A new seminary seeks to prepare students for ministry in a divided church and society by integrating interdisciplinary theological education with organic farming in rural Virginia. Sophia Theological Seminary is currently accepting applications for its inaugural class that will begin…
Farming is ministry: 5 ways your congregation can start today
Two years out of seminary and a year into the pandemic, I walked away from my full-time nonprofit position and onto a farm. Far from walking away from ministry, I found farming to be a ministry. One that embodies unique…
Want to lower grocery prices? Urge Senate to pass Farm Workforce Modernization Act, panelists say
Those who think immigrants are stealing American jobs not only are wrong but are imperiling the American economy with their unsubstantiated views, a panel of agricultural leaders said July 27. “Each year, we see the end of generational farms because…
Rural churches: Pay attention to the mental health needs of farm workers
Mercer University researchers have identified a critical pastoral care need for leaders of rural churches: America’s farmers are in a mental health crisis. Across all farmers surveyed in a Georgia sample, 82% reported a moderate level of stress according to…
Baylor preparing to launch master’s degree in theology, ecology and food justice
It should come as no surprise that Jennifer Howell, director of a program blending environmental and theological studies at Baylor University’s Truett Seminary, perceives deep spiritual dimensions in the tilling of soil. “You recognize you are vulnerable to something bigger…
Experts call for African and American synergy in tackling climate change
American’s aren’t the only ones watching the Biden administration with hope for realistic confrontation of climate change. Africans are among the global community now hoping the United States will step up to help save the planet. “The science of climate…
A lesson from 19th century North Carolina: Lost cause, lost opportunity
Sid Alexander had the option to choose against racism. He lived in a crucial moment. He had meaningful power. He had opportunity to break decisively and publicly with a resurgent white supremacy movement. But Sid could not rise to the…
A rural church reimagines the Lord’s Supper as a farm stand
During my last semester at Wake Forest University’s School of Divinity, I walked the brick pathway of Hearnz Plaza with one of my professors. Our conversation’s focus was on my future plans to move away from my native North Carolina…
Can the land provide redemption for descendants of slavery?
“We don’t have anything against food chains, but if God gives us access to soil, to a healthy body and to seeds, why then do I see myself in a food desert? I see myself in an oasis.”