Applications are now being accepted for Companions in Ministry, an ecumenical professional, personal and spiritual development program for Christian pastors serving in congregations who seek to improve their spiritual and professional well being.
Marquette’s Companions in Ministry program will offer a third cohort, which begins Sept. 22, 2020. Pastors from diverse denominations throughout southeast Wisconsin meet regularly (online at this time) to pray and discuss their joys and challenges and what it means to “thrive” in ministry.
About Companions in Ministry
In fall 2018, Marquette received a five-year, $1 million grant “Thriving in Ministry” grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., to help support Christian pastors in congregational ministry. The Companions in Ministry program brings together 180 Christian pastors from diverse denominations, ethnicities, cultures, ages and socio-economic backgrounds in the greater Milwaukee area.
The program provides opportunities for small and large groups of pastors to build peer relationships and accompany one another in their ministries, especially during times of transition. Guided by trained pastor leaders, participants will engage in retreats, plenary sessions, small group discussions, spiritual reflection and Sabbath time. Participants will learn about Ignatian Spirituality and benefit from Marquette University research and staff. Companions in Ministry aims to improve the pastors’ sense of well-being spiritually and professionally, and to foster a supportive, ecumenical ministry network in southeast Wisconsin.
Companions in Ministry is a part of the Lilly Endowment. Inc., a national Thriving in Ministry initiative, which develops programs to help pastors build relationships with experienced clergy who can serve as mentors and role models. The primary aim of Thriving in Ministry is to help pastors thrive in congregational leadership in all stages of their ministry, and, in doing so, enhance the vitality of the congregations they serve.