Learning Together: Rev. Mark Curtis Begins a New Season of Study at Columbia Theological Seminary

This fall, I am beginning the practicum phase of my Doctor of Ministry work at Columbia Theological Seminary, and much of that work will take place right here at First Presbyterian Church.

The practicum I have designed grows out of questions I have been exploring about preaching, listening, and the ways a pastor comes to understand a congregation and the lives of the people who make it up. In particular, I am interested in how listening more intentionally to the ways people encounter and interpret Scripture might shape the way I listen, prepare, and preach each week.

As part of the practicum, I will be gathering a small group from the congregation for several conversations around lectionary texts that I will be preaching in worship. These will be opportunities to read Scripture together, listen to one another, and reflect on what we notice, wonder about, struggle with, or hear differently because of our own experiences. I will then reflect on what I am learning through those conversations and how it affects my own practice of ministry and preaching.

This practicum is primarily about my own growth as a pastor - learning to listen more carefully, reflect more intentionally, and pay closer attention to the relationship between Scripture, preaching, and the lived experience of a congregation. Because this work is taking place within the life of First Presbyterian Church, I want to keep the congregation informed along the way. I hope to share occasional updates about what I am doing, what I am learning, and how the experience is shaping my ministry. I am grateful that FPC is the community in which I am undertaking this work and that we can learn together along the way.