Wesleyan Impact Partners Announces the Selection of 19 Phygital Preaching Fellows
2024年7月10日 - 9:13PM
ビジネスワイヤ(英語)
Fellows Will Explore the Boundaries of Spiritual Formation
and Faith Community Across Physical and Digital Worlds
Wesleyan Impact Partners announces the selection and launch of
its Phygital Preaching Fellows Initiative. Nineteen leaders will
explore and experiment with technologies to discover new delivery
systems for the Gospel as the church lives into the phygital
(physical + digital) public square. The cohort of Phygital Fellows
will share and showcase their learnings broadly, igniting
imagination across the church for what God can do in and through
digital spaces.
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Spiritual Innovators at a Learning and
Innovation gathering in Houston, Texas. Photo Credit: Wesleyan
Impact Partners
"People are living their lives more and more online. As we look
to the future, we see more integration of the digital space and
physical world. How can the church be a means of grace for people
online and invite them into meaningful experiences where they
encounter the good news of Jesus Christ and become more loving,
more peaceful, more compassionate people? This initiative, led by
our Phygital Fellows, will help the church share God’s transforming
grace through new platforms,” said Chief Learning and Innovation
Officer, Rev. Dr. Blair Thompson.
The Phygital Preaching Fellows Initiative is made possible by a
$1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc. through its
Compelling Preaching Initiative. Lilly Endowment’s Initiative aims
to foster and support preaching that inspires, encourages, and
guides people to come to know and love God and to live out their
Christian faith more fully.
"We are thrilled to bring this incredible group of leaders
together in the Phygital Preaching Fellows cohort. They will help
us all to expand our imagination through the questions they are
asking and the experiments they are trying, all for the sake of the
Gospel. We can’t wait to see what the Holy Spirit does through this
initiative,” said Derrick Scott III, Associate Director of Learning
and Innovation. Derrick is co-facilitating the cohort with Angie
Thurston from Sacred Design Lab.
The Phygital Preaching Fellows are comprised of leaders who are
already adept in the phygital space, those who are just beginning
to experiment with digital technologies in their ministries, and
some who will help ground the innovation process across diverse
faith traditions.
The Phygital Preaching Fellows are:
- Jess Bielman, Founder, Jess Bielman, LLC
- Abigail Browka, Creator and Curator, Everyday Sanctuary
- Phil Dieke, Director of Congregational Innovation, Austin
Presbyterian Theological Seminary
- Rohini Drake, Director of Online Ministry, First United
Methodist Church Richardson
- Ryan Dunn, Minister of Online Engagement, United Methodist
Communications
- Alec Gewirtz, Chief Executive Officer, Nearness
- Rachel Gilmore, Director of New & Vital Faith, Desert
Southwest Annual Conference
- Juana Jordan, Executive Director, Florida A&M University
Wesley Foundation
- James Kang, Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder, PASTORIA
- Eugene Kim, Founder and Director, New Wine Collective
- Rimes McElveen, Executive Director and Collegiate Minister,
Mere Christianity Forum
- Jonah Overton, Lead Pastor, Zao MKE Church
- Matt Rawle, Co-Founder and Chief Innovator, The Hub for
Innovation
- Kris Sledge, Lead Pastor, The Journey Church
- Tamice Spencer-Helms, Director, Sub:Culture Incorporated
- Jeremy Steele, Digital Minister, United Methodist Church
- Nathan Webb, Nerd Pastor, Checkpoint Church
- Mike Whang, Founder, Oikon Ministries
- Dan Wunderlich, Pastor, Lakeside United Methodist Church
The Phygital Fellows will work closely with each other over a
two-year journey of exploration and innovation. They will meet
in-person and online and travel to locations across the United
States to experience learning journeys where they will encounter
new people and new ideas that expand their imagination for what’s
possible. In the third year of the initiative, the Phygital Fellows
will cultivate a large gathering of leaders from across the country
to share their learnings and invite conversation about how to
invite and deepen formation in the phygital space.
“At Wesleyan Impact Partners we are committed to strengthening
the church’s witness for today and tomorrow. We gather leaders to
ignite imagination and inspire collaboration all to bring about a
more loving, just, and generous world. The Phygital Preaching
Fellows Initiative is the next step in this Spirit-Led movement,"
said President & CEO, Rev. Lisa Greenwood.
About Wesleyan Impact Partners
Wesleyan Impact Partners is a national nonprofit and ministry
partner to the church and its leaders, offering investment
opportunities, loans, endowment and gift planning, leadership
cohorts, and learning and innovation. We strengthen the church’s
mission toward building a world of grace, love, and belonging.
Throughout its 55-plus-year history, Wesleyan Impact Partners has
made thousands of loans, empowering churches and nonprofits across
the United States to pursue their God-sized dreams. Wesleyan Impact
Partners lifts up the work of courageous spiritual entrepreneurs
across the Wesleyan Ecosystem through its nationally recognized
Locke Innovative Leader Award and its thought-provoking Igniting
Imagination podcast. Its work is made possible through ministry
partnerships across the country with impact-focused investors,
borrowers, donors, and foundations. Based in Austin, Texas, the
organization is led by President & CEO Rev. Lisa Greenwood, who
is also President & CEO of the Texas Methodist Foundation. To
learn more, visit wesleyanimpactpartners.org.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240710148445/en/
Janet M. Mitchell Chief Marketing Officer Wesleyan Impact
Partners jmitchell@wesleyanimpactpartners.org 512-583-1942