Today on the podcast, I got to talk to my friend Dr. Stacy Minger. Dr. Minger is the Associate Professor of Preaching at Asbury Seminary and has been teaching here since 2004. In 2007 she received the Faculty Mentoring Award.
Dr. Minger was ordained in the West Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church as a deacon in 1988 and as an elder in 1991. She has pastored several United Methodist churches and volunteered in several community organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Christian Neighbors Food Pantry.
In today’s conversation, we talk about how she came to Asbury Seminary, not once, not twice, but three times! How she experienced her call to ministry, her role at Asbury Seminary and why preaching is so important to her and to us.
Let’s listen!
*The views expressed in this podcast don’t necessarily reflect the views of Asbury Seminary.
Dr. Stacy Minger, Associate Professor of Preaching at Asbury Seminary
The Rev. Dr. Stacy R. Minger is associate professor of Preaching. She joined the Asbury Theological Seminary faculty in 2004 and is the 2007 recipient of the Faculty Mentoring Award.
She received an B.A. from Hope College, 1986; M.Div. (1989) and D.Min. (1998) from Asbury Theological Seminary; and Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky, 2004. In 1998, she received the Distinguished Dissertation Award from Asbury Seminary for her dissertation, Preaching Biblical Financial Stewardship for the Whole-Person Response. Dr. Minger was ordained in the West Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church as a deacon in 1988 and as an elder in 1991. She has pastored several United Methodist churches and volunteered in several community organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Christian Neighbors Food Pantry.
Heidi Wilcox, host of the Thrive Podcast
Writer, podcaster, and social media manager, Heidi Wilcox shares stories of truth, justice, healing and hope. She is best known as the host of Spotlight, (especially her blooper reel) highlighting news, events, culturally relevant topics and stories of the ways alumni, current students and faculty are attempting something big for God. If you can’t find her, she’s probably cheering on her Kentucky Wildcats, enjoying a cup of coffee, reading or spending time with her husband, Wes.
Show Notes
Guest Links
- Connect with Dr. Stacy Minger
Transcript
Heidi Wilcox:
Hey, everyone. Welcome with this week’s episode of the Thrive with Asbury Seminary podcast. I’m your host, Heidi E. Wilcox, bringing you conversations with authors, thought leaders and people just like you, who are looking to connect where your passion meets the world’s deep need.
Heidi Wilcox:
Today on the podcast, I got to talk to my friend, Dr. Stacy Minger. Dr. Minger is the associate professor of preaching at Asbury Seminary and has been teaching here since 2004. In 2007, she received the Faculty Mentoring Award. Dr. Minger was ordained in the West Michigan Conference of the United Methodist Church as a deacon in 1988 and as an elder in 1991.
Heidi Wilcox:
She has pastored several United Methodist churches and volunteered in several community organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity and Christian Neighbors food pantry. In today’s conversation we talk about how she came to Asbury Seminary, not once, not twice, but three times.
Heidi Wilcox:
How she experienced her call to ministry and her life’s journey, her role at Asbury Seminary and why preaching is so important to her and to us. Let’s listen.
Heidi Wilcox:
Dr. Minger, thank you so much for joining the podcast today. It is a delight as always to get to talk to you.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Thanks Heidi. It’s always great to be with you too.
Heidi Wilcox:
Well, thank you so much. So I’m really curious. How did you come to Asbury Seminary? Because you came, I believe as both a student and then now as a professor.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Yes. I’ve been back three times. So, I just keep coming back and staying. [crosstalk 00:01:43]. I know. So I came as a student in 1986 and I came directly from college, Hope College in Holland, Michigan. And I came here as an MDiv student, graduated in 1989. I was in ministry for five years. And during that time, the seminary developed the Beason Doctor of Ministry program.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And it was a one year residential Doctor of Ministry program with an emphasis on preaching and worship. So we were in on campus for a year, and then we went back to where we were serving in ministry to finish the dissertation.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
So that was visit number two or degree number two. I started teaching in 2004 after completing a PhD in communication, and I have been here since 2004.
Heidi Wilcox:
Oh, wow. So almost-
Dr. Stacy Minger:
18 and a half years. Yeah.
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah. Those halves are important.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
I know, right?
Heidi Wilcox:
How did you know that you were supposed to be a pastor?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Right. That is a great question. I started my undergrad program thinking I would do something in the area of science, probably medicine with the idea of doing something in missions slash ministry, but I didn’t have any idea what that was.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And it was while I was in my undergrad that I just found, number one, I found I hated the labs, and if you’re going to do something in science, you really have to like the labs right?
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
So I sort of hit a wall and spend a year thinking, praying, talking to people. And there was one day I was taking required religion department class in gospel literature with Allen Verhey, Dr. Allen Verhey. He came to class that day and he said to us, “Today, I’m not going to lecture.”
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And this was very unusual. I never saw it again at Hope College. But he said, “Today, I’m not going to lecture. I want to share with you from scripture and reflect on what it means for your life.”
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And so he read from the Magnificat in Luke, which was Mary’s response to the angel telling her that she was going to be the mother of Jesus. And as you read that incredibly beautiful portion of scripture, she just talks about how God has called the least and how she’s giving herself to the Lord to work in and through her however He desires.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
So that day, as I was sitting in class, Dr. Verhey unpacked that passage of scripture, and he talked about how God calls the least likely, the people who expect it least, and they’re surprised by it. And all of us have the opportunity, well, not being the bear of Jesus, but we all have the opportunity to say yes to Jesus and serve in the kingdom.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And in that class, I had a profound experience, unlike anything I’ve ever had before of the Lord speaking to me, not audibly, but in an inward deep sense.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And I knew that I was still called to ministry and I had an inkling at that point, just a seed that it was in the life of the church as a pastor. And so that launched me forward. And at every step along the way, as I began to talk to people, my advisor, friends, family, there was consistent affirmation.
Heidi Wilcox:
Wow. Had you seen any other women who were pastors?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
At that point I did not know personally, any women who were pastors and I had no role models at all. And so today, if you go into my office underneath the glass of my desk, there are four pictures of the people who have most supported me and directly impacted me in ministry. Dr. Verhey is one of them, Dr. Vasco, who was my academic advisor and Dr. Kallas was the other. So it’s those three men who have been my encourager supporters along the way.
Heidi Wilcox:
Wow. That’s wonderful.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
It is. It’s a blessing.
Heidi Wilcox:
You must have been pretty sure about your calling then when you graduated to come straight to Asbury Seminary.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Ironically, I was sure that seminary was the next step, but I did not know what that looked like for me, because I did not have role models. And it was hard for me to imagine at that point in my life, what it would look like for me to be a pastor.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And as I talk to students, my students, there are so many of our students at Asbury who say the same thing. They tell me that they know the next right move for them; God is leading them to seminary, but they don’t have a long term vision of what that means for them.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And so I find it ironic that my story I’m hearing over and over again among the students that I teach. And it really was in my three years doing the Master of Divinity at Asbury that calling crystallized, it became clearer and I could see myself living into it.
Heidi Wilcox:
So you just knew that more study was your next right step. And as you took that, the next step and the next step after that.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Right. Ironically, the very last sermon that I heard at the end of my Master of Divinity degree in our chapel, the sermon was called, take the next right step. That has become the theme for me. We don’t get the long range vision. But God calls us to take the next step and the next step, and then he’s there to walk with us. And I think that’s what it means to walk by face.
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah. Unfortunately, yes. Because I think I would like to know everything. But then there’s times I’m like, “Oh, I’m glad, I don’t know 10 years from now, because I couldn’t handle it today.”
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Exactly. We’re not yet prepared for that, right?
Heidi Wilcox:
Yes. So after graduating, you pastored one church, two churches?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
I’m a United Methodist. And so we are appointed to serve congregations. And my first appointment was a two point charge. So there was a church of about an average of 70 in worship. And another church started out my very first Sunday, there were five in worship.
Heidi Wilcox:
Oh, wow.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
I know. When I left five years later, we were averaging about 22. So we had some growth. But that was five years in that location in Southern Michigan.
Heidi Wilcox:
Okay. Can you tell me a little bit about what those experiences were like for you kind of thinking about as they prepared you to teach, even though you didn’t know you were going to teach-
Dr. Stacy Minger:
For sure. So I was 23 years old when I graduated from seminary. So it is shocking me as I look back and I think, “They would appoint me at 23 as a full-time preacher and pastor.” And I look back now and I’m still friends with people in those congregations and they were generous and they were kind to me and they were very warm and they were very supportive.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
But Heidi, one of the things that we have talked about before is a unique part of my journey in that church. And I think if you want me to go there, I can. So when I, in the United Methodist Church were appointed, all of my friends at the end of our Master Divinity degree knew where they were going and it was a last week of the semester. And I still had that received my appointment.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And so it was the week of graduation that I got the call where I was going to go. And I was so happy. It was close by my family. It was in a location that I felt comfortable with. I thought it would be great. And then the morning of graduation, my district superintendent, who is a part of the person who makes the appointment called to let me know that they didn’t want me. And that he didn’t know where I would go or if I could go there.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
So that was my day of graduation. And I got back to Michigan. I did go and meet the leaders of the congregation and had a lovely conversation with them. Well, during that conversation, there was a person who I dearly love now, he has passed to glory, but he is dear to my heart, but he actually spoke up in that meeting and he said, “I’m not even supposed to be here tonight, but I just came to say we don’t want you.”
Heidi Wilcox:
Wow. [crosstalk 00:11:30] not supposed to be here. And he only came to say that, then maybe you should have stayed home.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
I know. Exactly. But the Lord really gave me the right words because I… he was sitting right next to me on my right. And I looked at him and I called him by name. And I said, “I think if I were in your shoes, I would feel the same way.”
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And it was just like he deflated and I recognized they had never had a woman before. I had never been a pastor before, I was really young. And so I said that, and then we went on to have more conversation and it was decided I would go there as a pastor.
Heidi Wilcox:
Oh, wow.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
So, I moved in.
Heidi Wilcox:
How did you feel then going somewhere that you’ve been very clearly told you weren’t wanted.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Yes. Ironically, by the time we wrapped up, there were other people in that room who were very much saying we want you, we feel like you’re right for us. And so I knew it wasn’t a hundred percent, but there was some support and I had prayed about it and I thought, “Yes, I think it is right.”
Dr. Stacy Minger:
So I moved there. I got settled in and I started preaching, getting to know people. And there was a Sunday, maybe six or eight weeks after I had been there. I had been preaching and I had preached at the small church first. And I had gotten back to the larger congregation and I was met at the door by the lay leader.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And he said to me, I’m still friends with he and his wife. And they’re very dear to me. And he greeted me at the door that day and he asked me if he could speak in worship. And I said, “Of course,” thinking, “My goodness, you’re the lay leader, of course you can speak in worship.”
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And so he came forward at the beginning of the service and he asked me to stand with him. And in that moment, he apologized to me and to the congregation for the things that he said and did, went to block my coming because I was a woman.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And that the person who spoke to me at that original meeting to say, “We don’t want to,” he was the first person to jump to his feet clapping. And it was just a beautiful moment of breakthrough to say we’re all in this together and we can move forward. And you originally, you asked the question about how were my experiences in ministry leading me and preparing me even to come back and teach.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
One of the things that became clear in that exchange was a part, a significant part of them changing their mind about it being okay for me to be there was because I preached from scripture and the preaching was greatly valued and they felt it was something that they had not experienced in the way that I preached in a long time.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And they were hungry for that. And so their hunger and their welcome of the preaching fueled and guided me in my desire to teach better and to learn more about preaching, which is exactly why I applied for the doctor of ministry degree in preaching and leadership.
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah, for sure. For sure. So I want to get back to how you came back to Asbury again for your third time. But since we’re talking about the importance of biblical preaching, as a professor, why do you believe that a theological education is so important to students and future leaders?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
The first thing that comes to mind for me is that theological education helps the person who is going into ministry reflect and prepare for the practice of ministry. I guess at some level it’s pretty easy to jump into ministry because there are ministries that we all can be involved in and we can all step into, but there’s something significant about theological education that allows us to learn our gifts for ministry, grow in ministry, and then also get a biblical and theological framework.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Other people, professors, and staff, and other students, we pour into each other’s lives so that we’re growing into the ministry that God has called us to along with all of the learning and all of that together empowers us to step into ministry in a fuller sense, but also with more tools, a wider perspective and a much expanded community of faith out of which we can do our ministry.
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah, for sure. It just helps, I think, because if you’re going to lead people, what I hear you saying is it’s helpful to know more than they do and have a deeper understanding.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Yeah. I agree. There’s always more we can learn. But just have a baseline of ministry based on what has the church believed across the century since Jesus was born, what has the church learned and affirmed about ministry? How have we been able to continue to take all of the biblical and theological understanding and connected it with where people live, the worlds in which they live? So I think it’s great to have all of that in place as a launching pad in some ways out of which to do ministry.
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah. Yeah, definitely. So how did you come back to Asbury Seminary then as a professor. Because you got your D. Min. , Went back to pastor, is that right?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
I did for six years in another United Methodist Church.
Heidi Wilcox:
Okay. So then how did you get back the third time?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Sure. So during my second appointment, which was in a United Methodist Church South of Grand Rapids, Michigan, I was there for six years. And during my time there, I finished that Doctor of Ministry degree in dissertation on preaching biblical financial stewardship for a whole person response.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
So I finished that dissertation and I graduated. And after I graduated, I was coming back to Wilmore for a ministry conference and I was coming with a friend, a friend who had never been to Asbury before and we’re driving into Wilmore and very offhandedly, Barb said to me in a surprising way, “Do you ever want to come back here and teach?” Without even thinking about it, I said, “No, I’m sure I will be a pastor till I retire.” And you’re laughing because you know where the story is going, Heidi.
Heidi Wilcox:
Well, I know where you are now.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
You’re right, and you know where I am now. So I thought, well, that was really sweet of her to say that. And then it was just 24 hours later, she and I were in the cafeteria having lunch. And I saw a professor approaching me, a professor who I had known during my days at the seminary as a student and he approached me and he came up and he asked me, “Are you ready to come back here and teach preaching?” My friend Barb heard that, and she laughed. And I did what I think is like the spiritual thing to do. And I said, “Well, I can pray about that,” or we can pray about that.
Heidi Wilcox:
Right. It’s a spiritual way to buy some time.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
There you go. You know that. Yes. And so he said to me, “Well, you’ll be here all week. Think about it, pray about it. And at the end of the week, let me know if I can put your name in the hat.”
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And there were just events all the way through the week where I knew that God’s hand was in this. And even though I had been quite blind to it when driving into Wilmore, driving out of Wilmore, I knew. And so I told him yes, that I would consider it.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And that began a series of events then of applying, sending in my material, being asked to come back and interview and then being offered the position…. not quite being offered the position, before being offered the position our provost then said to me at the end of a very long day of interviews, he said, “You just need to know that if we offered you the job and you accept, you are committing to doing a PhD.”
Heidi Wilcox:
Oh wow. You didn’t know that.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
That is exactly what I didn’t know. You’re right.
Heidi Wilcox:
So you hadn’t been thinking about a PhD at all then?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Oh no, that was not on my radar because I had just finished one dissertation and one degree and I thought, “Oh, they know that. And they’re asking me to do this, no.” In order to teach, having a PhD was important. And by then I was far enough in, and since God’s leading so much that yes, when I received the call that they offered me the position, I knew I would be doing a PhD as well.
Heidi Wilcox:
Remind me what you did in your PhD and I think you said a little bit earlier.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
So my PhD is in the area of communication. Specifically, I was focused on interpersonal communication because I really have the sense that when the preacher or the pastor preaches, there are all kinds of dynamics of interpersonal communication that are a part of the preaching moment.
Heidi Wilcox:
Definitely. Not even really knowing about your PhD, all the ins and outs I’m like, “Oh, that’s perfect for a pastor to couple that with preaching.”
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Absolutely. It is.
Heidi Wilcox:
So I’m sure you’ve taught a variety of classes during your time here, but what classes as of spring 2022 are kind of your regular rotation.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Right. Most of the classes that I teach are preaching. And so at Asbury for the Master Divinity program there’s one preaching class required. So I teach that one class a lot but we’ve tried to tailor the curriculum so that there are several preaching classes that fill that one basic requirement. So for me, on my regular rotation, I teach the introduction to the theology and practice of preaching.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And then I teach that same class through different avenue. So I teach that same class through preaching the gospels or preaching the historical books or preaching the Psalms. So those four classes I have on a regular rotation. I occasionally teach worship and a class that I taught regularly several years ago, I’m in the process now of recreating as a fully online class and it’s the class on women in ministry.
Heidi Wilcox:
Oh, okay. That’s really cool and perfect for you and your experiences to be able to help others learn from some of maybe the more difficult things.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
It is.
Heidi Wilcox:
[crosstalk 00:24:17] the good things too.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Yeah. So that class, I had always taught it as a one week intensive in January. And over time we have changes in our scheduling and our curriculum. And it was a class that just no longer had enough students in it, but I’m convinced it’s a class that’s really, really important.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And so I decided I wanted to offer it as an online class so that no matter where our students were around the globe, they could take this class. And the class focuses on the biblical support for women in ministry, including what you do with those hard texts, the few that say that women shouldn’t preach or lead, so we work at that. I focus on a theology of women in ministry, the history of women in ministry, the contemporary challenges and rewards of women in ministry.
Heidi Wilcox:
That sounds like a lovely class because just being a woman who is not doing something that is the definition of ministry, I’ve just found it helpful to be able to connect with other men and women who are in a similar place to be able to… Commiserate is not the right word, but it’s the word that’s-
Dr. Stacy Minger:
It’s a comradery.
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah. To be able to share good and bad experiences and encourage each other and celebrate and understand why you’re doing what you’re doing.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Absolutely. And every time I have taught this class, there have been both men and women in it. So it’s not just a class for women. It’s a class for men too.
Heidi Wilcox:
I’m glad you said that. I knew that in my head, but I’m glad you clarified that for people who are not in my head.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
That’s right. So if there’s anybody listening who wants to plug in, you’re welcome.
Heidi Wilcox:
Definitely. So why is preaching so important to you?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
I think boy, my mind goes in a lot of different directions, but preaching has historically been the way the word of God has been announced and proclaimed, not only to shape the lives of the individuals within the congregation, but it’s the way to share the word of God, the message of God, the love and grace of God all around the world to whomever is willing and open to hearing that word.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
So for me, preaching witnesses to Jesus Christ who is the living word. I like to say that we preach to the glory of God, the father, through the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. And so when we preach in that way, the Spirit of God is active.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Preaching isn’t just a history lesson. And it certainly isn’t a motivational speech, but it is the opportunity to hear the word of God that witnesses to Jesus, the living word. And then the Holy Spirit meets us. Speaks to us individually and corporately as the people of God to transform us more and more into the image of God for which we were created.
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah. How do you see preaching as a means of grace both for the speaker and then for the congregation?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Sure. I was just speaking on this last week in a class I was teaching. So first of all for the preacher, as preachers of the word we know never go to scripture to study it just so that we can put a sermon together to deliver it to whoever will listen.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
But before we prepare to preach that sermon, we as preachers are reading the scripture, we’re praying over it. I encourage my students to ask God, “Before I preach this word, what is the word you want to speak to me.”
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And there are times that the word God speaks to us as preachers personally, we’ll make it into the sermon, but not always. But to have that place where we sit before the word and listen, is always a privilege. And that becomes a place of transformation in the life of the preacher. And then as a preacher, we listen to the word, study scripture on behalf of the congregation.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And as we’re studying that word, we are praying and saying, “Lord, how do you want this word to be preached for the congregation or the context in which I’m preaching.” And then as you discern how that word is preached, it’s offered to God.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And as it’s preached, as I’ve already said, I’m convinced that the Spirit of God is present and takes up that word and applies it to the lives of those who are listening.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And there are sometimes that the preacher speaks about the implications of the word for the listeners and the people present resonate. And they say, “Yes, that’s me. Lord do that work in my life.” But I never cease to be amazed that there are times when I preach and people will speak to me afterwards, and God has done something in their lives that wasn’t even on my radar when I prepared that sermon.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And so when we think about preaching as a means of grace, if we are in the worship service where God is present and he surely is, then God will take that living word and through the Spirit’s presence and power, know what each individual person needs, and will engage and will meet us in a personal way.
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah. That’s the beautiful thing about it, right?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Absolutely. God, when we sit in a congregation, God knows each of our hearts and each of our yearnings and needs in a personal and specific way. And as we open our hearts and lives and minds to him, He will speak and He will minister to us.
Heidi Wilcox:
One of the things I hear you saying, as you talk about, it’s important for preachers to sit with God’s word to have a relationship with that is with him, is the character of the person doing the speaking. Why is the character of that person in addition to the words that they’re going to say, who the person actually is so important as well?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Yes. Heidi, right now in our culture, we’re hearing story after story about preachers and Christian leaders whose characters did not live up to the qualities that are Christlike. And as a result there has been a fallout of hurt and damage and anguish.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And so for us as Christian leaders and as preachers, we want the Spirit of God to work within our lives so that we are formed in the image of Christ. Not only just formed in the image of Christ, but as one of my mentors, Dr. Robert [Mohr 00:31:56] would often say, is that we are formed in the image of Christ for the sake of others.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And so if we are not formed in the image of Christ and we are in this position of leadership, it’s all too easy to lead in ways that are self-serving that end up damaging other people or harming the community.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And that doesn’t reflect the heart of Jesus. And so, as people who have been called to serve the flock that Jesus loves the people that Jesus loves, we want to live into His character, so that He’s honored in and through the ministry.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And then also that Jesus will move within the lives of everyone so that they too might grow to be more like him.
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah. It’s really kind of an act of worship, right?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
It is.
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah. I never really thought about preaching as an act of worship too, because I normally just think of it as singing or praying or whatever. So yeah.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
So when we teach worship and preaching in the worship class, we talk about the four movements of worship and the first movement of worship is the gathering or the entrance, when we gather in God’s presence.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
The second movement of worship is actually called the ministry of the word. And at that point we listen to the scripture and then we hear the word proclaim preaching, or other acts of worship that draw attention to hearing some aspect of the word of God.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
The third act of movement is the response to the word, which could be holy communion or some other act of worship. And then the fourth act of worship is so important, it’s the sending. It’s the reminder that we never gather for worship and being together in isolation, but we gather in worship always to be sent back to the world in which we live.
Heidi Wilcox:
That’s beautiful. That’s beautiful. So I need your help a little bit with this question to make sure I have my facts right. But you’re currently the only female preaching faculty at the seminary. Is that right?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
That’s true. Yes.
Heidi Wilcox:
And you may have been the only one ever, is that also true?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
That’s true.
Heidi Wilcox:
Okay, wow. So that’s a really awesome job, but also a lot of responsibility maybe to kind of carry that. So how do you see your role as a female professor and teacher of preaching?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Sure. So Heidi, most of the time, I actually don’t think about being a woman preaching professor. I just think I’m a preaching professor.
Heidi Wilcox:
There may have been a better way for me to word that question [crosstalk 00:35:14] being gracious.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
No. You worded it just fine. But here’s where I become, especially aware of the role of being a woman preaching professor. In fact, I was teaching a class last week and there was a group of students gathered and the class was about 50% women, 50% men, which in itself is an amazing thing.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
When I first started teaching preaching, I could go for semesters on where there was no woman in my preaching classes. And so the fact that we have many, many more women in preaching class thrills me right now. But one of the women was talking about easily being able to see her call as a pastor, but struggling with understanding her call and identity as a preacher.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
There’s some literature, some research on that very thing. And it does seem that there’s a pattern that when men have experience of call to ministry, most of the time, not always, but most of the time easily see themselves stepping into that role of preacher.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
But we know it takes longer for women to step in to that role and see themselves as a preacher. So for me as a woman preaching professor, I like to think that I can help model for them what it looks like and I can support them and I can encourage them.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And that is always my hope is that I’ve had mentors, male mentors who’ve come alongside me in wonderful ways to support me there. I have to say there would’ve been something wonderful to have a woman do that. And I hope, and I desire to do that for the women in my classes, in the seminary as a whole.
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah. You get to be the person that maybe you wish you would’ve had when you were first starting your journey.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Beautifully said.
Heidi Wilcox:
So you’ve been teaching for almost 20 years now. So why do you do what you do and still love it?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Yeah. It does never get old. Every semester I love meeting a new group of students trying to imagine where are they going to be in ministry and what will God do in and through them in the course of their lives in ministry.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And so I love teaching preaching for so many reason. To give people the tools to preach, to encourage them all over again, to fall in love with God’s word as something that’s living and that can engage people to set people free and to really bring people to know Jesus.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And then I think the one thing that I especially love is that long after I am gone from this earth, there will be people in ministry or they’ve impacted people who are now in ministry who will be sharing the word.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And so I try to imagine how the little seeds that I plant in my classroom and with students will bear kingdom fruit for who knows how long to go.
Heidi Wilcox:
Many generations.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Exactly. Yes. And I just love the beauty that I can plant small little seeds and that God yields a harvest. And I don’t know exactly what the harvest will be, but I do know that I have students from the classes that I have taught that are serving in places all around the world and they’ve devoted their lives to those places and the Lord will take what we’ve done in class and continue to yield fruit from them.
Heidi Wilcox:
Right. Just like you’re passing on the fruit that your mentors like Dr. Kallas gave you and that comes through in your teaching and in your preaching.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Yes, very much so. Yes.
Heidi Wilcox:
So I have to ask, I know we’re almost out of time, but I have to ask how did Dr. Kallas become your mentor? I didn’t know him super well, but he was such a wonderful man and has such a history and such a legacy here.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Yes, he is a wonderful man. Dr. Kallas was our preaching professor during that year long residency for my doctor of ministry degree. And so he was, I can’t remember the exact title, but pastor in residence. And so he hung out with us. So not only did he teach our preaching classes, but he traveled with us and he spent time with us and he spent time with our whole group of, I think there were 12 or 13 and we all loved him dearly. But I cherish the times that he would take me aside.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
He took a special interest in me. I don’t know why, but he did and he found ways to not only nurture my faith, but also help me grow as a preacher. And I am so grateful for that. One of my favorite memories is being in Seoul Korea and going to worship service. After the worship service, he would say to me, “Let’s take a walk and get a diet Coke.”
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And so we were walking on the streets of Seoul and as we did so, he would quiz me on the sermon that we just heard and ask me about my impressions. It was in conversation that he mentored me into thinking more deeply about preaching and what it means not only for my life, but for the practice of preaching itself.
Heidi Wilcox:
Wow. What a wonderful experience.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Very much was. It was such a beautiful honor. And I’m so glad then when I came back as a professor that I could spend so many more years with him and continuing to learn from him and dearly love his wife, Janet, who still precious to me and grateful for everything, both of them have given me.
Heidi Wilcox:
For sure. For sure. We have talked about a lot of things and I always enjoy our conversations because I feel like time just runs out. There’s never really an ending.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
We could just keep going, right Heidi?
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah. We could. We’re like the Energize Bunnies. Is there anything else that you’d like to mention that I haven’t known to ask you?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Nothing jumps out at all for me. Really, I think we’ve covered [crosstalk 00:42:22].
Heidi Wilcox:
There’s no pressure. I just am like if there’s something burning [crosstalk 00:42:27].
Dr. Stacy Minger:
You did great.
Heidi Wilcox:
So we have one question that we ask everyone because the show is called the Thrive with Asbury Seminary Podcast. What is one practice, spiritual or otherwise that is helping you thrive in your life right now?
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Yeah. Prior to COVID there was a stretch in my life where I had Dr. Callis had died, another dear friend had moved away from the seminary who was a colleague. My mom had died and it was a period of just loss for me. And that led into just a long stretch of years of feeling pretty alone. And then COVID happens right.
Heidi Wilcox:
Also alone.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
No matter what, we’re all alone. But just prior, the two years or so prior to COVID, there was a person who was a colleague. We had known each other. We really were friends, but not deeply so, and she reached out to me in beautiful ways to invite me into her life. And that really was an answer to prayer.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And because I have an autoimmune disease all the way through COVID and still COVID hasn’t ended for me. I had to be so careful and I’m single. So I live alone. The isolation was pretty intense. But this friend also with health concerns was having to be careful.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
And through this season, the last couple years, I am so grateful for a friend who’s welcomed me into her life. She’s the one who opened the door and sought me out.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
She’s welcomed me and we’ve been able to journey together in these last couple years. That has been an incredible gift to me. And so for me, that practice of community, even though it has been a one-on-one kind of community, I am just reminded for me personally and I think for all of us, the importance of relationship and being open, even if we’re in a place of discouragement in our life, because the relationships aren’t quite right or where we want them to be, we can continue to pray and ask the Lord to send people into our lives or we can be that person who reaches out and invite someone else. And so that practice of sharing in authentic friendship and a friendship that can grow over time is really precious to me.
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah, for sure. I think as you said, we all realized in a new way, how just important our relationships were and how much we really value them. And I think really they’re one of the few things that matter.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Absolutely.
Heidi Wilcox:
Yeah. And I think after having been through COVID, I mean, we all said that, but it just has a deeper meaning when we talk about relationships now.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Absolutely. I think it just puts a spotlight on God created us for relationship. And when we live into those relational connections, we’re living into the very people God created us to be.
Heidi Wilcox:
Absolutely. Absolutely. Dr Minger, thank you so very much. I truly always enjoy our time together and I just love hearing your passion for what you do.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Thanks Heidi. It’s so good to be with you too to.
Heidi Wilcox:
Well, I will have you back anytime.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Thanks. Maybe. We’ll just have to get together just for the fun of it.
Heidi Wilcox:
Yes. Well, thank you so much.
Dr. Stacy Minger:
Thanks. Take care.
Heidi Wilcox:
Hey everyone. Thank you so much for joining need for today’s conversation with Dr. Stacy Minger. I’m sure you could hear her passion for preaching and for her students coming through the microphone. And I hope you enjoyed this conversation as much as I did. If you see Dr. Minger or know her, be sure to tell her thanks so much for being a part of our podcast today.
Heidi Wilcox:
And as always, you can follow Asbury Seminary in all the places on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @asburyseminary. Until next time I hope you’ll go do something that helps you thrive.
