Toolbox For Faith

Back in February, I came across an excellent article from the Alban Institute entitled Tending the Vineyard by Paul E. Hopkins. In the article, Hopkins makes the case that there are four elements which are keys for creating what he calls “enduring pastoral fruitfulness”. I decided to take the four key elements he described (1) a systematic commitment to livelong learning, (2) an intentional connection to communities of shared practice, (3) a careful stewardship of the leader’s own self, and (4) strong roots and active exercise in a growing faith and create a tool for self-evaluation. I used the tool for the first time this week and shared the information with my Mutual Ministry Team. Overall, I found it to be a helpful way for me to evaluate where I have been and to look toward the future. If you would like to see what I developed, I have posted it here: Keys to Long-term Healthy Ministry Tool 2011.