I have officially been in a seminary course for over one week. This course has been Cultural Shifts Impacting the Teaching of Faith. The content of this course has been wonderful to digest and has expanded my thought process. The first part of the week we discussed changes in technology and ways congregations can utilize it to further their mission and ministry. The Second part of the week was spent around people who identify as Spiritual but not Religious or No Religious Preference. This is a population that is increasing in our society today due to various reasons such as not being raised in church or seeing negative things happen from groups that associate themselves with Christianity to name a few. One thing that has never occurred to me is that some people think that this group may be the next wave of faith, however research has shown that people identifying in this group do not connect with faith/spiritual thoughts as well as those currently active in a faith community. I also learned that the Spiritual but not Religious group is largely associated with Atheists, but only about 2% of the population actually identify as this. These revelations have really opened my eyes to different possibilities in ways to minister to the community and I am excited. I do feel concern about my ability to attempt some of my ideas just because I tend to overload my schedule, but I hope that changes come this fall.
So far my experiences with seminary have affirmed the call I feel to ministry and I look forward to all I have yet to learn. Life is a journey, and the fun lies in the travel, not the destination (though Heaven should be pretty fun). Until next time, may the Lord watch over you and bless you each and every day.
