There is a quiet but important shift happening across the Church in North America. Congregations are asking new questions about leadership, calling, and formation -not because the mission of the church has changed, but because the context in which that mission unfolds certainly has. The “why” of theological education remains constant. Todd Still, dean of Baylor’s Truett Seminary , observes, “When done well, theological education can serve as a bridge from call to competence. Put differently, a call to ministry is a call to prepare for ministry.” Yet the “how” is experiencing subtle changes. In this moment of re-engagement with the gospel across the continent, theological education is rediscovering its role not as an isolated institution, but as a partner in a larger ecosystem of formation. Greg Henson, president of Kairos University , describes theological education as an ecosystem of interconnected and interdependent parts. Local churches, ministry networks, seminaries, and followers of Jesus all play essential roles in cultivating disciples who flourish in their vocations. “Theological education works best when local churches, networks, seminaries, and followers of Jesus work together to cultivate followers of Jesus who flourish in their vocations for the life of the world,” Henson said. In that vision, seminaries are not the whole body, but neither are they optional. The church forms leaders best when each part contributes what it uniquely offers. Dr. Ingrid Faro, interim president of Northern Seminary, points to integration as one of theological education’s most important contributions. Northern Seminary provides space where intellectual engagement with scripture meets spiritual transformation through the work of the Holy Spirit. “Seminary has the unique responsibility to integrate intellectual knowledge of scripture with the power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives to serve God’s kingdom more effectively,” Faro said. That integration matters, because the mission field itself has changed. While earlier generations often imagined mission primarily across geographic or cultural distance, today’s ministry leaders increasingly recognize that mission begins much closer to home. “The mission field begins in our home and continues outside our door,” Faro said. “Every follower of Jesus is a minister of the gospel.” Theological education, then, is not preparing people for ministry somewhere else someday. It is helping them live faithfully where they already are. Brent Sleasman, president of Winebrenner Theological Seminary , sees seminaries adapting to meet that reality, especially as fewer students prepare for traditional full-time ministry roles and more pursue bi-vocational or locally rooted forms of leadership. “Those serving in full-time ministry roles are decreasing,” Sleasman said. “Schools need to have affordable and flexible options for students working multiple jobs with limited finances.” That shift has prompted many theological institutions to rethink how they deliver education - expanding hybrid learning, lowering financial barriers, and creating pathways that connect more directly with local church ministry. But accessibility alone is not the goal. The deeper purpose of theological education remains formation: shaping identity, character, and calling within a community of learning and discipleship. Faro sees that transformation regularly in the classroom. “Every term, every class, I see someone being set free from bondages or abuses that hobbled them from seeing their identity in Christ as beloved and valued,” she said. “They walk more freely and confidently in their calling as a disciple.” Sometimes the impact of theological education becomes visible in the simple reality of access. Sleasman recalls a student whose opportunity to study theology became a turning point in her life. “The fact that she was able to find a school that accepted her as a mother and follower of Jesus was a huge encouragement,” he said. “For her, access to theological education was an answer to prayer.” Stories like this reflect a broader shift in how seminaries and other theological education institutions understand their partnership with churches and ministry networks. “The Body of Christ is a body,” Henson said. “Theological education that doesn’t involve the local church is like the body saying it doesn’t need a foot. Theological education that doesn’t include the seminary is like the body saying it doesn’t need an ear.” This partnership language reflects a growing desire to move beyond seeing a seminary primarily as a credential-granting institution. For decades, theological education was often reduced to degree completion rather than discipleship formation. Henson names that misunderstanding directly. “When ‘going to seminary’ became reduced to ‘getting a degree,’ we turned deeply rooted journeys of discipleship into commodities,” he said. “If we start with a degree, we may never get to formation. If we start with formation, we can always get to a degree.” That reframing invites both churches and seminaries to recover a shared understanding of formation as a communal process - one that includes study, spiritual growth, and lived ministry experience. Across seminaries, universities, and other theological training institutions which are connected to the Ascent Movement and beyond, educators are experimenting with new models of accessibility, partnership, and contextual learning. These changes are not simply institutional adjustments; they are responses to the Spirit’s ongoing work in the church. Still’s comments reflect his agreement and add an important nuance. “I never cease to be amazed at how the Lord uses theological education not simply to inform God-called men and women but also to form them into more fully devoted Christ followers, he said. He further explained, “It is sometimes suggested that seminary study is too costly in terms of time and money. While not denying that study may well be costly, I have observed over time that failing to prepare adequately for ministry is more costly still." And as Faro puts it, the calling to ministry begins with obedience. “Pray and ask God to lead you to how he wants you to serve more effectively,” she said, “not if he wants you to serve.” Sleasman echoes that encouragement with a reminder from Jesus’ words that the harvest remains plentiful. Regardless of the path someone takes, the church continues to need leaders willing to join the work of the gospel. The future of theological education will likely look different than its past. Programs may be more flexible. Learning environments may be more distributed. Partnerships between seminaries and churches may grow deeper. But the core calling remains unchanged: forming followers of Jesus who are prepared to participate in God’s mission in the world. In that sense, theological education is not standing apart from the church’s renewal. It is participating in it. And as churches, networks, and those who do the theological training walk together in that shared mission, the ecosystem of formation continues to grow and cultivate leaders whose lives bear witness to the gospel for the life of the world. Contributors to this conversation include Dr. Ingrid Faro, Interim President and Professor of Old Testament at Northern Seminary; Greg Henson, President of Kairos University and Professor of Organizational Formation; Dr. Brent Sleasman, President of Winebrenner Theological Seminary; and Dr. Todd Still, Charles J. and Eleanor McLerran DeLancey Dean and William M. Hinson Professor of Christian Scriptures, Baylor University, Truett Seminary.

Each year, a small group of church planters, some with launch teams already numbering dozens, others still praying over an apartment lease in another town, logs onto a Zoom call together for the first time. They don't know each other yet. But over the next several months, they will come to know each other quite well. That's the Genesis Cohort , a church planting training sponsored by Ascent and its church planting partner Ecclesia . Its defining conviction is evident from the very first session: this isn’t primarily an information-transfer course. As facilitator Dr. Bob Hyatt tells every new cohort, the goal is personal and spiritual formation, helping people become the kind of leaders God can actually use, not simply handing out a planting playbook. "You're not primarily a church planter," he tells them. "You're a disciple maker. Church planting is just an outgrowth of that." The format reflects that priority. Participants work through pre-recorded teaching from a rotating slate of experienced equippers, then gather every other week for a 90-minute live discussion that’s part debrief, part group coaching, and part support group. The topical arc moves from the inside out. Early sessions focus on the character and competencies of a planter: identity, patience, contentment, and the gap between the "church of the mind" and the "church of reality.” From there, participants turn to core team building, using a green-light/yellow-light/red-light framework to discern who belongs on a launch team, and when. The cohort then moves through missional mindset and strategy, discipleship, vision, mission and values, and the work of exegeting a city’s culture, needs and “dirty little secrets.” One deceptively simple question anchors the discipleship conversation: “What do you hear God saying, and what are you going to do about it?” Later sessions explore models and approaches (traditional, missional-community, and big-launch), examined with unusual honesty about each one's tradeoffs, plus worship as formation, apprenticeship culture, children's and youth ministry, and a closing session on pastoral health. The final session addresses burnout's typical years-five-to-seven onset and the difference between being responsible to people and being responsible for them. Guest equippers bring real stories to the table. Pastors who've planted in inner-city Indianapolis, suburban Denver, and post-Christian Portland share what actually worked and what they'd do differently. The thread running through nearly every session is the same one Hyatt keeps returning to: hold your plans with an open hand, because "while we overestimate what God might do within one year, we underestimate what He can do in 5-10!” Participants come away saying as much about the community as the content. "It was an incredibly helpful and encouraging experience," one wrote. "There was a great balance between strategic discussion and tending to our hearts. The opportunity to connect with church planters from around the country was exciting and edifying." Another described coming in "a little nervous and overwhelmed" and leaving "feeling extremely equipped and a lot more knowledgeable and encouraged," adding that "Genesis has done such a great job covering a multitude of topics." A third said the cohort left them "more equipped about how our team is going to make this idea of a church plant into a reality, and more excited about this mission that God has given to us." That's really the aim in a nutshell: not a finished blueprint, but planters who are a little more formed, a little less alone, and a little more ready to build something that will outlast their own effort. This year, sessions will run from late September through mid-March, with pre-work a month before the cohort starts and one-on-one coaching debriefs after it ends. Early bird pricing runs $299 for Ascent and Ecclesia Network members and $350 for non-members, rising to $350/$400 after September 8th. Register now at Ascentmovement.org/genesis-church-planters-training .

The Spring Church began with a clear sense of calling: to create a welcoming, modern worshiping community that could reach people often overlooked by traditional church models without losing sight of the generations who laid the foundation. For Israel Crawford, one of The Spring’s pastors , the heart of the church has always been about hospitality and belonging. “The Spring started from a group of people determined to offer a more modern worship experience in our small town,” he says, “something that would appeal to younger generations, yet honor our heritage and our elders.” That balance remains central to the church’s identity. From the beginning, leaders sensed a responsibility to meet a need in the community - a place where people who didn’t quite fit the traditional church mold could still encounter Jesus and feel genuinely at home. What has been most encouraging, Crawford notes, is the spirit of unity that has taken root across generations. Support from elders, both in age and spiritual maturity, has helped bridge gaps that often divide churches. “There’s no ‘us and them’ here,” he says. “We’re all trying to be the body and work together.” That shared posture has shaped a culture marked by prayer, encouragement, and mutual investment. The challenges, however, are real. The Spring regularly welcomes people with little or no church background, and Crawford describes the careful work of protecting space for grace to take hold. “It’s challenging protecting people from ‘religion’ long enough for them to experience the Lord,” he explains, emphasizing the importance of loving and ministering to people without requiring them to fit a predetermined mold. As an Ascent congregation, The Spring has found encouragement in relationships that value action over talk and vision over nostalgia. Crawford describes Ascent as a partner willing to step in, support multigenerational expressions of church, and invest in young leaders. For a congregation still taking root in new soil, that kind of partnership has proven both timely and sustaining. Learn more about Ascent’s Genesis Church Planters Cohort here .

Jesus described the work of God’s kingdom as seed scattered on many kinds of ground. Some soil is rich and ready. Other ground is rocky - harder to till, slower to yield fruit, yet no less worthy of faithful care. For many pastors today, that description feels less like metaphor and more like daily reality. For Todd Willard, Senior Pastor of First Church of Christ in Wethersfield, Connecticut, the concept of rocky soil hits home. A native New Englander serving a congregation nearing its 400th anniversary, Willard ministers in a region shaped by deep history, intellectual rigor, and a healthy measure of skepticism. “It takes time to build trust here,” he says. New Englanders value education, family legacy, and regional identity, and their assumptions about churches often run deep. First Church is woven into the fabric of the community. Many residents still consider it their spiritual home, even if faith no longer shapes their everyday lives. Willard notes that the idea of needing a savior can feel foreign when Christianity is understood primarily as cultural inheritance rather than lived commitment. Leading in that context requires patience, thoughtful engagement with difficult questions, and relational skills that can navigate subtle but persistent spiritual resistance. Willard’s own family roots in the congregation—stretching back to the mid-1600s—give him trust and credibility while also placing him at the center of the work of helping a historic church re-engage Jesus’ mission in fresh ways. Nearly 3,000 miles away, rocky soil takes a different form. Corey Laughary, Executive Minister of Mission Northwest, serves as a pastor to pastors across a largely unchurched and independent region. His leadership supports more than 130 churches across Washington, Idaho, Montana, and beyond. While the Northwest is known for its breathtaking beauty, that same culture of independence and busyness often leaves little space for church engagement. “The Northwest is stunning,” Laughary says. “God’s handiwork is on full display.” That beauty creates opportunities for reflection and awe, but it also shapes a context where many people are post-Christian—not wounded by faith, but unfamiliar with it. Effective evangelism, Laughary explains, often begins slowly, through healthy relationships built on trust rather than programs.  After more than 20 years pastoring a small-town church, Laughary has seen ministry change alongside broader cultural shifts like rising loneliness, anxiety, and division. His congregation responded by developing mental health and suicide-prevention ministries that serve both the church and the wider community. Though their settings differ, Willard and Laughary describe the same need: companions for ministry in difficult ground. For both these pastors, Ascent has provided relationships, perspective, and encouragement for leaders learning to plant faithfully where growth is slow. Rocky soil may demand more patience and deeper trust. But as these pastors affirm, it is often there that the roots of faithful ministry grow strongest.

For many churches, global mission has long followed a familiar pattern: identify an agency, send support, and trust the system to carry the work forward. John Upton, a member of the Ascent Council and Project Lead for Church Engagement, explains that today’s Church calls for something more collaborative—and more formational. Through the work of Ascent’s Global Mission Task Force, Upton and others have been asking a defining question: What unique contribution can Ascent offer churches engaging mission today? Rather than creating another sending agency, the task force envisioned a framework that connects churches to trusted partners while offering multiple, meaningful ways to participate. The result is Joined Horizon, a global mission initiative built around clearly defined pathways.  “At the heart of this,” Upton explains, “are three well-respected mission organizations who’ve come together within the Ascent network.” Each brings deep experience and a distinct approach. Restore Hope focuses on holistic restoration, TMS Global provides extensive infrastructure for missionary sending and care, and Canadian Baptist Ministries equips and empowers indigenous leaders to serve within their own cultural contexts. Pathway One is the most immersive. It invites churches into a three-year journey of formation and engagement. Participants begin with training designed to help congregations reach beyond themselves and cross-cultural boundaries in their own communities. In the second year, churches spend time in deeply secular contexts, learning firsthand what ministry looks like where Christian presence is minimal. The third year culminates in a hands-on mission experience alongside one of the partner organizations. This pathway is designed not only to send people, but to shape how a church understands mission itself. Pathway Two focuses on supporting and sending missionaries. Churches may come alongside missionaries already serving through one of the partner organizations, or support individuals raised up from within their own congregation who sense a call to cross-cultural mission. Through this pathway, churches remain relationally connected while benefiting from the training, infrastructure, and care provided by experienced mission partners. Pathway Three centers on supporting local nationals - leaders already embedded in their own cultural and linguistic contexts. Rather than sending outsiders, this pathway equips and sustains those best positioned to lead gospel work where they live, offering training, resources, and long-term partnership. For Upton, posture matters as much as structure. “Ascent is an opportunity to do ministry not from a place of certitude,” he says, “but from a place of learning.” Churches interested in Joined Horizon can learn more at the Ascent Summit directly from leaders and one or more breakout sessions, with additional information becoming available on the Ascent website soon.