Contributors

Michael Chan is associate professor of Old Testament and Dwight Zscheile is vice president of innovation and associate professor of congregational mission and leadership at Luther Seminary.

Andrea Fieldhouse Griner is the Director of Youth Faith Formation and Family Ministry at Mount Calvary Lutheran in Excelsior, MN. She is also a certified Spiritual Director. She delights in her work but loves changing things up. Andrea specializes in Family Ministry, developing ritual and creating sacred space and experiences.

Rev. Courtney Ellis is a PCUSA pastor at Presbyterian Church of the Master in Mission Viejo, California, as well as the author of Uncluttered: Free Your Space, Free Your Schedule, Free Your Soul and Happy Now: Let Playfulness Lift Your Load and Renew Your Spirit. Come play with her over on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or…

Rev. Dr. Sarah Cordray currently serves as Senior Pastor at Luther Memorial Lutheran Church in Syracuse, Nebraska where she has resided for over seven years with her husband, Nicholas (Deacon in the ELCA) and her two teenage children. While previously serving in a four-point parish in the Panhandle of Nebraska, Sarah quickly realized that the…

Dr. Trisha Wheelock works at Grand View University as the Gerhard Forde professor in theology and as director of the Moses Project. One generation off the farm, her grandfather feeds cattle and raises organic and chemical corn and soybeans in South Dakota.

Alexis Johnson is clergy, a wife, and a mom…and that’s the order these events occurred. She was Ordained an Elder in the UMC 12 years ago, married for 9, and has a 7yr old daughter and a 5yr old son. You can find her serving Broadway UMC in Council Bluffs, IA with occasional adventures into…

James Hazelwood currently serves as Bishop of the New England Synod of the Lutheran Church (ELCA). His varied life experience as a pastor in congregations, a professional photographer, environmental education instructor, a disc jockey and ice cream scooper are all part of the mix that informs his work. He is the author of Weird Wisdom…

Meredith McNabb is the Associate Director for Educational Programming for the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. McNabb is ordained in the United Methodist Church, and she served previously as the Director of the Center for Clergy Excellence of the Virginia Conference of the UMC and…

Michelle T. Edgerton is the Executive Vice President of Mission Advancement for the YMCA of the North, a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

Erin Weber-Johnson is Senior Consultant at Vandersall Collective, a faith based, woman-led consulting firm and Primary Faculty of Project Resource. In 2017 she co-founded the Collective Foundation, which worked to address the gap in giving characteristics in faith communities of color. In 2022 she co-founded The Belonging Project, a movement designed to reimagine belonging across…

Rolf Jacobson is Dean of the Faculty, Professor of Old Testament, and the Alvin N. Rogness Chair of Scripture, Theology, and Ministry at Luther Seminary (St. Paul, Minnesota). He is a frequent contributor to Word & World. His latest books are Divine Laughter: Preaching and the Serious Business of Humor (with Karl Jacobson) and Introducing…

Rev. Kristina Lizardy-Hajbi, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Leadership and Formation and Director of the Office of Professional Formation at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. She is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a current research fellow with the Center for Church Management at Villanova University studying beliefs and…

The Rev. Angela Denker is a former sportswriter turned Lutheran pastor, writer, speaker—and wife and mom of two little boys—based in Minneapolis. Denker is a contributor to various publications, including The Washington Post, Sports Illustrated, Christian Century, and Living Lutheran. Her first book, Red State Christians: Understanding the Voters Who Elected Donald Trump, was released…

Jen Christenson is an ELCA pastor serving in the East-Central Synod of Wisconsin. She has served at Christus Lutheran Church in Greenville, WI for nearly nine years. Jen has a BA in International Relations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and an MDiv from Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Jen enjoys reading, knitting, music, and…

The Rev. Dr. Terri Elton is a teacher who loves Jesus and God’s world. She currently is a Professor of Leadership and Dean of Academic Affairs at Luther Seminary, but has also served in congregations and non-profit settings. Tessa Pinkstaff is the founder of Practices for Life, a ministry that invites people to explore Christian…