Strengthening Pastoral Formation grantee Jesse Sudirgo, along with five other scholarly practitioners in Toronto, focused on on-site visits with urban ministry leaders in Toronto, Vancouver, Boston, and New York in early 2024. Their goal was to learn how they approached the formation of urban ministers.
The second part of the project centered on discovering the core content and pedagogy of each group member in the context of their ministry within five evenings spread throughout the summer and fall. They are currently planning for a two-day fall retreat where they are bringing 20 other peer urban ministry practitioners/educators to share their core content and pedagogy.
The goal is to take an appreciative inquiry approach to discover the wealth and diversity of knowledge and experience within their current network in Toronto. The team hopes to form relational bonds that extend beyond their specializations, realize complementary pedagogies among peers, and hopefully spark collaborations that will create learning communities among the organizations represented in the group