Ministry Reflection Circles
Ministry Reflection Circles (formerly Ministry Integrity Circles) are for experienced pastors who would like to reflect more deeply on current ministry challenges with the support of peers and program leaders. In this program, you鈥檒l deepen your pastoral identity, understanding and practice through writing and sharing reflections, receiving feedback from others in a facilitated process, joining in times of worship and learning from trusted consultants.
Get support for ministry challenges
“Because of Ministry Reflection Circles, I’m still a pastor”
David Moser, Pastor of Southside Fellowship in Elkhart, Indiana, shared his testimony with participants at Pastors & Leaders 2023 about how Ministry Reflection Circles supported him as he helped his congregation transition into a new phase of their life together.
“A little before the pandemic, I hit a wall. A brick one.
鈥淚 began to doubt myself and my calling. Southside Fellowship needed to go in a new direction. I was not sure whether I was the pastor for that job to lead them through a time of transition. I wasn鈥檛 sure if I was going to be able to stay in the ministry. Maybe I needed to make a transition myself. 鈥� I reached out for help. I signed up for a Ministry Reflection Circle.
鈥淢aybe you鈥檙e a pastor who鈥檚 wondering what new direction your congregation should go. Or maybe you鈥檙e a pastor who鈥檚 wondering if it鈥檚 time to retire. Or maybe you鈥檙e a pastor wondering if it鈥檚 time to take up a new ministry in a new location. All of those conversations can be held safely in these Ministry Reflection Circles, and you can build deep connections with others who will help you make that journey.鈥�
Reflect theologically
As part of Ministry Reflection Circles, you鈥檒l write reports on the specific ministry transitions and challenges you鈥檙e facing. Each report will include a description of a ministry encounter or event and a personal reflection on the experience in order to increase self-awareness. In the report, you鈥檒l also frame the experience theologically and biblically, as well as discern possible follow-up actions or attitude shifts.
During four gatherings over the course of a year, you and your fellow Ministry Reflection Circle participants will share these reports with each other and your program leaders. Together, through the sharing and conversations, you鈥檒l gain greater awareness of the barriers that stand between you and wholeness; insight into situations of brokenness around you; and clarity about how to take the next steps toward healing and restoration for yourselves and the congregations you lead.
Develop relationships of support
Through sharing regularly with peers, you鈥檒l build relationships and receive support from others who are also facing ministry challenges. Two thoughtful program leaders鈥� one with expertise in pastoral leadership and one with expertise in intercultural competence 鈥� will help you gain the needed insights and skills to navigate in your particular setting. Each of you will also have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with the program leaders via video conference for two 90-minute sessions.
At the beginning and end of the program, you鈥檒l complete the Intercultural Development Inventory to develop intercultural goals, which will help you navigate challenges.
Admission criteria
We are seeking applicants who:
- are a pastor in a congregational setting
- have more than four years of pastoral experience
- have a seminary education or equivalent experience*
- are a resident of the U.S. or Canada or an 香蕉影视 graduate
- are facing specific ministry challenges
*If you do not have theological education, please reach out directly to Julia Schmidt, Program Administrator, to see if this program would be a good fit for you.
If there are more applications than spaces available, we will make admissions decisions based on the following additional considerations:
- Diversity of the group including race/ethnicity, gender, age, etc.
- Immediacy of a participant’s challenge(s)
- Similarity of a participant’s challenge(s) to those of others in the group
Logistics
Ministry Reflection Circles meet four times over the course of 12 months, with each gathering beginning at noon Eastern Time on a Monday and ending late afternoon the next day. Two cohorts will typically run each year, with one beginning in the fall and one in the spring.
Fall 2025 online cohort
The first gathering will meet in person at 香蕉影视 in Elkhart, Indiana, and subsequent meetings will be held online (via Zoom) on the following dates:
- Oct. 20鈥�21, 2025 (in person)
- Jan. 26鈥�27, 2026
- April 27鈥�28, 2026
- Aug. 3鈥�4, 2026
The application deadline for the Fall 2025 online cohort is Sept. 20, 2025.
The registration fee for the online cohort is $200. This covers the cost of the entire program and includes lodging and food for the initial gathering. Participants need to cover their own travel expenses. If costs are a barrier, please reach out to Julia Schmidt, Program Administrator, for possible assistance.
Apply online
Questions?
Email Julia Schmidt, Program Administrator, or call 574.296.6245.
What participants are saying
鈥淧articipating in Ministry Reflection Circles has given me a safe and encouraging space to be bluntly honest about how I’m feeling and the questions I’m asking at this point in my pastoral ministry. It has been life-changing because it has created space for movement and has brought me to a renewed sense of confidence in my identity and call.鈥�
鈥�Tonya Ramer Wenger, Pastor at First Mennonite Church, Hutchinson, KS
鈥淎s a pastor, Ministry Reflection Circles helped me to understand myself better. It helped me minister more effectively as I better learned my strengths, weaknesses and challenges. Not many times in life does one get an opportunity to be listened to by a genuine group of colleagues, not for the purposes of judgment but to build up one another.鈥�
鈥�Ron Moyo, Outreach Pastor at Whitestone Mennonite Church in Hesston, KS
鈥淢inistry Reflection Circles has encouraged my faith and calling to ministry. Being in a cohort of pastors, giving and receiving counsel, helped me gain new insights into ministry in a cross-cultural setting. I gained understanding not only of myself but also of others with differing opinions.鈥�
鈥�Steve Heatwole, Pastor at Lockport Mennonite Church, Stryker, OH
鈥�Paula Snyder Belousek, Pastor at Salem Mennonite Church in Elida, OH
