Director of Thriving Pastors Initiative
Thomas L. Fuller
tlfuller@samford.edu
205-726-4485
Associate Director of Thriving Pastors Initiative
Stephen M. Johnson
sjohns35@samford.edu
205-726-2162
Thriving Pastors Initiative
Beeson Divinity School aims to help pastors thrive in congregational leadership by improving the quality of relationships pastors have with one another.
The life and work of pastoral ministry can be difficult.
Pastors often experience intense personal and professional isolation and find it difficult to build relationships with ministry colleagues. To persevere and flourish in ministry, however, pastoral leaders need one another.
Beeson aims to help pastors establish vibrant relationships with other pastors and to empower them to address challenges they confront in various seasons of life and ministry. This work begins with those preparing for pastoral ministry, commending the value of collegial relationships to future pastors. It extends to Beeson alumni, leading congregations in many different ministry contexts and needing our continued support to serve faithfully and effectively. And it finds its way to pastors and churches with whom we have no previous connections but with whom we share a common mission: to build up the church of Jesus Christ for the advance of his gospel around the world.
The Thriving Pastors Initiative is funded by a generous grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc.
Thrive Groups
Peer groups of five to seven congregational leaders meet every six weeks for fellowship, mutual support, learning and professional development. Beeson provides support for each group to develop and carry out a plan for thriving in ministry. We are especially eager to include pastors in their first full-time position after seminary, those transitioning from associate pastoral roles to lead pastoral roles, and pastors facing acute personal and/or family crises.
Conferences & Enrichment Events
The initiative includes various events designed to bring pastors and ministry leaders together in lifegiving community to worship, learn, and grow together. The goal of all such events is to strengthen the ties that bind us together in Christ and in the shared work of gospel ministry leadership.