Reflections from teaching my class about paid gospel work in the New Testament

Last week I presented all the contents of my book to a group of eager learners. It was a group of eight. Some were pastors. Most were college students. Everyone asked excellent questions, they provided quality feedback, and my first round of book editing received great boost.

Here are some reflections after my week with this group:

First, I'm wondering about the order of presenting the material. My book covers New Testament background, the Gospels, Paul's letters, and writings from the Ante-Nicene period. I decided to start with Jesus and his disciples and examine texts that appear to suggest Jesus and his followers received payment for preaching, or that they relied on the hospitality of others. We talked about traditional Jewish understandings from the first century, covering topics like hospitality, voluntary associations, and philosophical schools, and how each handled matters of money and pay. From there we looked a Paul's writings. This is where things got really challenging. Without the writings from the Apostolic Fathers, students had a hard time reading Paul, and what he may have been saying, in a new way. It wasn't until day 4 of our 5 day course that we looked at the post-apostolic texts and saw that my seemingly unusual approach to some texts was actually confirmed by later writings.

In retrospect, I'm wondering if it might have been better if I had introduced sources like the Didache and Justin Martyr a bit earlier. Of course, had I done that, there may have still be questions about their reliability but at least students would have had a heads up about how the church seemed to function just after what we read in the New Testament.

Second, I'm thinking about how to make it more engaging for students. Because so much of my material is new and not easily found by looking at what most commentators say about texts, I found myself tied closely to my notes and unable to think creatively about pedagogy. As I become more comfortable with my positions, I'll need to plan questions for groups and times for students to explore on their own. Even though I had written the book, there were parts of the material I struggled with. That made it hard to create a good back and forth with students. This was especially noticeable when students had new ideas or wanted to point out additional things in the Greek text that I had not noticed. There were times when I realized that a position I was arguing in my book was not very strong and other times when I realized a weak argument in the book was actually much better than I realized, simply by speaking it out loud. While the class was gracious with me, in future classes I will be certain to know my positions, clearly present those with solid supporting arguments, and offer students a variety of perspectives while inviting them to wrestle for themselves.

Third, it was so valuable to teach the contents of my book before going through another round of editing. While it was uncomfortable when I realized that some positions I was presenting turned out to be untenable, I discovered some new ideas and perspectives, ones that had much stronger support, simply by doing additional prep for the class and by listening to the class ask questions and challenge assumptions. It was as though I had multiple editors sitting with me, helping me think through New Testament texts, contemporary applications of those texts, and things I may have missed about Jewish backgrounds. I was especially impressed on the last day when many new insights and perspectives emerged as we discussed the implications of Christians shifting attention from paid pastoral positions to ones where a group of volunteers might one day take on leadership roles in smaller groups. One of the most fascinating questions that surfaced was about what might happen if we stopped thinking about the institution of the church and its success. If we stopped thinking about church, and focused on God and God's mission, would that be so bad? So many interesting possibilities emerge if we don't have to think about the continuation of an institution.

Overall, I want to offer a huge shout out to my class: Juwon, Jenessa, Paris, Jacob, Josh, Caleb, Luke, and Elijah. I am grateful for your keen insights and gracious engagement with my ideas and arguments. I had an exhaustingly rich and rewarding week with you. Thank you! My book will be stronger because of you.

   

Co-Vocational Symposium 2026

This week Briercrest Seminary will be hosting our second annual Online Co-Vocational Symposium. Last year it was our first time gathering denominational leaders from across Canada to talk about what we are now calling, co-vocational ministry. We describe someone as working co-vocationally when they are appointed as pastor in a church while also being employed outside the church. That definition has shifted slightly from, someone who is paid as a pastor while also holding outside employment. We've changed as we see some people serving in pastoral leadership without drawing any funds from the church.

This non-paid pastoral arrangement is not new. It's at the heart of my research on the early church and how it functioned. My book goes into great detail about how Jesus, Paul, and many others, would not have considered it appropriate to draw a salary from the church. I'll be presenting an overview of this research at the symposium, from Jesus to the 3rd century, tracing the development of church leadership and the shifting perspective on pastoral pay. 

We've come a long way since last year's symposium. A year ago we had a few hunches but very little research. Now we have quantitative data from Canada Revenue Agency's charitable giving reports, qualitative data from denominations across Canada, include research from the church in Quebec, where co-vocational ministry is a dominant ministry paradigm. I have also finished my research on the biblical and theological foundations of pastoral pay and vocation that has been submitted for publication in 2027. 

If you happen to be a denominational leader, credentialing coordinator, or church planting director, and you'd like to attend the symposium and hear more about our research findings, reach out to me. I'd love to have you join us for some or all of the day. 

 

 

The Value of Therapy and Counselling

 

Part of my world as a seminary dean revolves around educating counsellors and therapists. At Briercrest we offer two counselling degrees, one focused on preparing students to work with individual clients and one degree designed to equipped students to work with couples and families. Our counselling program is the seminary's largest and it happens to be one of the most difficult programs to get into. It is not uncommon for us to turn away 30% of applicants.

Some seminary deans may lament that their counselling program numbers trump those of their divinity and ministry degrees. Not me. I see great value in the integration of theology and psychology. I've been blessed to take classes at the master's and PhD levels in biblical-theological studies and counselling. During my PhD at Toronto School of Theology I enrolled in a theology course while also taking a course in postmodern family therapy. Later, my dissertation drew on both theological and psychological disciplines. I looked at whether online theological education enhances or detracts from Christian virtue formation. That's theological. And I also explored themes such as anxiety and differentiation between the person and the devices we use to access online education. That's psychological. If you want to read more, check out my book: Glassroom Learning.

Being invited to assume the role of dean, at a seminary that values both the biblical-theological and psychological lenses, felt right. I'll admit, I have far more education and experience in the biblical-theological world, as my degrees and pastoral experience reveal. However, I am married to a psychotherapist. And, my daughter is getting close to graduating with her Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy. So, what I lack in formal education and professional therapeutic experience is more than made up by my family. 

Before I wrap up, here's an invitation: if you're thinking about graduate level theological or counselling education, reach out to me. I know a great school.

If you need some help dealing with stress and burnout, or you want to talk to an experienced counsellor who has worked with healthcare professionals, teachers, spiritual care leaders, business owners, and many, many others. Reach out to Erika. She would be glad to help.

 

After Hours Theology Club

After Hours Theology Club

Have you tuned into The After Hours Theology Club? Designed as a place to direct our students for deeper theological conversation and lighthearted fun, my colleague Dr. Joel Houston and I started the podcast while we were both teaching Introduction to Christian Theology. It's for anyone interested in learning more about theology.

We've been a bit preoccupied lately but more episodes are coming soon. We recorded our latest just last week.

Here are some links if you're interested:

You Tube: AHTC 

Spotify: AHTC 

Apple: AHTC 

Speaking more in 2026

An emerging priority that went unmentioned in my 2026 goals was accepting opportunities to speak. Since teaching is one of my strongest gifts, I am somewhat surprised to look back on my time in Saskatchewan and realize that I have not had many chances to speak at churches, conferences, and events. I speak at college chapel now and then and preach occasionally at our local Free Methodist Church, but not a lot. At the turn of the year I sensed God inviting me to be ready to speak more. This might be because, after years of research and writing a book I finally have something to say. It might also be because God is doing something new in my life. Maybe it's a bit of both.

Regardless of why, a trickle has started. Last week I received a phone call from a Canadian denominational leader inviting me to speak about my research at a pastor's conference. I'll say more about this in a future blog post but for now, I'm thrilled to be invited. On Sunday I spoke at the Church in Caronport, a community church that meets in Briercrest's chapel. The lead pastor's wife served as my admin assistant up until she took parental leave to be with their adopted son. It was a joy to preach and to catch a glimpse of them at the service. Here's a link to the sermon video if you're interested.

If you happen to be a denominational leader looking for a conference or workshop speaker to talk about Jesus' carpentry, Paul's tent-making, and how their work might help inform the church's possible future, reach out. My book won't be printed for another year but I've got plenty to say in the meantime.  

 

 

 

Teaching less in 2025 and 2026 Goals

 

I've been spoiled. During the fall of 2025 I didn't teach. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy teaching; but I also appreciate time to channel more energy toward academic administration (i.e., course scheduling, writing accreditation reports, and overseeing the day-to-day functioning of the seminary), big picture planning (i.e, dreaming about and launching our new CoVo certificates, making connections with denominational leaders, and attending events on behalf of the seminary), and writing/editing my book.

As dean of the seminary I typically teach three courses per year. This year my load has been less. That has enabled me to work on finishing my book manuscript for the January, 2026 submission deadline. It isn't a strict deadline but I'm treating it like it is. I spent my Christmas and New Year's break eating and playing games with my family. And, because I haven't been teaching I am unburdened from the end of semester grading drudgery to write. As such, I've accomplished my goal of editing two of my densest chapters, both dealing with Paul's New Testament writings on material support for church leaders. It was a ton of work but I am thankful to have met my goal and made it this far.

Speaking of goals, my wife and I crafted a handful of them for 2026. Here are some of mine:

• Finalize and submit my book manuscript to IVP  
• Blog 1x/month
• Read the Gospel of John in Greek
• Go on a European vacation with my wife
• Teach at the chaplain school this summer
• Prepare an outline and write one chapter of my next book project
• Run 30km in one shot

This post is the beginning of my quest to accomplish the second bullet point goal. Here's to accomplishing a bunch more of them in 2026.  

Co-Vocational Certificates

Back in the summer I was trying to figure out a way for Co-Vocational Canada to be sustainable. As you may be aware, Co-Vocational Canada is a ministry of Briercrest Seminary that has been funded by a generous grant from the Lilly Foundation through the Pathways for Tomorrow phase 2 initiative. Our funding is set to run out at the end of 2026 (or possibly 2027). 

While thinking about sustainability, I was in conversations with denominational leaders to try and find a way to help lay people gain some biblical and theological foundations without having to enrol in a full degree program. As I talked with them I realized that most of them were open to accepting an unaccredited pathway, like our new CoVo certificates, as credible learning for those seeking denominational credentialing.

The certificate concept is simple. Briercrest Faculty members will teach their specialties, split them into 3 hour, online sessions. Participants pay what they would for an accredited course and they receive the same number of in-class hours and weeks as they would for an accredited course. However, there are no assignments and they will have five different faculty members and diverse topics covered over those 12 weeks. We are piloting our Basic CoVo Certificate in January and 12 participants have already signed up. I'm thrilled! This will not only help lay people learn and grow it will also go a long way to making CoVocational Canada sustainable for the long term. 

If you want to know more or to sign up, click this link: www.briercrest.ca/covo