Pastoral Leadership for Public Life

By Erica Knisely

How can I speak a prophetic word that my people can hear? Does a pastor have influence beyond her congregation anymore? What does it mean to have a call as a public theologian?

These are just a few of the questions we wrestle with in Pastoral Leadership for Public Life (PLPL), a program EBW began seven years ago with a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. It is our view that pastors must engage these questions; as divisions in our society grow, they take on even greater urgency in the church.

PLPL exists to help pastors develop their agency as meaning-makers at the intersection of the Common Good and the Good News. Each PLPL cohort comprises a small group of pastors who journey together over 12-18 months, learning about issues such as criminal justice and stewardship of water resources. Over that time, they form not just a learning community but receive the blessing of mutual encouragement from peers across denominations.

We examine the intersection of public life with the dynamics of difference, such as race, gender, and class. Seminary faculty members help us deepen our theological reflection on the issues. Pastors also receive training on practical skills, such as crafting messages for the media and staying on message during interviews. Each pastor designs local engagement projects to extend his or her reach in their community. Those projects have included speaking at a city council meeting to meeting with an elementary school principal to writing an op-ed for the local newspaper, and convening stakeholders in a local issue.

The pastors in the PLPL program bring energy, passion, and enthusiasm to our shared work, and they continually renew our hope for the church in the world.

– Cynthia Engstrom (MDiv’12) PLPL cohort member and pastor of Universal City United Methodist Church