Rebecca Schlatter Liberty – The BTS Center

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 (February 2017, Heart of Ministry | February 2019). 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 (April 2016). 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 (April 2015). 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 (October 2014). 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

Announcements

As we shared in the November issue of Bearings, Elizabeth Drescher, friend and consulting scholar with The BTS Center from its earliest days, has recently put down her editor’s pen, wrapping up this project which has been her labor of love for the past five-plus years. We can’t let this moment pass without offering words of deep gratitude and praise for her skillful and spirited work as the primary steward of this publication, month after month, season after season. Read more …
With great joy, we are announcing the 15 recipients of Brave Change Planning Mini-Grants. Each of these $500 grants will help a community of faith or a faith-based organization to plan for a larger project, initiative, or transformation. We are excited about the array of projects, and we are grateful to partner with these faith communities and organizations by providing just a little bit of funding that may help to support and encourage their brave steps forward. Click here to view a brief description of the projects we are funding.
4/29/19 — The BTS Center Board of Trustees announces the selection of The Rev. Allen Ewing-Merrill as our new Executive Director, following a national search. He will begin his work with the Center on July 1, succeeding The Rev. Dr. Robert Grove-Markwood who will retire at the end of June. Read more …

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The BTS Center @TheBTSCenter·

The December issue of Bearings, the online magazine of The BTS Center, is our last. With this issue, we celebrate, we give thanks, we bid farewell, and we embrace the spiritual practice of letting go. #bearings #celebrate #farewell
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The BTS Center @TheBTSCenter·

Here's the November issue of Bearings, the online magazine of The BTS Center, focusing on the theme of Brave Change. This month, our contributors explore the role of uncertainty, risk, discovery, and faith in moving life in new and unexpected directions.

https://t.co/BISp6xgKOV

The BTS Center @TheBTSCenter·

Invitation to participate in a Book Study Group focusing on @JimAntal's #Climate #Church, Climate World: How People of #Faith Must Work for #Change. In-person group for people who live in #PortlandME and online group for anyone anywhere. Three sessions.
https://t.co/tHGQEVLZXI

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