Adjusting and Adapting within Your Vocations

Presenter: Forrest Bivens

During the course of any ministry career there are countless adjustments that need to be made. Otherwise, as the saying puts it, our “25 years of experience” could end up merely being “One year of experience multiplied 25 times.” Our various vocations (e.g., as child of God, as spouse, as public gospel minister, as someone aging physically) regularly invite if not demand that we make adjustments or adaptations to various phases of our lifestyles. So what have we – what have you – learned about how best to transition during changing aspects of ministry? This forum will hopefully provide some good advice, much of which can come from the participants – that’s you again.

Brief presenter bio: Forrest Bivens, following 44 years of pastoral ministry, is now mostly retired. He now serves as part-time administrator for the Pastor Partners mentoring program that is carried out under the auspices of the Grow in Grace Institute at WLS. He served for 22 years as a parish pastor in home mission and established church settings in California and Michigan, and 22 years as classroom instructor (ST and OT) at WLS. He has served districts and synod in a variety of administrative roles on a part-time basis over the years as well. It’s always been all about grace, of course, and he is eager to spend time with other recipients of grace in public ministry roles.