Director’s Message

In May, after a Seminary event, two plants appeared outside my office. Immediately, I was conflicted. They softened the hallway’s harsh institutional vibe, but they’d need watering. And since I’m at the end of the hall, this responsibility defaulted to me.

They didn’t come with a name tag or care instructions. Using Google lens, I identified them as majesty palms, which one website called "somewhat temperamental." The watering instructions read like the Goldilocks fairy tale: don’t let the soil get dry but avoid waterlogged roots. They prefer a pH level of 5, whatever that means.

Ministry leadership can feel like this. We inherit responsibilities we didn’t seek and aren’t ready to handle. There’s no instruction manual, we worry about doing too much or too little, and the people we’re leading are temperamental. Caring for living things—plants, people, or congregations—requires patient tending and learning from mistakes.

That’s why our 2025-2026 Continuing Education program year is designed to connect scholarship with practices of ministry, bringing the expertise of master gardeners alongside novices tending plants for the first time. Our speakers and instructors don’t just study ministry—they practice it. They’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) how to inspire healthy growth and are ready to share these lessons with you.

After two months, the plants outside my office are still alive, even though I haven’t done everything right. Some leaves turned brown for a while, and I’m still learning how much water is not too much or too little, but just right. Leadership is like that, taking time, humility, practice, and instruction from experts. I may not have a master gardener for the hallway plants. But our office is bringing in experienced ministry leaders to help you grow in your ministry leadership. We hope to see you soon!

Peace,
The Rev. Erik Hoeke
Director of Continuing Education
McNaugher 211
412-924-1346
ehoeke@pts.edu

Fishing Differently: Ministry Formation in the Marketplace

Sept. 17, 2025
In Person, Harrisburg, Pa.

Sidney S. Williams Jr. will present on the F.I.S.H. model (Financial, Intellectual, Social, and Human Capital) and the principles of Fishing Differently® to empower leaders, pastors, and congregations to strengthen their stewardship ministries. This engaging session will address the unique challenges congregations face while uncovering untapped opportunities to reimagine their assets and align mission with resources for greater community impact. Free book included with registration. Co-sponsored by The United Methodist Foundation of Pennsylvania and The Journey Church, Harrisburg, Pa. Learn more.

Henderson Lecture and Leadership Conference Registration Now Open!

Faithful and Flexible

Empowering Church Leaders for Emerging Possibilities

Sept. 19-20, 2025
In Person and Online

Join us in person or online for a two-day conference designed to equip church leaders for faithful and adaptive leadership in today’s rapidly changing ministry contexts. The Rev. Dr. Tod Bolsinger, senior congregational strategist and affiliate professor of leadership formation at Fuller Seminary and an influential voice on adaptive leadership in the church, will deliver this year’s Henderson Lecture.

Saturday will be "Worship and Workshops" day: bring a team of people from your church to learn practical skills for leading adaptive ministry! Registration is open now! We hope you will join us!

Elsewhere in the Neighborhood

Messy Church, Sept. 26, In Person. Messy Church is church . . . just not as you know it!

Save the Date: McClure Lecture, Oct. 21, 2025, with Dr. Michael Parker

Neighborhood Theology Video Series

How do we respond to Christ’s call to love our neighbor—concretely, in our own neighborhoods? Tune in to the new PTS Neighborhood Collaborative video series, "Neighborhood Theology," to hear from experienced practitioners ministering and working in spaces pertinent to each of the Collaborative’s program offices. In this episode, William Baker, vice president for strategic initiatives and continuing education, and Clarence Wright, the Seminary's inaugural Fred Rogers fellow, discuss community identity, prophetic imagination, and how together, these can shape a better world.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to check out future videos!

Watch the 2025 Kelso Lecture

Watch Dr. Keri Day " When the Spirit Moves: A Pneumatological Meditation on Trauma and Violence" during the Kelso Lecture this past spring.

Continuing Education is part of the PTS Neighborhood Collaborative, which includes the Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry, Continuing Education, Faith Forming Families Network, Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology, Metro-Urban Institute, Miller Summer Youth Institute, and World Mission Initiative. Together, in their respective and collective work, these programs foster vocational discernment, co-learning, and transformative action for the common good by connecting diverse neighbors locally and globally.