Note: Each month I write a short piece for our e-letter, P.S. Portions. While I won’t  normally republish that here, I think the story I try to share in that space this month – that the best way to learn how to lead is by being given the chance to lead now – is worth repeating. More than that, I think the video below about some of the leadership roles our students are playing is really, really cool. So even if you want to skip the column (I get it, you’re busy!), at least watch the video. 🙂   Hold this question with me for a moment: What is the best way to educate leaders for the future church? I promise...

Text: Matthew 15:21-28 Dear Partner in Preaching, I’ve got two questions for you arising from the Gospel reading this week. And I’ll warn you ahead of time that each question which might rock a few boats in your community. First question: can Jesus learn? I know that may sound odd. On the one hand, we may quickly answer, “Sure, why not?” Until we worry about the theological implications of that answer. If Jesus learns, a voice inside us may ask, does that means he’s not perfect, or complete, or sinless, or…. And suddenly a cadre of theological police seem to be patrolling the long corridors of our imagination. I ask this first...

“Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” This is just one of Rita Pierson’s statements that is funny, insightful, and right on the target. She was responding to a colleague’s comment that, “They don’t pay me to like kids; they pay me to teach the kids. I teach; they should learn. Case closed.” Except, as Rita explained, “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.” At the core of Rita’s educational and pedagogical philosophy is one simple but powerful conviction: education is about connection. It’s hard to learn if you don’t feel connected. Which means that kids don’t just need a teacher, they...