OUR PURPOSE
The tom Minnery Fellowship for Cultural Engagement is an ongoing Continuing Cultural Education program to help pastors and church leaders understand the times and know how to respond.
The Minnery Fellowship is named after author, former Vice President of Focus on the Family, and former Chairman of the Board of Center for Christian Virtue (CCV) Tom Minnery.
Throughout Tom’s career, he endeavored to encourage Christians to be salt and light in culture and “not be silent” on the most crucial issues facing our churches and families.
In 2023, Ohio voters passed one of the most radical abortion amendments in the nation. Despite a strong response from many church leaders opposing the amendment, an exit poll found that shockingly 34% of weekly-church attending Evangelicals from conservative denominations voted “Yes” on this grievous amendment.
In response, CCV and our Church Ambassador Network desire to come alongside pastors and give them the resources to speak to the difficult cultural and political issues facing their members today.
The Minnery Fellowship will provide ongoing educational opportunities for pastors and church leaders to dive into the practical issues facing Christians in culture and develop, with a cohort of their peers, biblical strategies and messages to respond.
Our mission
OHIO REGIONAL COHORTS
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Pastor testimonials
"The Church Ambassador Network has been an invaluable blessing to my spiritual and leadership journey. Through the Minnery Fellowship, I’ve been profoundly edified—especially by the insightful and Spirit-led facilitation of Dr. Jim Spiegel, whose theological depth and pastoral sensitivity have enriched our cohort. CCV’s commitment to equipping leaders for faithful cultural engagement is both timely and transformative.”
DR. TOM EDWARDS
Community Life Center
cohort Structure
ANNUAL OVERVIEW
Two (2) 4-month sessions each year.
Regional cohorts of 6 to 18 Pastors, referred to as "Fellows."
Peer facilitators lead monthly in-person cohort meetings.
Spring of 2025 focused on Biblical Cultural Engagement, utilizing select chapters of Biblical Critical Theory by Dr. Christopher Watkin.
Fall of 2025 will focus on Biblical Identity and Sexuality, utilizing Carl Trueman’s book, Strange New World.
SEMESTER OUTLINE
A kick-off event.
Monthly self-study content and assignments.
Monthly regional in-person cohort meetings (organized by the local facilitator to best accommodate each cohort).
Practical local church and community application suggestions.
Recorded livestream events with authors and experts relevant to the session topic.
Annual exclusive gathering for current fellows at the Essential Summit each fall in Columbus.
outcomes & DELIVERABLES
A resource bank of articles, books, podcasts, videos and other materials.
One-page session summary that can be presented to key church leaders answering practical questions including:
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Scriptures relevant to the topic
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Policies and programs for church implementation
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Potential sermon topics
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An easily implementable Bible study or seminar curriculum for their churches.
Practicum suggestions for each module designed to help pastors shepherd their congregation and reach their community.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
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NO! Thanks to generous donors who have chosen to support The Minnery Fellowship, any Pastor who wants to participate can do so on a full-ride scholarship that includes the book and all online resources.
At the end of each semester, Fellows will receive a template to evaluate all they have learned throughout the semester and create a summary for future reference. This learning summary will allow Fellows to recall what they learned and share it with their congregation, walking church attendees through those concepts. Additionally, the CAN team will create a 6-week course in Pathwright called the "Laity Training Program," which will serve as a condensed, simplified version of the Minnery Fellowship course that Fellows can share with their congregations. The course is available for self-study, but we recommend that churches begin small groups that will study the content of the "Laity Training Program" over the course of six in-person sessions. Chris Lightfoot, Executive Director of CAN, would be glad to speak at Fellows' churches to assist Fellows in sharing their learning outcomes with church goers.
The objective of each semester is to give pastors the tools needed to equip their saints for the work of the ministry in our current cultural context. The reading, in-person cohort meetings, and Pathwright content is intended to provide practical resources to help pastors shepherd both their congregation and community.
Each semester's topic is different but related to current cultural issues Christians are facing in society today.
You may email Jenna Scott (CAN Coordinator) at jennascott@ccv.org or Christ Lightfoot( CAN Executive Director) at chrislightfoot@ccv.org. Additionally, at the end of each semester, Fellows will have the opportunity to share feedback, suggestions, and other thoughts on their Minnery Fellowship experience by filling out the End of Course Survey. Once received, Jenna Scott will review all the responses to the survey and will make adjustments accordingly for the next semester.
The Minnery Fellowship takes place over two, four-month semesters each year. Fellows are assigned chapters from our featured book throughout each month of the semester, which correspond with a module of course content to study in Pathwright.
We recommend that Fellows set aside a couple hours each month to complete each module. The Pathwright content is not required, but will deliver a richer, more well-rounded Fellowship experience.
In addition to completing the reading and course content on their own time, Fellows will meet in-person with their cohorts once each month during the semester.
need another reason to register?
All fall cohort participants are invited to attend a special dinner with
DR. CARL TRUEMAN
Modern culture is a mighty force. It is either subservient to the gospel or else it is the deadliest enemy of the gospel. For making it subservient, religious emotion is not enough, intellectual labor is also necessary. And that labor is being neglected. The Church has turned to easier tasks. And now she is reaping the fruits of her indolence.
Now she must battle for her life.
The situation is desperate. It might discourage us. But not if we are truly Christians. Not if we are living in vital communion with the risen Lord.
If we are really convinced of the truth of our message, then we can proclaim it before a world of enemies, then the very difficulty of our task, the very scarcity of our allies becomes an inspiration, then we can even rejoice that God did not place us in an easy age, but in a time of doubt and perplexity and battle.
Then, too, we shall not be afraid to call forth other soldiers into the conflict.
— J. Gresham Machen, The Princeton Theological Review, Vol. 11, 1913
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