Contributor: Rebecca Schlatter Liberty

Rebecca Schlatter Liberty has served as lead pastor of Redeemer Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Bangor, Maine, since early 2014. Previously she served Lutheran congregations in Hong Kong, northern California, and Nevada. Following her experience as Campus Minister of Vocation Discernment at Santa Clara University, she published a book on discerning vocation with young adults, The Treasure Hunt of Your Life: Seeking Your Calling, Encountering God, Finding Yourself (Redwood Visions Press, 2009). Her own treasure hunt has brought her to Maine, where she lives with her husband, son, and daughter. Connect with Rebecca on Facebook.

Joy is the Secret of Resistance

Rebecca Schlatter Liberty (, ). Posted in From Our Archives.

On January 21, a group of women from my congregation traveled to Augusta, Maine, for our nearest “sister march” to the Women’s March in Washington, DC. Too sick with a cold to join them for the march itself, I gathered with them anyway in our church parking lot to send them off with a prayer and blessing. I ended my spontaneous prayer with a hope that whatever... Read more

Swimming into the Deep End

Parenting, Pastoring, and Common Discernment

Rebecca Schlatter Liberty (). Posted in 21stCenturyMinistry.

As I write, I am just returning to pastoral ministry after parental leave. As I bonded with my newborn daughter—my second child—I spent time reflecting on how my vocation as a parent is reshaping my ideals and practices for ministry. Since I was ordained in my late 20s and didn’t become a parent until almost 40, I spent the first 15 years of seminary and ministry... Read more

Self-Giving God, Self-Giving Church: Letting Go of the Church into the Love of God

Rebecca Schlatter Liberty (). Posted in Bearings Review 2015, ChurchChange.

Each year as Holy Week comes upon us again, we have another opportunity to be formed by the stories and practices of death and resurrection. Our formation this year depends on what’s happening right now in our minds and hearts, church and world. Several current conversations in my church are shaping the way I take in the Holy Week texts this year. First of all,... Read more

The Paradox of Congregations Becoming: Discerning 21st Century Ministries

Rebecca Schlatter Liberty (). Posted in ChurchChange.

Engaging the challenges and opportunities of 21st century ministry means navigating the paradox of continuity and change. You can see this paradox in phrases like “ancient-future church,” the Kingdom “now and not yet,” and so on. While this paradox is part of Christian faith for anyone, for 21st century church leaders it is essential to hold both sides of the paradox... Read more

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