Ministry Forum Podcast

Rev. John sits down with Rev. Dr. Hyung Jin (Pablo) Kim Sun, Intercultural Liaison for The Presbyterian Church in Canada, to talk about what it means to build a truly intercultural church. Drawing on insights from his book Building Mennonite Belonging: Toward an Intercultural Church, Pablo reflects on belonging, power, and the tension between love and justice in our faith communities. Together, they explore the difference between m...

Rev. Dr. Sarah Travis and participants from Knox College’s Preaching Collective—a retreat and ongoing community designed to equip and encourage preachers across Canada. The group shares honest reflections on the joys and anxieties of preaching, the power of collaboration, and the growing role of lay leaders in worship leadership. Together, they explore what it means to preach faithfully in a changing church and how companionship in...

Rev. John Borthwick is joined by leaders connected to the Center for Asian Canadian Theology and Ministry as they celebrate thirty years of faithful work at Knox College. Together, they trace the Center’s beginnings amid a wave of Asian immigration in the 1990s, its impact on theological education and immigrant churches, and its ongoing role as a bridge between cultures. Through stories of vision, hospitality, research, and resilie...

Historian and retired Knox College professor Dr. Stuart Macdonald joins John Borthwick to discuss his book Tradition and Tension: The Presbyterian Church in Canada, 1945–1985. Together they trace the growth, change, and eventual decline of the church through a period of enormous cultural transformation. Dr. Macdonald challenges the myth that this decline is simply cyclical, arguing instead that it reflects a shift unlike anything i...

In this special episode for Spiritual Health Awareness Week, Ministry Forum intern Sara Traficante joins John Borthwick as a co-host to speak with students from Knox College’s Master of Psychospiritual Studies program. Together, they explore what drew them to this unique field, how their sense of calling has evolved through study and clinical experience, and why psychospiritual care matters in today’s world. From hospital chaplainc...

Dr. James Tyler Robertson joins John Borthwick to explore the overlooked origins of Canadian Christianity. Drawing on his book Overlooked: The Forgotten Origin Stories of Canadian Christianity, Robertson uncovers surprising parallels between the 19th-century church and today’s realities—declining attendance, social change, and cultural anxiety.

The two discuss how immigration, economi...

In this episode, sociologist and former pastor Todd Ferguson shares insights from his book Stuck: Why Clergy are Alienated from Their Calling, Congregation, and Career. Drawing on interviews with over 40 pastors, Todd uncovers why so many clergy feel trapped—not because they’ve lost their faith, but because of the structures of ministry itself. He names the pressures of congregational decline, bureaucracy, and the demand to “produc...

In this special conversation, we hear from Mennonite congregations who have signed onto the 1% Spiritual Covenant (committing one percent of their annual budgets to Indigenous-led organizations as an act of repair and reconciliation).

Leaders share the long journeys that led their churches to this decision, the questions and challenges they faced, and the surprising ways generosity...

Laura Alary returns to the podcast and shares the stories behind two new children’s books—one inspired by the Toronto ice storm of 2013 and the other exploring why all living things need darkness. Together, these works invite us to see both the physical and spiritual gifts that come when plans unravel, lights go out, or fear creeps in. John and Laura reflect on how darkness can hold lessons of resilience, connection, and wonder, es...

We’re back with Season Four of the Ministry Forum Podcast, designed to move with the rhythm of your ministry life. This fall, we’re diving into fresh conversations with returning voices like Laura Alary—author, storyteller, and Knox College colleague—whose new books promise rich inspiration. We’ll also hear from Mennonite congregations living out a 1% spiritual covenant, offering reparation payments to Indigenous ministries—a model...

In this closing episode of the Tending Tomorrow lecture series, Rev. Dr. Joni Sancken addresses the complex task of preaching in a secular age. Drawing on the insights of philosopher Charles Taylor and her own pastoral and academic experience, Sancken explores how secularism, trauma, and the “buffered self” have reshaped how sermons are heard and what people expect from the pulpit. She challenges preachers to engage the imagination...

Rev. Dr. Sarah Han offers a compelling lecture on preaching in Canada today, casting a vision for an “epic” homiletic that is eschatological, proclamational, incarnational, and Christological. Speaking from her own experience as a Korean-Chinese-Canadian preacher, Han weaves personal narrative with sharp cultural analysis to ask what gospel meta-narrative can hold Canada’s growing diversity together. She argues for a preaching prac...

In this episode of the Tending Tomorrow lecture series, Rev. Dr. HyeRan Kim-Cragg explores the past, present, and future of feminist and womanist preaching within the Canadian context. Drawing from history, she outlines three key insights for future homiletics: the power of testimony, the need to move beyond solo preaching, and the importance of inclusive and expansive language about God. Kim-Cragg advocates for a preaching practic...

This episode launches a special series from the 2025 Lois Klempa Memorial Lectureship, focusing on the future of preaching in Canada through the voices of Canadian women homileticians. Rev. Dr. Sarah Travis opens the series with a powerful lecture titled “Preaching Wild Hope in a Foreign Land.” Travis challenges the myth of Canadian tolerance and explores how preaching must respond to the realities of colonialism, displacement, and...

Rev. Dr. Peter Coutts brings decades of ministry, academic insight, and coaching experience to a deep and practical conversation about leadership in the church today. The episode explores the concept of “self-leadership”—the intentional practice of self-awareness, reflection, and personal growth—as a vital skill for clergy navigating the complexities of ministry. Drawing from personal stories and professional coaching practices, Pe...

In this episode, Rev. Dr. Sandra Beardsall reflects on her lifelong journey with ecumenism, from early personal curiosity to decades of practical engagement. She discusses her role with the World Council of Churches’ Nicaea 2025 initiative, the rich history and evolving role of the Nicene Creed, and the broader movement for church unity. A significant portion of the conversation explores ecumenical shared ministries in Canada—what ...

Season Three of the Ministry Forum Podcast launches May 20! After wrapping Season Two before Holy Week to give listeners time to catch up, we’re excited to share what’s ahead. We hope your Easter season was both meaningful and renewing. This new, shorter season begins with an inspiring conversation with Rev. Dr. Sandra Beardsall on ecumenical shared ministries—models that offer hope for smaller congregations working togeth...

In this episode of the Ministry Forum Podcast, Ministry Forum Intern Sara Traficante joins Rev. John Borthwick to host a conversation with Rev. Rebekah Mitchell, minister at St. Peter’s in Madoc and a two-time Knox College alum,. Rebekah shares her journey from pandemic burnout to rediscovering her call to ministry through psycho-spiritual therapy. Rebekah reflects on her studies in the MPS program, her prac...

In this episode of the Ministry Forum Podcast, Rev. Dr. Patricia Dutcher-Walls, Moderator of the 149th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, joins us for a rich conversation about vocation, change, and hope in the church today. With wisdom drawn from decades of teaching and ministry, Dr. Dutcher-Walls reflects on her calling, the evolving role of the church, and what it means to serve faithfully in a time of transf...