Dear Friends,
This fall, from September to December, I will be taking a study leave. I’ll be leveraging this time to reflect, realign, and reimagine—discerning strategic priorities and sustainable models that deepen Missio Alliance’s mission amid shifting cultural and ecclesial landscapes.
A little more specifically, here’s what that looks like:
Reflect
I need space to slow down, to listen to God, to engage in practices that re-center me in belovedness. For the first month, I’ll fully disconnect from work and focus on listening and reflection. Leaders can only give what they have received, and effective leadership is rooted not in output, but in abiding. This month will serve as a reorientation—away from urgency and into deeper spiritual listening.
Reimagine
The middle months will center on listening—listening to voices within Missio Alliance and to the wider church. My focus will be on surfacing shared questions, pressing needs, and emerging opportunities that can guide us into a more fruitful expression of our mission. I will also spend time learning from catalytic organizations that, like Missio Alliance, are navigating growth and cultural change through both digital and in-person presence.
Realign
In December I will begin the gentle work of re-entry—sharing insights with my team, inviting feedback, and discerning together what alignment, sustainability, and strategic focus might look like for us in the season ahead. This will not be a rush back to activity but a collaborative process of translating reflection and imagination into faithful next steps.
I’m grateful that this time is possible thanks in part to the generous structures of the Baptist General Association of Virginia, our parent organization. Also, we have been selected to receive a Reflective Leadership Grant from Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. These grants of up to $15,000 support an opportunity for structured reflection for leaders of Christian organizations that are advancing their mission in the midst of today's rapidly changing context. Thirty-nine Christian leaders from a variety of faith-based organizations are funded in this fifth year of the Reflective Leadership Grant program.
