation with Dr. Joyce Ann Mercer of Yale Divinity School about loss and grief. How do we integrate our losses into life? What helps you to live well with your losses and griefs? Learn more about integrating loss and grief, here. Download a copy of the #PandemicPastoring Report: https://pandemicpastoring.org Thank you! You are …

How is grief, “another way of loving?” Eileen Campbell-Reed welcomes Rev. Dr. Joyce Ann Mercer to talk about about ambiguous grief. Rituals and habits in every area of life, from parenting and teaching to being in community and leading the people of faith, have been disrupted and undermined. Now is the time to reframe and reimagine how to live crea…

How can we shape our discernment practices? Consider how to discern renewal of purpose and vocation in your life with these questions. Have a listen to this conversation from our recent “Tending the Fires” virtual event with Rev. Dr. Kadia Edwards and Rev. Dr. Duane Bidwell. More on these ministers, here. Download a copy of the #PandemicPastoring R…

Our lives, our churches, and ministry itself have changed. And more changes keep coming from the ripple effects of the pandemic. These realities open up questions about vocation and purpose of work and life. We recently offered a live zoom event for ministers, chaplains, professors, and lay leaders called “Tending the Fires.” Vocation is one of the…

How will we honor what we have done before we look forward? Honoring the ways we spend our energy and love is a counter to false dreams of consumer culture. During the recent “Tending the Fires” virtual event, Eileen Campbell-Reed talked with fellow pastoral theologian, Rev. Dr. Duane Bidwell. He works in medical education with the Veterans Adminis…

What are you reading this week, and have you considered how to read with your fully embodied and relational self? Whatever is happening in the world, we still read. We read for news and information. Reading inspires and moves us to action. We read so that we can prepare to preach and teach and organize our communities of faith. We still have a long…

Join the conversation as 3MMM's host Eileen Campbell-Reed interviews author, minister, and mother Traci Smith. What started out as a way to teach and nurture her own children’s faith in honest, messy and every day ways, turned into the Faithful Families book series. If you have children, minister with children, or are part of a community of faith t…

Now is a good time to remind everyone that you have permission to read a book. Any book, in fact! We are reminding you to give yourself permission to read. It might seem like a small thing in the moment, yet it prepares us with both spiritual support and also important information to do the big things we are called to do in ministry, like parenting…

How do we fear bravely? How do love and courage and fear dwell together? Author, Catherine McNiel joins us to share about her new book Fearing Bravely: Risking Love for Our Neighbors, Strangers, and Enemies. Join her conversation with 3MMM host, Eilieen Campbell-Reed as they share about what it means to not be paralyzed by fear but use it as a tool…

There is so much to grieve these days. The list seems nearly endless. Yet grieving remains hard work, and it is easy to ignore or leave aside. We invite you to join 3MMM host Eileen Campbell-Reed as she offers you a way to give yourself permission. A pathway to practice spiritual attention to the grief in your life. How will you give yourself permi…

This week Erin Robinson Hall shares from her experience, giving us all permission to laugh. In these oh-so-challenging days we sometimes need to give ourselves and each other a permission slip. If we can do the small things — evening things like laughing — then we renew our energy for the big things we are called to be and do. Join our conversation…

Join our conversation with Elizabeth-Anne Nordgren Lovell, a recent seminary graduate, college professor, and lover of podcasts. In this episode we talk all things podcasts, pandemic, and permission slips. In our conversation I ask Elizabeth-Anne how the pandemic has impacted her life and her ministry. Spoiler alert: she made use of podcasts! Enjoy…

In Part 2 of this Advent series, Eileen Campbell-Reed shares more Advent stories, prayers, and poetry. With each one, a wish for some of the hope, peace, joy, and love that marks our circle through the Advent season. May you find health, safety, and space for your grief. Because this year, and this last 21 months, has been heavy with loss. We all h…

This Advent, Eileen Campbell-Reed shares some Advent stories, prayers, and poetry. With each one, a wish for some of the hope, peace, joy, and love that marks our circle through the Advent season. May you find health, safety, and space for your grief. Because this year, and this last 21 months, has been heavy with loss. We all have lots to grieve, …

Challenge. Question. Conflict. Change. How do you practice ministry in a no-win situation? Eileen Campbell-Reed has noted some themes - financial, staffing and volunteer challenges. Vocational uncertainty and the need for fresh discernment. Conflicts. Hope and resilience. Big transition. And there are no easy answers. There is, however, a deep well…

Collaboration. Listening. Getting around life’s brick walls. Understanding identity. Adapting to new places and situations. Each of these moments are part of the everyday work of ministry. Recently, Eileen Campbell-Reed sat down with three new pastors to talk about pastoral imagination. It was a wonderful conversation about learnings and how the Pa…

Join our conversation with Rev. Alisha Smith Haddock. She is helping us see how multiple factors are impacting the community of North Nashville. Back in March, Nashville was hit hard by tornados that ripped through Middle Tennessee and destroyed and damaged, houses, churches, businesses and schools. Just a week later, the pandemic was declared and …

Join us for a conversation about grief rituals. Author Lee Kravitz shares about his exploration, experience, and writing about death and grief. Lee is a journalist and a former editor-in-chief at Parade Magazine. And he is also author of the memoirs, Unfinished Business: One Man’s Extraordinary Year of Trying to Do the Right Things* and Pilgrim: Ri…

Rev. Dr. Beverly Wallace has spent her life caring for grief. Many threads of personal experience, research, teaching, and pastoring are woven into her vocation of caring for grief. In this episode, she highlights those threads and how they have shaped her vocation. Caring for Grief in a Pandemic During the present pandemic, Wallace sees the essent…

“So much of Zen practice is about warm hand to warm hand transmission.” Ian Case, Director of the Brooklyn Zen Center, joins #3MMM Host Eileen Campbell-Reed in this episode of our series on pandemic grief. With the “stripping away of ritual and form” members of the Zen Center now meet for Dharma talks (educational teaching), services of meditation,…

Listening matters. It matters for pastoral practice as well as personal relationships and every part of our lives. Listening is intimately connected to paying attention to life with all of our senses. Rev. Dr. Mary Clark Moschella, the Roger J. Squire Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Yale Divinity School joins #3MMM Host Eileen Campbell…

"What’s really at stake here? How will this change people’s lives?" - Danielle Tumminio Hanson 3MMM Episode 53: Bonus content! Hear more about: + how to make space for tender conversation in diverse learning spaces + what we can learn from remorse + how embodied, relational learning can look in #seminarylife + how we can redefine and have new under…

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 the…

“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 pas…

#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? …

#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 le…

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 #h…

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?Por 3 minute Ministry Mentor

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 …

Episode 46: Knowledge Use #3MMM How am I making practical use of the knowledge I have acquired? http://3mmm.us/episode46Por 3 minute Ministry Mentor

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 th…