Claim OwnershipMinistry Forum Podcast
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The Ministry Forum Podcast exists to inspire, support, and connect ministry leaders across Canada, offering valuable insights for those involved in preaching, pastoral care, youth, and children’s ministry and everything in between.
In each episode, we feature engaging conversations with experienced ministry leaders, theologians, and practitioners as they share their wisdom, stories, and practical advice.
Our mission is to empower you with the tools and knowledge you need to thrive in your ministry. We celebrate diversity and aim to build a supportive, inclusive community where every leader feels valued and connected.
In each episode, we feature engaging conversations with experienced ministry leaders, theologians, and practitioners as they share their wisdom, stories, and practical advice.
Our mission is to empower you with the tools and knowledge you need to thrive in your ministry. We celebrate diversity and aim to build a supportive, inclusive community where every leader feels valued and connected.
56 Episodes
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Why do so many leaders feel stretched thin even when they love the work? Laura Howe, founder of Hope Made Strong, helps untangle that question with a blend of honesty and practical insight. She shares her own story of compassion fatigue, the gap she noticed between community care and church culture, and how that tension sparked a global movement toward healthier ministry. Laura offers a grounded vision for sustainable care—one rooted in belonging, clarity, and the simple practices that help people stay well while they serve.
In our conversation with Trish Heidebrecht Archibald, we explore how worship can become a place of healing, honesty, and emotional grounding. Trish reflects on her work in the areas of trauma, attachment, and spiritual formation, and how these insights shape the way congregations gather and sing. She shares gentle, practical wisdom on creating spaces where people bring their whole selves — grief, joy, fear, and hope — without pressure to perform. It’s a thoughtful look at worship that pays attention to the body, honours human vulnerability, and opens space for God to meet people exactly where they are.
In this final episode of our three-part mental health series, we hear from Rev. Dr. Karen Dimock and Rev. Paul Kang, two ministry leaders who brought the course into their own communities. They share honest reflections on what surprised them, what stretched them, and how the course helped create spaces of safety, belonging, and deeper compassion. Their stories highlight the real work of integrating mental health, faith, and community life — and how learning together can quietly reshape a congregation’s posture toward care.
What does it look like for the church to become a genuinely safe place for people struggling with their mental health? In our conversation with Daniel Whitehead, CEO of Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries, we explore how burnout, vulnerability, theology, and ordinary life all intersect. Daniel shares openly about his own journey through pastoral exhaustion, the messy realities of leadership, and why the church’s role is more than crisis response — it’s belonging, community, and hope. He offers a grounded, thoughtful vision for how congregations can walk with people in ways that are faithful, practical, and deeply human.
What if leisure isn’t the opposite of work, but the pathway to becoming fully alive?
In our conversation with Rev. Dr. Jeff Crittenden, we explore how ancient ideas of leisure, Sabbath, and early Christian practice can reshape the way congregations imagine ministry today. Jeff traces leisure from Greek philosophy to the first-century church, where meals, storytelling, healing, and shared responsibility created communities marked by dignity and joy. He also shares practical examples from his work in London, where rethinking leisure sparked new life in a closing congregation. It’s a hopeful, imaginative invitation to rediscover what truly helps people flourish.
How can churches use social media as a genuine extension of ministry?
In this webinar episode, Florence Sevensma helps unpack why digital presence matters for congregations of every size. She explores how people now “visit” online long before showing up in person, how small, consistent rhythms build trust, and why storytelling (not perfection) is what creates connection. Florence also shares practical, sustainable steps for capturing content, involving volunteers, and protecting both tone and mission. It’s an encouraging, accessible guide for ministry leaders who want to reach people scrolling for hope, belonging, and a place to land.
How does a whole diocese lean into spiritual renewal without getting lost in programs or pressure? Judy Paulsen walks us through the Diocese of Toronto’s two-year Season of Spiritual Renewal and the surprising things that grew when congregations focused on prayer, Scripture, and simple, steady practices. Judy shares stories of communities rediscovering connection, courage, and a shared sense of purpose. It’s renewal that looks less like a campaign and more like a quiet turning of the soil—slow, honest, and deeply hopeful.
In our conversation with Taylor Scott-Reimer, Scripture springs to life through the stories of women who faced impossible choices and still chose courage. Taylor reflects on what she’s learned from writing She Believed, why certain interpretations have done harm, and how reclaiming overlooked voices can steady our own faith today. Rahab, Tamar, the daughters of Zelophehad—each becomes a doorway into questions of power, belonging, and hope. It’s a thoughtful exploration of how ancient stories can reshape our own.
What happens when prayer gets messy, playful, and deeply local? In our Creative Ways recast with Randell Neudorf, listeners are invited to imagine prayer that moves—through streets, stories, and surprising moments of neighbourhood grace. Randell shares how graffiti walls, prayer walks, and small creative experiments help people pay attention to God’s presence right where they live. It’s practical, hopeful, and wonderfully down-to-earth, offering ministry leaders a way to explore prayer that grows out of curiosity rather than pressure.
In our conversation with Dr. Erin Vearncombe, the world of early Jesus movements opens up in fresh and surprising ways. Erin talks about how communities in the first century used writing—not as polished theology, but as creative, communal meaning-making. She also reflects on co-authoring After Jesus, Before Christianity and why the earliest Jesus groups looked far more diverse, experimental, and ordinary than many of us imagine. Along the way, she explores grief, identity, trauma, and how the Gospel of Mark may function as a memorial for a community navigating profound loss. It’s curious, grounded, and full of gentle insight.
Season five is almost here, and the Ministry Forum Podcast is gearing up for a lineup we’re genuinely excited about. If you’ve been with us for a while, welcome back—and if you're new, you’ve picked a pretty great moment to jump in.
We’re kicking things off with a conversation with Dr. Erin Vernicum, co-editor of After Jesus, Before Christianity. It’s one of those interviews that could have gone on for hours—thought-provoking, surprising, and just plain fun to explore.
We’re also bringing back a few Creative Ways Conference sessions you might have missed. Think of these as recasts with a purpose: not everyone can manage a full conference day, so here’s the chance to listen in on the good stuff while you’re on the go.
And then we’re diving into a three-part mini-series on mental health and ministry. You’ll hear from Laura Howe of Hope Made Strong, Daniel Whitehead of Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries, and a couple of ministry leaders who’ve been using Sanctuary’s resources on the ground in their own congregations. Their honesty and insight make for rich, timely conversations.
Rev. John shares an impromptu but deeply insightful conversation with Dr. Derek Suderman of Conrad Grebel University College. A Hebrew Bible scholar and gifted teacher, Derek reflects on how Bible study can move beyond information to transformation. Drawing from years of teaching across cultural and denominational contexts, he explores what it means to read Scripture carefully, collaboratively, and with curiosity. From the “Catching the Spark” Ruth series to his vision for dynamic Bible study, Derek invites us to slow down, listen to one another, and rediscover the joy of communal interpretation. This conversation is a reminder that the Bible isn’t meant to be mastered alone—but explored together in community.
Rev. John sits down with Rev. Dr. Hyung Jin (Pablo) Kim Sun, Intercultural Liaison for The Presbyterian Church in Canada, to talk about what it means to build a truly intercultural church. Drawing on insights from his book Building Mennonite Belonging: Toward an Intercultural Church, Pablo reflects on belonging, power, and the tension between love and justice in our faith communities. Together, they explore the difference between multicultural, cross-cultural, and intercultural ministry, and how the Canadian church can move beyond tokenism toward genuine transformation. With characteristic warmth and depth, Pablo invites listeners to see diversity not as a challenge to be managed but as a gift that strengthens the whole ecosystem of the church.
Rev. Dr. Sarah Travis and participants from Knox College’s Preaching Collective—a retreat and ongoing community designed to equip and encourage preachers across Canada. The group shares honest reflections on the joys and anxieties of preaching, the power of collaboration, and the growing role of lay leaders in worship leadership. Together, they explore what it means to preach faithfully in a changing church and how companionship in ministry can renew courage and creativity in the pulpit. This episode is a reminder that no one preaches alone—and that the Spirit works best in community.
Rev. John Borthwick is joined by leaders connected to the Center for Asian Canadian Theology and Ministry as they celebrate thirty years of faithful work at Knox College. Together, they trace the Center’s beginnings amid a wave of Asian immigration in the 1990s, its impact on theological education and immigrant churches, and its ongoing role as a bridge between cultures. Through stories of vision, hospitality, research, and resilience, the guests reflect on how the Center has shaped ministry in Canada—and what comes next.
Historian and retired Knox College professor Dr. Stuart Macdonald joins John Borthwick to discuss his book Tradition and Tension: The Presbyterian Church in Canada, 1945–1985. Together they trace the growth, change, and eventual decline of the church through a period of enormous cultural transformation. Dr. Macdonald challenges the myth that this decline is simply cyclical, arguing instead that it reflects a shift unlike anything in history—one that calls for imagination, honesty, and faithfulness beyond institutional survival. The conversation touches on theology, women’s ordination, doctrine, and what it means to live as Christians outside of Christendom.
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 today’s world. From hospital chaplaincy to community counselling, each story reveals the deeply reflective and relational work at the heart of spiritual care. The conversation also celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC) and the growing need for compassionate presence in a world that is both hurting and hopeful.
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 everyday faith—not programs or evangelism—shaped past church growth, and what that means for ministry now.
Along the way, they touch on heresy trials, Pierre Berton, Gen X nostalgia, and the enduring question of how the church can serve rather than survive. It’s history told with humour, depth, and a distinctly Canadian sensibility.
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, bureaucracy, and the demand to “produce” faith, alongside the stigma clergy face if they consider leaving ministry. Yet his research is not without hope: Todd points toward practices of honesty, storytelling, and traditioned innovation as ways pastors and churches can reclaim authenticity and joy. This conversation offers language, perspective, and encouragement for anyone wrestling with what faithful ministry looks like today.
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 community life. The episode explores what it means to release control, re-tell our histories, and take small but Spirit-led steps toward justice. Their stories invite all of us to consider: what does faithful reparation look like in our own context.
Guests From This Episode
Jonathan Neufeld & Elsie Rempel from Charleswood Mennonite Church, Winnipeg
Pat Manske from Stirling Avenue Mennonite Church, Kitchener
Esther Epp-Tiessen & Judith Friesen Epp from Home Street Mennonite Church, Winnipeg
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