Engage with your seminar professor and colleagues on the topic of what you have learned so far using the following prompt to begin the discussion:
Mid-Term Reflections
Welcome to mid-term of your first semester in the ETBU / B. H. Carroll DMin Program. This week we pause to reflect on where we have been so far this term.
Please share a post documenting what you have learned so far in our time together this term. Your insights can be from this seminar (Research & Writing in Ministry) or from the Core Reading seminar. Also, feel free to share insights that you have gained about the ETBU / B. H. Carroll Program and method of learning. Certainly, any insights gained from your collaboration with your colleagues is in play as well. So, what have you learned so far?
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So far this semester, I have grown in three areas:
1. I have learned to be more intentional about how I read. How to Read a Book has helped me determine at what pace a book deserves to be read. Also, HTRAB has helped me focus on understanding an author’s central argument and asking better questions as I read. Before I would focus on finishing reading with disconnected highlights and notes throughout the book. Now, my annotations are easy to reference toward their intended goal.
2. My research on pastoral isolation has shown me the importance of narrowing a topic and defining terms carefully. Our professors have been great guides in this area of study. I am also learning to be more careful about what a source actually demonstrates and how strongly I state my conclusions.
3. Finally, Canoeing the Mountains educated me on the difference between technical problems and adaptive challenges. I have started to recognize in my own ministry what challenges may require more learning, listening, and changing of methods.
Overall, these two courses are helping me in my reading disciplines and research etiquette. I look forward to the rest of the program.
Thanks for sharing, Skylar. I’ve enjoyed the fact that the readings assigned aren’t just books for the sake of getting assignments done. Everything we’ve read so far has been helpful for ministering. Bolsinger’s work in particular has been helpful in thinking through leadership. I look forward to diving in more!
At the beginning of the semester, I appreciated that we could choose our books for our Core Reading seminar. As with your experience with Canoeing the Mountains, each book has given me insight into different aspects of my ministry. The Lord has been very good in that way!
This month has been a fast paced month.
First and foremost, my faith has grown. As the Lord has called me to deep waters he has been faithful to hold me up. I have experience God give me his strength to keep pushing through all the various tasks of ministry and school assignments. I have experience direct words from his scripture that provided peace and confidence. And I have experience his loving grace that has encouraged me.
From my peers I have learned the whole new world of A.I. and I have seen their beautiful, God given, intellect. I love how each of them processes information in totally different ways.
Lastly, our professors have given me a lifestyle to shoot for. Their ministerial scholarly standard is something I want to be for God’s glory.
Hey Johnny! It sounds like this semester has been one of personal spiritual growth for you, on top of what we’re doing from an academic standpoint. That is encouraging to hear. I’ll be praying that the LORD continues to work in us as we go through these courses together.
Thanks for sharing, Johnny. I just got back from Nashville last night. I was able to lead two breakouts at a conference. I really enjoy getting to help and resource others in ministry. That is why I started this program. I have been worried about school this week but also wanting to be fully present at the conference. You mentioned God giving you scripture that has given you peace. That came for me too this week. In 1 Timothy 6:18 “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” I believe God is calling me to share generously what I learn in this program in hopes to minister to others. That is the goal I need to remind myself in this program.
*In hopes of ministering…
So far this semester, I have brushed up some writing skills that I have not used in some time. I feel like this semester has done a good job of building rhythms of reading and writing that we will need as we progress deeper in the program.
I’ve been particularly pushed by some of the reading assignments from the Core Readings course. Tempered Resilience by Bolsinger helped me process through some leadership and church experienced with a fresh perspective. Turning Points by Noll filled in some gaps in my understanding of church history. I’m very excited about the second half of these courses, for the readings, and for the shift towards understanding ourselves through the assessments we’ll take.
I enjoy B.H. Carroll’s focus on cohorts, and look forward to continuing along with each of you. I’ve enjoyed hearing your insights and reading your papers!
Hey Mark! My biggest apprehension getting started with my DMin was the structure of writing to Turabian standards. It has been great to have a whole class on this subject. I still feel I am lacking, but there are vast improvements. As you stated, the reading has pushed me in a good way. I’ve been pleased with the reading selections our professors have selected.
Hi Mark. I am looking forward to the assessments too. I got to hear Tod Bolsinger speak at a Texans on Mission event. I bought the book “Tempered Resilience” that day. The book has been sitting on a bookshelf for a couple of years now. After hearing your review, I want to read it soon. I am grateful we are in a cohort as well. I am praying for you, Rob, Skylar, & Johnny as we navigate this program together. I appreciate that the required readings will help us in ministry and help us in this program.
Trying to balance the research paper and the third core reading has been the most difficult part for me.
I also look forward to working with you all these next few years!
The last couple of months have been so fast paced, it is hard to believe that we are at the halfway point! The first thing I have learned is to prioritize things that are important and how to say no to things that only bring marginal benefit. Time is the most precious gift we have, and I am trying to be the best steward of it as possible.
Secondly, I have rekindled a passion for reading. How to Read a Book was very encouraging in teaching practical methods to ease my stress of reading for content.
Learning about the research process has also been beneficial, and reshaped the way that I approach sermon preparation. I now storyboard my sermons, listing the resources, which is revolutionary compared to the archaic way that I have been doing for years.
Great thought on looking into storyboarding my sermons. I also agree that the program has forced us to be better stewards of our time. In my research of conflict, one of the remedies in not allowing conflict to be escalated is to evaluate essential from non-essential disagreements. Great having you in this journey we are on!
I’m right there with you on setting boundaries to protect time. I feel like going through the DMin program is going to be one of those lessons in the crucible as far as that goes. I’ve also experienced a rekindling for reading, or maybe more so for books I wouldn’t have picked up on my own. I’m excited to see what the LORD does to mold us during this program, on top of what we learn.
I am already seeing how researching childhood grief will help me in children’s ministry. The first week of class, I did part of the message for a three-year-olds celebration of life. I had never helped with part of a celebration of life for such a young child before. I have several children dealing with grief in diverse ways right now. For example, a preteen whose mom’s cancer returned for the second time. A family that just moved to Texas from Tennessee. The family has not been all together for over a month since they are trying to sell their house in Tennessee. The dad & mom take turns being with the kids and being in Tennessee packing up. I have really enjoyed the books we are reading in Core Reading. I have been able to brush up on my grammar and writing skills through Research & Writing. Each classmate has given me ideas and insight through our discussions on the forum and the zoom meetings. I have learned I have much improvement to make in writing, especially related to Turabian format. I am getting better at writing book reviews and evaluating books. Seeing how my classmates write and the templates we get for both courses have been extremely helpful. The book “Spiritual Leadership” has been my favorite book so far. The book helped me personally and professionally. Even though we are halfway done, there is still so much about Turabian and writing that I don’t understand. I am looking forward to the assessments coming up.
Lezah, thanks for sharing. It sounds like you’re navigating some really difficult stuff right now in your ministry. I’m glad to hear the course has already equipped you in some ways. I’ll be in prayer for you as you minister to those dealing with grief, and that the LORD would renew your joy in Him each day.
Thank you so much for the prayers and kind words, Mark. I am grateful for them. With your counseling background, do you have any do’s and don’ts you would suggest? Any suggestions or things you have found helpful in ministering to a family that has lost their child/grandchild/sibling? They are a 3-generation household. When Ethan was battling cancer, his parents were divorcing. It has been ugly. In the past I have sent books (Journeying through Grief) from Stephen Ministry, but I am not sure the books would be best for their situation.
I appreciate the vulnerability in your post. The first funeral I ever did, as a 21-year-old, was for a teenage brother and sister who were killed in a car accident. I still remember the nervousness and feeling inadequate. We may never have the perfect words, the right resources, or know what to say, but our presence and our representation of Christian love speak volumes to grieving families. In my opinion, there is a lack of resources for people who are experiencing loss, especially those who had children. I pray that your research in this area develops into something that fills that void.
Lezah, you picked a worthwhile topic to investigate. Being in youth ministry for a decade and experiencing my own childhood trauma gives me a lot of sympathy for the children in our churches and communities. How we handle their pain will greatly alter their future. May the Lord bless your studies, and I look forward to what you can find.